Status
Available
Call number
Publication
William Morrow (HarperCollins)
Pages
309
Description
Growing up in a small North Carolina town, Jess Hall is plunged into an adulthood for which he is not prepared when his autistic older brother, Stump, sneaks a look at something he is not supposed to see, which has catastrophic repercussions.
Description
A stunning debut reminiscent of the beloved novels of John Hart and Tom Franklin, A Land More Kind Than Home is a mesmerizing literary thriller about the bond between two brothers and the evil they face in a small western North Carolina town
For a curious boy like Jess Hall, growing up in Marshall means trouble when your mother catches you spying on grown-ups. Adventurous and precocious, Jess is enormously protective of his older brother, Christopher, a mute whom everyone calls Stump. Though their mother has warned them not to snoop, Stump can't help sneaking a look at something he's not supposed to — an act that will have catastrophic repercussions, shattering both his world and Jess's. It's a wrenching event that thrusts Jess into an adulthood for which he's not prepared. While there is much about the world that still confuses him, he now knows that a new understanding can bring not only a growing danger and evil — but also the possibility of freedom and deliverance as well.
Told by three resonant and evocative characters — Jess; Adelaide Lyle, the town midwife and moral conscience; and Clem Barefield, a sheriff with his own painful past — A Land More Kind Than Home is a haunting tale of courage in the face of cruelty and the power of love to overcome the darkness that lives in us all. These are masterful portrayals, written with assurance and truth, and they show us the extraordinary promise of this remarkable.
For a curious boy like Jess Hall, growing up in Marshall means trouble when your mother catches you spying on grown-ups. Adventurous and precocious, Jess is enormously protective of his older brother, Christopher, a mute whom everyone calls Stump. Though their mother has warned them not to snoop, Stump can't help sneaking a look at something he's not supposed to — an act that will have catastrophic repercussions, shattering both his world and Jess's. It's a wrenching event that thrusts Jess into an adulthood for which he's not prepared. While there is much about the world that still confuses him, he now knows that a new understanding can bring not only a growing danger and evil — but also the possibility of freedom and deliverance as well.
Told by three resonant and evocative characters — Jess; Adelaide Lyle, the town midwife and moral conscience; and Clem Barefield, a sheriff with his own painful past — A Land More Kind Than Home is a haunting tale of courage in the face of cruelty and the power of love to overcome the darkness that lives in us all. These are masterful portrayals, written with assurance and truth, and they show us the extraordinary promise of this remarkable.
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2012-05 (1e édition originale américaine)
2013-03-21 (1e traduction et édition française, Littérature étrangère, Belfond)
2014-06-19 (Réédition française, 10/18)
Physical description
309 p.; 8 inches
ISBN
9780062088239
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Media reviews
Booklist
A church committed to handling poisonous snakes is the catalyst for tragedy in this debut novel. Pastor Carson Chambliss has a small North Carolina congregation in his thrall. He decides that a laying on of hands will cure an autistic boy, but instead his efforts lead to the boy's death. Cash
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employs three characters as narrators: Jess, the nine-year-old younger brother; Adelaide Lyle, an aged local midwife; and the county sheriff. Jess' narration is limited by his age and innocence. The county sheriff is taciturn, but Adelaide is voluble, a true southern storyteller, and her narration burnishes a compelling sense of rural place.--Gaughan, Thomas Copyright 2010 Booklist Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member msf59
“Something has spoken to me in the night...and told me I shall die. I know not where. Saying: "[Death is] to lose the earth you know, for greater knowing; to lose the life you have, for greater life; to leave the friends you loved, for greater loving; to find a land more kind than home, more
Christopher and Jesse are brothers. Christopher's nickname is Stump. He is mute. Jesse idolizes his older brother. One dusty summer day, they witness an act, that involves, their mother and a shady preacher by the name of Carson Chambliss. This places the boys on a dangerous, potentially deadly path. The only two that might be able to save the boys are a kindly old woman named, Adelaide Lyle and Clem, the local sheriff, but Chambliss is a crafty and sinister opponent.
Set in the rugged hills of North Carolina, this stunning debut novel, flows with a hypnotic, narrative style, that draws the reader, deeply into the lives of these perfectly drawn characters, the good, the flawed and the wicked.
Cash is a master storyteller, evoking a lyrical sense of time and place. Highly recommended.
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large than earth." - Thomas Wolfe Christopher and Jesse are brothers. Christopher's nickname is Stump. He is mute. Jesse idolizes his older brother. One dusty summer day, they witness an act, that involves, their mother and a shady preacher by the name of Carson Chambliss. This places the boys on a dangerous, potentially deadly path. The only two that might be able to save the boys are a kindly old woman named, Adelaide Lyle and Clem, the local sheriff, but Chambliss is a crafty and sinister opponent.
Set in the rugged hills of North Carolina, this stunning debut novel, flows with a hypnotic, narrative style, that draws the reader, deeply into the lives of these perfectly drawn characters, the good, the flawed and the wicked.
Cash is a master storyteller, evoking a lyrical sense of time and place. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member lit_chick
“People out in these parts can take hold of religion like it’s a drug, and they don’t want to give it up once they’ve got hold of it. It’s like it feeds them, and when they’re on it they’re likely to do anything these little backwoods churches tell them to do. Then they’ll turn
In Marshall, North Carolina, Ben and Julie Hall are raising their two sons: Christopher, the eldest at thirteen, and mute, is known as Stump by all but his mother; and Jess, who lovingly and tirelessly looks out for his older brother. Sadly, however, “If somebody would have wanted to, after Christopher was born, they could’ve just stood by and watched Julie and Ben grow apart from each other real slow. It was like a tree had sprung up between them, a tree that was just too thick to throw their arms around.” (215) Too, both Ben and Julie have different ideas as to the meaning of their having borne a mute child together. Julie believes Christopher’s muteness is a sign from God – a belief which ironically will lead her straight into the arms of Carson Chambliss, evil ex-convict and snake-handling preacher at the local church. When Stump sneaks a look at something he is not supposed to see one day, in spite of repeated warnings from his mother not to snoop, his action will have tragic consequences – Stump, too, will come to know the church of Carson Chambliss.
The story is told from the point of view of three reliable narrators: the elderly and respectable Adelaide Lyle, local midwife and moral conscience; Clem Barefield, the town’s sheriff with his own painful past; and Jess Hall superbly well here. Cash’s writing is beautiful – prudent and frugal – and his use of the vernacular is superlative. I was fast in the grip of the novel from page one with its well drawn characters and intelligent plot. Carson Chambliss is the eeriest being I’ve come upon in literature for a long time – made my skin crawl.
A stunning debut novel, A Land More Kind Than Home establishes Cash as a master storyteller, one whose work I’ll be watching going forward. Very highly recommended!
“… he wanted me to come down to the church the next day, and I can say that after I did I knew for certain that I’d looked right into the face of evil." (228)
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right around and kill each other over that faith, throw out their kids, cheat on husbands and wives, break up families just as quick.” (97)In Marshall, North Carolina, Ben and Julie Hall are raising their two sons: Christopher, the eldest at thirteen, and mute, is known as Stump by all but his mother; and Jess, who lovingly and tirelessly looks out for his older brother. Sadly, however, “If somebody would have wanted to, after Christopher was born, they could’ve just stood by and watched Julie and Ben grow apart from each other real slow. It was like a tree had sprung up between them, a tree that was just too thick to throw their arms around.” (215) Too, both Ben and Julie have different ideas as to the meaning of their having borne a mute child together. Julie believes Christopher’s muteness is a sign from God – a belief which ironically will lead her straight into the arms of Carson Chambliss, evil ex-convict and snake-handling preacher at the local church. When Stump sneaks a look at something he is not supposed to see one day, in spite of repeated warnings from his mother not to snoop, his action will have tragic consequences – Stump, too, will come to know the church of Carson Chambliss.
The story is told from the point of view of three reliable narrators: the elderly and respectable Adelaide Lyle, local midwife and moral conscience; Clem Barefield, the town’s sheriff with his own painful past; and Jess Hall superbly well here. Cash’s writing is beautiful – prudent and frugal – and his use of the vernacular is superlative. I was fast in the grip of the novel from page one with its well drawn characters and intelligent plot. Carson Chambliss is the eeriest being I’ve come upon in literature for a long time – made my skin crawl.
A stunning debut novel, A Land More Kind Than Home establishes Cash as a master storyteller, one whose work I’ll be watching going forward. Very highly recommended!
“… he wanted me to come down to the church the next day, and I can say that after I did I knew for certain that I’d looked right into the face of evil." (228)
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LibraryThing member mckait
Pastor Carson Chambliss played a pivotal role in A Land More Kiind Than Home. He was also the only character that I disliked in every possible way. Wiley Cash writes the most beautiful characters! I have to think that he is acquainted with some of the most down to earth and impoverished and sadly
For too many reasons to name, books that take place in an Appalacian setting tend to remind me of my grandparents and particularly my paternal great grandparents. So much of the folklore, and music rings true to my memories of those long ago days when I sat at the table as a child and listened to the grown ups talk about their old days.
Christopher listened, he listened to his brother, the grown ups and to the rhythms and melodies of the earth and the sky. He was one of the special ones, the ones born old. He never spoke, and was deeply attached to his brother Jess. Many called him by the cruel nickname of Stump, but it didn't matter to him. He knew who he was, and that was a being too filled with kindness and love to allow a simple name to matter.
Jess was also completely devoted to his brother. It was as if they were attached at the hip, and they had a deep understanding of and commitment to each other. Sadly, both or either of them were wiser than their mother. She was a woman broken by the world and reaching for whatever hope promised to her, no matter who made the offer. Their father, too was just a man trying to make his way, A man who had suffered too much, too soon and whose family mattered to him, but perhaps more as proof that he was different from his father than as actual people needing his guidance and care.
But Adelaide Lyle, she was one of the wise ones. She was more fortunate than most, she had lived long and learned much. It was her hands that helped to birth many of those she knew. Generations had been born into her competent hands, as she played the role of wise woman, country doctor and midwife. She also played the roles of teacher and mother, although she had no children of her own. She was the one who tried to save them. She tried to save them all.
This story will break your heart, and you will remember the characters long after the last page has been read. Wiley Cash has the gift of storytelling. Don't miss A Land More Kind Than Home.
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naive people in the country, how else could he write such extraodinary characters?For too many reasons to name, books that take place in an Appalacian setting tend to remind me of my grandparents and particularly my paternal great grandparents. So much of the folklore, and music rings true to my memories of those long ago days when I sat at the table as a child and listened to the grown ups talk about their old days.
Christopher listened, he listened to his brother, the grown ups and to the rhythms and melodies of the earth and the sky. He was one of the special ones, the ones born old. He never spoke, and was deeply attached to his brother Jess. Many called him by the cruel nickname of Stump, but it didn't matter to him. He knew who he was, and that was a being too filled with kindness and love to allow a simple name to matter.
