The Heart of Bennet Hollow by Joanne Bischof - A Book Review

  

The Heart of Bennet Hollow is an Appalachian retelling of Pride and Prejudice. The daughter of a semi-retired geologist for the mining industry, Lizbeth Bennet, longs to help her father save the family farm and especially her beloved livestock. Socially awkward William Drake was one of several coal barons looking into purchasing the New River mine. He was, unfortunately, the only coal baron considering the well-being of the townspeople, the miners, and the farmers whose land was entangled with the mine. Meeting Lizbeth had only served to deepen that concern.

Having read The Heart of Bennet Hollow, I have now checked out Pride and Prejudice and look forward to reading the original story. I had always thought about reading it; The Heart of Bennet Hollow inspired me to carry through. Joanne Bischof DeWitt does a wonderful job of showing understanding and respect to a culture that is often stereotyped and belittled. This story of family, romance, stewardship, and care was a charming read. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy from Tyndale House Publishers via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

The Song of Sourwood Mountain by Ann H. Gabhart - A Book Review

  

I absolutely loved this story. Set in the early 1900s, partially in Louisville, Kentucky, and largely in the Appalachian community of Sourwood, Kentucky, the story is filled with memorable, believable characters that readers will, for the most part, come to love and respect. Of course, there are a few more cantankerous ones to keep the story lively. Readers will share in the characters' joys and sorrows, and may come to see how the two can coincide in their own lives. They may also come to see that they, like some of the people of Sourwood, have more love to give and more backbone to support themselves than they ever realized. As with her other books set in Appalachia, Gabhart shows and understanding of, and a high regard for, the people there, honoring their ways and avoiding caricatures. The colloquial language she incorporates enhances the tale.

I give The Song of Sourwood Mountain five stars and am very grateful to have received a complimentary copy from Revell via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Appalachian Song by Michelle Shocklee - A Book Review

   

This dual timeline story set mostly in the Appalachian mountains of Tennessee is an emotional tale of love and sacrifice. It is also the tale of God's plan for adopting us as His children and the ways he works through earthly adoptions. The author does not ignore the pain that may accompany adoption, but honors the process of working through the pain to find the joy.

Shocklee masterfully allows each character to reveal his or her own voice. She mingles characters who live in vastly different circumstances, honoring the value of each. Her characters and their experiences will stay with her readers for a long time.

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of Appalachian Mountains from Tyndale House Publishing without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

The Moonlight School by Suzanne Woods Fisher - A Book Review

   

The Moonlight School is my favorite of all the Suzanne Woods Fisher books that I have read. Since reading Catherine Marshall's Christy, I have loved books set in Appalachia, especially those from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Having now lived in Kentucky for over forty years, that love has grown. The Moonlight School is set in Rowan County, Kentucky in 1911, and while telling the fictional story of Lucy Wilson, it also tells a somewhat fictionalized account of the true person of Cora Wilson Stewart, the first female superintendent of schools for Rowan County. Stewart worked tirelessly to improve the education of the mountain children, but may best be known for her work in adult literacy. If you read this book, and I hope you do, don't miss all of the end matter that is much like Paul Harvey's The Rest of the Story.

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of The Moonlight School from Revell via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel's Dream by Pepper Basham - A Book Review

    

I so love to discover new-to-me authors whose books immediately captivate me. Pepper Basham's tale of Laurel McAdams, her family, and the new teacher who has come to the Blue Ridge from far away England is endearing, and leaves the reader anxious for more, which Basham promises in her acknowledgments.

Basham honors the people of Appalachia by describing the truth of their circumstances in the early 1900s, by celebrating the beauty of their language and spirit, and by upholding the worth of their culture. Yes, change is inevitable, but salvaging and holding on to what is best is equally important. Basham, through her well-developed characters, offers great insight into the heart of God and the wisdom of trusting Him with each day.

This is a book that will linger long after the final page. I most highly recommend it to those who love books of all kinds because Laurel and Teacher Jonathan Taylor do as well, and they will remind others of the true gift reading is. I appreciate receiving this copy from Barbour Books through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review and received no monetary compensation. 

Christy by Catherine Marshall - A Book Review

Originally published in 1967, Christy is a historical fiction novel based on the experience of the author's mother teaching at a Christian mission in the Smoky Mountains in the early 1900s. Both the real Leonora and the fictionalized Christy at 19 leave their homes in North Carolina to teach children of poverty in the mountains of Tennessee. Having grown up with Leonora's stories, Catherine Marshall was able to make the people of Appalachia come alive. She told the story of their hardships, but also of their hearts and spirits. Marshall allows us to experience vicariously the difficulty of living without basic necessities in situations we would find primitive and grossly unclean. She then leads us to see the mountain people as valued individuals rather than being identified by group stereotypes. We celebrate their achievements, sorrow over their losses, and cheer on their best efforts. The mentoring character of Miss Alice Henderson, a Quaker mission worker from Pennsylvania, helps Christy, the young pastor David Grantland, and the reader come to deeper spiritual understandings.

Christy is not a book that you will soon forget, and is likely one that you will want to reread from time to time. I owe, in a large part, my going into the field of education to having read this book while in high school. Having read it again over the years, it was like coming together with old friends as I read it again five years into my retirement. While the book is based on the community of Chapel Hollow in the Morgan Branch Valley of Tennessee, I am always transported back into the book each time I visit Cades Cove just outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee and near the town of Townsend where the television story based on this book was filmed. The cabins there are much as I picture those belonging to the book's characters.

I highly recommend this book to all readers, no matter what genre one usually prefers to read in. This timeless classic is too good to miss, and will live in your heart for years to come.

I am grateful to NetGalley and Evergreen Farm an imprint of Gilead Publishing for providing me with a copy of Christy in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review and received no monetary compensation.