Sarah’s Song by Vicky Whedbee

I did not expect to like this book.  When I first got it, I made an initial judgment that it was “chick lit” and I don’t like romance stories.   Well there is some romance but overall it is a tale of survival in a time when I was unaware surviving was so hard.   The book is set in Hurricane Hollow, Tennesse, and starts in 1941.  It is a family saga.

My captivation by this book was the realization of how different life was for people in those hills at a time when I was thinking that life in a steel town was tough. My family would vacation at an Uncle’s cabin in the mountains in the 1950s.   There was no running water, no electricity, and an outhouse.  We thought we were rugged living that way for a week.   The characters in this book lived like that normally.  The lack of civilized amenities the characters had, which I took for granted as a child, astounded me.

The family relationships and close ties to others in the community were more familiar.   Whedbee did a marvelous job portraying a family, a community, and a time.   The Grapes of Wrath came to mind when I read this book and considering it was at least five decades ago that I read that book, I have no idea if my comparison is accurate.

Some of the cooking scenes could have been shortened or accurate recipes could have been included.  

I was surprised to be delighted by this book but I was truly smitten!

I recommend it.

 

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