Reviews

This was a beautiful book. Kim Michele Richardson is fast becoming a new favourite. This is the second novel of hers I’ve read this year. Richardson’s gift of writing characters your heart aches for and longs to see succeed, and creating settings that you can conjure up vividly in your mind’s eye, mean that her stories are captivating, uplifting, and heart-rending. Many of the characters are complex and challenging, and as the story progresses the chinks in their armour become exposed. I guessed at some parts of the twist but others caught me completely off guard. Overall a wonderful story. Can’t wait to read more by Ms Richardson!

chopeclark's review against another edition

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4.0

GodPretty in the Tobacco Field started a bit over the top for me, and I worried the author was overplaying her prose. However, two or three chapters in, my interest caught purchase, and I began looking forward to my daily sit down with this book. RubyLyn and Gunnar run so hot and cold, sweet and sour, that you wonder how in the world they stand each other and stay under the same roof, but as the story matures, you learn that they understand no other way. He's horrid to her, and she takes it in spite of her common sense, and you marvel at how ignorance of the rest of the world stunts a person so. The ruthlessness that these impoverished families lived in the Kentucky hills in the sixties cuts into your being, and you wonder how anyone could ever escape such an environment, but then you realize they don't know how. RubyLyn drew me in, and the author made me root for her, but, gracious, by the end I hurt for her so darn much. When things couldn't get worse they did, and when the story came around with a well played twist, my heart just broke. The ending was satisfying, but trust me, you'll shed a tear. A book hasn't done that to me in a long time. The only reason it's not a 5 is that the author tried a little too hard in the beginning chapters, but once she hit her stride, the tale was well done.

faerin82's review against another edition

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4.0

I spent a long time on this book due to a vacation, but it does not reflect a lack of interest. This was a good book. I listened via Audible. I had a hard time while listening, remembering what time frame this book was set in. It’s full of ankle length dresses and “negro shopping day on Tuesday”, but it also references the Shake King and aluminum blinds at the police station. Ultimately I looked it up after I was finished. 1969! Wow.

lulureads365's review against another edition

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4.0

What a wonderful coming of age story! Very descriptive and engaging. I felt like I was in the mountains of Nameless, Kentucky. A bit predictable, but still a good read.

drusilla_reads's review

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challenging dark sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Content Warnings

ween9569's review against another edition

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4.0

I am partial to southern fiction, so there is a bias for this review. Ms. Richardson gently presented horrific conditions (racism, sexism, and child abuse) with sensitivity.

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