Book Reviews

Book Pick: Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

I received Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter as a Christmas gift from my son, who is also an author. I knew it was going to be good, but how good? Whereas so many novels in mainstream suspense forego character development for plot, this novel does not. Those of you who have read my books know I love tight interweaving of character and plot. Tom Franklin has created three-dimensional characters with flaws and foibles that slide under your skin. They make you look at yourself with the same unflinching eye he uses to view his characters.

This novel has a strong and true sense of place. I quite often use small Southern towns as settings for my books, utilizing them as characters unto themselves. Franklin does this with a superb hand. He also delves deeply into the twisted mineshafts of family relationships in a way that seems both realistic and heart wrenching. His use of dialog makes this book hum along with readers happily in tow.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter tells the story of two boyhood friends, Larry Ott, the only child of middle-class parents, and Silas Jones, son of a single black mother. Their teenaged friendship is short-lived, and yet colors the rest of their lives. As teens, they are torn apart by circumstance, only to be brought together again years later by a terrible crime in a rural Mississippi town. The interweaving of past and present, the slow revelation of old secrets and an resolute look at human frailty all make this book a must read.

Book Pick: Joyland

I picked this book up while I was on my Southern book tour at the recommendation of a bookseller. Not that I’ve ever needed any prodding to dive into a Stephen King novel, master storyteller that he is. Joyland was less supernatural and more reality than some of his work, much more in the vein of his short story, The Body (which became the movie, Stand By Me). It’s a short fast read, filled with great characters. There was only a touch of the paranormal, with the mystery of a ghost that appears in the funhouse … not so fun after all for the girl murdered inside the ride years before.

In the spring of 1973, broken-hearted, cash-strapped Devin Jones takes a job at the Joyland amusement park. What he finds at this seaside getaway is more than a summer job. He forges relationships both fleeting and life altering. In addition to the colorful full-time Joyland workers, Devin finds lasting friendship with a couple of other college summer-workers. Outside of the amusement park, Devin also meets a mother and her dying ten year old son, two people who will make their marks the man he is to become.

As always, King paints a picture both vivid and engaging. There’s a fun summer atmosphere for most of this book; coming-of-age events for the lovelorn Devin, lots of carny lingo (both actual and born of the imagination of the author) and a revisiting of a time before Disney-mania strangled the life out of small time amusement operations. Later in the story, the focus shifts to the mystery of the ghostly girl in the funhouse. Both aspects of this book are equally entertaining.

I need not tell you this is a well-crafted story; the author’s name on the cover does that. I will say it’s great non-horror Stephen King at his best.

Thank you, Mr. King for accompanying me on my long trip through the South.

Guest Book Pick: The Fault in Our Stars

When Time Magazine named this “The best fiction book of 2012,” much was made of the fact that it was published as a Young Adult novel which would make it a first for Time’s prestigious award. The fact that this is an outstanding bit of writing—regardless of the genre—supports the theory that good writing is ageless (just reread Where the Wild Things Are or Tale of Peter Rabbit to see my point).

John Green has become something of a “rock star” among young readers due to his bestselling books and his wildly popular social media presence. With The Fault in Our Stars, however, he has written a novel that touches on such universal truths and emotions that anyone any age and any gender can, not only relate, but come away with the knowledge that they are enriched in a lasting way.

Part of the reason for this is the story itself: two teens meet in a cancer support group and give each other what is needed to traverse the “rough waters” of terminal cancer. So how can such a tale be hopeful, uplifting, even joyous? It’s due to the beauty of John Green’s writing and the voices he gives his main characters, Hazel and Augustus. Maybe it’s their medical prognosis, but these two speak the truth, holding nothing back, and the reader revels in the strength of their spirits. At once, humorous, tender, poignant, tough and ultimately uplifting, The Fault in Our Stars is a book not easily forgotten.

Book-alicious Mama Book Review of Whistling Past the Graveyard

“As the mom of two little girls, stories of women and especially brave little girls fascinate me. I love finding a spunky, strong narrator who possesses qualities I hope (and pray) I am passing onto my daughters. I fell in love with The Secret Life of Bees, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt and of course numerous fairy tales. I am now adding to that list Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall, a heart-wrenching tale of nine-year-old Starla Claudelle, who discovers herself on a runaway adventure.

Whistling is a coming-of-age story set in Mississippi in 1963 and narrated by Starla. Due in part to tradition, intimidation and Jim Crow laws, segregation is very much ingrained into the Southern lifestyle in 1963. Few white children question these rules, least of all Starla Caudelle, a spunky young girl who lives with her stern, unbending grandmother in Cayuga Springs, Miss., and spends an inordinate amount of time on restriction for her impulsive actions and sassy mouth. Starla’s dad works on an oil rig in the Gulf; her mother abandoned the family to seek fame and fortune in Nashville when Starla was 3. In her youthful innocence, Starla’s convinced that her mother’s now a big singing star, and she dreams of living with her again one day, a day that seems to be coming more quickly than Starla’s anticipated. Convinced that her latest infraction is about to land her in reform school, Starla decides she has no recourse but to run away from home and head to Nashville to find her mom.

Starla accepts a ride from Eula, a black woman driving an old truck, and finds, to her surprise, that she’s not Eula’s only passenger. Inside a basket is a young white baby, an infant supposedly abandoned outside a church, whom Eula calls James. Although Eula doesn’t intend to drive all the way to Nashville, when she shows up at her home with the two white children, a confrontation with her alcoholic and abusive husband forces her into becoming a part of Starla’s journey, and it’s this journey that creates strong bonds between the two.

Author Susan Crandall has nailed the time/political period – 1963 Kennedy Era segregation/civil rights movement in the deep South, but we see it through the lens of young Starla Claudelle, the red-headed heroine who right from the get-go tells us she never thinks before she speaks. Smart and precocious—a combination that gets her into barrels of trouble, some situations simply funny, others much more dark and dangerous. The other thing Crandell has nailed to perfection is the voice of a nine-year-old girl. With my own spunky and precocious 10-year-old girl, I felt Crandell was quoting E with her character of Starla!

This is a wonderful coming of age story that showcases a young heroine who embodies the sacred, powerful, don’t-mess-with-me self-awareness women should embrace — that’s what makes this book so compelling. You can expect to read this in a few days and be sad when you’re finished. This is one of those books – I wish it could go on forever. It’s a compelling and luminous portrait of friendship and compassion.”

Shelf Awareness Book Review of Whistling Past the Graveyard

Whistling Past the Graveyard Review by Shelf Awareness “Starla Claudelle can’t seem to do anything right, and her grandmother makes sure she knows it. During the summer of 1963, Starla is caught defying her punishment, and–convinced “Mamie” is sending her off to reform school this time–she decides to run away. Starla plans, as only a nine-year-old can, to find her mother, the woman who left her when she was three to become a star in Nashville. Quickly figuring out she can’t walk the whole way from her small-town Mississippi home to Tennessee, Starla hitches a ride with a kind black woman traveling with a white infant. Unbeknownst to Starla, she’s just bought her ticket for a trip that will help define her life.

Whistling Past the Graveyard’s themes of hope, faith and innocence are plunked down in one of the nation’s darkest time periods. With an exceptionally strong voice for her young spitfire narrator, Susan Crandall reminds readers that while the depth of hate was extraordinary, there were some people who used their gifts to encourage love, compassion and tolerance.

This young girl who shuns society’s idea of a “lady” represents light in the darkness; with her idiosyncratic language and her brassy spunk, she is at turns humorous, endearing and heartbreaking. Through it all, she is convincing–readers won’t be able to help but love and admire Starla Claudelle. With echoes of To Kill a Mockingbird and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Whistling Past the Graveyard is a timeless tale. In 1963 or 2013 alike, celebrating the good in others in a precious gift.”

Book Queen Reviews Book Review of Whistling Past the Graveyard

Whistling Past the Graveyard Review by Book Queen Reviews Growing up is difficult. It is hard for every child that has ever lived and will be hard for those that are not yet here. For 9 year old Starla Claudelle, growing up in Mississippi in 1963 with just her Mamie was beyond difficult. While her daddy was working on an oil rig and her Momma was off getting famous for her music, Starla was left with her Mamie and her Mamie was not a happy lady. She was mean to Starla and repeatedly told her that she wished she hadn’t been born.

After a series of events, Starla runs away from her life in Mississippi to find her Momma in Nashville. On her way out of town, she gets a ride from a black woman named Eula and a white baby boy that was called James. You can just imagine how life is for a white little girl and a white baby boy with a black woman in Mississippi in 1963. This unlikely combination makes from some dangerous situations.

This is an amazing book and it really shows that sometimes strangers make a better family than your own flesh and blood. One of my favorite quotes in this book is, “My daddy always said being brave wasn’t not being scared. Being brave was keeping going when you were.” Please, please, please read this book, you will not regret it! I give this book 5 crowns for book clubs and individuals alike.

Chelsey’s Chatter Book Review of Whistling Past the Graveyard

Whistling Past the Graveyard Review by Chelsea's Chatter This book takes place in 1963 Mississippi where we meet a young girl named Starla Jane Claudelle. Starla lives with her Mamie while her father is off working at an oil rig and trying to earn enough money to support his family back home. Starla’s mother, Lucinda, left Starla and her father years ago in the hopes of someday becoming famous. Starla has a tendency to get herself put on restriction, usually by sass talking her Mamie. But this year Starla decides she has had enough. Her Mamie does nothing but put her down and try to change everything about her, so Starla decides to run away to Nashville in the hopes of finding her mother. On Starla’s journey she meets Lula, an older African-American woman named Eula that seems to be making quite the escape of her own. This story tells about their adventure together and the bonds that they form along the way.

Starla Jane narrates this entire story for readers, and let me be the first to tell you that the story would just not feel the same without her narration. Starla still has enough innocence about her to make her lovable and sweet, but she also knows enough of the world to understand that she is not really wanted by her Mamie. You cannot put a price on what Starla learns as she travels with Eula and baby James. Starla sees the world as she has never seen it before. This is definitely a coming of age story, and I felt like I got to witness Starla growing up right before my eyes. It is funny how much this road trip matured Starla, and gave her the courage to think for herself. Fans of a spunky heroine will certainly enjoy Starla Jane Claudelle.

As I mentioned earlier, this story is set in 1963 Mississippi so racial lines and tensions were extremely high. I thought to myself at first, how is this story going to go when you have a nine-year-old as the narrator telling about a time in history that will never be forgotten because of all that went on? Susan Crandall knocked this one of the park. This was the fine line that Starla learned all about having to do with love and hate and how people were behaving towards racial conflict in this time. I cannot wait to see what is next for this author!