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True Women
While Euphemia Texas Ashby King stands firm against Mexican general Santa Anna and leads the battle for women's suffrage, Georgia Lawshe Woods defends her household from the blackmail of a Yankee commander. (Historical Fiction).
635 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
September 23, 2022
Windle sets out to research and relate the tale of her own Texan ancestors, and her writing proves to be just riveting. Of course her tribute to the greatness of her own lineage is totally biased, but it's refreshing that she focuses on the female heroes. Most of the story is so good you can almost overlook the whitewashing of frontier violence and the slave economy. I never saw an account of such supposedly true devotion between white masters and black slaves. The author combines Southern hatred for Mr. Lincoln's Republic with touching inclusion of Native, Anglo, Latino and Black ancestors in one great communal bush of very proud locals.
June 27, 2011
The author of this book tells the stories of three of her ancestors--her maternal great grandmother, great great grandmother, and her fraternal great grandmother. The book's divided into thirds, one for each character. I learned a lot about the history of Texas of which I knew nothing. The stories were inspirational, seeing the hardships of trials of these women and how they coped with them. The writing was okay, but some passages read like a history book. Having three stories in one book made it difficult at times for me to remember what happened to which character. Also, the author tried to cover very large periods of time, which made it hard for her to include some information I thought necessary. For example, One of the characters eventually had some grandchildren, but there had been very little mention of her own children. I'm glad I read this book because I've played around some with writing a story of my own ancestors. I've decided if I do so, I will isolate a much shorter period of time and center the plot around an incident or two, and not try and cover a life span. (Interesting note: There was a character named Sarah in this book. Her life is the basis of the book/movie "Sarah, Plain and Tall")
July 26, 2009
This is an incredible read. It begins with the fight for Texas after the fall of the Alamo and ends with World War II. The heroes in Texas often wore skirts, and not just buckskin britches. The writer tells of her ancestors in a most readable fashion. It's not just a history book. Enjoy!
October 15, 2012
As a Texan and fan of Texas history, this was one of my favorite historical fiction novels I have read. You really felt like you understood what it was like to be a woman in Texas in the 1800's. Apparently there is a tour you can take of the women's homes and that is now on my to do list!
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May 1, 2007This gave a very interesting perspective on the feminine side of the Texas Revolution / frontier experience / Civil War experience. Janice Woods Windle writes about the history of places I call home, so that's the biggest draw for me. I enjoyed this book more than Will's War - the writing just seemed more polished, but I really enjoy the bits of history that she has crafteed into her fiction about people and places that aren't usually in the historical fiction spotlight.
June 9, 2023
True Women is an ambitious labor of love on the part of the author. Windle seeks to record and share her family's colorful heritage with the world, and she accomplishes this by utilizing the perspectives of three ancestors - Euphemia, Virginia, and Bettie - as well as herself on occasion. Where Windle succeeds is by highlighting these pioneering women and the often dangerous environment they grew up in, and she doesn't shirk on her duty to highlight just how harrowing life was back in Texas's early days. However, this ambition is a double-edged sword. While there are poignant and revealing moments, there are also sweeping generalizations that pull the reader out of the narrative and make it difficult to sink back into it.
For each of her heroines, Windle starts in their childhood. For Euphemia, in particular, this is a particularly volatile time for both the character and the state of Texas, so it makes sense. However, the narrative around Euphemia's older life is cut off, even though there are strong hints that her pioneering ways aren't over yet. Honestly, the whole book could've been about Euphemia, her life was that interesting. As a result, readers only get a glimpse of this extraordinary woman, and the tail end of Euphemia's story loses its relatability and poignancy because Windle has to cover larger swathes of years, and this criticism holds for the other two heroines, as well.