Jess was also completely devoted to his brother. It was as if they were attached at the hip, and they had a deep understanding of and commitment to each other. Sadly, both or either of them were wiser than their mother. She was a woman broken by the world and reaching for whatever hope promised to her, no matter who made the offer. Their father, too was just a man trying to make his way, A man who had suffered too much, too soon and whose family mattered to him, but perhaps more as proof that he was different from his father than as actual people needing his guidance and care.
But Adelaide Lyle, she was one of the wise ones. She was more fortunate than most, she had lived long and learned much. It was her hands that helped to birth many of those she knew. Generations had been born into her competent hands, as she played the role of wise woman, country doctor and midwife. She also played the roles of teacher and mother, although she had no children of her own. She was the one who tried to save them. She tried to save them all.
This story will break your heart, and you will remember the characters long after the last page has been read. Wiley Cash has the gift of storytelling. Don't miss A Land More Kind Than Home.
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LibraryThing member lauralkeet
Jess and his brother Christopher (nicknamed Stump) live in a rural North Carolina town dominated by a fundamentalist pastor with a shady past. Early on, Jess and Stump see something they shouldn't, with swift and disastrous consequences. The rest of the story is told through three narrative voices:
Adelaide Lyle, the Sunday school teacher, is a keen observer of the intricate relationships between townspeople. She despises the pastor, and years ago moved the Sunday school from the church to her home to keep teaching the children that she loves. Clem Barefield, the sheriff, has lived through tragedy and loss, and yet still manages to perform his duties and cannot rest until he gets to the bottom of a case. Nine-year-old Jess is an innocent, understanding little about what is happening around him, and left in the dark by his parents.
I felt terribly sad for Jess, whose life would be forever changed simply as a result of being a normal boy playing behind his house. And I felt anger at the pastor, who held the town in a grip of fear, and abused his power for personal gain. This is a very unsettling novel, but one that grabs you almost from the first page and will not let go.
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Jess, the town sheriff, and an elderly Sunday school teacher. And instead of telling the reader what happens after the terrible event, Wiley Cash takes the reader back in time and leads them step by step toward and through the conflict. Adelaide Lyle, the Sunday school teacher, is a keen observer of the intricate relationships between townspeople. She despises the pastor, and years ago moved the Sunday school from the church to her home to keep teaching the children that she loves. Clem Barefield, the sheriff, has lived through tragedy and loss, and yet still manages to perform his duties and cannot rest until he gets to the bottom of a case. Nine-year-old Jess is an innocent, understanding little about what is happening around him, and left in the dark by his parents.
I felt terribly sad for Jess, whose life would be forever changed simply as a result of being a normal boy playing behind his house. And I felt anger at the pastor, who held the town in a grip of fear, and abused his power for personal gain. This is a very unsettling novel, but one that grabs you almost from the first page and will not let go.
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LibraryThing member katiekrug
In this, his debut novel, Wiley Cash captures the rhythms of life, the hardscrabble nature of survival, and the heartbreak of loss in Appalachia. The mountains and hollers of western North Carolina are as much a character as Jess, his brother Stump, wise old Adelaide, and Clem, the sheriff.
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Populated with the good and the evil, and those somewhere in between, Cash's world is just as real as my own and just as able to induce sadness, tears, and hope. Ultimately, this is a story of lies told, truths untold, and the meaning of vengeance and redemption. It's an old story but Cash imbues it with a humanity and grace all the more impressive for it being a debut. Show Less
LibraryThing member RidgewayGirl
This book tells the story of the Hall family. Growing up north of Asheville, North Carolina in the Appalachian mountains, Jess loves his father, a tobacco farmer, his mother and his older brother, nicknamed Stump, who doesn't talk, but who is his constant companion. His mother is involved in the
This is a book whose sum is greater than its parts. Yes, there's fantastic atmosphere and a solid sense of place. And the characters are complex and even the secondary ones are fully fleshed out. The plot is well put together and moves with a sort of inevitable speed toward the conclusion, but this book just works. There are a few false notes. Cash missed a step by not fully exploring the beliefs of the church, which are more complex than he set forth, but as a whole, this was a fantastic book that fully deserves its reputation.
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local Church of God with Signs Following, a small, secretive pentecostal congregation led by a charismatic pastor. In this rural community, everyone knows everyone else and what their parents did. And then one event precipitates another and things go badly wrong.This is a book whose sum is greater than its parts. Yes, there's fantastic atmosphere and a solid sense of place. And the characters are complex and even the secondary ones are fully fleshed out. The plot is well put together and moves with a sort of inevitable speed toward the conclusion, but this book just works. There are a few false notes. Cash missed a step by not fully exploring the beliefs of the church, which are more complex than he set forth, but as a whole, this was a fantastic book that fully deserves its reputation.
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LibraryThing member tymfos
Wow! This is a rather short but powerful book. I started listening to this via audio -- which was wonderful! -- but available listening time was too limited; I quickly downloaded the e-book so I could sit and read at times when it wouldn't be appropriate to shut out my family with headphones! I put
This story takes place in the mountains of North Carolina, and is told via three different narrators. At the time of the tragedy, Jess was a 9-year-old boy; Adelaide was an older woman who had delivered most of the children in the community, serving as a midwife; Clem was the sheriff.
Other significant characters are the pastor Chambliss, and Jess's family: his brother "Stump" (Christopher), his parents, and his paternal grandfather -- who happens to come into the family's life after a long absence just as tragedy strikes.
I don't want to spoil the plot. Suffice it to say, from the very first chapter, you know that there will be a child killed, and that a church -- and in particular, its pastor -- will be involved. And we quickly sense that the pastor, Chambliss, is not a very nice man.
