Wonderful writing, well drawn and interesting characters, with the background of war and the civil rights movement. ( )

I almost NEVER do not finish a book, but I gave up on this. Uggghhhh..... boring!!! It was as if the author sort of had a story line to write about, but not really..... so had to write about whatever the editor recommended. Slowest moving plot imaginable. ( )

This book has as its backdrop the Civil Rights Movement in the US and tells the story of Loyal Ledford and his attempts to set up a truely equal society in the back woods of West Virginia. After some harrowing experiences serving in WW2 in the Pacific, Loyal comes back to his old job of furnace attendant at the Mann Glass Factory. Feeling dissatisfied, he decides to build and run his own marble factory on his ancestral land. He takes with him his wife Rachel and his good friend Mack and his wife Lizze who are both black and together start the Marrowbone Marble Company. This is an unheard of alliance for the times and they run into all kinds of prejudice and trouble especially as the grounds become a vanguard of the civil rights movement, the war on poverty and a home for those intent on change. ( )

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

Young orphan Loyal Ledford leaves his job at a glass factory to join the Marines after Pearl Harbor. His experiences in Guadalcanal change him forever and he returns home a broken alcoholic plagued by recurring nightmares. Loyal manages to marry the sweetheart he left behind and decides to start a new life on some land owned by distant relatives. A dream tells him to build a marble factory and Loyal uses the opportunity to create a utopian community of blacks and whites working towards to a better life and civil rights. As the fledging community works to create a better world, their ideals of passive resistance and peaceful civil disobedience are challenged in ways they never expected.

I have been putting off reviewing this book because I don't really know how to describe it. To me, it is a male version of Stockett's THE HELP. While it wasn't the most pleasurable read, I find myself bringing it up in conversation over and over again and I can't stop thinking about.....often the hallmarks of a great read for me. While a good part of this book is about the civil rights struggles, I felt an important theme was the conflict between peaceful and violent resistance. The reader must decide along with Loyal whether or not there are times when violence is justified. The bok is incredibly moving and thought-provoking.

BOTTOM LINE: Highly recommended. This may be the best book I've read this year. Excellent character development and filled with challenging and interesting ideas. A great conversation starter that will stay with you for a long time. ( )