Virginia is, I would say, Windle's most complicated heroine. She is the one who most directly deals with the topic of slavery compared to the other ancestors, and Virginia certainly seems conflicted by the practice. However, she and Windle pretty much avoid addressing the topic directly. There's a scene where Virginia meets with a lawyer to free some slaves of hers, but the resolution of that conversation is vague. It's not clear if Virginia succeeded in her aim or not. Coinciding with that is her husband's desire to bring on slave labor to help on their farm. Virginia opposes this, but it's not clear what actually happened. By avoiding the topic while having it simultaneously serve as a backdrop was confusing and felt like a sanitization of history. That said, reading about how her fortunes went up and down with the times felt like a great peek into the South's Reconstruction history, which was complicated in its own right. You empathize with Virginia, and you root for her. But it would be a disservice to history to not read between the lines as to what's not being shared on the page.
Compared to Euphemia and Virginia's lives, Bettie's life was devoid of life-threatening drama. At first, her story unfolds the same way: we begin with a traumatic early childhood experience, but unlike with Euphemia and Virginia, Bettie's trauma doesn't seem to dictate her life to the same extent. Euphemia and Virginia had to overcome enormous obstacles just to survive. Bettie's trauma is certainly the stuff of nightmares, but then she goes on to live a relatively normal life in comparison. In a way, she felt like a gentle come-down from the previous heroines. Bettie's life also just sort of happens to her, and while she meets all these historical people and witnesses massive historical events (the Great Depression, WWII), she seems to have less agency in her story. She provides for her community, but she doesn't outright challenge it. I'm not at all suggesting that makes her a bad person. Her life is comfortable, and she doesn't want to jeopardize that. One can hardly blame her. It does make Windle's job harder because she has to portray a character's inner world when that inner world doesn't want to be challenged and suffering by being compared to the other two heroines.
Overall, this was a wild ride, which you should be able to expect from a novel about Texan women. It's often a tough read, in the sense that there are a lot of gruesome scenes from a brutal time. However, it's still enlightening and even inspiring. That said, it suffers greatly, I think, from stuffing the lives of three women into one book. Readers establish an early connection with the heroines, but then through the massive passages of time, readers just as quickly lose that connection. There's also a very uncritical look at these women in the name of honoring a family legacy, which cannot be ignored, given the time period these stories took place in.
One final thought: I was often struck by the principle of luck in family legacies. Throughout everything these women endure, there's an element of luck that makes their survival possible: the tornado decimated another farm instead of theirs, their sons made it back from the war but not their neighbors', their friends were kidnapped by Native Americans but not them. There's no question these women are strong, capable, and resilient, but they are also incredibly lucky. I just find that fascinating.
For each of her heroines, Windle starts in their childhood. For Euphemia, in particular, this is a particularly volatile time for both the character and the state of Texas, so it makes sense. However, the narrative around Euphemia's older life is cut off, even though there are strong hints that her pioneering ways aren't over yet. Honestly, the whole book could've been about Euphemia, her life was that interesting. As a result, readers only get a glimpse of this extraordinary woman, and the tail end of Euphemia's story loses its relatability and poignancy because Windle has to cover larger swathes of years, and this criticism holds for the other two heroines, as well.
Virginia is, I would say, Windle's most complicated heroine. She is the one who most directly deals with the topic of slavery compared to the other ancestors, and Virginia certainly seems conflicted by the practice. However, she and Windle pretty much avoid addressing the topic directly. There's a scene where Virginia meets with a lawyer to free some slaves of hers, but the resolution of that conversation is vague. It's not clear if Virginia succeeded in her aim or not. Coinciding with that is her husband's desire to bring on slave labor to help on their farm. Virginia opposes this, but it's not clear what actually happened. By avoiding the topic while having it simultaneously serve as a backdrop was confusing and felt like a sanitization of history. That said, reading about how her fortunes went up and down with the times felt like a great peek into the South's Reconstruction history, which was complicated in its own right. You empathize with Virginia, and you root for her. But it would be a disservice to history to not read between the lines as to what's not being shared on the page.
