Rabck from hostile17; A recommendation from my Jenn. Pregnant, poor 17 yo Adie marries the baby's father, and moves to his hometown, but he's nothing but a no-account skirt chaser. Realizing she's the one that needs to provide for the baby, she talks Murphy into renting her a ramshackle house and chickens to start a chicken business. Old Willa Mae helps her birth her baby & leaves a diary of a woman slave with her to read. The story then alternates between Adie's childhood, pulling herself up by her bootstraps now, and what live was like during and after the civil war for Tempe. Good read. ( )

Adie is a character that you can love and still want to kick her in the pants. Her family has it's share of hardships growing up, with a sister that died young and a family secret that is not talked about. As she ages, she marries the wrong man, but stays true to him, even as she realizes that she loves another. Echoing her journey through life is the diary of a slave girl named Tempe who sees more than her fair share of hardship.

Compulsively readable, this would be a great selection for a book club. ( )

I’d been looking forward to reading this for a local book club I’m planning to join but there is some subject matter in the first couple of chapters that I just couldn’t deal with. I found myself avoiding the book because the topic was just too painful for me. I’m not going into details because I don’t want to “spoil” anything but it was just too heavy for me. ( )

This was a heartbreaking tale at times, neither of the women in this book had it easy. First there is Adie Jenkins, who gets pregnant and marries at 17. But her husband does not leave his wild ways and she is pretty much left to fend for herself most of the time. But she find friendship in her neighbours and one of them, Willa Mae reads from a book. Another heartbreaking tale about a young slave girl who lost her children.

The books tells much of Adie's family history and how things happened like they did. Like the loss of her little sister that broke the family in half. Her sisters exploits, and how her other sister started to eat, and eat. And of course her own mistake. But Adie was strong, she would not give up, not even when it looked dark at one time and my heart was in my throat because of he injustice she suffered. But friends, family and that diary helped her along, and she never gave up. The road to happiness is not an easy one.

Then there is the diary, I did have problems at first, because of the way it looked, but I got used to it. Of course then there was the other problem of understanding, I had this sometimes in the book too cos of their southern accent.. But I got used to it, I have obviously spent too little time in the south. To the diary, a woman called Tempe is telling her life story. How she grew up on a plantation, how she got used and pushed around, how the war came, and ended and how she set out on a long journey. She had it bad at times, and she still had hope. It was a fascinating story, and it took turns I did not see coming. And at other times I was shaken by the cruelty of their masters.

I enjoyed the friendship she formed with Willa Mae, this very old midwife who helps her along, and her next door neighbour Murphy who helps her when she needs it. But he also lets her be independent.

Friendship and hope was the best part of this book because it showed the way. The agony of not knowing what was coming next at a certain time in the book made me want to stop reading, but at the same time read on to find out, and wish for the best.

I liked how she wove two stories together, about two entirely different women, but who at the same time were very much alike.

A tale of the south in the 60's, friendship, loss, love, finding your own way, and a look back at how slaves were treated 100 years before. A different world. ( )

I loved this story. Adie was so strong through everything that she had to endure. I also enjoyed Tempe's diary, and the way that Willa Mae and Adie's lives were intertwined. J.L. Miles did not disappoint in her second novel...this book is definitely a keeper. ( )