Bloodroot
by Amy Greene
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Book Reviews of Bloodroot
Book Review: Wonderful Language, But an Uneven Effort in the End
Summary: 3 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
At first, Bloodroot really feels like it will be something different, something original, something to savor; but, once you are sucked into this multi-generational tale of an Appalachian clan living on and below Bloodroot Mountain with Greene's amazing command of the dialect and language of southern Appalachia, the promise of a story that swirls around one member of the Clan - Myra Lamb - and the mystical and mythical powers that her grandmother, Byrdie, possesses quickly breaks down into an all to familiar story of bad marriages, alcoholics, violence, and frankly boredom.
I had read the hype for Bloodroot, and took it with a grain of salt; but, I really became enthusiastic after reading the first 30 pages or so. Unfortunately, soon thereafter I found it hard to read more than a few pages at a time without getting distracted by everyday life and navel fuzz.
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A Guide to my Book Rating System:
1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.
Book Review: BloodRoot Mountain (Advance Readers Edition)...
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I've just completed the book, and I must say that from the start, I hadn't expected much from this story about these people that lived in rural Tennessee, in places with names such as Chickweed Holler, Millertown, and, living in the shadow of Bloodroot Mountain itself.
Ms. Greenes descriptions' made the place come alive for me. How these people whose lives were, in the end, intertwined. What stuck in my mind was the pain that this family had to deal with for generation after generation spanning roughly 110 years. Yes, it was a long, hard, bad streak that the family was just starting to finally shake off. But still, a good story.
If I were you, get a copy and read it. Then reflect on what you know (or what you think you know) about your own family. Have there been questions that you've wanted to ask about your own family about who and what you are (and where you came from)? People tend to hide the bad aspects about their families' that you usually don't find out about until you're grown. More importantly, do you want to know the truth? Can you handle the truth? Though fictional, the character of Laura Odom struck a chord in me. Sometimes, we just have to know...(but should we)?
I rate this book: 5 stars!
Book Review: Mountain madness
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The story takes place during the depression era in Bloodroot Mountain, Tennessee.
This is a place and time where poverty, folk lore and tradition meld into the family of Byrdie Lamb...known as a healer with special gifts.
While there are many characters in this story that are very well developed, the story revolves around Myra Lamb, granddaughter of Byrdie Lamb. Myra has a magical, magnetic, madness about her that is very irresistable to others...even when it is their downfall. She is at once a lovable and frustrating character and her choices and actions have some devastating consequences for her children and herself.
The beginning of the book is slow to engage as it introduces us to the people and places populating the story. A funny thing happens a few chapters in...this slow book now has your complete attention! You've grown to care about the characters, their relationships with each other, and what happens to them. You are deeply moved and sometimes incredibly frustrated by Myra.
This was an excellent first novel and a very good read, especially for those who love stories of appalachia and the land that defines its people so strongly.
Book Review: Excellent Debut Fiction full of Raw and Deep Emotion
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
"Bloodroot", a debut novel from Amy Greene, is a novel in six parts that focuses on the life of Myra Lamb. Myra is born and raised on Bloodroot Mountain, and her life has an almost symbiotic and mystical connection with the land. When a marriage takes her away from the mountain, terrible things happen. Six voices tell Myra's story--those of her Grandmother's, a childhood friend, her twin children, her husband, and finally her own.
This novel was fantastic--a complex story that unravels to the last pages despite it's non-linear structure and deep, raw emotions. Although the novel is a little slow to start, once it pulls you in the strong voice of each of the narrators helps to develop and strengthen the story. I feel like the use of the different narrators really gave this novel something different and helped to see Myra from a 360 degree perspective. The novel explores not only the darkers sides of human nature, but also how no one person is truly what they seem.
I strongly recommend this novel to fans of literary fiction. It's not a cheerful or happy read, but it's powerful story will keep you thinking and will engage you as a reader.
Book Review: No "Wuthering Heights" here but an okay read
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I got this book based on numerous recommendations and endorsements. It's been touted as the "Appalachian Wuthering Heights," and since I liked "The Help" I was told this book was similar. Let's just say that while this book wasn't bad, it is no comparison to those two fine works.
I liked the mysticism that was an undercurrent throughout the entire novel. I think Amy Greene has a talent for characterization and I felt that she made each person unique. My favorite character was Byrdie and I was sad her narrative ended early. The book was a quick read; I don't think I was bored at any time. That said, I thought it was all fire and fury with much gnashing of teeth but no real purpose to all the trauma. It was as if the author just liked to see her characters squirm. For example, she has a (minor) character die with no explanation why. It kind of came out of left field for me and felt a little bit over the top.
I almost wonder if maybe I hadn't come into this with such high expectations that I would have enjoyed the book more. I would actually give this 3.5 stars however since we can't give half stars, I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt.