The Cherokee Rose

 

The Cherokee Rose

Author: Tiya Miles

Publisher: Random House

Release Date: June 13, 2023

*I received a copy of the book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

    Not since Lalita Tademy's Cane River have I read a historical novel that is so thoroughly researched and so beautifully written. Cherokee Rose is based on the author's (tremendous) research of the Vann House in Northwest Georgia.

 

    In the story, a former Cherokee plantation turned museum known as Hold House is being sold due to a lack of funds. The sale of the former home of a Cherokee Chieftain (with white and Cherokee blood) brings forth the interest of many locals who share a past with the old mansion. Three women come to the old mansion for different reasons. Cheyenne, who claims to have a Native American ancestor that once lived at the house, plans to buy Hold House and convert it into a bed and breakfast. Jinx is a young Muscogee historian sent by her tribe to find out what happened to a tribal member that had lived on the plantation but did not take the Trail of Tears north. Ruth, a writer for a home magazine up north is here on assignment. She and Cheyenne share a past. Add the ghost of a young Muscogee woman and a mysterious diary, and you get a story you can't put down. 

      This story covers a little-known but very important part of Native American and Southern history. Before the white man came here and removed the Cherokee on the Trail of Tears, Northwest Georgia was owned and farmed by the Cherokee. What many people don't know is that there were Cherokee who owned slaves. Although I grew up here on what was Cherokee land, and I have heard stories of the old plantations that were here, I was never taught much about my own local history while in school. This is why I am so glad to see this book! When history covers the South, it mostly concentrates on the white-owned plantations of southern Georgia. Students are not taught the history of the northern part of the state, which is very different. The story delves into the history of the plantation, the three races that came together there, and how their fates were intertwined. 

     

    I highly recommend this book to any lover of historical fiction or history buff. Miles' writing style makes the read enjoyable. Her characters are very well-rounded and believable. This one is a keeper.

Nora Bonesteel's Christmas Past by Sharyn McCrumb

Title: Nora Bonesteel's Christmas Past Author: Sharyn McCrumb Publisher: Abingdon Fiction, 2014 Pages: 157

When I saw this book, I knew I had to read it. I am a huge fan of Sharyn McCrumb's Ballad Novels, and I dearly love Appalachian fiction. Although this is a bit different from McCrumb's other novels, it is still a pretty good book. I LOVE that she goes into detail about how the original Appalachian people celebrated Christmas. (One thing I love about Sharyn McCrumb is that she values and celebrates the Appalachian culture.)
I was expecting a great deal of suspense- McCrumb's other works keep you on the edge of your seat. This one was more easy going. It did point out the difference in the natives of Appalachia and the summer people. Their lack of appreciation and understanding of the native culture is well illustrated here.
Mostly this book meanders slowly through two separate plots- a summer family has renovated a local mansion and feels that it is haunted. They seek Nora's psychic abilities to remedy the situation. Meanwhile, Sheriff Spencer Arrowwood and Deputy Joe LeDonne must serve a warrant on Christmas Eve in an area that is not known for its appreciation of the legal system.
Fans of McCrumb will not find the usual suspense, but they will find familiar characters in a light-hearted novella.

Read this book if...
*You love Sharyn McCrumb's other works
*You love southern fiction
*You love Appalachian fiction
*You love Christmas stories

My Favorite Reads of 2013

I'm wrapping up the year by recounting my favorite reads of 2013.

The Good Dream by Donna VanLiere

The Year the Colored Sisters Came to Town by Jacqueline Guidry

The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by: Kelsey Moore

Out of the Easy by: Ruta Septys

The Silver Star by: Jeannette Walls

The Midwife of Hope River by:Patricia Harman

The Spirit Keeper by: K.B. Laugheed

The Witch of Little Italy by: Suzanne Palmeieri

Diary of a Wildflower by:Ruth White

Diary of a WIldflower

Title: Diary of a Wildflower Author: Ruth White Pages: 261

From Amazon:

Ruth White bases her first novel for adults on her own mother’s early years in the Virginia mountains. Emerging from a heartbreaking childhood, Lorelei leaves Starr Mountain. As a teenager in the roaring twenties, she is dazzled by the carefree world of flappers and bobbed hair, the Charleston and the IT girl, Prohibition, and the notorious speakeasies. Most important she finds men who are handsome, well-bred, well-educated, and reek of old money. As a mere wildflower, she doubts she can ever compete with the exotic orchids in this new world. But after a sad visit back home she comes to realize her own power, which will help her break the cycle of hopelessness among the women of her family. 
As a kid you loved Belle Prater's Boy. As a teen you loved Weeping Willow. Now, as an adult, you will love Diary of a Wildflower.

