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A review by jennitarheelreader
The Last Carolina Girl by Meagan Church
5.0
Sometimes you just know, and you can hardly contain your excitement over a debut set in your home state in places you know well. I’ll be honest… the title grabbed my attention right away. I’m a Carolina Girl through and through. The blurbs by other authors also grabbed me… But the story, that’s all on Meagan Church and her storytelling acumen.
About the book: “A searing book club novel for fans of Where the Crawdads Sing and The Girls in the Stilt House following one girl fighting for her family, her body, and her right to create a future all her own.
Set in 1935 against the very real backdrop of a recently formed state eugenics board, The Last Carolina Girl is a powerful and heart-wrenching story of fierce strength, forgotten history, autonomy, and the places and people we ultimately call home.”
I’m not going to delve further into the details of the story than the actual synopsis does. I went in blind and found it rewarding. The author has a personal connection to the story, adding power and authenticity. This was compared to Crawdads, and while I really enjoyed that one, this is more well written. I also felt it captured coastal Brunswick County, North Carolina, an actual North Carolina location. As an aside, my dad spent his last three years in a small town in that county, and I felt a little wink from him that the book was set there.
All in all, The Last Carolina Girl is a true experience of a read with gentle writing and endearing characters. I am ecstatic to have found a new author to love and hope Meagan Church has many more stories to share with us.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
About the book: “A searing book club novel for fans of Where the Crawdads Sing and The Girls in the Stilt House following one girl fighting for her family, her body, and her right to create a future all her own.
Set in 1935 against the very real backdrop of a recently formed state eugenics board, The Last Carolina Girl is a powerful and heart-wrenching story of fierce strength, forgotten history, autonomy, and the places and people we ultimately call home.”
I’m not going to delve further into the details of the story than the actual synopsis does. I went in blind and found it rewarding. The author has a personal connection to the story, adding power and authenticity. This was compared to Crawdads, and while I really enjoyed that one, this is more well written. I also felt it captured coastal Brunswick County, North Carolina, an actual North Carolina location. As an aside, my dad spent his last three years in a small town in that county, and I felt a little wink from him that the book was set there.
All in all, The Last Carolina Girl is a true experience of a read with gentle writing and endearing characters. I am ecstatic to have found a new author to love and hope Meagan Church has many more stories to share with us.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader