A review by momadvice
The Last Carolina Girl by Meagan Church

challenging emotional

4.25

 

I received an advanced copy of this book from Sourcebooks Landmark. This novel will publish on March 28th, so reserve your copy. Meagan Church will join the show to discuss her favorite book club books to spark conversation, including this historical fiction novel that is set against the backdrop of the North Carolina eugenics project.

Meagan Church bursts onto the historical fiction scene with a captivating coming-of-age story page-turner that will be difficult to put down and that any Diane Chamberlain fan will devour. 

In 1935 beachy North Carolina, readers discover Leah, a character who delivers Ramona Quimby's mischievous energy. She lives in a cozy coastal shack where money is tight, but love from her father is abundant. While  Leah is creative and happy on the beach, her academic life leads much to be desired by her teachers. She also struggles with troubling seizure spells that affect her ability to concentrate and cause her to lose portions of time.

Her life takes an unfortunate twist when her father tragically dies in a logging-related accident that leaves her both orphaned and penniless.

With nowhere to turn, she is sent to the wealthy Griffin family, who live in a beautiful home and have agreed to take in Leah. She barely has time to settle before discovering that her room and board come with a new set of duties, working full-time as the family helpmate instead of attending school and the freedoms she had before.

As the other children in the home live their everyday wealthy lives, Leah is constantly corrected and thrown into situations meant to humiliate her and remind her of her poverty by the lady of the house, Mrs. Griffin. Although letters from her childhood friend only come through sporadically, they offer her the only comforts of home and sustain her through these moments. 

As Leah blossoms into a young woman, Mrs. Griffin becomes vengeful, especially when she worries that Leah is catching the eye of her only son. Leah does not know there will be a dramatic retaliation to punish her for a lifetime of secrets.

It is impossible to write this review without saying what has also been included in the official book blurb and that this story is set against the backdrop of North Carolina's newly formed eugenics board. At that time, girls deemed "feebleminded" could be forcibly sterilized without consent for the "betterment of society." 

While this is a big part of the inspiration for her story, there are other surprising fictionalized mysteries that many readers will appreciate that are just as beautifully done as this element. As Church often foreshadows what Leah's fate might hold, readers will be waiting for this scene to take place, but there are many well-crafted elements that any historical fiction reader will appreciate. 

In the Author's Note at the end, we truly grasp how close to home this story was for Church as she uncovered the story of her great-aunt and then began researching North Carolina's sordid past with forced sterilizations in women who were deemed "feebleminded," criminals, the promiscuous, and those in poverty.

Church's scene-setting is where her writing, indeed, shines. She paints the landscape of North Carolina with breathtaking strokes that make readers feel as though they are on the beach with Leah exploring the sand. In addition, the historical details and well-thought dialogue are well-researched and meticulous.   

If you find this read impactful, Take My Hand (the 2023 MomAdvice Book Club selection for August) & Necessary Lies would be a phenomenal book flight that will both inform and infuriate you on the troubling past of the government involvement in women's reproductive issues and the fight for body autonomy. As Church thoughtfully quotes from Mark Twain, "History doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes." 

This author is not afraid to grasp the rhythm as she completes her second book on women's issues and explores the Baby Scoop Era of the 1960s. 

In this planned next book, we learn more about "wayward girls" who were sent away to maternity homes, forcing them to give their children up for adoption and returning them to society as though nothing had happened. It sounds like another illuminating and surprising examination I cannot wait to discover.