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Quail Crossings
Tragedy has struck the small town of Knollwood, Texas and Dovie Grant finds herself dealing with the loss of her husband and daughter. Despite her grief, she still must fight to bring her remaining family through the already trying times of The Great Depression. Her father needs help on their struggling farm, Quail Crossings. She isn't thrilled that he's hired a young 18 year old boy who's caring for his three younger siblings. Surviving her grief, as well as the constant dust storms that plague the plains, will Dovie be able to put her pain aside to care for these children or be forever trapped in the darkness of the loss in her family?
310 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 30, 2012
1045 people are currently reading
1415 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
May 4, 2015
I enjoyed reading this, but somehow I was left feeling a little unsatisfied, as if I had missed something. Most of the characters are very well written and believable and the details are great, but I found it a touch too heavy and sickly-sweet in places. (I am not overly fond of 'God-centric' stories)
November 7, 2016
A very easy and enjoyable read. A heartwarming story with some wonderful characters that you may just fall in love with. Gave me the feeling I was watching an old style, G-rated movie. I would consider this a palate cleanser for the more mature, adult themed books we normally read. Even had a nice undercurrent of religion. I'm off to read the next book by Ms. McMurrain...Return to Quail Crossings.
February 5, 2017
Set in Texas during extreme drough I thoroughly enjoyed this recounting of jus twhat it took to survice during that time and still manage to hang on to a farm. Nothing earth shattering in here, just the simple day to day struggle that living through a drought engenders. I am looking forward to reading this author's next one.
October 15, 2012
Jennifer McMurrain's debut novel, "Quail Crossings," is a delightful piece of historical fiction. Set in a small, rural Texas town during the Great Depression, the story revolves around the family that owns Quail Crossings (a farm) and the family they take in.
The main character, Dovie, has lost her husband and daughter; she wants nothing to do with more mouths to feed, especially when one of them is a little girl who reminds her far too much of Helen. Her father, James, is the one who brings the Brewer family home.
The story made me smile and cry at different times; I felt like I knew the characters. They were well-rounded and developed (except for one secondary character, Charlotte, who seemed like her only traits were selfishness and meanness, without us being given a chance to understand her motivation). I cared about the people whose stories I was reading, which is the point of character-driven fiction like this.
There were some editorial errors (homophones, pluralizations and punctuation) that were a distraction but not a major problem. Well worth reading for fans of Americana-type historical fiction.
Edited to add: it appears that this book has been removed from Smashwords (from which I purchased it). That's a pity, as I also like to share reviews at the site where I bought the book.
The main character, Dovie, has lost her husband and daughter; she wants nothing to do with more mouths to feed, especially when one of them is a little girl who reminds her far too much of Helen. Her father, James, is the one who brings the Brewer family home.
The story made me smile and cry at different times; I felt like I knew the characters. They were well-rounded and developed (except for one secondary character, Charlotte, who seemed like her only traits were selfishness and meanness, without us being given a chance to understand her motivation). I cared about the people whose stories I was reading, which is the point of character-driven fiction like this.
There were some editorial errors (homophones, pluralizations and punctuation) that were a distraction but not a major problem. Well worth reading for fans of Americana-type historical fiction.
Edited to add: it appears that this book has been removed from Smashwords (from which I purchased it). That's a pity, as I also like to share reviews at the site where I bought the book.
May 7, 2015
This was a free book. I enjoyed this historical novel. At the end the author implied that she used stories from her grandparents. This made me think of the way the top soil was taken from the lands, that were cleared to farm, and left with nothing to hold down the top soil. I have a son, living in Arizona, and I had not known, about the terrible dust storms they have in his area. I was able to look up pictures on YouTube, that were very frightening. This story tells about those kinds of storms happening, and how it affected the farmers. It was also during the 1930's, during the depression. It's about a family of four children, whose parents left them to go to California. They find a man and his widowed daughter, who take them in, and help them to have a better life. This is a descent read.
October 10, 2012
I don't usually read historical fiction but this story was very entertaining. I found myself laughing and smiling several times throughout the book. I loved the kids in this story. I purchased this book on my kindle and became lost within the pages in no time. I would recommend this book to anybody looking for a great story to enjoy. Jennifer, you have written a wonderful book and I can't wait to read the next one as well.
May 20, 2018
I received this book for free. My interest in it was related to the time period and circumstances of the dust bowl. I am surprised by the high ratings. I appreciate the work of the author, but I could not recommend this book. I read the acknowledgements, and I understand you had some help with editing, but not enough. If you write another book, you need to find a new editor.
May 22, 2013
I thought this would be an interesting piece about the great depression. I found the characters under developed, the dialogue confusing, and the story line just didn't work. I did finish it despite all that.
