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iamthelizardqueen's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My favorite book by far
redheadd2's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
tibbarasden's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
It's a bit slower paced, but that really works for this story. I loved how we got to know Velva Jean from the time she is 10 until she is 18. I love the relationship she has with her family. I really enjoyed how we see those relationships, and her dreams evolve as she comes of age. While there is a lot of depth to Velva Jean and her emotions, I do think events and situations weren't fully developed. Especially towards the end. There was one consistency/editing issue I caught (Beachard's age isn't correct at one point. The author had him the same age as Johnny Clay). Overall, though, I really enjoyed the coming of age aspect along with small town girl with big dreams trope. I also really enjoyed how we got to see both sides of the religion. How it can be both a good and bad thing.
pebbles1984's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 stars
I quite enjoyed this book, even though it took me 18(!) days to read it. I really liked Velva Jean and many of the other characters, and enjoyed the southern feel of this book. Bit too much Bible in it for me though. I'm looking forward to following Velva Jean on her new adventure in the next book.
I quite enjoyed this book, even though it took me 18(!) days to read it. I really liked Velva Jean and many of the other characters, and enjoyed the southern feel of this book. Bit too much Bible in it for me though. I'm looking forward to following Velva Jean on her new adventure in the next book.
jchristen's review against another edition
4.0
Truly enjoyed this story, the character development worked well and I can't wait to read the next in the series. Loved discovering the Hart family and the way their mountain life works!
jcunning57's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
In many ways a slow and intimate coming of age story with a southern charm, I didn’t think that this novel was written very tightly. The actions of the characters didn’t always correspond with the path that the author had laid for them
belle0819's review against another edition
5.0
This may be one of my lifelong favorite reads. It is one of those ones that fed my soul.
kelseyjobrien's review against another edition
4.0
"I looked to the west, over toward the Indian nation, where I knew the road was reaching. I looked to the east and to the north, and the road wound up and onward, as far as the eye could see. I looked directly to the north-just below me-and tried to pick out my mountain, to see Alluvial and Sleepy Gap and Devil's Kitchen. Sitting up on that road, with the whole world spread out around me on all sides, I couldn't hate anything. And then it hit me. I said, 'This was what Mama meant when she said to live out there.'"
This coming of age novel has all the cuteness of Mayberry, and all the power of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Set in the 30's and early 40's, we follow Velva Jean Hart, and the story of her childhood, where she grows up in North Carolina. Her best friend is her brother, Johnny Clay, and she doesn't get along with her sister, Sweet Fern, at all. Velva Jean and Johnny Clay like to play spies and Bonnie and Clyde, and pretend that they're ne'er do wells, headed for a life of crime. Of course, that's not true at all. Johnny Clay has an exceptional gift of mining for gold, and Velva Jean has a voice that can make her a star. A Grand Ole Opry star, in fact. Which is what she wants to be more than anything in the world.
Until she meets another, former ne'er do well, by the name of Harley Bright, and falls madly in love with him. Only now, all grown up, at the ripe age of 16, he's a preacher, and is so moving that he's nicknamed the Hurricane Preacher, because he's able to bring people to their knees. They have a past, but to Velva Jean, he's only been the moonshiner's boy. Now he's got a following, and he's as handsome as a movie star. Since he was a child, he's told Velva Jean that she "has the prettiest face on Fair Mountain, or anywhere else," and upon seeing her again, he woos her with the same compliment. They start spending their days together, and eventually, with her grandfather's blessing, they get married.
Velva Jean, not one to settle, soon becomes bored of being a wife, and her dreams of becoming a singer at the Grand Ole Opry start to arise again. When she meets a man named Butch, a friend of Johnny Clay, he sets a fire in her so strong that she knows she can't ignore it. Then it comes time to make a decision. Stay a wife, or listen to her Mama, and go "live out there," where she belongs.
Man, there's a lot of stuff I left out, but I couldn't exactly tell you everything that happens! I said it was a powerful novel for a reason, because it is, but you have to read it for yourself to appreciate that. There's Cherokee blood and urban legends, mysticism, realizations, and family bonds that flow throughout this novel, that can't truly be written about as a review. The only thing I can say, is, there's a reason Velva Jean's last name is Hart. She has more heart than any character I've ever read.
I enjoyed this story so much, and I felt that Niven completely captured the emotions of what it's like growing up. I enjoyed reading about the small towns in North Carolina, and how things worked, because it's drastically different from New York, where I've lived my whole life. I like too that at the end, Niven leaves a little surprise, about roots, and where the story comes from. It's not completely fiction.
In fact, at times, I forgot I was reading fiction. I feel that the reader gets to know Velva Jean so well, that it feels like she's telling you this story as a friend, not as a character. I loved that, and also loved the fact that it came full circle, too. I love Johnny Clay like he's my own brother, and, in some way, I love Harley, too, even though, like Velva Jean, he royally upsets me. At the end, when Velva Jean makes her final decision, you go through all her emotions with her. You're happy that she's doing this for herself, you're sad because you love her family, too, but you know, just like her, that it needs to come to end, and you accept it. That, to me, is the mark of a truly talented writer.
I can't wait to read more of Niven's Velva Jean series!
This coming of age novel has all the cuteness of Mayberry, and all the power of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Set in the 30's and early 40's, we follow Velva Jean Hart, and the story of her childhood, where she grows up in North Carolina. Her best friend is her brother, Johnny Clay, and she doesn't get along with her sister, Sweet Fern, at all. Velva Jean and Johnny Clay like to play spies and Bonnie and Clyde, and pretend that they're ne'er do wells, headed for a life of crime. Of course, that's not true at all. Johnny Clay has an exceptional gift of mining for gold, and Velva Jean has a voice that can make her a star. A Grand Ole Opry star, in fact. Which is what she wants to be more than anything in the world.
Until she meets another, former ne'er do well, by the name of Harley Bright, and falls madly in love with him. Only now, all grown up, at the ripe age of 16, he's a preacher, and is so moving that he's nicknamed the Hurricane Preacher, because he's able to bring people to their knees. They have a past, but to Velva Jean, he's only been the moonshiner's boy. Now he's got a following, and he's as handsome as a movie star. Since he was a child, he's told Velva Jean that she "has the prettiest face on Fair Mountain, or anywhere else," and upon seeing her again, he woos her with the same compliment. They start spending their days together, and eventually, with her grandfather's blessing, they get married.
Velva Jean, not one to settle, soon becomes bored of being a wife, and her dreams of becoming a singer at the Grand Ole Opry start to arise again. When she meets a man named Butch, a friend of Johnny Clay, he sets a fire in her so strong that she knows she can't ignore it. Then it comes time to make a decision. Stay a wife, or listen to her Mama, and go "live out there," where she belongs.
Man, there's a lot of stuff I left out, but I couldn't exactly tell you everything that happens! I said it was a powerful novel for a reason, because it is, but you have to read it for yourself to appreciate that. There's Cherokee blood and urban legends, mysticism, realizations, and family bonds that flow throughout this novel, that can't truly be written about as a review. The only thing I can say, is, there's a reason Velva Jean's last name is Hart. She has more heart than any character I've ever read.
I enjoyed this story so much, and I felt that Niven completely captured the emotions of what it's like growing up. I enjoyed reading about the small towns in North Carolina, and how things worked, because it's drastically different from New York, where I've lived my whole life. I like too that at the end, Niven leaves a little surprise, about roots, and where the story comes from. It's not completely fiction.
In fact, at times, I forgot I was reading fiction. I feel that the reader gets to know Velva Jean so well, that it feels like she's telling you this story as a friend, not as a character. I loved that, and also loved the fact that it came full circle, too. I love Johnny Clay like he's my own brother, and, in some way, I love Harley, too, even though, like Velva Jean, he royally upsets me. At the end, when Velva Jean makes her final decision, you go through all her emotions with her. You're happy that she's doing this for herself, you're sad because you love her family, too, but you know, just like her, that it needs to come to end, and you accept it. That, to me, is the mark of a truly talented writer.
I can't wait to read more of Niven's Velva Jean series!