October in the Earth by O. Hawker, published by Lake Union Publishing, is a powerful novel, raw and gritty and heartwarming at the same time.
The stand-alone is set in the 1930s in Kentucky with a heroine who's had enough, who's just over it. A cheating husband who blames everyone but not himself, she goes living her own life, finding herself. In a depression stricken country it isn't easy. She has to fight for her feeedom. Grows, finds a new meaning.
A wonderful story that gives all the feels, literally unputdownable.

This was my first Olivia Hawker book, and I have to say, her writing is great. I just had a hard time staying engaged with the story and often found my mind wandering. That being said, I will read more from this author in the future.

3.5 rounded down.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book.

As this begins, the setting is in Kentucky during the Depression. A husband who is a preacher, and his wife, Del. They have been married for a number of years, and have been hoping for a child. When she happens upon a scene, witnessing her husband being unfaithful to her, it is the end of their marriage, for her. She knows he would never allow her to leave him, what would he say to his congregation, after all.

Del packs what little she has, the tokens she treasures, some clothes, and little else, and climbs up on a train, helping another woman up as the train is just starting to leave. This woman, Louisa, will help Del learn the ways of life associated with this new life she has chosen.

To leave a community, a husband, her parents and what friends she had to leave behind, exchanging it all for a life she has no inkling of the dangers ahead, the struggles, she felt the heartbreak she was leaving behind was still a better choice.

In Louisa, Del finds a friend, one that not only helps her to navigate this new lifestyle, but one who will stay with her and teach her the ways of this life she’ll need in order to survive. But Louisa is slow to reveal her reasons for taking to this lifestyle, and when she does, Del is determined to help her find a way to return to the life she had before, and to those who love her.


Pub Date: 10 Oct 2023

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Lake Union Publishing

Adella is the wife of preacher Irving Wensley, his church is in Harlan County, Kentucky and she stands by his side and never questions his choices. Most people think Adella is lucky, she has a rich husband, a nice home and the one thing she longs for is children and the couple haven’t been blessed with little ones. When Adella discovers her husband’s long term infidelity, she’s mad and decides to leave him.

Dressed in men’s clothes Del turns her back on the strict life she's lived as a preachers wife, a coal train is rolling through the valley and she stows aboard. Del has no idea where she’s going or what she’s going to do and the only thing she can think of is getting away from her cheating husband.

Del meets Louisa Trout, she takes the novice under her wing and explains the rules and code of being a hobo, the safe places to stay or jungles in larger cities and her plan is to travel west. Louisa destination is Wenatchee to pick apples, earn enough money and so she can be reunited with her son. As Del and Louisa travel across America, it’s gripped by a terrible depression, they see abandoned houses and dried up crops in the fields, families traveling the roads and because the banks have foreclosed on their farms, hardship and smothering dust storms.

I received a copy of October in the Earth by Oliva Hawker from Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. A liberating and at times dangerous action adventure story, and without her experienced companion Del wouldn't have latest long on her own and she would've been an easy target.

The narrative focuses on the unique relationship and friendship formed between the two main characters, traveling the rails, the hobo lifestyle, going where the tracks lead them and with a few deviations along the way. Another wonderful novel by Ms. Hawker and I have been a big fan of hers since I read One for the Blackbird, and One for the Crow. An epic journey across depression ravaged America, it's about self-discovery, giving more than you take, honesty, types of love and four and a half stars from me.

Really enjoyed this book. Great character development. Good ending. Wasn’t sure if it would become a romance between the two women. Didn’t want it to. Glad that was kept to imagination. Not that I have a problem with it, but don’t want to read details. Thank you Netgalley for chance to read prerelease in exchange for honest review.

Set in Kentucky in the middle of The Depression, Del Wensley is the wife of the town preacher.

She’s the perfect lady, helps her husband with community events and doesn’t question his judgment. When Del finds out about her husband’s long time infidelity, Del reaches her breaking point and decides to leave.

With the coal train driving through town, Del takes a chance and tries her luck riding the rails as a hobo. It’s on this first train that she meets Louisa Trout, who is on a nomadic journey to earn money for her family. Louisa is seasoned at riding the rails and is there, somewhat reluctantly, to show Del the ropes.

I really enjoyed this book. Depression era America is not something I know a lot about and it was really interesting to read about how the hobo lifestyle started in America and the impact that various policies and politicians had.

Louisa and Del’s relationship was also really interesting. Louisa makes it clear at their first meeting that she’s a solo traveller but she lives within the hobo communities or jungles when passing through bigger cities. Del is definitely pushing for the companionship at the beginning but as the character’s grow and develop, both realise what the other brings to the partnership.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Olivia Hawker for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This story which takes place during the depression tells the story of Del and Louisa who meet as hobos running the rails, starting in Kentucky and trying to head west to Washington state. The story focuses on their experiences, running the rails, trying to survive by finding food and jobs, but most importantly the friendship and caring that develops between these two women. This book is gut wrenching and so sad at times, it also has moments of lightness and joy.. I would recommend this book for anyone wanting to get a glimpse of life during the depression in the 1930’s.

