A review by amy_alwaysreading
The Last Carolina Girl by Meagan Church

3.5

Many thanks to my friends at @sourcebooks for the #gifted copy of this book.  

 

“But sometimes yuh gotta love even when it don’t make sense.”

 

Tender and absorbing.  Church’s debut is a beautifully written coming of age story with a thought-provoking message.  

 

Leah’s life was tinged with a bit of sorrow at birth.  And yet to her, that simple life in a rudimentary shack alongside her father never seemed lacking.  Brimming with love, her world felt full even as her father longed to give her more.  It wasn’t until disaster struck a second time, taking her father from her, that she was met with loneliness, longing, and the most unexpected life-altering tragedy.  

 

Some characters come along and simply steal your heart right out of your chest without warning.   With dirt between her toes and an old quilt wrapped around her shoulders, Leah was the embodiment of a free spirit, most at ease in nature.  

 

There was a specialness… a measure of whimsy... to her that first drew me in.  But it was Leah’s strength of spirit forged in hardship and atrocity that fully endeared me. She’s not a character I will easily forget.  

 

I love going into books blind…letting the surprises of the story unfold organically rather than spoiled by a synopsis or review.  But I think that worked against this book.  

 

I was wholly devoted to Leah and her coming of age journey. Then suddenly, as though an ear-piercing scratch in a record, eugenics was introduced. 

 

After reading the author’s note (which I wish I’d done prior to starting the book), I fully understand and support her desire to point out atrocities of the past.  But I do wish it had been introduced much sooner in the read, allowing it a full-fledged development rather than seeming an afterthought to the story.  

 

Therefore, I highly recommend starting out with the author’s note so that you can enjoy the book with a fullness to its messaging.  

 

As I closed the book, I was left pondering how Leah’s daddy always wanted to give her “more.” I think Leah learned that sometimes “more” is as simple as togetherness and acceptance.  

 

Grab a glass of sweet iced tea and a pimento cheese sandwich.  (Like Mrs. Griffin, I also have a secret pimento cheese recipe.) This book is a quick read that you won’t want interrupted.