Mattie Lou’s Books & More Book Review of Whistling Past the Graveyard

“The last time I read a book anywhere close to this, I was a junior in high school and struggling through Huckleberry Finn. And let me tell you, this book was so much better.

Synopsis: In the summer of 1963, nine-year-old spitfire Starla Claudelle runs away from her strict grandmother’s Mississippi home. Starla hasn’t seen her momma since she was three—that’s when Lulu left for Nashville to become a famous singer. Starla’s daddy works on an oil rig in the Gulf, so Mamie, with her tsk-tsk sounds and her bitter refrain of “Lord, give me strength,” is the nearest thing to family Starla has. After being put on restriction yet again for her sassy mouth, Starla is caught sneaking out for the Fourth of July parade. She fears Mamie will make good on her threat to send Starla to reform school, so Starla walks to the outskirts of town, and just keeps walking. . . .

This book reminded me of three different novels: Huckleberry Finn, The Secret Life of Bees, and To Kill a Mockingbird.

If she can get to Nashville and find her momma, then all that she promised will come true: Lulu will be a star. Daddy will come to live in Nashville, too. And her family will be whole and perfect. Walking a lonely country road, Starla accepts a ride from Eula, a black woman traveling alone with a white baby. The trio embarks on a road trip that will change Starla’s life forever. She sees for the first time life as it really is—as she reaches for a dream of how it could one day be.

*Note: this review contains spoilers*

Review: This book reminded me of three different novels: Huckleberry Finn, The Secret Life of Bees, and To Kill a Mockingbird. Starla Jane Claudelle is so feisty that I couldn’t figure out if she reminded me more of Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer. Within the first paragraph of this novel, you are immediately sucked into the story line. Starla’s voice is so strong within this novel that you can barely tell it was written by Susan Crandall. Starla also reminded me of Merida from Brave. That’s how feisty she was! I loved her character!

There was a little bit of a slow point in the novel, and that was when Starla ends up with Wallace and Eula. However, it began to pick up after that. And in all honesty, I highly disliked Wallace. He was so cruel not only to Eula, but Starla. I was so happy when Eula hit him over the head with a skillet and knocked him out for good!

I also really loved how the characters flowed with the time period. As we should all know, 1963 was dead in the center of the Civil Rights Movement. Using that era as leverage really enhanced the novel, and it made me cringe to see how people were treated back then. Why people love to discriminate–even now–is unbeknownst to me. One of my favorite characters in this novel was Miss Cyrena and that was because she reminded me of one of my high school teachers. She was a teacher, intelligent, and fierce, and I loved that about her.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. I look forward to reading more from Susan Crandall.

Recommendation? Yes, I recommend this book to any and everyone.

Rating: ★★★★”