Compared to Euphemia and Virginia's lives, Bettie's life was devoid of life-threatening drama. At first, her story unfolds the same way: we begin with a traumatic early childhood experience, but unlike with Euphemia and Virginia, Bettie's trauma doesn't seem to dictate her life to the same extent. Euphemia and Virginia had to overcome enormous obstacles just to survive. Bettie's trauma is certainly the stuff of nightmares, but then she goes on to live a relatively normal life in comparison. In a way, she felt like a gentle come-down from the previous heroines. Bettie's life also just sort of happens to her, and while she meets all these historical people and witnesses massive historical events (the Great Depression, WWII), she seems to have less agency in her story. She provides for her community, but she doesn't outright challenge it. I'm not at all suggesting that makes her a bad person. Her life is comfortable, and she doesn't want to jeopardize that. One can hardly blame her. It does make Windle's job harder because she has to portray a character's inner world when that inner world doesn't want to be challenged and suffering by being compared to the other two heroines.
Overall, this was a wild ride, which you should be able to expect from a novel about Texan women. It's often a tough read, in the sense that there are a lot of gruesome scenes from a brutal time. However, it's still enlightening and even inspiring. That said, it suffers greatly, I think, from stuffing the lives of three women into one book. Readers establish an early connection with the heroines, but then through the massive passages of time, readers just as quickly lose that connection. There's also a very uncritical look at these women in the name of honoring a family legacy, which cannot be ignored, given the time period these stories took place in.
One final thought: I was often struck by the principle of luck in family legacies. Throughout everything these women endure, there's an element of luck that makes their survival possible: the tornado decimated another farm instead of theirs, their sons made it back from the war but not their neighbors', their friends were kidnapped by Native Americans but not them. There's no question these women are strong, capable, and resilient, but they are also incredibly lucky. I just find that fascinating.
May 27, 2009
This is not an easy book to read but I highly recommend it to every woman I know. The writing is good enough, its the subject matter that tears at your heart. It's actually the lives of 3 separate women and their times in history. you live with them in times of terror, heartbreak and living. I live very close to the local involved and have passed by many times. I now plan a pilgrimage to some of the spots mentioned in Seguin, Gonzales and Lockhart. It brings Texas to life in a way that you'd not thought of it before.
March 16, 2022
I have had this book on my to read list for some time, and I was excited that it was chosen for my book club. I enjoyed reading much of the book, but it was very easy to get bogged down with the many characters. It would have been much better for her to focus on one central character. Even though I was very familiar with much of the history in the book, I especially appreciate her depiction of the "runaway scrape." No history book has ever made that event as real as her descriptions did. Final thoughts: well researched, good writing, but way too long.
July 11, 2025
This is a fun book, especially if you live in or love Texas. It's based on some true events and shows the strength of several real-life women. Great discussion book
November 18, 2018
reading it for the 2nd time
July 23, 2017
Can't finish this one.
October 9, 2019
This is a multigenerational saga that stretches across Texas history from the Texas fight for independence to World War II. In fact, the story seems defined by wars and the tradition of women staying at home and keeping the families and homes, farms and businesses going and the men go off to fight. Interwoven is a fictionalized version based on the authors own families in and around Seguin, Texas.
In the beginning I was afraid the language and descriptions were too flowery, but I soon got used to her style of writing and found it had more depth than I thought. Janice Woods Windle draws more heavily on the True Women from her mother's side of the family, Eupehemia Texas Ashby King, and Bettie Moss King. The early part of the book is thoroughly described, while the more recent is less so.
All in all a good read especially for those whose ancestors lived during those early Texas years or for anyone who wants to know what life back then was like.
In the beginning I was afraid the language and descriptions were too flowery, but I soon got used to her style of writing and found it had more depth than I thought. Janice Woods Windle draws more heavily on the True Women from her mother's side of the family, Eupehemia Texas Ashby King, and Bettie Moss King. The early part of the book is thoroughly described, while the more recent is less so.
All in all a good read especially for those whose ancestors lived during those early Texas years or for anyone who wants to know what life back then was like.
June 18, 2019
I loved this book enormously. It tells an important story, the story of women who lived in a very important era of American history. It is the story of all the women and children who are left behind when men go out at war. The women who survive. The women who make the country what it is, who shape history in their own way.
