Holly W. reviewed on + 17 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Haunting Brutal An imperative read
Michelle Hoover sat me at the kitchen tables of her characters in her stunning novel, The Quickening, and served me a slice of the human condition I will never forget.
Her book is a brutally honest narrative of Edwina Current and Mary Morrow, neighbors who are thrown together because of their need for companionship on the isolated Midwest plains in the early 20th century. In it we hear out-of-tune piano music in a tiny church; we smell the blood of the slaughtered sow; we feel the singe of a prairie fire. The birth of a child, the harvest of a crop, a successful batch of pancakes nothing could be taken for granted for these women.
For those of us accustomed to supermarkets, air conditioners and cell phones, it is an uncomfortable read. Convenience and connectedness were hard to come by the characters in Michelle Hoovers story. However, the deeper I dove into The Quickening, the more I realized the story was real and profoundly important. I couldnt stop turning the pages of this exquisitely written novel. I deeply respect Ms. Hoovers courage in telling a tale of isolation, loss, betrayal and desperation on the unforgiving land her characters long to tame.
Most highly recommended. An excellent book for book club discussions.
Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont.
Learn more about Holly Weiss and Crestmont at http://www.hollyweiss.com
Michelle Hoover sat me at the kitchen tables of her characters in her stunning novel, The Quickening, and served me a slice of the human condition I will never forget.
Her book is a brutally honest narrative of Edwina Current and Mary Morrow, neighbors who are thrown together because of their need for companionship on the isolated Midwest plains in the early 20th century. In it we hear out-of-tune piano music in a tiny church; we smell the blood of the slaughtered sow; we feel the singe of a prairie fire. The birth of a child, the harvest of a crop, a successful batch of pancakes nothing could be taken for granted for these women.
For those of us accustomed to supermarkets, air conditioners and cell phones, it is an uncomfortable read. Convenience and connectedness were hard to come by the characters in Michelle Hoovers story. However, the deeper I dove into The Quickening, the more I realized the story was real and profoundly important. I couldnt stop turning the pages of this exquisitely written novel. I deeply respect Ms. Hoovers courage in telling a tale of isolation, loss, betrayal and desperation on the unforgiving land her characters long to tame.
Most highly recommended. An excellent book for book club discussions.
Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont.
Learn more about Holly Weiss and Crestmont at http://www.hollyweiss.com
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