May 26, 2015
Mildly interesting book about farmers in the dust bowl.
The characters are wooden and the plot is predicable.
The characters are wooden and the plot is predicable.
December 23, 2018
We need God in our path. It is a human flaw to think we can ever be in control. A moment is all it takes for a life to be forever diverted from our plan, and sometimes it isn't ours even to adjust the new course. At those times, God is the director, even if we can't tell how he is guiding things for us or around us. .
We need God in our path. It is a human flaw to think we can ever be in control. A moment is all it takes for a life to be forever diverted from our plan, and sometimes it isn't ours even to adjust the new course. At those times, God is the director, even if we can't btell how he is guiding things for us or around us. When we are caught in whirlpools that take us where we would rather not go, we need more than ever to trust God to work out our life's thread. We are all in his great plan for a Kingdom, and wevknow Tribulation is coming. Every difficulty we have now can be useful to us if we will view it as training for that life in the Kingdom. Even as adults, we are God's children, and as such, we are always in training, like Dovie learning to accept loss, like Evalyn, learning to follow a path forced upon her, and like Lou Ann, standing up against evil as strongly as we can. These characters are us, ourselves, and the gift of this author lets us see how we can choose to grow or be held back in our lives and our faith by bad decision-making.
We need God in our path. It is a human flaw to think we can ever be in control. A moment is all it takes for a life to be forever diverted from our plan, and sometimes it isn't ours even to adjust the new course. At those times, God is the director, even if we can't btell how he is guiding things for us or around us. When we are caught in whirlpools that take us where we would rather not go, we need more than ever to trust God to work out our life's thread. We are all in his great plan for a Kingdom, and wevknow Tribulation is coming. Every difficulty we have now can be useful to us if we will view it as training for that life in the Kingdom. Even as adults, we are God's children, and as such, we are always in training, like Dovie learning to accept loss, like Evalyn, learning to follow a path forced upon her, and like Lou Ann, standing up against evil as strongly as we can. These characters are us, ourselves, and the gift of this author lets us see how we can choose to grow or be held back in our lives and our faith by bad decision-making.
July 22, 2025
A story of love and family set during the Great Depression in Texas
I !oved the warmth and sincerity of Jennifer's characters. Having a father whose family lost their farm and business in Oklahoma when the banks failed and took their savings with it, I felt a connection to these people and understood their heartaches. The faith that James shows in giving Bill a job including feeding and housing Bill and his 3 younger siblings is remarkable considering his grieving 32 year old widowed daughter is not at all happy with James' decision. The story reminds me of the neighbor helping neighbor actions of the rural families I grew up with in Idaho and Oregon. With the current cruel and heartless political climate in the U. S. this book helped remind me that there are still good neighbors and true Christians who will yet come to the aid of their less fortunate neighbors in 2025 as James Murphy did in this novel in 1934. Thank you Jennifer for an inspirational, heart- affirming story. I am looking forward to reading the other volumes in your Quail Crossings series. I encourage any readers who need a heartwarming snuggle by the fire read to check out Quail Crossings for themselves.
I !oved the warmth and sincerity of Jennifer's characters. Having a father whose family lost their farm and business in Oklahoma when the banks failed and took their savings with it, I felt a connection to these people and understood their heartaches. The faith that James shows in giving Bill a job including feeding and housing Bill and his 3 younger siblings is remarkable considering his grieving 32 year old widowed daughter is not at all happy with James' decision. The story reminds me of the neighbor helping neighbor actions of the rural families I grew up with in Idaho and Oregon. With the current cruel and heartless political climate in the U. S. this book helped remind me that there are still good neighbors and true Christians who will yet come to the aid of their less fortunate neighbors in 2025 as James Murphy did in this novel in 1934. Thank you Jennifer for an inspirational, heart- affirming story. I am looking forward to reading the other volumes in your Quail Crossings series. I encourage any readers who need a heartwarming snuggle by the fire read to check out Quail Crossings for themselves.
April 21, 2024
Story/characters: 3 out of 5 stars. Craft: 1.5 out of 5 stars.
I wanted to like this book. The story was good, if a bit cliched (a common failing of historical fiction). The characters were interesting; a bit cliched too, but at least not totally flat. I even liked the fact that Evalyn didn't completely "reform" until the end (though heaven knows she had enough chances), and Charlotte never did.
But good lord, the grammar and spelling. After reading multiple times about Dovie "ringing" a towel while "the Brewer's" hung out around the "chicken coup", etc. etc. etc., I "could of" thrown my Kindle across the room. On the strength of the story and characters, I might have continued the series (seven more books? yes, I would have). Due to the miserable failures of grammar and spelling, I can't. Hint to fellow writers: If you don't trust your own grammar and spelling skills, find an editor who knows more about those things than you do.
Irony of ironies, the author thanks her editor in the acknowledgements, saying the manuscript "would be a mess" without her. You mean it "might of" been worse?!? Lord help us all.
I wanted to like this book. The story was good, if a bit cliched (a common failing of historical fiction). The characters were interesting; a bit cliched too, but at least not totally flat. I even liked the fact that Evalyn didn't completely "reform" until the end (though heaven knows she had enough chances), and Charlotte never did.
But good lord, the grammar and spelling. After reading multiple times about Dovie "ringing" a towel while "the Brewer's" hung out around the "chicken coup", etc. etc. etc., I "could of" thrown my Kindle across the room. On the strength of the story and characters, I might have continued the series (seven more books? yes, I would have). Due to the miserable failures of grammar and spelling, I can't. Hint to fellow writers: If you don't trust your own grammar and spelling skills, find an editor who knows more about those things than you do.
Irony of ironies, the author thanks her editor in the acknowledgements, saying the manuscript "would be a mess" without her. You mean it "might of" been worse?!? Lord help us all.
March 25, 2022
This book was a quick, easy read. I enjoyed the book, but I only gave it three stars because it had a very predictable plot. The book is set in Texas during the Depression. Dovie Grant lives with her father and is grieving the loss of her young daughter and husband. Dovie's father, James, invites a four children to live with them after he finds them without parents. The oldest of the children, Billy, is the defacto parent for his two sisters and younger brother. The family survives several scary "dusters" which were serious duststorms back in the 1930s. I am guessing that the author is a Christian writer as there were many references to religion. The themes in the book cover grief, loss, resilience, love, and disaster. If you want a quick read, this would be it.
October 23, 2017
Great read.
I seldom give a five-star rating to any book but I just couldn't help it with Quail Crossings. I find it hard to believe that this is Ms. McMurrain's first novel. The research was done well with the horror of the "dust bowl" days being described well and the agriculture disaster that the plowing of the great plains caused. I love the characters and the description of small town life in early twentieth century America and the craziness that was caused by movie stars in young girls lives. Don't miss this one, it's a great read and a book you can share with your family.
I seldom give a five-star rating to any book but I just couldn't help it with Quail Crossings. I find it hard to believe that this is Ms. McMurrain's first novel. The research was done well with the horror of the "dust bowl" days being described well and the agriculture disaster that the plowing of the great plains caused. I love the characters and the description of small town life in early twentieth century America and the craziness that was caused by movie stars in young girls lives. Don't miss this one, it's a great read and a book you can share with your family.
November 13, 2017
This was a very easy to read story set in Tx during the Great Depression. The story centers around a father & daughter who live on a farm, and take in a family of 4 siblings because they need a place to live. I appreciated reading about the dust storms of how it affected families, homes, and the farmers' livelihood. There is a Christian-fiction slant to the story, but I did not find it overbearing. Reading this book reminded me of "the old days" when families watched TV programs with feel-good endings. I guess I would describe this as a feel-good book, which was a nice switch from my more recent reading which included dystopia and non-fiction. I rate it 4 stars.
April 4, 2021
Texas Plains, Really?
I was drawn into the story and fell in love with the characters . However, I'm a fourth generation Texan. Three generations grew up just below the Caprock and I grew up on the Panhandle. While we definitely have our own colorful sayings, we don't use the ones used in this book.
A pond in our part of the world is called a tank.
I found it highly unlikely that they would have have thrown pennies away in our part of the world. They couldn't feed their families.
Some of the wealth of this family during the Dust Bowl seemed strange since they lived on a farm?
I was drawn into the story and fell in love with the characters . However, I'm a fourth generation Texan. Three generations grew up just below the Caprock and I grew up on the Panhandle. While we definitely have our own colorful sayings, we don't use the ones used in this book.
A pond in our part of the world is called a tank.
I found it highly unlikely that they would have have thrown pennies away in our part of the world. They couldn't feed their families.
Some of the wealth of this family during the Dust Bowl seemed strange since they lived on a farm?
April 29, 2021
3.5 stars. Tragedy has struck the small town of Knollwood, Texas and Dovie Grant finds herself dealing with the loss of her daughter and husband. Despite her grief, she still must fight to bring her remaining family through the already trying times of the 1930s. Her father needs help on their struggling farm, Quail Crossings. She isn't thrilled that he's hired a young 18 year old boy who's caring for his three younger siblings. Surviving her grief, as well as the constant dusters that plague the plains, will Dovie be able to put her pain aside to care for these children or be forever trapped in the darkness of the loss in her family.
