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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
eugenics
emotional
medium-paced
I have a love-hate relationship with historical fiction, but this one caught my attention, and I have to say I love the emotional roller coaster.
Our courageous main character is being raised by hard-working, single father. He works long hours to provide for the family, but they still do not have any extra. Her father teaches her to be her in person, and to be thankful for what they have.
The story takes place in the time when it is not proper for a girl to sweat. When the only appropriate thing that little girls have to look forward to is how many children they will have.
When Leah goes to live with her foster family, she has determined to show them that she belongs. While the relationship is not what she had hoped for, she works hard to make the best of it. She develops a friendship with Mary Ann, who is probably the smartest, sweetest little girl, and I absolutely loved her.
I highly recommend this book to everyone even if historical fiction is not normally the genre you would reach for. It’s a short book that completely pulls you in.
Thank you to Netgalley, Publisher Sourcebooks Landmark and author, Meagan church for the advanced readers copy.
Our courageous main character is being raised by hard-working, single father. He works long hours to provide for the family, but they still do not have any extra. Her father teaches her to be her in person, and to be thankful for what they have.
The story takes place in the time when it is not proper for a girl to sweat. When the only appropriate thing that little girls have to look forward to is how many children they will have.
When Leah goes to live with her foster family, she has determined to show them that she belongs. While the relationship is not what she had hoped for, she works hard to make the best of it. She develops a friendship with Mary Ann, who is probably the smartest, sweetest little girl, and I absolutely loved her.
I highly recommend this book to everyone even if historical fiction is not normally the genre you would reach for. It’s a short book that completely pulls you in.
Thank you to Netgalley, Publisher Sourcebooks Landmark and author, Meagan church for the advanced readers copy.
Such a beautiful, heartbreaking story! Leah had to go through so much before she was old enough to be able to properly comprehend any of it. I appreciated how the author showed her growth and maturity as she aged, while still keeping her youth and naïveté present.
This novel shows perfectly how family and love comes in many different forms. The author has a way of making some of the most simplistic thoughts, said in the right moments, seem so profound and heart wrenching.
While I don’t think that this book would be everyone’s cup of tea. It is one I well recommend to everyone and feel like it deserves everyone to read it.
This novel shows perfectly how family and love comes in many different forms. The author has a way of making some of the most simplistic thoughts, said in the right moments, seem so profound and heart wrenching.
While I don’t think that this book would be everyone’s cup of tea. It is one I well recommend to everyone and feel like it deserves everyone to read it.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
“Sometimes family is not who you’ve been given, it’s who you choose.”
If you like Where the Crawdads Sing, then you’ll have to read this one.
Reading the story about Leah, a bright and cheerful young girl who went through a lot of stuff really breaks my heart to pieces, knowing that all she ever wanted was a family and a home.
Throughout the story it was filled with Leah’s longing to a life she used to know before her father had an accident at work. I can’t help but cry while listening to the audio book. The narrator did a very great job of delivering this story, her voice capture every emotions in the story.
While most of the story is heart-breaking, there are some parts that shows love and hope. Like Leah’s friend Jesse who never stop sending her letters, Mary Ann and Michael Henry that befriend her despite their wicked evil mother – Mrs. Griffin (I was so angry with her ever since she came into Leah's life, I wish I could slap Mrs. Griffin).
Then there’s that surprising twist near the ending which was totally unexpected!
I didn’t know anything about the eugenics movement before reading this one and to know it actually happen in our reality was horrifying.
Overall, this is a powerful debut novel!
This is a story that will stick with me for a long time. It’s an emotional roller coaster story filled with longing, loss and hope.
I highly recommend for you to read this book and with a tissue box beside you!
“Forgetting and forgiving are two different things.”
I received an advanced review copy for free through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to RB Media and the author!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Medical trauma, Death of parent
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Last Carolina Girl is a beautiful and haunting story of Leah Payne, a 14 year old girl in 1935. Leah lives on the North Carolina coast with her father. Having lost her mother in childbirth, Leah shares a special bond with her father. She is growing up wild and free on the coast when tragically her father dies in an accident at work.
Leah is sent to live in Matthews, NC with a foster family. Expecting to be treated as part of the family, Leah is shocked and saddened to be forced to be a helpmate- essentially a servant. The well to do family is focused on climbing the ranks in society, as Matthews plans its first ball. During her rare outings, Leah learns about the surging eugenics movement. When her foster mother is displeased with her personality and her spells (silent seizures), Leah learns just how deep resentment can run and the long term impacts of this terrible time in our history.
If you enjoyed Take My Hand, this book is told from the perspective of a young girl impacted by the same hateful movement. I found this book moving, beautiful, and incredibly sad. North Carolina's eugenics board was one of the last to be disbanded in the 1970s. One book about this topic is not enough, and I treasured that this book showed the upper and middle class white women who made the movement stronger. Church did not shy away from telling how it was marketed to polite society. I would have liked more depth and detail at the end, but it was still well written and heartfelt.
Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.
