Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas

I hadn't heard of Sandra Dallas until May of 2009 when a friend on Goodreads read The Chili Queen. Whenever this particular friend gives something a favorable rating or review I generally add it to my TBR list. I finally got to read it last August and really enjoyed it. On a recent book buying binge at the local used bookstores I picked up several other novels by Sandra Dallas, including Tallgrass.

Summary from Goodreads


An essential American novel from Sandra Dallas, an unparalleled writer of our history, and our deepest emotions...

During World War II, a family finds life turned upside down when the government opens a Japanese internment camp in their small Colorado town. After a young girl is murdered, all eyes (and suspicions) turn to the newcomers, the interlopers, the strangers.
This is Tallgrass as Rennie Stroud has never seen it before. She has just turned thirteen and, until this time, life has pretty much been what her father told her it should be: predictable and fair. But now the winds of change are coming and, with them, a shift in her perspective. And Rennie will discover secrets that can destroy even the most sacred things.
Part thriller, part historical novel, Tallgrass is a riveting exploration of the darkest--and best--parts of the human heart.

My thoughts

I was never one who really enjoyed history class. It was all very dry and something I felt like I had to endure. I have found that I LOVE historical fiction. It makes things so much more real. Sandra Dallas has successfully transported the reader back to WWII. I could feel the resentment that the townspeople felt against the Strouds for doing what they had to do to keep their farm running. I could feel their change of heart as they got to know their Japanese American employees. I was part of their trials and tribulations.

Tallgrass is set in Southeastern Colorado which made it that much more interesting to me. As the story was coming to its conclusion I really liked the fact that we are told how all of the main characters are doing and what has happened to them. This was not a predictable story by any means. I was engaged the entire time in order to see what was going to happen next.

If you've not read any of Sandra Dallas' work yet, I would highly recommend that you pick one up. I can guarantee that I will. Both of the novels I've read to date are among my favorites and I will hold on to them to read again.