Great Appalachian fiction is hard to find these days, but this novel does not disappoint. The story follows Lorelei Starr from her hard scrabble life in the Virginia mountains through years of growing up in abject poverty. With no real love from her parents, Lorelei and her siblings must depend on one another. Lorelei dreams of someday escaping this hopeless world and finds her chance as a maid to a wealthy family. This story stays true to the Appalachia of the time. It realistically portrays the people and their way of life in the early twentieth century. 

I don't want to give any spoilers, but I will say that I hated the ending to this story. It was so hard to put down and then it ended abruptly.It left me hanging, which I hate. Still, I am giving this one five stars. It is a great story. I just think the author owes us a sequel...

Read this story if...

*you love Appalachian fiction

*you love southern fiction

*you love historical fiction

Silver Star

Title: Silver Star Author: Jeannette Walls Publisher: Thorndike Press Pages: 390

From Amazon:

The Silver Star, Jeannette Walls has written a heartbreaking and redemptive novel about an intrepid girl who challenges the injustice of the adult world—a triumph of imagination and storytelling.It is 1970 in a small town in California. “Bean” Holladay is twelve and her sister, Liz, is fifteen when their artistic mother, Charlotte, a woman who “found something wrong with every place she ever lived,” takes off to find herself, leaving her girls enough money to last a month or two. When Bean returns from school one day and sees a police car outside the house, she and Liz decide to take the bus to Virginia, where their Uncle Tinsley lives in the decaying mansion that’s been in Charlotte’s family for generations.

An impetuous optimist, Bean soon discovers who her father was, and hears many stories about why their mother left Virginia in the first place. Because money is tight, Liz and Bean start babysitting and doing office work for Jerry Maddox, foreman of the mill in town—a big man who bullies his workers, his tenants, his children, and his wife. Bean adores her whip-smart older sister—inventor of word games, reader of Edgar Allan Poe, nonconformist. But when school starts in the fall, it’s Bean who easily adjusts and makes friends, and Liz who becomes increasingly withdrawn. And then something happens to Liz.

Jeannette Walls, supremely alert to abuse of adult power, has written a deeply moving novel about triumph over adversity and about people who find a way to love each other and the world, despite its flaws and injustices.

I loved this book. But then, I knew I would. I loved The Glass Castle. After reading the description, I couldn't wait to read this book, It didn't disappoint. Liz and Bean are two sisters basically left to raise themselves. Their mother, a spoiled, self-absorbed brat in an adult body deals with life by simply running away from all difficulty. After she abandons them for yet another attempt at furthering her musical career, they take a bus to her family farm in West Virginia. It is here that they finally find roots, family, and a home. Bean captures the heart with her headstrong, forthright ways. This was a heart warming story. I read it in two days because I couldn't bear to put it down. This is a wonderful book. I highly recommend it.

Read this book if:

*you love southern fiction

*you love novels set in Appalachia

*you love novels set in small towns

*you love novels about family

Bloodroot

Title: Bloodroot Author: Amy Greene Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Pages: 291 Copyright: 2010

From Amazon:

Named for a flower whose blood-red sap possesses the power both to heal and poison, Bloodroot is a stunning fiction debut about the legacies—of magic and madness, faith and secrets, passion and loss—that haunt one family across the generations, from the Great Depression to today.