Cash tells the tale in his own way, via the three narrators and their memories of what happened. The story oftem drifts into the memories of even earlier times, which let us get to know the characters and their back stories. Occasionally these trips down memory lane would momentarily make me almost lose my bearings in the narrative; but the details recalled greatly contribute to the overall arc of the story. Then character development and the sense of place in this novel are marvelous. I really felt the book took me into its world.
Bad things happen in the little church in the story but, in the end, this is not an anti-church kind of book; it's really not particularly about church at all. Rather, it's about people in general: good and bad people, ordinary and extraordinary people, and how sometimes it's hard to tell them apart; indeed, the same person may be all of the above in the same lifetime. It's about how people with their own agendas can lead well-meaning people in dangerous directions. And it's about relationships: loyalties and infidelities, lies and secrets, and the nature of community and family.
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all my other reading on hold because I needed to see how this one would turn out.This story takes place in the mountains of North Carolina, and is told via three different narrators. At the time of the tragedy, Jess was a 9-year-old boy; Adelaide was an older woman who had delivered most of the children in the community, serving as a midwife; Clem was the sheriff.
Other significant characters are the pastor Chambliss, and Jess's family: his brother "Stump" (Christopher), his parents, and his paternal grandfather -- who happens to come into the family's life after a long absence just as tragedy strikes.
I don't want to spoil the plot. Suffice it to say, from the very first chapter, you know that there will be a child killed, and that a church -- and in particular, its pastor -- will be involved. And we quickly sense that the pastor, Chambliss, is not a very nice man.
Cash tells the tale in his own way, via the three narrators and their memories of what happened. The story oftem drifts into the memories of even earlier times, which let us get to know the characters and their back stories. Occasionally these trips down memory lane would momentarily make me almost lose my bearings in the narrative; but the details recalled greatly contribute to the overall arc of the story. Then character development and the sense of place in this novel are marvelous. I really felt the book took me into its world.
Bad things happen in the little church in the story but, in the end, this is not an anti-church kind of book; it's really not particularly about church at all. Rather, it's about people in general: good and bad people, ordinary and extraordinary people, and how sometimes it's hard to tell them apart; indeed, the same person may be all of the above in the same lifetime. It's about how people with their own agendas can lead well-meaning people in dangerous directions. And it's about relationships: loyalties and infidelities, lies and secrets, and the nature of community and family.
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LibraryThing member jjaylynny
Powerful gothic Appalachian tale, told with urgency and menace, covering three short days of tragedy. An impressive debut novel.
LibraryThing member julie10reads
As lyrical, beautiful, and uncomplicated as the classic ballads of Appalachia, Cash’s first novel is a tragic story of misplaced faith and love gone wrong, set in the mountains of North Carolina. The River Road Church of Christ in Signs Following is a secretive place, with newspapers taped over
My usual complaint: over 300 pages to tell what is essentially one of those dark short stories from the South. A lot of (gratuitous, in my opinion) creepiness with pyromaniacal Pastor Carson Chambliss and his snakes puts the story over the top. It strained my credulity and made it challenging to connect to characters who would put up with Chambliss’ carney-style religion/frenzy.
Having said that, I would welcome another opportunity to read something in a different genre by Wiley Cash. In A Land More Kind Than Home, he achieves a colloquial style that is so pleasant—elegantly styled?—to read: both natural and a heightened reality style at the same time—somewhat like Tennessee Williams, whose dialogue could be quite simple on the surface, but like an iceberg, most of the substance is below the water. However, I could do without the shifting POVs whose only purpose seemed to defer the reader’s knowledge of the book’s inevitable tragedy. This is a useful technique in short stories but annoying/jarring when deployed in a full length novel.
Young protagonist Jess Hall is a beautifully drawn character: he deserves another/better story.
6.5 out 10 Recommended to Flannery O’Connor and Walker Percy fans.
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the windows so you can’t see in, and the minister, Carson Chambliss, is often seen on a Sunday morning carrying cages made of wood and chicken-wire into the building. Still, the neighbors pay little attention until an autistic child becomes the victim of a special healing service, and the local sheriff launches an investigation. Told in three voices-of the sheriff; the child’s younger brother, Jess; and an elderly church member, Adelaide Lyle-the tragedy unfolds and compounds upon itself as the backgrounds of the major players are revealed and each reacts as conscience and faith demand. Summary BPLMy usual complaint: over 300 pages to tell what is essentially one of those dark short stories from the South. A lot of (gratuitous, in my opinion) creepiness with pyromaniacal Pastor Carson Chambliss and his snakes puts the story over the top. It strained my credulity and made it challenging to connect to characters who would put up with Chambliss’ carney-style religion/frenzy.
Having said that, I would welcome another opportunity to read something in a different genre by Wiley Cash. In A Land More Kind Than Home, he achieves a colloquial style that is so pleasant—elegantly styled?—to read: both natural and a heightened reality style at the same time—somewhat like Tennessee Williams, whose dialogue could be quite simple on the surface, but like an iceberg, most of the substance is below the water. However, I could do without the shifting POVs whose only purpose seemed to defer the reader’s knowledge of the book’s inevitable tragedy. This is a useful technique in short stories but annoying/jarring when deployed in a full length novel.
Young protagonist Jess Hall is a beautifully drawn character: he deserves another/better story.
6.5 out 10 Recommended to Flannery O’Connor and Walker Percy fans.
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LibraryThing member Beamis12
My goodness but this book was fantastic! His use of local color and dialect, his descriptions, his use of the weather to ratchet up the tension, and all this from a first time author. The town midwife, Adelaide, who sees it as her job to protect the children, the sheriff, who has plenty of tragedy
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in his own life, and the two young boys, Jess, who is in third grade, and his older but mute brother, Christopher. When evil comes to their small Appalachian town in the form of itinerant preacher, Chambliss, events are set in motion that will leave few unscathed. Two boys would pay for their natural curiosity in a way that is out of all proportion to their misdeed. I knew this story drew me in when I found myself wanting to grab one of the characters and tell them not to do it. I felt the tension in the pit of my stomach, like the way one feels before the big drop on a roller coaster. Yet in ends in a note of hope and a looking forward to that I would not have thought possible. Absolutely gripping! Show Less
LibraryThing member SamSattler
Southern fiction often reminds us that evil exists where we least expect to find it and that we let our guards down at our own risk. Wiley Cash’s disturbing debut novel, A Land More Kind Than Home, set deep inside the rural North Carolina of the mid-eighties, takes this approach. There is plenty
Sometimes nine-year-old Jess Hall, even though he has an older brother, feels like he is the oldest child in the family. His brother, who carries the unfortunate nickname “Stump,” is severely autistic and has never spoken. Jess loves Stump dearly and has routinely assumed the burden of watching out for his brother when the two of them are outdoors on their own. But one day Jess cannot protect Stump from the evil that has entered their home. And, although Jess curses the momentary cowardice that led him to run off and abandon Stump to his fate, he will fail Stump one more time – with tragic consequences.
A Land More Kind Than Home explores the power of deeply held religious faith to blind true believers to the evil within those whom they trust the most. Pastor Chambliss, whose church the boys’ mother attends, has a criminally checkered past and is not a man to tolerate people spying on him. Unfortunately, Jess and Stump, who greatly enjoy the thrill of spying on adults, inadvertently do spy on the preacher one day, with lasting consequences that will impact their entire community.
This is a story of good vs. evil, one that explores what can happen when evil is allowed to have its way unchallenged. It is about a community’s responsibility to protect its children even when their mother fails to do so. It is about secrets, the kind that can get people killed, ruin marriages, or allow one man callously to exploit for decades those who trust him most. It is Southern fiction at its best, and Wiley Cash has claimed a well-deserved spot for himself within the genre.
Rated at: 4.0
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of evilness in Cash’s story, and most of it is buried in one charismatic preacher’s heart.Sometimes nine-year-old Jess Hall, even though he has an older brother, feels like he is the oldest child in the family. His brother, who carries the unfortunate nickname “Stump,” is severely autistic and has never spoken. Jess loves Stump dearly and has routinely assumed the burden of watching out for his brother when the two of them are outdoors on their own. But one day Jess cannot protect Stump from the evil that has entered their home. And, although Jess curses the momentary cowardice that led him to run off and abandon Stump to his fate, he will fail Stump one more time – with tragic consequences.
A Land More Kind Than Home explores the power of deeply held religious faith to blind true believers to the evil within those whom they trust the most. Pastor Chambliss, whose church the boys’ mother attends, has a criminally checkered past and is not a man to tolerate people spying on him. Unfortunately, Jess and Stump, who greatly enjoy the thrill of spying on adults, inadvertently do spy on the preacher one day, with lasting consequences that will impact their entire community.
This is a story of good vs. evil, one that explores what can happen when evil is allowed to have its way unchallenged. It is about a community’s responsibility to protect its children even when their mother fails to do so. It is about secrets, the kind that can get people killed, ruin marriages, or allow one man callously to exploit for decades those who trust him most. It is Southern fiction at its best, and Wiley Cash has claimed a well-deserved spot for himself within the genre.
Rated at: 4.0
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LibraryThing member jmchshannon
Throughout history, “home” has been considered the one idealized safe haven in a dangerous world. It is supposed to be the one place that allows one to heal one’s wounds – mental, spiritual, and physical – and it is the one place filled with people who are supposed to provide
Much of the drama and tension occurs because of the novel’s location. Set in a small, backwoods village in the Appalachian mountains, the backdrop feels more historical than contemporary. This creates a misleading sense of complaisancy within a reader, as one pretends that nothing so archaic could possibly occur in this day and age. However, that in and of itself creates much of a reader’s horror as one realizes that there are hundreds of small towns and villages in the country that still hold such old-fashioned and dangerous belief systems. Once a reader understands this, it is a simple jump to realizing that such a horrible situation could all too easily occur even today.
The horror that builds within the novel is due in part with the confusing and somewhat misleading sense of time and place throughout the story. It is also due to the not-so-unique manipulations and power struggles of men. Of the three main voices, Jess should be the one truly innocent voice, as he really does not understand everything he sees and hears, but even he knows that he should have shared certain information with adults immediately. Meanwhile, both Adelaide and Clem understand that something is not quite right within the main church and fail to do anything about it until it is too late. Particularly agonizing is Adelaide’s direct knowledge of what occurs behind the closed windows each Sunday and her failure to take any more direct actions against the preacher or his flock. This lack of action from all of the characters makes Carson’s insidious struggle to maintain power over his flock that much darker and more disturbing.
As the three main voices in the novel, Nick Sullivan, Lorna Raver, and Mark Bramhall do an excellent job capturing the nuances of their individual characters. Mark Bramhall, as always, excels with the down-to-earth voice of reason and is ideal as the rough-and-tumble Sheriff Clem Barefield with his past of loss and despair. Lorna Raver as Adelaide Lyle has the appropriately rough-hued voice that denotes the doubt, frustrations, and concerns of an elderly woman trying to make right without completely rocking the boat. It is Nick Sullivan’s personalization of Jess Hall, however, that steals the show. Mr. Sullivan depicts the innocence and confusion of a nine-year-old boy not quite certain of the situations he observes with great aplomb. More importantly, he does so without sounding patronizing or trite. Together, the three voices blend perfectly to present the emotional turmoil surrounding Stump’s mysterious death and its aftermath.
A Land More Kind Than Home is deceptively simple, largely due to the fact that one of the key witnesses is the seemingly unreliable viewpoint of a confused boy. Rest assured however, the story is anything but simple. Told through three very singular voices, the plot unfolds slowly but never too slowly that a reader becomes impatient or restless. Rather, there is a building tension that occurs as a result of the methodical pacing. A reader is swept along with the sense of horror that also develops as a reader fits together the puzzle pieces and the picture of the truth becomes crystal clear. Once the final piece is in place, a reader is left with the stark reality of the true dangers of misplaced religious fervor. A Land More Kind Than Home is a story that will continue to haunt readers with its authentic voices, beautiful imagery, and chilling depiction of a man using the power of the pulpit to achieve his own gain.
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unconditional love. Yet, as everyone knows, “supposed to” does not mean “does”, and there is a reason why most adults dread the idea of going home again. A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash explores this idea of a home that is more dangerous than protective, in which parents and adults are too caught up in their own dramas to pay appropriate attention to or provide the necessary nurturing to their children, and in which it is the children who pay the ultimate price for this lack of focus.Much of the drama and tension occurs because of the novel’s location. Set in a small, backwoods village in the Appalachian mountains, the backdrop feels more historical than contemporary. This creates a misleading sense of complaisancy within a reader, as one pretends that nothing so archaic could possibly occur in this day and age. However, that in and of itself creates much of a reader’s horror as one realizes that there are hundreds of small towns and villages in the country that still hold such old-fashioned and dangerous belief systems. Once a reader understands this, it is a simple jump to realizing that such a horrible situation could all too easily occur even today.
The horror that builds within the novel is due in part with the confusing and somewhat misleading sense of time and place throughout the story. It is also due to the not-so-unique manipulations and power struggles of men. Of the three main voices, Jess should be the one truly innocent voice, as he really does not understand everything he sees and hears, but even he knows that he should have shared certain information with adults immediately. Meanwhile, both Adelaide and Clem understand that something is not quite right within the main church and fail to do anything about it until it is too late. Particularly agonizing is Adelaide’s direct knowledge of what occurs behind the closed windows each Sunday and her failure to take any more direct actions against the preacher or his flock. This lack of action from all of the characters makes Carson’s insidious struggle to maintain power over his flock that much darker and more disturbing.
As the three main voices in the novel, Nick Sullivan, Lorna Raver, and Mark Bramhall do an excellent job capturing the nuances of their individual characters. Mark Bramhall, as always, excels with the down-to-earth voice of reason and is ideal as the rough-and-tumble Sheriff Clem Barefield with his past of loss and despair. Lorna Raver as Adelaide Lyle has the appropriately rough-hued voice that denotes the doubt, frustrations, and concerns of an elderly woman trying to make right without completely rocking the boat. It is Nick Sullivan’s personalization of Jess Hall, however, that steals the show. Mr. Sullivan depicts the innocence and confusion of a nine-year-old boy not quite certain of the situations he observes with great aplomb. More importantly, he does so without sounding patronizing or trite. Together, the three voices blend perfectly to present the emotional turmoil surrounding Stump’s mysterious death and its aftermath.
A Land More Kind Than Home is deceptively simple, largely due to the fact that one of the key witnesses is the seemingly unreliable viewpoint of a confused boy. Rest assured however, the story is anything but simple. Told through three very singular voices, the plot unfolds slowly but never too slowly that a reader becomes impatient or restless. Rather, there is a building tension that occurs as a result of the methodical pacing. A reader is swept along with the sense of horror that also develops as a reader fits together the puzzle pieces and the picture of the truth becomes crystal clear. Once the final piece is in place, a reader is left with the stark reality of the true dangers of misplaced religious fervor. A Land More Kind Than Home is a story that will continue to haunt readers with its authentic voices, beautiful imagery, and chilling depiction of a man using the power of the pulpit to achieve his own gain.
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LibraryThing member FCH123
Loved it. Cash has a wonderful way of telling a story, and keeping you riveted the entire time.
LibraryThing member nbmars
From the very first chapter I knew this was going to be a powerful and emotionally-draining story.
The book, set deep in Appalachian North Carolina in 1986, is narrated by three characters: 81-year-old Adelaide Lyle, 9-year-old Jess Hall, and the 60-year-old sheriff, Clem Barefield. The focus of
The particular signs this pastor has his congregation following come from the Gospel of Mark 16:17-18: "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
Pastor Chambliss insists on a literal translation of this passage, and challenges his congregants with the many snakes he brings in crates for every service.
[The character of Chambliss is based on actual faith-healers, generally of the Pentecostal faith, and primarily operating in Appalachia, who have also established “Signs” churches, and who may require snake handling or poison-drinking as evidence of salvation. This practice has led to abuse in real-life as well as in fiction; in 1992, for example, such a pastor in Alabama - Glenn Summerford - was convicted for forcing his no-longer-desired wife to keep her hand inside a rattlesnake cage until she was repeatedly bitten. She actually survived, but he got 99 years. In a bizarre twist to the story, the New York Times reporter who was covering the story was swept away by the spiritual ecstasy of the religion he was investigating, and converted! And there’s more! In 1998, Glenn Summerford’s cousin, Rev. John Wayne Brown, Jr., died while handling a four-foot timber rattlesnake during a sermon. His wife had died of a snake bite three years earlier!
