Book Review: The Butcher on Colfax

Reviewed by Jadidsa Perez

An impressive historical novel that depicts the volatile whims of life, love, and ambition

One fateful day in the early 1900s, Emmett A. Kelly quits his job in pursuit of a grander life, despite his father’s pessimistic objections. 

En route to Colorado, Emmett meets Tom Quinn, an Irish immigrant, along with sisters Nora and Alice. Upon first glance, their goals are all similar: to shed their past and go forth into a brighter future. The journey toward that brighter future for Emmett, however, is paved with treachery and shortcuts whereas Alice, Nora, and Tom believe in a more moral approach. 

Emmett opens up a Meat Market and Grocery, and Tom becomes a talented carpenter and husband to Maggie Sullivan. Despite initially wanting to leave behind the meat industry, Emmett instead expands and eventually becomes the titular butcher on Colfax Ave. Alice spends some of her years in solitude when Nora is betrothed. Years pass before Emmett, Tom, Alice, and Maggie are together again. But unfortunately, it’s under tragic circumstances. 

The characters are what make this book shine. They all add their own flare and purpose to the story. But it’s Emmett who’s the most enigmatic and compelling. While his background is mostly limited to when he’s first introduced and the difficult relationship between him and his father, he’s got so many intricacies to his character. His pattern of selfish, amoral behavior is written in a way that makes him villainous, but a little sympathetic too. Rather than be a stereotypical brawler cliché, J.T. Tierney makes him real.

Maggie and Alice’s story—one of serendipitous tight-knit friends—centers on the difficulties that women face in the time: from the trappings of marriage to the inability to be taken seriously in the workforce. Both women have their own interests, such as Alice’s affinity for healthy foods, and they use them to their advantage in their joint business. 

Maggie’s bolder, thought-provoking personality works in harmony with Alice’s more conservative, cautious outlooks. This contrast with Emmett’s solitary greed highlights the crux of the novel, which is to put community first. Alice and Maggie chose to clear out the dirt and forge a path that others can take whereas Emmett prefers to bulldoze over others to be first. 

The setting and dialogue—a must for good historical fiction—is authentic and true. 

Early 1900s language is used often, which adds atmosphere to the antiquated environment. Historical fiction fans have much to enjoy in this authentic early 20th century saga about women finding a way.

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