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Material Type | Library | Call Number | Suggested Age | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book | Searching... Cabell County Public Library | DIE | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Gallaher Village Public Library | DIE | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Milton Public Library | DIE | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Putnam Main Public Library | DIE | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
In this heartfelt tale about enduring hope amid the suffering of the Great Depression, Sean Dietrich--also known as Sean of the South--weaves together a tale featuring a cast of characters ranging from a child preacher, a teenage healer, and two migrant workers who give everything they have for their chosen family.
When fifteen-year-old Marigold becomes pregnant during the Great Depression, she is rejected by her family and forced to fend for herself. She is arrested while trying to steal food and loses her baby in the forest, turning her whole world upside down. She's even more distraught upon discovering she has an inexplicable power to heal, making her a sought-after local legend.
Meanwhile, middle-aged migrant workers Vern and Paul discover a violet-eyed baby abandoned in the woods and take it upon themselves to care for her. The men continue their search for work and soon pair up with a poverty-stricken widow, plus her two children, and the misfit family begins taking care of each other.
As survival brings this chosen family together, a young boy finds himself without a friend to his name as the dust storms rage across Kansas. Fourteen-year-old Coot, a child preacher, is on the run from his abusive tent-revival pastor father with thousands of stolen dollars--and the only thing he's sure of is that Mobile, Alabama, is his destination.
In a sweeping saga with a looming second world war, these stories intertwine in surprising ways, reminding us that when the dust clears, we can still see the stars.
Stand-alone Southern historical fiction set during the Great Depression Book length: approximately 98,000 words Includes discussion questions for book clubs Also by Sean Dietrich: The Incredible Winston BrowneReviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Set during the Dust Bowl, this pleasing, ambitious epic from Dietrich (Sean of the South) brings together unlikely allies all escaping dire situations. In rural Alabama, 15-year-old Marigold is arrested for stealing food she was hoping to feed Maggie, her infant daughter that she left in the woods while robbing the general store. While laying shingles, migrant workers Paul and Vern discover the abandoned girl, who they take under their care. Meanwhile, in a parallel plot, a revivalist preacher travels the Midwest with his son Coot and a disgruntled group of followers. One night, Coot and follower Blake run away with Coot's father's money and head for Blake's hometown of Mobile, Ala. While Paul, Vern, and the baby travel to find work, they meet a mother and two kids who are trekking across country as well, looking for a place to settle. Marigold, constantly thinking of the baby she lost, discovers that she has a magical gift of healing. Coot, as he is approaching Alabama, realizes his remarkable gifts of memory and the power of his preaching. As the dust swells and WWII looms, the characters intersect in unusual, surprising ways. Though filled with preachers declaring judgment and prophecies of the end-time, Dietrich's hopeful tale illuminates the small rays of faith that shine even in dark times. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Dietrich's debut follows four groups of desperate, down on their luck people in the 1930s. Paul and Vern, two migrant workers seeking employment around Mobile Bay, find a baby abandoned in the woods and decide to take care of her. Marigold, a teenage mother thrown out by her family, is starving and gets caught trying to steal food. When she's released from jail the next day, she cannot find her baby where she left her in the forest near Mobile Bay and eventually she stumbles into a brothel where she discovers a special power. Coot, a child preacher in Kansas who has grown uncomfortable with the scam his boss runs that takes advantage of the hopelessness of the Depression and Dust Bowl using the lure of Revivalism, steals the boss's money and runs away with his friend, Blake, towards Alabama. Finally, a mother and her children driving a beat-up Model T away from the Dust Bowl also find themselves in Alabama, where they are stopped by Paul and Vern who insist on helping them fix their car and offer them some food. The characters are meticulously described in settings so real that they seem to be drawn from memory. The bleakness of each character's reality is skillfully communicated (though harsh issues are handled with a light touch), yet each one has a spark of potential. The book is a testament to inner strength, and the good that can come from even the worst beginnings. Religious themes are subtle the Revivalist meetings are treated as more of a cultural event than a religious one so even secular historical fiction and mystery readers will find this to be a very satisfying book.--Rebecca Gerber Copyright 2010 Booklist
