Gunsmoke & Grit: ''Around Our House': Janice Holt Giles' Journey Through Love, Writing, and Family Bonds

Dear Western Readers, 

Janice Holt Giles (1905-1979) is one of my all-time favorite authors, yet she remains largely unknown to many. Among her works, my favorite book is Six-Horse Hitch (Houghton Mifflin, 1969). Unfortunately, aside from The University Press of Kentucky, a handful of Kentucky libraries, some historical sites, and a single Wikipedia page, there's not much information available about her online. This is a real shame because her writing is rich with historical detail, seamlessly woven into her fiction. Her stories are well-populated with intricately developed characters. Although there is a Janice Holt Giles Society, I suspect few people outside of Kentucky have ever heard of it. 

I hail from Missouri, not Kentucky, and my introduction to Janice Holt Giles came through my late grandmother. She frequently borrowed Shady Grove (Houghton Mifflin, 1968) from the library, claiming it as her favorite book by Giles. While I was aware of this during my childhood, it wasn’t until the early 2000s that I decided to explore Giles's works for myself. I eagerly checked my local library’s collection; devoured everything they had, and later, purchased the book club edition of The Piney Ridge Trilogy (which includes The Enduring Hills, Miss Wille, and Tara’s Healing) through the now-defunct Crossings Book Club. Over time, I managed to find a handful of paperbacks, including Six-Horse Hitch, on eBay, and stumbled upon hardcovers at thrift stores, flea markets, and antique shops. By 2025, I had collected all of my Janice Holt Giles books, including those inherited from my grandmother, and arranged them neatly on a shelf. This rekindled my passion for her work, and now I’m on a quest to find copies of the titles I'm still missing. 

This leads me to Around Our House, a memoir credited to Janice and her second husband, Henry Giles (1916-1986). I say “credited” because Janice sometimes published under Henry's name, as she did with the novel Harbin's Ridge, which is another favorite of mine. Dianne Watkins Stuart’s biography, Janice Holt Giles: A Writer’s Life, reveals through letters that Janice wrote to her agent that Henry often lacked motivation. Although he held several jobs—printer, linotype operator, pressman, and wrote a column called 'Spout Springs Splashes' for the Adair County News from 1957 to 1976—he struggled to maintain consistent work. According to Around Our House, he also covered Janice’s weekly column for the Campbellsville News-Journal when she was preoccupied with her novels. Henry did serve as an inspiration for some of Janice’s early works. 

The memoir is divided into three sections: Part One (1954-1957), Part Two (1957-1967), and Part Three (1967-1970). Part One is a blend of writings from the newspaper clippings of Janice’s columns, saved by her mother, along with personal notebook entries she penned during times of stress or writer's block, particularly during her second frontier novel, Hannah Fowler. These entries offer a rare glimpse into her mental state while writing. Part Two, written solely by Janice for this book, delves into her struggles with writing and publishing during those years. Part Three is said to start with Henry writing the beginning chapters, which Janice later completed, covering the years from 1967 to 1970. 

The extent of Henry's contribution remains unclear. Janice often sent letters to publishers using Henry's name, referring to herself as "we" and signing his name. This practice wasn't considered fraudulent; during that time, it was significantly more difficult for female authors to publish under their own names, especially when their stories featured male protagonists. As a result, many writers adopted pseudonyms or used their husbands' names. It was simply a different era.

In addition to her discussion of Hannah Fowler, Janice also touches on her non-historical novel Walk on the Water, later retitled Act of Contrition, which faced significant hurdles getting published due to its controversial subject matter surrounding a divorcing Catholic couple. The University Press of Kentucky published it in 2001. 

While she briefly discusses her historical novels, she focuses more on her research for Run Me a River, even recounting how one reader criticized the detailed descriptions for lacking sufficient action. The memoir doesn't solely focus on her writing; it also includes heartwarming stories involving her three grandchildren, who visit every summer and capture life in the hills. 

Around Our House is an engaging read, well-written and fluid. It will likely resonate more with those already familiar with Janice Holt Giles’s work. Some specific truths are omitted, as noted in Stuart’s biography, but not every detail needs to be public. 

I was pleasantly surprised to learn from this book that a Hollywood producer once expressed interest in adapting Six-Horse Hitch for film, but the project fell through due to funding issues. Other attempts to bring her works to the screen also fizzled out. Her stories would undoubtedly translate well to movies or television series. 

In summary, I thoroughly enjoyed Around Our House. I initially intended to read it slowly, but as soon as I started, I found it impossible to put it down. This was my first time reading it, but it won’t be the last; it's the kind of book I'll return to time and again. I highly recommend Janice Holt Giles’s books—some reprints are available from The University Press of Kentucky and through second-hand sellers, though some can be pricey.

If you enjoyed this review, let me know! I would be more than happy to share my thoughts on more of Janice Holt Giles’s works here. Happy reading! ╌★★★★★

⁓B.J. Burgess