Bloodroot
by Amy Greene
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Book Reviews of Bloodroot
Book Review: Bloodroot and True Love
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
It's worth your time to flip open this book and look over the writing style before you put down money. If you expect a straightforward narrative, you'll be surprised. The story is told by alternating viewpoint characters in two of its three sections, starting with Byrdie Lamb and Douglas Cotter, then Johnny and Laura Odom; Myra Lamb tells the last third herself, and John Odom narrates the epilogue. Many of the sections are written in dialect. The storyline jumps around in time even within the same section: while Byrdie is describing her childhood and the marriage that brought her to Bloodroot Mountain, Doug tells about his childhood spent hanging after Byrdie's granddaughter; each will go on for a few pages or paragraphs, then the other takes a turn. Johnny and Laura's part of the book happens almost twenty years after Doug's narrative ends. Myra's jumps back in time ten years or so, still after Doug but before Johnny and Laura. It's less confusing than it sounds, but a linear read it is not.
That said, unless the dialect drives you insane--and I've certainly seen worse examples--it's probably also worthwhile to go with the odd flow of time and follow Myra's story. Don't be put off, or too encouraged, by mentions of 'magic' in the cover copy, or the early talk of 'haint blue eyes.' The touch of magical realism in _Bloodroot_ is faint. As someone observes late in the book itself, Myra is made out of flesh and blood. The tragedies that strike her family from generation to generation have more to do with ignorance and bad choices than anything else. If there's a curse at work, it's the mortal curse of abuse.
It isn't a happy story, as you might imagine: little good happens to any of the characters besides maybe Byrdie, at least compared to the amount of bad they suffer, and I include side characters because I got the impression almost everyone in Millertown was stuck in a cycle of poverty and parental neglect if they were lucky, abuse if they weren't. You shouldn't read _Bloodroot_ hoping for much of anything that isn't depressing. Not where human beings are concerned, anyway. To me, the beauty and strength of the book lies in its descriptions--of nature, naturally: the red fluid seeping from broken bloodroot, a dead swift in a cistern, the glints of sun shining down through the trees to light Laura's face. But just as strong are the descriptions of the piles of books in Ford's house and black oil staining Macon's blood-red ring. The devil is in the characters here; the angels are in the details.
The people are worth meeting too. Many of them are awful. So many of them are awful, I started to disbelieve a little by the end, but there are basically good people to balance the basically bad--if there aren't enough of them, can I say that's not true to life? While a few of the unpleasant people seem irredeemable, Ms. Greene gives uncomfortable touches of sympathy and human feeling to most of them. The more openly human and humane figures often have dark streaks as well.
I'll admit, _Bloodroot_ wasn't altogether a book for me. The last third of it dragged because there's very little beauty of any sort in Myra's married life to make the ugliness easier to endure. It's one of those books to pick up when you're in the right mood, or perhaps to read slowly, to savor the good and the bad. It's an experience worth having, although one read of it might be enough.
Book Review: Greene plants a triumphant flag, on the summit of BR Mountain.
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Amy Greene's debut novel, 'Bloodroot,' begins by introducing us to the lovely but ominous, Bloodroot Mountain, aptly named for the flower that can kill, or cure, becoming somewhat of a metaphor for her characters, who are both blessed and cursed. It takes us on a four generational saga, of the Lamb family, told through six different switching narrators. While this structure can sometimes be tedious, Greene's style blends the characters' stories, seemingly effortlessly, as they gradually begin to converge, revealing the harsh brutality existing amongst the magic and splendor of the mountain's shadow.
Greene brings her work to life with lyrical, hypnotic prose, as she develops the fictional characters of her real world; her native Appalachia. She fleshes out the mountain mystique, that has retained much of its frontier culture for decades, with magical realism that is not, over-the-top, while utilizing Appalachian dialect, further enhancing authenticity.
Although a marvelous novel, be forewarned: this is a work of dark plotting, multiple unsavory characters, and a legacy of poverty, madness, and heartbreak. It doesn't cop-out to unrealistic redemption; it is not saccharine sweet. It explores the darkest side of domestic violence, challenged parenting, limited resources, and opportunity. It emphasizes how difficult it often is to escape, imprinted dysfunctional behaviors, passed from generation, to generation; how the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree. In fact, if it weren't so enchantingly written, it may have been too depressing for some to enjoy, since there aren't many socially redeemable characters, on Bloodroot Mountain.
I couldn't wait to devour Greene's novel, because we share some commonalities and I was looking to reminisce. I consider myself fortunate, for having an extended Appalachian family, with the opportunity to trek through the mountains frequently in my youth. I have slept many nights in log cabins and shared an outhouse, with a snake, or two, and sometimes a visiting Tick Hound. While exploring the mountains, I couldn't pass a homestead without leaving with a gift; the journey home becoming laborious, toting eggs, and fresh garden produce. The generosity was overwhelming, as was the pride, spirit and innate wisdom of those met along the way. Unfortunately, I did not find this characterization in Greene's work, as she chose a darker more, 'mountain Gothic,' path.
I consider the mountain folk to be largely misunderstood and, too, frequently stereotyped. Yes, there is a very dark side that hardship can bring to any relatively forgotten culture, but there is beauty to be found that is indescribable. My only minor reservation about Greene's work, would be that I would have liked to see her develop a few of the bright stars residing in those mountains; those with a history we should be proud of, and striving to preserve. Speaking strictly for myself, I feel a little more balance, into the light, would have proved a masterstroke of genius. Maybe in her next novel?
In spite of minor reservations, I still find this work a 4.5 star, MUST read, if you have ANY interest in this setting, or genre, and perhaps even if you don't.
Book Review: Lovely passage to another world
Summary: 5 Stars
"It doesn't take as much to poison a horse as people think."
"I might have won her respect. Or maybe she smells my acceptance of the truth that she's tried to tell me all along. Some creatures are just meant to be left alone. They can't be held on to, even if we love them more than anything."
It is sentences like these that reach out and grab you , pulling you into this book, a stunning new novel by Amy Greene. The book is an epic story of several generations living near Bloodroot Mountain. It's not a simple read, as you get acquainted with a large number of characters right away, and each of them has a compelling story. All the characters are complicated and deep, and at several points it's difficult to know just how you are supposed to feel about them (Is this person a villain? Or just misunderstood?). Greene makes this draw you further into the book, because you never fully know as you read how you feel. One character may repel you and yet you feel drawn to them later.
The landscape and the flora and fauna of Bloodroot Mountain, as well as the other locations, is as much a character as the people in the book. Descriptions of damp caves, briar covered paths, and the flowing wild herbs make you shiver with the realism. The isolation of the mountain community is at times comforting, and at other times chilling. The level of detail is intense, and you can tell that the author didn't simply imagine this place. It has to really exist somewhere.
Emotionally it's a tough read. The characters suffer more pain than most, and at times I had to pause and stop because events unraveled so terribly. There's also a high level of suspense, and at points I caught myself holding my breath as I turned the page to see what would happen next. Details of the poverty, mental illness and distress are laid out plainly and painfully.
"I reckon I am ruint in a way. I can't think straight no more. I forget the names of the craziest things, like flowers and biscuits and chairs. And you know I've buried five children and seen their dead bodies, watched them get sicker and sicker and not been able to help them a'tall, but the picture that vexes my mind the most is Myra when she opened the door of that house by the tracks. That's the thing that's done broke my heart in two, because she's the one that saved me after all them others was gone. Myra's the one I love the best of all, it doesn't matter that I never bore her. She was mine anyhow."
This novel has several remarkable qualities that make it unique. One is that when describing successive generations of women, Greene manages to make them have similar traits and speech and they all flow together as truly related. It's as if she somehow created their DNA and sprinkled familiar bits about, so that each woman is different but undeniably made of the same stock. Another feature is the use of foreshadowing. Some authors lay the groundwork for an important detail, then come back to it later and make the loop complete. But Greene lays down details that come up again, not once, but several times, making the details interlinked like a delicate chain.
A great read, but you need time to focus on characters and details. Don't rush this read, savor it!
Book Review: Magical Realism and Fantastical Imagery
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Somewhere, in the darkest and most remote part of Tennessee, lie hollers, ridges, and knolls. Set among them is a place named Bloodroot Mountain, home to Myra and her granny. The mountain gets its name from the bloodroot flowers that grow there. These flowers are so toxic that they can cause death. They are also so curative that they have amazing healing powers.
Myra's granny comes from a long line of women with special powers - empathics, visionaries, healers and witches. Myra is woven into her family history and into the seams of the mountain. She knows every creek and every trail. The mountain smells and essence sustain her and give her life. She is at home there and has known nowhere else nor does she want to leave her home. Bloodroot Mountain is her home.
For the most part, Myra is a good girl and loves her granny. However, she becomes smitten with a teenaged boy named John and all good sense leaves her. Despite the fact that he is no good, she runs off with him and finds herself stuck in a life of despair, abuse and entrapment. She can't return to Bloodroot Mountain because Johnny has threatened to harm her granny if she leaves.
Myra becomes pregnant and gives birth to twins, Johnny and Laura. A large part of the book is about them. For the first several years of their lives, Myra raises them alone on Bloodroot Mountain after having escaped from Johnny. She doesn't want anyone to know of their existence for fear they will be taken from her. She does her best to be a loving mother, but when a traumatic event occurs it breaks her already fragile being and she is no longer able to care for herself or her children.
Laura is quiet and reasonable. Johnny is bitter and acts out. They are placed in foster homes by the state while their mother is placed in an insane asylum. Johnny does not last long in foster care and ends up in one detention center after another. Laura is malleable and acts like a `good girl' so as to stir up no tensions.
The novel takes us through about thirty years, from Myra's childhood to her children's young adulthood. We go through their high points and low points and are surprised by how the children's lives intersect with that of their mother's. The reader is in for many wonderful surprises.
The book is written in a beautifully flowing narrative with shades of magical realism and fantastical imagery. The style works well. Characters in this book are reminiscent of Alice Hoffman's books and even Charles Dickens. They are looking for redemption, live in the most challenging of conditions and exhibit a true nobility of spirit.
This is a book to be cherished and read slowly, not at one sitting. There is so much beauty in the words that one must take time to take it all in and let it set slowly like a cautious breath. It is a wonderful book that will take you into the land, minds and hearts of characters you will never forget.
Book Review: BRAVO!! BRAVO!! A WONDERFUL READING EXPERIENCE
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
BLOODROOT
This book was popping up all over the place -- magazines, the VINE program where I was smart enough and lucky enough to be able to obtain a copy, advertisements, word of mouth -- I was eager to get my copy and dive right in. What a first novel! Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new voice in literature.
We are taken up to Bloodroot Mountain, located in Tennessee. It's a magically quiet place, an area where time seems to stand still, a location the world doesn't seem to know even exists. Living in the beautiful terrain are mountain folk who, for generations, have lived, loved, dealt with many heartaches and hardships. Yet, through love, hard work, and perseverance, they carry on.
The story is told my very favorite way, in the voices of several different characters. We meet Byrdie Lamb, living on the mountain forever and a day, who has a way with herbs, roots, and some say is quite magical. She is known as a 'granny woman' and people rely on her heavily for her special ways and gifts.
Byrdie births and raises many children, but it's her grand-daughter, Myra Lamb, who is her heart child. Myra is special too and has what many call 'haint blue eyes'. Myra loves her Granny and her life on the mountain. She runs wild and free, has her family and friends, and most of the boys that know her come to fall in love with her.
We meet many characters, each adding their own story into the stories of the other characters whose lives are all entwined together -- some in good ways, others in horrible ways -- through each other. There's the Cotter men, handsome John Odom, his brother, Hollis, the twins, Johnny and Laura. We meet Carolina, Ford, Clint, Sunny, Zelda; all the characters have their own and distinct personality and add so much to the story. The names are wonderful and fit in perfectly with the mountain genre.
This book catches the reader from page one and quickly turns into one of those books that you just can't put down. When not reading, I was thinking about the book and what was going to happen next. The author spins the tales of all the very well fleshed out characters so perfectly that you just cannot stop thinking about this book. These characters will stay with me for a long, long time. Honestly, I neglected EVERYTHING just so I could read, along with staying up until the wee hours of the night reading, turning pages way too fast, not wanting this book to ever end.
But end it does, and we can only hope that Amy Greene's first novel will not be her last. She has a bright and promising future for herself.
This book is highly recommended.
Thank you!
Pam