The novel is told in a kaleidoscope of seamlessly woven voices and centers around an incendiary romance that consumes everyone in its path: Myra Lamb, a wild young girl with mysterious, haint blue eyes who grows up on remote Bloodroot Mountain; her grandmother Byrdie Lamb, who protects Myra fiercely and passes down “the touch” that bewitches people and animals alike; the neighbor boy who longs for Myra yet is destined never to have her; the twin children Myra is forced to abandon but who never forget their mother’s deep love; and John Odom, the man who tries to tame Myra and meets with shocking, violent disaster. Against the backdrop of a beautiful but often unforgiving country, these lives come together—only to be torn apart—as a dark, riveting mystery unfolds.

With grace and unflinching verisimilitude, Amy Greene brings her native Appalachia—and the faith and fury of its people—to rich and vivid life. Here is a spellbinding tour de force that announces a dazzlingly fresh, natural-born storyteller in our midst.

The first time I picked this book up, I put it back down. It just didn't appeal to me at first. Later, I picked it up and tried again. I liked it, but not as well as some other Appalachian novels. This is a tough, gritty, no-holds-barred novel. You can't have a weak stomach with this one. It is what it is. I'd have liked it better if it had played more upon the supernatural qualities brought forth in the beginning, but that's just my personal preference. There is a great deal of sadness and abuse here. I realize this can mimic real life in some cases. It's just a grittier story than I normally care for. Still, it was ok. Will I read her next one? Yes, probably. Will this be on my favorites list? No, but I didn't hate it either.

Read this book if...

*you love novels set in Appalachia

*you love southern fiction

The Midwife of Hope River

Title: The Midwife of Hope River Author: Patricia Harmon Publisher: William Morrow Pages: 382 Copyright: 2012

From the back cover:

Midwife Patience Murphy has a gift:  a talent for escorting mothers through the challenges of bringing children into the world. Working in the hardscrabble conditions of Appalachia during the Depression, Patience takes the jobs that no one else wants, helping those most in need- and least likely to pay. She knows a successful midwifery practice must be built on a foundation of openness and trust- but the secrets Patience is keeping are far too intimate and fragile for her to ever let anyone in.

I loved every page of this book. I was drawn in from the first page to the descriptive imagery of Depression Era Appalachia. This was a very hard novel to put down. Patience is strong, yet vulnerable. She is brave, yet fearful of her past catching up with her. Her lack of prejudice and openness make her different from her neighbors in West Virginia.  Many of them view her with mistrust, yet they need her in a community where the only doctor refuses to help black people or poor people.

It wasn't just the midwife aspect that made this book appealing. The everyday life of two women- Patience and Bitsy (a young black woman)- making their way in rural Appalachia makes this book a page turner. There is so much more to this book than just the midwife aspect. The book deals with prejudice, spousal abuse, exploitation of Coal Miners, heartbreak, and redemption. 

I love Harman's simple writing style.  I look forward to reading more of her work.

This one is definitely a keeper.

Read this book if....

*you love novels set in Appalachia

*you love southern fiction

*you love novels about midwifery

*you love novels set in the Depression Era

*you love novels about race relations and racial issues in the early 20th century

Novels that Capture Appalachia

I am posting this on both this blog and my other blog, Life on Devil's Hollow.

An avid reader, I decided to make a list of novels that truly capture Appalachia and it's people. This is by no means a complete list- this is just the top of the stack.
I admit the list is heavy with Lee Smith and Robert Morgan, but if you've read them you will know why. No one captures Appalachian people and culture like they do.

I welcome any comments. I'd love to hear what books other readers feel really capture the life in this beautiful corner of the world.

Oral History by: Lee Smith

My Old True Love by: Sheila Kay Adams

Black Mountain Breakdown by: Lee Smith

Cataloochee by: Wayne Caldwell

The Hinterlands by: Robert Morgan

Christy by: Catharine Marshall

The Devil's Dream by: Lee Smith

The Coal Tattoo by: Silas House

Fair and Tender Ladies by: Lee Smith

Gap Creek by: Robert Morgan

Velva Jean Learns to Drive by: Jennifer Niven

Wish You Well by: David Baldacci

Saving Grace by: Lee Smith

 Moon Women  by: Pamela Duncan

A Parchment of Leaves by: Silas House

Roxanna Slade by: Reynolds Price