I have read several of Ms. Hawkers books and they all have been a high 5 stars. Unfortunately, this one was a bit of a disappointment, I can’t really explain why but it did not have the depth of character the others did. It seemed to be repetitive of riding the rails over and over and repeated itself many times of how Del felt. Yes, Del and Louisa did have multiple adventures, with the storyline explaining how hard life was during the depression and her husband was definitely a cad, it just missed the mark. I’m going to give it a 3.5 stars rounded up to a 4 star.
I was provided an uncorrected ARC from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a voluntary review if I so wish, I thank them. P.S. - I have no idea how the name of the book relates to the story.

After reading The Fire and the Ore by Olivia Hawker, I was looking for more of her books to get lost in. This one popped up, I grabbed it, and I am so glad I did. I love historical fiction and this was a page turner of a story!
Del is a preacher's wife in hard luck Depression-era Kentucky and just can't take any more of his cheating ways, so she resolves to leave him without warning. After a chance meeting with some down on their luck people, Del decides to join the many others with few options and hops on the rails to travel around the country looking for work and their next meal. Del meets Louisa on a train and they end up on a cross country journey that pushes them to their physical and mental limits.
This book is much more than a book about the Depression era. It is about love, family, and doing what gives you peace. The author writes a few times about love with the idea being it is to be given more than it is taken. Del and Louisa demonstrate that many times on their arduous journey on the rails with people they meet who are in even more desperate situations. Even though it takes place in the 1930s and money and food are difficult to acquire, I didn't find it a depressing book. Sad at times, sure, but the interactions of the characters gave you hope for all. I read for many more minutes than I had planned each time I opened the pages to dive back into the story. I loved the settings created in the many towns and I felt like I was there. Learning about the hobo code was interesting and I had no idea that they had rules to live by and hobo "jungles" to live in in many cities. If you want a book to take you back in time, feel all the feels, and make you fall in love with the writing an author created, I highly recommend this book. I believe I will be thinking about this book for days!
Thank you Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

'The End had come, The End kept coming, The End knew no ending'.

In 1931, in rural Kentucky, The Depression cloaks itself around the community of Harlan; smothering joy and suffocating livelihoods. Surely the biblical End had finally arrived. Adella Wensley, the town's minister's wife, does her best to support those suffering hardship and be her husband's helpmeet, 'The preacher might get all the glory, but it was always his wife who rubbed a little grease on the axle of the church and kept things running.' However, after discovering Irving's serial philandering and utter hypocrisy, Adella decides enough is enough, 'Mom's disapproval wouldn't keep me tethered to the Devil. On that point, I was determined and settled'. Adella hitches a ride on the first train out of town. The promise of freedom is her only plan. However, after meeting Louisa Trout, fellow hobo, they ride the rails together, heading West, toward the promise of work. Over time, it becomes apparent just how blind Adella has truly been, 'I'd learned to blind myself to the poverty around me. For if I'd looked directly at what had been right there before my face, would have seen the injustice all too clearly - the injustice I'd helped perpetrate'.

'October in the Earth' immerses you in the hardship of the Depression years; tenant farmers forced off their lands by banks, dust storms asphyxiating livelihoods, as well as the magnanimous spirit, and community of those left desperate, 'It's love that reminds us who we really are. It's love that holds the world together, even when everything tries its best to fall apart'.

This is the first book I've read from Olivia Hawker and I was impressed. The language she used, the culture she conveyed, as well as the naivety and generosity she suffused, all added up to a very readable book - perfect for lovers of historical fiction and American history.

October in the Earth is a powerful, raw yet heartwarming story about a downtrodden woman who finally finds the strength to be her own person. It’s 1931 in Harlan County, KY and Del Wensley is the preacher’s wife. She believes everything the Bible says about a woman knowing her place and submitting to her husband. But when her husband cheats on her and then tries to blame the “jezebel” for enticing him, Del has had enough. The hypocrisy finally gets to her, not just the cheating, but the bleeding of his congregation in the name of “getting on the right side of the Lord”. She hops the coal train and leaves town. Lucky for her, she meets another woman riding the rails who helps her learn how to survive.
Hawker has created two great characters in Del and Louisa. They have different goals and while they become friends, Del has to worry how deep those bonds are given their different situations and priorities.
The story is realistic and is written so that each scene is easy to envision, whether riding the rails, in the hobo jungle or the broken farms of the Midwest. I will admit that the ending brought a few tears to my eyes.
This book spoke to me. For a few years now, I’ve felt that too many of us that call ourselves Christian are anything but. Those that try to keep a woman “in her place”, that refuse to help the needy, that are more interested in lucre than charity. This is historical, but it shows that history is doomed to repeat itself, human nature being what it is.
I’ve read multiple books about the Great Depression, but this took a unique approach and I recommend it.
My thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advance copy of this book.

It’s 1931, during the Great Depression, in Kentucky. When Adella “Del” finds out that her preacher husband is a hypocrite who has been unfaithful, she hops on a train with a few meager possessions. Shortly into her journey, she meets Louisa, a female hobo who is no stranger to life on the rails. Although Louisa initially refuses to let Del accompany her, insisting she’ll slow her down, time and circumstance change her mind, and the two become inseparable.
As they travel all over the country, they encounter both kindness and cruelty, people in various stages of poverty and grief. Louisa’s strength and independence do not outweigh the kindness she shows towards even the most unfortunate, and Del begins to dread the thought of not always being by her side.
Part adventure, part story of a deep and evolving friendship and love, October in the Earth is a gentle, beautifully written tale of two women overcoming very different personal challenges in the midst of the Great Depression.

Del is the wife of a preacher in a small country town. The Great Depression has just started and people are starting to feel what life is going to be like. Hunger, extreme poverty and sickness, the dust storms are taking over. Del isn't feeling any of that because her husband has been very fortunate...her husband's flock is giving more than they can afford to support him.
Del finds out that her husband is cheating on her and she reflects on her life. Why should they be living so well when no one else is ? Del decides she is unhappy with her life and she runs away. She hops a train.
She soons meets Louisa running from a brutal man. Louisa is a hobo and teachers her the hobos code of honor. Louisa and Del form a beautiful friendship. They want to get to Louisa's old town and build a life.
This book paints a picture of The Great Depression from the unique view of a woman hobo and what that means. I enjoyed the friendship however heart breaking at times it could be. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this time period.

I have dabbled in historical fiction, but admittedly, it’s not my favorite genre. When I read the synopsis for this one though, I wanted to read it as I have lots of interest in train riding. This books was fantastic and definitely kept my interest and sparked more love of historical fiction for me! I loved Del’s character so much and couldn’t help but root for her every step (or mile) of the way! This book felt so real I could almost taste the dust! Loved it and would definitely read this author again!

Many thanks to both Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of October in the Earth, by Olivia Hawker. Expected publication: October 31, 2023.

In Depression-era Kentucky, the defiant wife of a preacher embarks on an impulsive and liberating journey when she hops onto the boxcar of a coal train. She meets a reluctant mentor and they form a beautiful friendship as they live the life of hobos during the Depression.

The imagery in October in the Earth is amazing and totally believable, whether describing the heat, the dust, the starvation, or the clanging of the boxcars as the trains stopped and started. This is a heartfelt book that tells the story of friendship, poverty, and fresh starts.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

A very readable and descriptive tale of a woman who is desperately trying to find her purpose in life by riding the rails and living the life of a hobo in Depression-era Kentucky.

3.25☆

Fans of Olivia Hawker will delight in her masterful new novel. OCTOBER IN THE EARTH is a singular work of art--a testament to unexpected love and resilience during one of America's most challenging eras. Hawker's Dust Bowl heroines rise from their respective ashes, and will captivate readers with their spirited, sweeping journey through a starkly beautiful landscape ravaged by poverty and drought. Moving, lyrical, and completely unforgettable.

Hobos, for some reason, have always fascinated me, but I never considered female hobos. In my mind, hobos were men carrying all they owned in a scarf tied on a stick. Olivia Hawker opened my eyes with the two women she brings to life in October in the Earth.

Even during the Depression, Adella Wensley (Del) had a beautiful home, nice things, and a reputable life as the wife of the most popular preacher in Harlan County, Kentucky. But her husband’s infidelity was intolerable, and she made up her mind to leave him. With no resources, though, she had few options. So, she did what many desperate women during that era did—she hopped a train.

When Del meets another hobo, Louisa Trout, she finds a reluctant friend who at first is uninterested in helping her. But circumstances keep throwing the women opportunities to benefit from traveling together, and the two slowly develop a deep friendship. Together they cross the country, defying danger, and learning to trust one another.

Themes of female friendship, poverty, and starting over no matter the risks combine with rich prose to paint a portrait of a bleak time in our nation’s history. Hawker’s writing is splendid, and her language infuses beauty into a harsh and painful landscape.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an early review copy.

It was delightful! It’s set during the Great Depression and dust bowl timeframe, and it’s about the friendship and love between two women hobos who ride the trains because traveling around was the only way to make any money. Luscious descriptions of the setting, totally unique first person narrative, and a poignant ending that I dare say might be one of the happier/more hopeful endings I’ve read by Olivia Hawker!! 💜💜💜

Highly recommended - 5 stars!

An impressive journey through the USA, particularly when one knows that people relentlessly did make it! 1929, Depression, prohibition, no work, money with hardly any value. Del and Louise, two women with a different past and background become hobos and very close friends and travel together looking for work , each with a different aim.... I really got close to both characters, loved their poignant friendship, shared their hardships and felt every stone in their way. Fascinating descriptions of the landscapes, I could feel the sun glowing, swallow the dust, visualise each of their stops, the trains. A strong strength of freedom never left them giving them the hope and resilience they definitely needed! Another great novel by Olivia Hawker!
I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.