Michelle Shocklee

WOW! I knew within the first 20% that this book was something special, and I was not wrong. There is so much heart and heartache in these pages. I couldn't put this book down. I really don't know what else to say other than to give it a try.
Also, this is one of the very few books I have read that is set during the 70s. This is a split-time novel with half of the book in the 40s. I liked the different eras shown.

5 Stars

Content: child out of wedlock (teen parents), gunshot wounds, mentions of infertility and abortion, deaths… (mehr)

The story transpired in 1943 but is being told in 1973. A
slip of paper with his birthday and the name of a midwife was all he had to connect him to his past. Just a short time ago, famed country and western performer, Walker Wylie, had everything a person could want. That is until his father died and his mother had revealed he had been adopted 30 years ago. He is angry, bitter, broken and driven to locate his birth parents.
Why did the reject him? He has questions.
He has to have help. He reaches out to Reese Chandler, a midwife that works in the mountains. She is adopted and was told as soon as she could understand. Unlike Walker she has no desire to look into her past.
Very quickly they find Bertie Jenkins the midwife on the piece of paper. The story that unfolds is captivating and beautiful. Nothing like Walker had imagined. I loved the Jenkins sisters Bertie and Rubie! Bertie’s no nonsense take charger personality and the way she ordered her thoughts with wisdom and simplicity was delightful! Rubie though slow in mind shocked me with her insight and sweet compassion.
The 5 spinster sister’s story of living alone in the hills even after their father died was incredible. Reading about their interaction and family dynamics let me get to know them personally. I especially liked hearing how they managed without much money or no modern convinces. They had a strong family unit even with such varied personalities. Their love and compassion for Walkers young mother who came to them in desperate need was inspiring!
I enjoyed learning about, Songbird, Walkers mom and who she was compared to who he thought she was. Even more so the true reason she gave him up for adoption. It just showed how we can assume so much on how we feel without knowing the facts.
I got so emotionally involved with the sister’s and Songbird’s stories that I couldn’t put the book down! There were two highlights in the book for me. One was Bertie and Rubie being reunited with Walker, whom they loved dearly and thought they would never see again. Second was the change in Walker’s attitude once he learned the truth. Oh and of course the surprise ending but that I will never tell! You have to read the book. I thoroughly enjoyed all of it!
I received this book from Library Thing Early Reviewers Program in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated are my own.… (mehr)

This was an excellent book. Very thought provoking. A poignant story of a young girl who had it all and lost it, and found something more important through someone she would of never expected.
Rena had everything she could ever want. In a heartbeat that all changed. Her father lost his job in the market crash. Rena loves to write but has a hard time finding a job. Then she gets an opportunity through the Federal Writers Project. Her job is to write the stories of former slaves. Her first interview, Frankie ends up changing her life. Frankie holds nothing back; she tells all the gorey details. In her stories there is a name that's familiar to Rena. She discovers that her great great great grandmother owned Frankie. Rena is distraught but Frankie reminds her that God brought them together. Frankie's stories even bring her skeptic parents to a realization that slavery was not right. Rena goes on to write more stories that are bought by a magazine. Frankie passes away and everyone realizes that she touched many people's lives.… (mehr)