I loved reading these stories that presented a different side of what we’re used to read, the Civil War, the First and Second World Wars from the vantage point of women.
I recommend this to everyone. It’s a story of love, life, survival and humanity.
I loved reading these stories that presented a different side of what we’re used to read, the Civil War, the First and Second World Wars from the vantage point of women.
I recommend this to everyone. It’s a story of love, life, survival and humanity.
August 4, 2023
Ok, so I really liked the TV mini series back in the 1990s based on this book. This is one of the few times, in my opinion, where the movie/TV show was better than the book.
The book has 3 separate sections, connected only through the author. Each section focuses on one of the author's ancestors. Each section is not at all lengthy or particularly detailed. I get that the author has taken her family and fleshed it out, and each section is the entire life of that particular ancestor, but I was really wanting more.
The book has 3 separate sections, connected only through the author. Each section focuses on one of the author's ancestors. Each section is not at all lengthy or particularly detailed. I get that the author has taken her family and fleshed it out, and each section is the entire life of that particular ancestor, but I was really wanting more.
April 15, 2024
I sometimes find myself unworthy to be called a Texan. This book made me feel that and so much pride at the same time to know I live in this great state. I read Hill Country first, and this book shows me more of the family tree of Janice Woods Windle. I wish I had all the stories from my ancestors written down. While I remember some of them, the names have become foggy with time. I have always been told that part of the family's land had Sam Houston's signature on the deed. I also know we had a Methodist preacher who carried a gun in one hand and a Bible in the other.
October 9, 2019
There are parts of this story that are very interesting. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the writing. Ive been reading it to my elderly MIL who’s struggling with her eyesight. She loves Texas history and the Texas Hill Country so this has been a good pick for that. The beginning is better than the second 1/2 and it was that great start that earned the 3 Stars.
August 26, 2024
Wonderfully interesting book about the author's ancestors on both sides of her family told in a novel format. She tells about the settling of Texas from women's perspective, from the period of time of the Runaway Scrape (after the fall of the Alamo) until the 1950's. Family photos are included and add a depth to her story. Highly recommend!
July 13, 2025
This is a great book of you like historical fiction. Especially if you are interested in Texas history as well.
This author has written stories about both her mom & dad sides. Starting with two sets of great-great-grandparents and ending with her grandmother.
Very well written. I'm only giving it 4 stars because it was a little slow at times.
This author has written stories about both her mom & dad sides. Starting with two sets of great-great-grandparents and ending with her grandmother.
Very well written. I'm only giving it 4 stars because it was a little slow at times.
July 25, 2021
I had read this book because I had watched the miniseries. I liked the story because it told of several generations of strong women. I thought the novel was pretty good. It was a decent book but not a favorite.
April 7, 2025
For those that think the women’s liberation movement was a product of the 1970s, read True Women. These Texas women were tenacious, courageous and underestimated. After reading this I have new respect for the Texas Republic and the women who helped shape it.
August 28, 2025
A great biography of one woman’s ancestors during the founding of Texas, the territory, the country, then the state. Fascinating stories that bring to life the hardship and resilience of these frontier families.
June 22, 2017
Texas history writer
Love love love this book!!!!!
Love love love this book!!!!!
June 4, 2019
Although this book is classified as fiction, it is filled with history. A most interesting read.
November 5, 2019
I read this book about 20 years ago. It gave some good historical insight into what life was like during this time. I remember they made a movie based on the book.
November 21, 2019
Great book and since I live in the areas where these things took place it was interesting to learn more about the history.
March 18, 2020
Love historical fiction. Even better that it was centered around my home town.
October 31, 2020
details true story of settlers in Sequin/Gonzalez , Tx. 2nd time to read. Fascinating read.
April 22, 2021
Maybe 2.75. It dragged on.
August 9, 2021
A great Texas history lesson and family story. I would have liked to more if it was shorter.
September 28, 2021
Very interesting book about the women who helped make Texas what it is today.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews