A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash
Publisher: William Morrow
Pages: 320
Format: book
Buy the Book: Amazon
Goodreads: For a curious boy like Jess Hall, growing up in Marshall means trouble when your mother catches you spying on grown-ups. Adventurous and precocious, Jess is enormously protective of his older brother, Christopher, a mute whom everyone calls Stump. Though their mother has warned them not to snoop, Stump can't help sneaking a look at something he's not supposed to—an act that will have catastrophic repercussions, shattering both his world and Jess's. It's a wrenching event that thrusts Jess into an adulthood for which he's not prepared. While there is much about the world that still confuses him, he now knows that a new understanding can bring not only a growing danger and evil—but also the possibility of freedom and deliverance as well.
EXTRA from the publicist - Top 10 Reasons Book Clubs will want to read A Land More Kind Than Home
Kritters Thoughts: Set in rural North Carolina, with a different kind of church at the center, this book took the reader into a part of the country that isn't in the news that often. Jess and his older brother Christopher have been kept out of the church meetings with the rest of the children by the aid of an elderly women, and one of the three narrators - Miss Lyle. Jess is the second narrator and the third is a police detective by the name of Clem Barefield, these three narrators each have a different perspective on this story and help it to unfold seamlessly.
Christopher is a mute and through a significant event becomes the center of controversy and must have his story told for him. Each character had their own quirks, I enjoyed seeing this family at the center and how their decisions affected the family and the town as a whole. There were events in the past that slowly unfolded to the reader and with each detail, it was easier to understand how they had all ended up where they currently were and in the mess that they were in.
I loved how the author weaved through the book, the history of the town and how it affected the current situation. I think a lesson that I took away from the book is the thought that you may not know one person's history and how it affects the decisions they make. I may have sympathized with a character or two that I shouldn't have because I learned the reasoning for how they made the decisions they had and it all fit like a puzzle.
With a few moments that made me cringe, I would recommend this book, but maybe not for the faint of heart.
Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
The tour schedule:
Tuesday, January 22nd: Man of La Book
Wednesday, January 23rd: The Book Garden
Thursday, January 24th: Lit and Life
Monday, January 28th: Book Addict Katie
Tuesday, January 29th: BookNAround
Wednesday, January 30th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Thursday, January 31st: Kritters Ramblings
Monday, February 4th: My Bookshelf
Wednesday, February 6th: Stephany Writes
Wednesday, February 13th: Seaside Book Corner
Thursday, February 14th: Reflections of a Bookaholic
Tuesday, February 19th: Luxury Reading
Knowing a character's backstory always helps me understand their motivations better, even when their actions weren't all that admirable. Sounds like Cash would have me sympathizing with many of his characters!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being on the tour.