On the shelf
Sue Blechl
Originally published 09:23 a.m., March 15, 2008
Updated 09:23 a.m., March 15, 2008
“Wolves at the Door,” by Thomas A. Chown, Pipers Willow, Inc., Sheridan, Wyo., 2007.
Opening with the Civil War Battle of Westport in 1864, this historical novel follows Henry Devon and his family as they farm in Fort Scott, move to Kiowa, Kansas and finally relocate to La Junta, Colorado. Henry and Tamsen and their children are a typical pioneer family, enduring the many tribulations and joys of living in small, rural communities in the years when the plains were being settled.
In this first book of a planned trilogy, author Chown relates his story with short episodic chapters. The reading is easy and charming, with lots of humor and some pathos. The main characters are drawn both with appealing qualities and some flaws, just as in real life. In fact, the main characters are quite real, based upon the author’s own great grandparents and their offspring. Chown has created the book using his family story, as his forefathers traveled across Kansas and westward.
The final pages of the book provide some information on the “real” Devon family, and even a photograph. This section was especially satisfying to me. While the stories of bravery and mischief, stubbornness and sacrifice may not have been specifically lived by the Chown family members, they could have been. Learning more about the Chowns is the final link in understanding the day-to-day life of homesteaders in Kansas.
More history is brought to life by the chance encounters with celebrated Western personalities, including Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and Doc Holliday. While not major figures in the story, the celebrities do bring a sense of “what if they really did meet?”
The language used in the novel is full of slang and picturesque terms. It adds to the quaintness and comedy of ranching and family life. While the anecdotes include such familiar themes as weather, sickness, buffalo, Indians, railroads, and Harvey Houses, they are never treated in a trite way. All episodes feel original and personal, never formulaic. A charming story that sets the tone for the whole book is about a gift from Mother Devon to her oldest daughter. A special butter mold that made the covered wagon journey from Fort Scott is handed down. It symbolizes the family’s struggles and triumphs. Author Chown treasures that butter mold to this day and cherishes all that it represents.
A heartwarming saga of Kansas, this will be popular with many readers.
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