Leah is sent to live in Matthews, NC with a foster family. Expecting to be treated as part of the family, Leah is shocked and saddened to be forced to be a helpmate- essentially a servant. The well to do family is focused on climbing the ranks in society, as Matthews plans its first ball. During her rare outings, Leah learns about the surging eugenics movement. When her foster mother is displeased with her personality and her spells (silent seizures), Leah learns just how deep resentment can run and the long term impacts of this terrible time in our history.
If you enjoyed Take My Hand, this book is told from the perspective of a young girl impacted by the same hateful movement. I found this book moving, beautiful, and incredibly sad. North Carolina's eugenics board was one of the last to be disbanded in the 1970s. One book about this topic is not enough, and I treasured that this book showed the upper and middle class white women who made the movement stronger. Church did not shy away from telling how it was marketed to polite society. I would have liked more depth and detail at the end, but it was still well written and heartfelt.
Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.
emotional
informative
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I have a love-hate relationship with historical fiction, but this one caught my attention, and I have to say I love the emotional roller coaster.
Our courageous main character is being raised by hard-working, single father. He works long hours to provide for the family, but they still do not have any extra. Her father teaches her to be her in person, and to be thankful for what they have.
The story takes place in the time when it is not proper for a girl to sweat. When the only appropriate thing that little girls have to look forward to is how many children they will have.
When Leah goes to live with her foster family, she has determined to show them that she belongs. While the relationship is not what she had hoped for, she works hard to make the best of it. She develops a friendship with Mary Ann, who is probably the smartest, sweetest little girl, and I absolutely loved her.
I highly recommend this book to everyone even if historical fiction is not normally the genre you would reach for. It’s a short book that completely pulls you in.
Thank you to Netgalley, Publisher Sourcebooks Landmark and author, Meagan church for the advanced readers copy.
If Where the Crawdads Sing (Owens) and Necessary Lies (Chamberlain) were to be blended into one story, it would be The Last Carolina Girl.
Plot: 14 year old Leah lives with her lumberjack dad in a coastal Carolina town, where she runs in the woods and attends school. When her father tragically dies, Leah is pulled from her small community and forced to live with strangers who harbor a secret. While she thinks they'll become her new family, they treat her as a "helpmate," as opposed to an equal. Matters become far grimmer for Leah, as she faces the recently formed state eugenics board.
Thoughts: As a huge fan of Necessary Lies, I looked forward to another story about North Carolina's dark history. Leah was put through so much, and reading her struggles is heartbreaking. I will say, I thought the ending felt a little bit rushed. Still, this is a worthwhile read, and I appreciated the author's note, which shares her personal connection to eugenics.
Plot: 14 year old Leah lives with her lumberjack dad in a coastal Carolina town, where she runs in the woods and attends school. When her father tragically dies, Leah is pulled from her small community and forced to live with strangers who harbor a secret. While she thinks they'll become her new family, they treat her as a "helpmate," as opposed to an equal. Matters become far grimmer for Leah, as she faces the recently formed state eugenics board.
Thoughts: As a huge fan of Necessary Lies, I looked forward to another story about North Carolina's dark history. Leah was put through so much, and reading her struggles is heartbreaking. I will say, I thought the ending felt a little bit rushed. Still, this is a worthwhile read, and I appreciated the author's note, which shares her personal connection to eugenics.
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I received a copy for review from Netgalley.
At first I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy this as the start of it really reminded my of Where the Crawdads Sing . The beginning chapters were very similar, but once you get to part two it's a very different experience. Right away with meeting the new family that Leah is staying with you can pick up on culty, radical evangelical vibes. While I understand it's the 1930's and times were very different it's still very weird to me to have a 14 year old as your hired help. From there it's a very sad and difficult story to get through. Leah is forced to basically leave school, become a helpmate to a woman, who we find out later in the story is her aunt, and is berated constantly for minor infractions (some that are caused by some kind of seizure). The whole story is sad and by the end Leah is even forced to go through a nonconsensual sterilization AT 14.
Do I recommend people read this? Sure, I think it makes a good book for discussions, especially since forced sterilization are still happening in America to this day, but I do warn that you be in the right mind-frame to handle the content.
At first I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy this as the start of it really reminded my of Where the Crawdads Sing . The beginning chapters were very similar, but once you get to part two it's a very different experience. Right away with meeting the new family that Leah is staying with you can pick up on culty, radical evangelical vibes. While I understand it's the 1930's and times were very different it's still very weird to me to have a 14 year old as your hired help. From there it's a very sad and difficult story to get through. Leah is forced to basically leave school, become a helpmate to a woman, who we find out later in the story is her aunt, and is berated constantly for minor infractions (some that are caused by some kind of seizure). The whole story is sad and by the end Leah is even forced to go through a nonconsensual sterilization AT 14.
Do I recommend people read this? Sure, I think it makes a good book for discussions, especially since forced sterilization are still happening in America to this day, but I do warn that you be in the right mind-frame to handle the content.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Death of parent