Suzanne Moyers…packs her novel with the kinds of details and language to draw the reader fully into late-1910s East Texas. This coming-of-age novel is laced with somber history as its characters grapple with poverty, bigotry, loss, and sexual exploitation. But this does not make Leola’s story melancholy. She is a character determined enough to find goodness and happiness within all of that, making hers an engaging story and one that has the reader rooting for her….An engrossing novel.
–Historical Novel Society
A deftly crafted and inherently fascinating read from cover to cover, “‘Til All These Things Be Done” is a compelling and memorable read — and one of those stories that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book is finished and set back upon the shelf — which is all the more impressive when considering that it is author Suzanne Moyers’ debut as a novelist.
–Midwest Book Review
Leola’s story is a powerful one, but that isn’t the only reason it stands out. There are many powerful stories published lately, enough that even they can blend together. What stands out with Leola is the powerful voice the story is told in, both in narrative and dialogue. Moyers makes the world of the poor in Texas both rich and specific, giving her readers a wealth of details that only add to the novel’s strength. I highly recommend this book to any fan of historical fiction. It deserves to be one of the most remembered books of the year.
–Seattle Book Review, 5/5 stars
A serious and intensely gratifying page turner that places the reader squarely in an era of political, social, and emotional turmoil in Texas. It’s also a poignant love story, as Moyers presides over the lives of her characters with tenderness and a sure hand. Love, longing, and the hard persistence of hope shine in this debut novel.
–Elizabeth Crook, author of The Which Way Tree and Monday, Monday
A rich and beautifully-written story of family, tragedy, and love in early 20th century Texas that will stay with you long after you close the book. The author renders her characters in vivid detail, capturing their strengths and foibles with heart and a brilliant ear for dialogue. Moyers also provides a clear-eyed portrait of the prejudices of the time that unfortunately feels too familiar in the 21st century. ’Til All These Things Be Done is exactly the book any lover of historical fiction – or of stories about the power of families to hurt and heal – would want to have.
Mally Becker, Agatha Award-nominated author of The Turncoat’s Widow and The Counterfeit Wife.
Through her irresistible language and characters Suzanne Moyers pulls us into a braided story that is quintessentially Texan and yet universal. Time and again I paused over passages for their sheer richness, and was sorry to reach the end. In ‘Till All These Things Be Done many readers will find a resonance with their own family histories and yearning for connection.
–Peter C. Brown, author of The Fugitive Wife
A brilliantly delineated coming-of-age story, Suzanne Moyers recreates the early 1900s of rural Texas as a young girl struggles with tragedy, poverty, prejudice, and a searing betrayal that refuses to let her go. Impeccable research and a deft ear for local dialogue enrich this fully immersive debut novel.
Michelle Cameron, award-winning author of Beyond the Ghetto Gates
With deft prose and a compelling realism, Suzanne Moyers’ richly imagined novel presents an insightful portrait of courage in the face of devastating betrayal. In ‘Til All These Things Be Done, her remarkable protagonist, Leola Rideout’s orphan experience shapes her character and gives a timely and unflinching exposition of prejudice, pandemic, and power in the early 20th Century.
Dianne Ebertt Beeaff, award-winning author of, On Tràigh Lar Beach and Power’s Garden
An excellently-written book that paints a powerful portrait of the dire conditions endured by a poor family in Texas in the early 1900s.
Linda Stewart Henley, author of Estelle and Waterbury Winter
Told in lively and authentic colloquial speech, Leola’s story will reverberate with readers in today’s world.
Sara Jane Loyster, author of The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit
