R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed on + 1438 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This was an outstanding read with all the drama of a southern tale, raising cotton, racism, women's roles and more. I highly recommend this one.
Several characters tell the story. There is Laura, an educated woman who is a college graduate who marries Henry McAllan. In other chapters Pappy, Henry's father, becomes narrator. In still others we hear Florence, a sharecropper wife whose husband works for Henry, and her son, Ronsel, who becomes a friend to Jamie, Henry's brother who takes his own turn in the telling.
At age 31, Laura, thought she would be an old maid, but Henry, the oldest son of Pappy McAllan, falls in love with her. Pappy ives with Henry's sister until her husband dies. Henry's dream as been to return to the land and farming. When his brother-in-law dies, Henry finds himself trying to help his sister and take care of his father. Without discussing his dream with Laura, he buys a piece of land near Marietta GA. He has rented a house in town for Laura and the girls. However, Henry is naive about such arrangements and loses the house because he has no lease. The family must move onto the farm where they live in a ramshackle shack with a leaking roof, and no electricity, phone or plumbing. Laura adjusts to the new home but will not have Pappy in the two-bedroom house so a lean-to becomes Pappy's bedroom. Pappy makes her life miserable. He is mean, prejudiced and sold the family land as soon as he could which left Henry or his brother without land of their own.
This is the story of the McAllan family's life in Georgia. It is outstanding in so many ways. I enjoyed it so much that I searched for another novel by this author almost immediately.
Several characters tell the story. There is Laura, an educated woman who is a college graduate who marries Henry McAllan. In other chapters Pappy, Henry's father, becomes narrator. In still others we hear Florence, a sharecropper wife whose husband works for Henry, and her son, Ronsel, who becomes a friend to Jamie, Henry's brother who takes his own turn in the telling.
At age 31, Laura, thought she would be an old maid, but Henry, the oldest son of Pappy McAllan, falls in love with her. Pappy ives with Henry's sister until her husband dies. Henry's dream as been to return to the land and farming. When his brother-in-law dies, Henry finds himself trying to help his sister and take care of his father. Without discussing his dream with Laura, he buys a piece of land near Marietta GA. He has rented a house in town for Laura and the girls. However, Henry is naive about such arrangements and loses the house because he has no lease. The family must move onto the farm where they live in a ramshackle shack with a leaking roof, and no electricity, phone or plumbing. Laura adjusts to the new home but will not have Pappy in the two-bedroom house so a lean-to becomes Pappy's bedroom. Pappy makes her life miserable. He is mean, prejudiced and sold the family land as soon as he could which left Henry or his brother without land of their own.
This is the story of the McAllan family's life in Georgia. It is outstanding in so many ways. I enjoyed it so much that I searched for another novel by this author almost immediately.
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