Falon Macvail is barely fourteen years old when her family is
forced to flee their home in Scotland, leaving behind everything
she’s ever known in the hands of greedy landowners. As their
beloved country struggles through a time of great civil unrest
and class upheaval, Falon and her family travel to a raw wilderness
called Texas. Far from the threat of their murderous evictors,
the Macvail family must carve out a new life amidst the dangers
of a new frontier.
When the rumblings of a war with Mexico begin and an implacable
enemy invades from the south, ravaging the countryside and
leaving a trail of death and destruction behind them, Falon must
take a stand once more and find the courage to protect those in
her care from the enemy crouching on her doorstep.
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Reviews
booklistonline.com
Wiese has fashioned a stirring family saga torn out of a little-known page in American history. Although most folks don’t connect frontier Texas with Scots immigrants, a wave of clans forced out of their beloved Highlands and lured by the promise of land at 12 cents an acre actually settled in the Texas wilderness in the early nineteenth century. When the Macvails arrive in their strange new homeland, they face a series of obstacles as they struggle to adapt to a harsh climate, an alien environment, and a foreign culture. At the heart of the family, young Falon is fiercely determined to survive the transition no matter the cost. When a war with Mexico looms, history seems to repeat itself as her family’s fortunes are threatened once again. Wiese deftly pulls readers into the story of a courageous pioneer woman who beats the odds, time and again.
Margaret Flanagan
Texas women are tough, March 5, 2009
Drawn by the promise of land ownership, the Mac Vail family is making their way to the newly opened land in Texas. Like many others who had rented land in Scotland, they have been burned out of their homes and driven off land they have farmed for years. Esme Mac Vail and her baby succumbed to illness during the ocean voyage, leaving Falon the woman in the family. She is the one who cares for her siblings as the family begins the journey to Texas. When her father marries one of the other immigrants who made the same voyage over she soon marries a friend of her brother Will, James Carson, a slave trader. Falon is opposed to slavery and manages an uneasy truce with her thoughts. Life in the new territory is anything but dull. The constant threat of Indian attacks and the looming war with Mexico are ever present as are insects, snakes, drought and wind and fire. More pressing is Falon and James’s disappointment as they remain childless.
My Name is Falon draws on Kim Wiese’s roots that go back several generations in Texas. Intertwined with the characters she has created are some of the known luminaries of early Texas….Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, and Elizabeth Tumlinson one of the original settlers in Columbus, Texas, where most of the story takes place. Characters are developed and have many types of shading…and the story weaves in and out and allows the characters to develop and grow and to face moral dilemmas. As the settlers go to war with Mexico and struggle to gain their independence, Falon must also face some truths in her life and make a choice of how she wants to live her life in a new republic. I couldn’t put this book down. The characters had subtly and I really enjoyed the Columbus, Texas setting, having spent many happy hours there visiting my Aunt Dixie Lee. I look forward to a possible continuation to Falon’s tale.
Mary G. Longorio “Texasbookgirl”
Original review on Amazon.com
Independent Publisher Online Managing Editor, August 4, 2009
Kim Wiese's stirring saga of the American frontier is told through the lifelong struggles of Falon, a wee but strong Scottish lass who brings her hopes and dreams to 1830's Texas. Not only is Wiese a great storyteller, but her book is an insightful social study of the mid-1800s, and the reader comes away entertained and educated by her masterful blend of historical and multicultural fiction. Wiese describes clashes between Scots and Irish, Catholic and Protestant, confronts Native American and African slave issues, and culminates with America vs. Spain at the Alamo, weaving a complicated and colorful tapestry that is the history of Texas.
-Jim Barnes, Independent Publisher Online Managing Editor.