Thomas Burton in Serpent and The Spirit: Glenn Summerford’s Story tells the story of Summerford and his ministry via a collection of first-person narratives. A Land More Kind Than Home is in many ways a fictional (and more tightly focused) version of this story.]
Wiley Cash’s choice of narrators adds dramatic depth by interweaving their stories with that of Chambliss. We learn of a marriage that has suffered from the birth of a disabled child; the lifelong pain of dissension between fathers and sons; the repercussions of forgiveness or its lack; how a young child might interpret the very adult things going on around him; and the way faith can be wielded as a weapon. All of the narrators and the others in their lives have suffered pain in need of spiritual healing, but Chambliss is the only game in town. And as Sheriff Barefield points out to Chambliss, "You ain't Christ!"
Nevertheless, Pastor Chambliss commands a mighty power over the town's residents through his use (and abuse) of the church. One can’t help but conclude that some of the tragedy that results is not even the worst or meanest thing that could have happened. As Cash writes in the epigraph, quoting Tomas Wolfe in You Can’t Go Home Again:
"Something has spoken to me in the night…and told me I shall die, I know not where. Saying: ‘[Death is] to lose the earth you know, for greater knowing; to lose the life you have, for greater life; to leave the friends you loved, for greater loving; to find a land more kind than home….”
Discussion: Cash’s ability to imagine the thinking of the three such radically different individuals who serve as his narrators is impressive, and his atmospheric evocation of Appalachia even more so. And although the book may have been inspired by real events, Cash adds powerful dramatic elements to enhance and deepen the story.
Additionally, this is one of the few instances I can think of in which a totally evil character, with no nuance whatsoever, seems so realistic I could hardly bear not seeking him out and doing away with him!
Evaluation: This striking novel is not easy to forget. The writing is exceptional, and the characters well-drawn. Highly recommended!
The book, set deep in Appalachian North Carolina in 1986, is narrated by three characters: 81-year-old Adelaide Lyle, 9-year-old Jess Hall, and the 60-year-old sheriff, Clem Barefield. The focus of
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all of their "testimonies" is the town’s only pastor, Carson Chambliss, and his “River Road Church of Christ in Signs Following.” The particular signs this pastor has his congregation following come from the Gospel of Mark 16:17-18: "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
Pastor Chambliss insists on a literal translation of this passage, and challenges his congregants with the many snakes he brings in crates for every service.
[The character of Chambliss is based on actual faith-healers, generally of the Pentecostal faith, and primarily operating in Appalachia, who have also established “Signs” churches, and who may require snake handling or poison-drinking as evidence of salvation. This practice has led to abuse in real-life as well as in fiction; in 1992, for example, such a pastor in Alabama - Glenn Summerford - was convicted for forcing his no-longer-desired wife to keep her hand inside a rattlesnake cage until she was repeatedly bitten. She actually survived, but he got 99 years. In a bizarre twist to the story, the New York Times reporter who was covering the story was swept away by the spiritual ecstasy of the religion he was investigating, and converted! And there’s more! In 1998, Glenn Summerford’s cousin, Rev. John Wayne Brown, Jr., died while handling a four-foot timber rattlesnake during a sermon. His wife had died of a snake bite three years earlier!
Thomas Burton in Serpent and The Spirit: Glenn Summerford’s Story tells the story of Summerford and his ministry via a collection of first-person narratives. A Land More Kind Than Home is in many ways a fictional (and more tightly focused) version of this story.]
Wiley Cash’s choice of narrators adds dramatic depth by interweaving their stories with that of Chambliss. We learn of a marriage that has suffered from the birth of a disabled child; the lifelong pain of dissension between fathers and sons; the repercussions of forgiveness or its lack; how a young child might interpret the very adult things going on around him; and the way faith can be wielded as a weapon. All of the narrators and the others in their lives have suffered pain in need of spiritual healing, but Chambliss is the only game in town. And as Sheriff Barefield points out to Chambliss, "You ain't Christ!"
Nevertheless, Pastor Chambliss commands a mighty power over the town's residents through his use (and abuse) of the church. One can’t help but conclude that some of the tragedy that results is not even the worst or meanest thing that could have happened. As Cash writes in the epigraph, quoting Tomas Wolfe in You Can’t Go Home Again:
"Something has spoken to me in the night…and told me I shall die, I know not where. Saying: ‘[Death is] to lose the earth you know, for greater knowing; to lose the life you have, for greater life; to leave the friends you loved, for greater loving; to find a land more kind than home….”
Discussion: Cash’s ability to imagine the thinking of the three such radically different individuals who serve as his narrators is impressive, and his atmospheric evocation of Appalachia even more so. And although the book may have been inspired by real events, Cash adds powerful dramatic elements to enhance and deepen the story.
Additionally, this is one of the few instances I can think of in which a totally evil character, with no nuance whatsoever, seems so realistic I could hardly bear not seeking him out and doing away with him!
Evaluation: This striking novel is not easy to forget. The writing is exceptional, and the characters well-drawn. Highly recommended!
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LibraryThing member kmaziarz
Nine-year-old Jess Hall was watching though a crack in the wall when the members of his mother’s church, the River Road Church of Christ, attempted to heal Jess’s mute older brother, nicknamed Stump. The church members, accustomed to snake-handling and speaking in tongues under the guidance of
Narrated in turns by Jess, Barefield, and Adelaide, this darkly Southern gothic tale of religious frenzy, smalltown life, and the power of belief is evocative and compelling.
