Reviews

this seemed to take a really long time to read. The story of Prentiss and Landry, and the Walker family from Old Ox Georgia. Prentiss and Landry are brothers and slaves on Ted Morton's farm. George and Isabelle Walker have the farm next door. Their son Caleb has been conscripted in the Civil war. Caleb is reported to be dead but shows up at home a short while later. He has some shame in his cowardice as he ran from a battle and was captured as a prisoner. Caleb is quiet and is in love with his childhood friend, August. They keep their relationship secret, (but it is not all that secret). At the end of the war, the slaves are freed and Prentiss and Landry go to work for George. The town of Old Ox resents that George is paying former slaves and reject the Walker family. August beats Landry to death after he catches Caleb and August together in the forest. The town does not believe that August did anything wrong when he is blamed by Caleb for killing Landry. Prentiss is arrested for spitting on Wade, (August's father) and held to for the judge. Caleb breaks Prentiss out of jail and they run North. in the meantime, someone burns the crops the George, Landry and Prentiss had planted and the fire then burns the town of Old Ox. George helps Caleb and Prentiss travel north then is shot in the leg by the sheriff for brandishing a weapon. George dies, and Isabelle now has run of the farm. This story seemed to jump around a bit and never really settled on a character to expound on. the freedom that Isabelle experiences after George's death could have been a good story but it did not really go anywhere. I think that one of the reasons that I took so long to read this is because it was so sad. No one ever really rose above the struggles that they were born into.

robyn_stine's review against another edition

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dark hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

spatterson12's review against another edition

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5.0

Not enough people are talking about this debut. Set right after the Civil War, this story is focused on two freedmen, Landry and Prentiss, who are brothers preparing to head North to start a new life. To save for their trip, they accept the offer to work for the Walker family for the pay a white man would received. This causes some issues with others in the community, but the Walkers can’t be bothered with the talks of small minds. The Walkers had recently received news that their son was killed during the war, and as a way to process his grief, George Walker is determined to make use of his land and become a peanut farmer with the help of the brothers. Without giving too much away, this book explores the depths of love and loyalty families display during devastating times, even if the family isn’t created by blood. I also loved the growth of Isabelle Walker, George’s wife.

lreven65's review against another edition

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slow-paced

3.0

aguattery's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

3.5

There's a disconnect for me between the audiobook and the physical book. I don't know why exactly but I thought it was just fine as an audiobook versus fantastic as physical.

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