Helpful Score: 4
The book grabs you, keeps you interested and holds you tight. The characterizations are well written and vividly portrayed. I'm not much for southern literature usually, but I totally enjoyed this story. It is a sad story beautifully written.
The paperback has fun essays written by Wiley. They are worth the price of the book alone!
The paperback has fun essays written by Wiley. They are worth the price of the book alone!
Helpful Score: 2
Upon finishing this book I found that I did not like it as much as I thought I would. However, being in two groups that were discussing the novel, at the same time, I took the time for a more thoughtful approach to the book and found thru my own revisit of the story, and thru the ideas and perceptions of others, I had not given the story its full due.
Buried in the hills of the Applalachians was a sinister Jim Jones type preacher, Chambliss, who ruthlessly took control of his parish. Among which was a young married mother, Julie, whose marriage had gone awry, and was vulnerable to the preachers control. Barely to the outside of the church, was Adelaide, who cared for and taught the congregations children - but outside the church, feeling that the service was too sinister for their well-being, and collaborating to make sure that no church secrets were revealed. Additional characters are thrown in this novel, which is narrated by three of them, Adelaide, one of Julie's sons Jess, and the town sheriff Clem - all who play a major part in the novel. Secrets, betrayal and redemption are all solid themes in this novel - which is well worth the read. 4 stars
Buried in the hills of the Applalachians was a sinister Jim Jones type preacher, Chambliss, who ruthlessly took control of his parish. Among which was a young married mother, Julie, whose marriage had gone awry, and was vulnerable to the preachers control. Barely to the outside of the church, was Adelaide, who cared for and taught the congregations children - but outside the church, feeling that the service was too sinister for their well-being, and collaborating to make sure that no church secrets were revealed. Additional characters are thrown in this novel, which is narrated by three of them, Adelaide, one of Julie's sons Jess, and the town sheriff Clem - all who play a major part in the novel. Secrets, betrayal and redemption are all solid themes in this novel - which is well worth the read. 4 stars
Helpful Score: 1
The book grabs you, keeps you interested and holds you tight. The characterizations are well written and vividly portrayed. I'm not much for southern literature usually, but I totally enjoyed this story. It is a sad story beautifully written.
Helpful Score: 1
Told in alternating chapters from three different viewpoints, A Land More Kind Than Home is a strong mystery, a lyrical evocation of place, and a heartbreaking family story.
An elderly woman named Adelaide Lyle introduces us to the little flyspeck of a town about an hour north of Asheville, North Carolina, and its church with the papered-up windows. Why doesn't Pastor Carson Chambliss want anyone to see inside the old storefront that houses his church? And why did such a deeply religious woman as Adelaide Lyle stop attending?
We next hear from Jess Hall, a little boy fervently attached to his older brother, and finally the local sheriff, Clem Barefield, shares what he knows. The focus of this book starts out soft and misty, but as we learn the story from these three people with their vastly different ages and life experiences, that focus sharpens dramatically-- and a feeling of dread begins to grow.
One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was the fact that the story wasn't all spelled out for me. An old woman who doesn't get out much isn't going to see everything that goes on. A little boy may see many things that he can't understand or put words to. And a sheriff may have suspicions but no cold, hard facts to back them up. I had to piece everything together from these three narratives, and Cash's writing style made the work a pleasure. But for some strange reason, I couldn't come completely under the spell of his story or of his characters. I'm at a loss to explain it. The closest I can come is to say that I felt as though I'd read this story before. The particulars may be different, but the basic story is very familiar. Will this keep me from reading more of Wiley Cash's work? Absolutely not! And if you're in the mood for a mystery that's strong on setting, suspense, and characterization, I urge you to read A Land More Kind Than Home.
An elderly woman named Adelaide Lyle introduces us to the little flyspeck of a town about an hour north of Asheville, North Carolina, and its church with the papered-up windows. Why doesn't Pastor Carson Chambliss want anyone to see inside the old storefront that houses his church? And why did such a deeply religious woman as Adelaide Lyle stop attending?
We next hear from Jess Hall, a little boy fervently attached to his older brother, and finally the local sheriff, Clem Barefield, shares what he knows. The focus of this book starts out soft and misty, but as we learn the story from these three people with their vastly different ages and life experiences, that focus sharpens dramatically-- and a feeling of dread begins to grow.
One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was the fact that the story wasn't all spelled out for me. An old woman who doesn't get out much isn't going to see everything that goes on. A little boy may see many things that he can't understand or put words to. And a sheriff may have suspicions but no cold, hard facts to back them up. I had to piece everything together from these three narratives, and Cash's writing style made the work a pleasure. But for some strange reason, I couldn't come completely under the spell of his story or of his characters. I'm at a loss to explain it. The closest I can come is to say that I felt as though I'd read this story before. The particulars may be different, but the basic story is very familiar. Will this keep me from reading more of Wiley Cash's work? Absolutely not! And if you're in the mood for a mystery that's strong on setting, suspense, and characterization, I urge you to read A Land More Kind Than Home.