October 17, 2019
A delightful read! Characters were well developed and all different. I felt I really got to know each one even down to Mr. Norman, the goose! A story from a simpler time, living on the farm, dealing with tragedy, country fairs and dust storms. There were several story lines going on with Bill and his siblings struggling to make it without their parents, Dovie and her grief, Evalyn and her rebellious behaviour, but to me, it was the country living story that stood out. If you are looking for an easy read, wholesome book, this is it.
October 26, 2021
Quail Crossings is a novel set in Texas in the depression. It has some very good qualities and actually tells a story without gratuitous sex or cursing. However, the characters feel like stereotypes, and the plot is predictable. The story felt thin, if that makes any sense. I had no trouble reading this book, but I didn’t feel compelled to pick it up at every opportunity, nor did I purchase the sequel. But, if you are looking for a reasonably good book that is wholesome, then this might be a good choice.
December 14, 2019
Wonderful novel set in the 1930's
It's hard to believe this is the authors first book. The characters and plot were so well developed that it kept the interest going throughout the novel. A Christian family takes in children who were abandoned by their parents. There are conflicts with the oldest girl who can't accept the circumstances,even though it is best for everyone. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more by this author.
It's hard to believe this is the authors first book. The characters and plot were so well developed that it kept the interest going throughout the novel. A Christian family takes in children who were abandoned by their parents. There are conflicts with the oldest girl who can't accept the circumstances,even though it is best for everyone. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more by this author.
January 2, 2024
A story to love
I have known Jennifer McMurain for years, but I read this book for the first time today. I live it. The characters are real. The emotions bring tears, laughs, and tears. I knew from reading shorter works, she is one of the best authors around, but I had no idea how talented she is.
Thank you, Jennifer, for one of the most enjoyable reads I have had in a very long time.
I have known Jennifer McMurain for years, but I read this book for the first time today. I live it. The characters are real. The emotions bring tears, laughs, and tears. I knew from reading shorter works, she is one of the best authors around, but I had no idea how talented she is.
Thank you, Jennifer, for one of the most enjoyable reads I have had in a very long time.
November 19, 2017
How I ever ended up with this book I'll never know. Probably a "deal" on Amazon. It was a complete surprise that I found the story compelling to read, not to mention a great educator on living on the prairie during the 30s. It was just a collection of everyday events for folks struggling to get by during the lean years. It was my mother's generation. It was life on a farm with few amenities.
May 18, 2023
I picked up this book because it is set in the same time period as the story I'm currently writing.
Jennifer McMurrian spins an excellent tale depicting the happy times in the hardest of times. I am impressed with her style.
If you like historical fiction from the brownfields of the 1930s Midwest, You will love this story!
Richard
Jennifer McMurrian spins an excellent tale depicting the happy times in the hardest of times. I am impressed with her style.
If you like historical fiction from the brownfields of the 1930s Midwest, You will love this story!
Richard
October 18, 2017
Our reading group was lucky enough to meet Jennifer Mc Murrain and read this book. It is about the dustbowl days in the Texas panhandle where she grew up. I love her style of writing with lots of conversations. She bases her books on stories and people she knows.
November 8, 2017
Basically young adult fiction. The story is nice, but predictable and with very unrealistic dialogue. I bought this as an audible read because it was inexpensive. Did appreciate some of the faith-based themes in the book. In the end it was a struggle to finish.
November 30, 2017
Quail Crossings was an enjoyable read! Didn't want to put it down
Quail Crossings was very enjoyable...would recommend it to all who enjoy a wholesome story. What life was like during the dust bowl era.
Quail Crossings was very enjoyable...would recommend it to all who enjoy a wholesome story. What life was like during the dust bowl era.
February 9, 2018
An average story that takes place on a farm during the great Depression: a widow and her father take in some abandoned children. The writing was somewhat stilted, and the climax was underwhelming, but the plot was original.
February 28, 2019
Nice bunch of characters & I enjoyed the story, but the writing seemed a little amateurish. Not that I could do better, but somehow it seemed a little forced. Still I enjoyed it enough that I may read the sequel.
August 21, 2019
This was an excellent book to read. Held your interest all the way through and gave you humor, intrigue, mystery, sadness and joy with clean romance mixed in. Ready to read more about Quail Crossing Series.
April 24, 2021
Quail Crossings
This book was well written , dealing with dust storms and how it affected the people at Quail Crossings. Bill, his brothers and sisters ., were near striving to death when he met Mr. James. He offered Bill work and a place to stay for him and his family.
This book was well written , dealing with dust storms and how it affected the people at Quail Crossings. Bill, his brothers and sisters ., were near striving to death when he met Mr. James. He offered Bill work and a place to stay for him and his family.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews