Loved this book! Olivia pieces together her life from many mysteries--her absent father who she thought was dead, her distant mother who spent most of her childhood in an asylum, her absent daughter and her ever-present grandson, and her first love who lives in town, and her relationship with the black community in her town. i hope there is a sequel! ( )

Sweeping Up Glass by Carolyn Wall is a depression era novel of rural Kentucky. It describes the struggles of good hardworking people and some very evil people who manipulate the town in the background. There is unconditional love between most of the characters, but some of the characters are truly vile. I loved the descriptions of the life the characters lived, something most of us can never truly comprehend. Plenty of mystery, thrills and action. Light overcomes the darkness. ( )

A great story, and a fabulous reader. I think I enjoyed this book more on tape than I would have if I'd read it. ( )

I very much enjoyed this book. The characters were well-drawn and the plot was engaging. Reminds me a lot of Sandra Dallas. Definitely recommend. ( )

Time span seems to be early 1900's thru the depression but ending before WWII. Setting: rural Kentucky. Olivia's mother goes "crazy" when she is born, refuses to have anything to do with her, & eventually is sent to an insane asylum. Olivia follows her father around, helping him with his animal healing/vet work and running their small grocery. She also relies on Black neighbors for guidance, help & friendship. Her mother returns home, but still has issues, & Olivia discovers sex, first as a source of love & later as a way of forgetting (or revenge). Parts of her life are swiftly dealt with, & the focus of the novel is how her anger at the hunters who have been shooting special wolves on her property gradually leads to her recognizing --& fighting--the injustice around her (an second focus is how she comes to terms with her feelings for Wing).
I admired/partly identified with Olivia: she's feisty, grumbling about having to take care of her grandson & her mother with never any time for herself. And what would she be doing if she did have time? We're never told, but we do see her grabbing a few minutes to lie on the earth to get centered, & the her beginning at making quilts from scraps develops into more thought & planning of design & color, pride in what she creates. ( )