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mandpmerc23's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
ebfswim's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this historical novel with dual timelines of 1965 and 2010. Kayla and her young daughter are due to move into a gorgeous new house near Round Hill that Kayla and her late husband, Jackson, designed. But it seems people don't want her there. There were rumors of bad things that happened in the woods behind her house back in the 1960's. Based on an old letter that her dad, Reed, wrote to Jackson, even he had reservations about them building their new home near the woods.
In 1965, Ellie lived in a very small southern town called Round Hill. Ellie remembered the little girl she played with as a child, who was the black daughter of their maid. She recognized even then that white and black people lived very different lives and she was uncomfortable with it. When she was in high school, she decided to participate in a racial protest which angered her girlfriend and confused her boyfriend. Everyone knew everyone in such a small town. In college, when Ellie got involved with Civil Rights work, some of the neighbors weren't pleased. And then when she started hanging around a black boy, even her parents and brother got angry. There were riots, shootings, and KKK activities held not far from her house. Her family threatened to kick her out and her closest friends shunned her.
This is a story about families, per pressure, racial tension and passion for justice. The characters were very real with authentic voices. This is a book you will reflect on long past the moment you finish reading it.
In 1965, Ellie lived in a very small southern town called Round Hill. Ellie remembered the little girl she played with as a child, who was the black daughter of their maid. She recognized even then that white and black people lived very different lives and she was uncomfortable with it. When she was in high school, she decided to participate in a racial protest which angered her girlfriend and confused her boyfriend. Everyone knew everyone in such a small town. In college, when Ellie got involved with Civil Rights work, some of the neighbors weren't pleased. And then when she started hanging around a black boy, even her parents and brother got angry. There were riots, shootings, and KKK activities held not far from her house. Her family threatened to kick her out and her closest friends shunned her.
This is a story about families, per pressure, racial tension and passion for justice. The characters were very real with authentic voices. This is a book you will reflect on long past the moment you finish reading it.
aeo1116's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! I have loved every single Diane Chamberlain book I have read, but this this book was extremely powerful! The story is twofold. One story line takes place in North Carolina in current times, and the other during the mid-60s amid the civil rights movement and the horror of the Ku Klux Klan. It is an amazing story of heartache, finding truth, and healing for the two central characters. This is a must read!
ejl2623's review against another edition
5.0
How does Ellie, a twenty year old pharmacy student at University of North Carolina, born and raised the daughter of a pharmacist in Round Hill evolve into a freedom fighter, voter registration worker, civil rights activist in 1965? What does this mean to everything she ever took for granted in life? A personal note: I grew up in Central Pennsylvania with a mother who was a civil rights activist who went to the 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom. I played with the child of the black woman who ironed our clothes and who my Mom helped to find a stable, real job in our school system. Ellie plays with the black child of their maid and has an Aunt Carol from New York who lived with them after her uncle died. Aunt Carol went to the 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom. The town sees her as kind of crazy. So, before her death, Aunt Carol has influenced Ellie to see things differently, with humanity. Meanwhile, in 2010, Kayla is reeling from her 29 year old husband's death on the construction site of their new home. He slipped and fell shortly before the two architects and their three year old daughter were to move into the contemporary house they designed together for seven years.. Kayla's staying with her widowed father in Round Hill until the house is ready. It is set deep among trees and now, that feature that appealed to her husband feels ominous. As new houses are under construction along the street, the only neighbor right now lives in the original house on the road. Word has it he is terminally ill. Kayla feels loss, ambivalence about moving into her home without the love of her life and now, burgeoning fear because of a visit from a strange older lady who drops by Kayla's office in an obvious effort to scare her away from her house. Chamberlain gives us an authentic story of the experience of the young students, white outsiders and local black students who worked to register black voters at the dawn of the voting rights act, not yet signed when Ellie joins on. She does not use one bit of gratuitous violence, but there is violence. She paints a stark picture of rural southern black poverty through some of the homes Ellie stays in, but does not stereotype once. And eventually Ellie's experience in summer 1965 and what is happening to Kayla in 2010 gives us a history of race relations in Round Hill. Rocks are turned over. And it is painful, yet not too hard to read because the characters are strong women and they keep going as best they can, acknowledging the pain but doing what you do in life when you experience great loss. I love the simplicity and the depth of Diane Chamberlain's writing. She is accessible and she keeps things real.
adionp's review against another edition
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
shinyobjects63's review against another edition
5.0
Diane Chamberlain never disappoints and this was an engrossing twin-story read. Well researched and poignant portrayal of what people in the South (even the "northern" south) were up against during the Civil Rights Movement of the 60s. The 'spooky' 2nd storyline was compelling as well and they were woven together well.
jonesy_reads's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first Diane Chamberlain that I have had the pleasure to read, and it leaves wondering how on earth I hadn't heard of her before. This book takes place in small town North Carolina, alternating between 1965 and 2010. Ellie grew up in Round Hill, and the summer of 1965 changed her forever. She made up her mind to aid in the civil rights movement by helping Black individuals register to voter, ahead of the voter reform act to be signed by LBJ, no matter what it might cost her or those close to her.
Fast forward to 2010 and Ellie has return home to care for aging loved ones, and finds the neighborhood she grew up in has expanded with a bunch of new homes being built. Kayla Is just moving into the dream home she and her husband built, and the end of Ellie's street. Kayla is told not to move in, that her property is cursed. Ellie befriends Kayla after Kayla's daughter is threatened, and her property is vandalized. As we learn more about what happened in Round Hill, in 1965, we begin to understand why Kayla was warned about the property, and why the land is believe to be cursed.
I really enjoyed the sections set in 1965. Although some parts were hard to read, they are an important reminder of the horrors and atrocities that befell Black individuals at the hands of the KKK, and those who chose to turn a blind eye rather than be an ally. It is a stark reminder that racism is lurking everywhere, sometimes in those we least expect. I was pleasantly surprised that I knew many of the freedom songs that they sing at their peaceful protests, it gave me a new appreciation for them.
Once I started reading this, I could hardly put it down. It's definitely a page turner, and I highly recommend it.
I also highly recommend using this book as a reminder to not tolerate hate in anyone, not even our friends and loved ones. And, that not choosing a side always supports the oppressor. Channel your inner Ellie, and speak up when racism occurs in your presence.
Fast forward to 2010 and Ellie has return home to care for aging loved ones, and finds the neighborhood she grew up in has expanded with a bunch of new homes being built. Kayla Is just moving into the dream home she and her husband built, and the end of Ellie's street. Kayla is told not to move in, that her property is cursed. Ellie befriends Kayla after Kayla's daughter is threatened, and her property is vandalized. As we learn more about what happened in Round Hill, in 1965, we begin to understand why Kayla was warned about the property, and why the land is believe to be cursed.
I really enjoyed the sections set in 1965. Although some parts were hard to read, they are an important reminder of the horrors and atrocities that befell Black individuals at the hands of the KKK, and those who chose to turn a blind eye rather than be an ally. It is a stark reminder that racism is lurking everywhere, sometimes in those we least expect. I was pleasantly surprised that I knew many of the freedom songs that they sing at their peaceful protests, it gave me a new appreciation for them.
Once I started reading this, I could hardly put it down. It's definitely a page turner, and I highly recommend it.
I also highly recommend using this book as a reminder to not tolerate hate in anyone, not even our friends and loved ones. And, that not choosing a side always supports the oppressor. Channel your inner Ellie, and speak up when racism occurs in your presence.
hoosiercarol's review against another edition
5.0
Great mystery wrapped around a tragic story about living in the South during the civil rights battles of the 60s.