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their horribly scarred pastor Carson Chambliss, used a laying-on-of-hands that half-crushed the boy until Jess called out his mother’s name in fear. So when his mother takes Stump back to the church for a special evening service and Stump winds up dead, Jess knows how it happened, and knows who he blames—himself. When he cried out, everyone thought it was Stump. If he’d told the truth, would his brother be dead? But Jess is the only one blaming himself; Sheriff Barefield, who investigates the crime, and elderly midwife and healer Adelaide Lyle, who watches the church’s children on Sundays to keep them away from the snakes, both blame Carson Chambliss, a preacher as evil and manipulative as they come. So does Jess’s father, who has turned to drink in his grief. When shocking revelations about Carson Chambliss come to the fore, the situation becomes explosive.Narrated in turns by Jess, Barefield, and Adelaide, this darkly Southern gothic tale of religious frenzy, smalltown life, and the power of belief is evocative and compelling.
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Every once in awhile a book comes along that seems to grab hold of the reader‘s emotions. For me, A Land More Kind That Home by Wiley Cash was one of those kind of books. This is a rather grim story, told in beautiful prose, about how a preacher turns a small town congregation into a cult of
Jess and his mute brother Christopher decide to look into their parents bedroom one day but instead of their Mother and Father, they see their Mother with Preacher Chambliss. The preacher sees Christopher spying, and before too long he is encouraging their mother to bring young Christopher into the church to have him healed. Adelaide Lyle, the local midwife, had years ago pulled all the children out of the church fearing for their safety. She ran a Sunday school for them, but over her objections Christopher was taken into the church and a tragedy occurs.
A Land More Kind Than Home is a southern gothic tale of good versus evil, cruelty versus innocence and as all the pieces mesh together to form a flawless narrative, the reader is engulfed by this powerful, unforgettable story. This debut novel introduces an author that is able to deliver an inspired, substantial and heart rendering story and shows promising possibilities for his future efforts.
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darkness with snake handling, speaking in tongues and hands on healing. The story unfolds in three distinct voices, young Jess Hall, Sheriff Clem Barefield, and Adelaide Lyle, each character having their own viewpoint of the events that unfold.Jess and his mute brother Christopher decide to look into their parents bedroom one day but instead of their Mother and Father, they see their Mother with Preacher Chambliss. The preacher sees Christopher spying, and before too long he is encouraging their mother to bring young Christopher into the church to have him healed. Adelaide Lyle, the local midwife, had years ago pulled all the children out of the church fearing for their safety. She ran a Sunday school for them, but over her objections Christopher was taken into the church and a tragedy occurs.
A Land More Kind Than Home is a southern gothic tale of good versus evil, cruelty versus innocence and as all the pieces mesh together to form a flawless narrative, the reader is engulfed by this powerful, unforgettable story. This debut novel introduces an author that is able to deliver an inspired, substantial and heart rendering story and shows promising possibilities for his future efforts.
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LibraryThing member Whisper1
Once I started this book, I remained reading until 3 a.m. last evening. It is the authors outstanding debut! What a wonderfully written, concise and powerful head start!
If you don't like snakes, then this is not for you (Amber in particular). But, if you can hang in there, it is worth the roller
Set in a rural mountain community near Asheville, NC, most folk are poor, eeking out an existence on farming a tobacco crop. Jess and Christopher's father is one such man. When they disobey their mother and snoop from the outside of the house and discover that their mother is in the bedroom with the local charismatic preacher Carson Chambliss, the information they have can set them on a path of evil and destruction.
Carson cannot talk. Born in the middle of a severe snow storm, he never was able to say a word. His younger brother Jess is the strongest voice in the story, and all too soon he realizes that preacher man has it in for them and will not rest until their mouths are sealed permanently.
Advocating dangerous poisonous snake handling, preacher man tells his congregation that if the Holy Spirit is with them, then can handle the snake without the powerful bite of venom.
When he tells the boy's mother to bring Christopher to church to be healed, Jess is afraid of what will happen to his brother whom he adores. Sneaking behind the church, he peers into the church building to see the pastor and his mother, as well as members of the congregation, holding Christopher down as Christopher, speechless tries to struggle free. When he doesn't die from this rough handling, his mother is told to bring him round that evening for another session.
This time, Christopher isn't as lucky.
This is a story of evil, and also a story of redemption. This is a tale of a young third grade boy who witnesses too much in his young life and is fearful of telling what he knows.
As the town sheriff tries to put the pieces together, seeking the assistance of the town midwife who, in the past was strong enough to stand up to preacher boy, he learns the terrible truth of fundamental religion gone wrong. Instead of the power of love; preacher boy advocates violence while bran washing his congregation in the name of the Lord.
This is great reading material at the hands of a master craftsman.
If you don't like snakes, then this is not for you (Amber in particular). But, if you can hang in there, it is worth the roller
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coaster ride. The images are crisp and clear. The characters are incredibly developed. And, this is one of the few authors who can tell the story from differing points of view, weaving back and forth in chapters and not get the reader frustratingly lost.Set in a rural mountain community near Asheville, NC, most folk are poor, eeking out an existence on farming a tobacco crop. Jess and Christopher's father is one such man. When they disobey their mother and snoop from the outside of the house and discover that their mother is in the bedroom with the local charismatic preacher Carson Chambliss, the information they have can set them on a path of evil and destruction.
Carson cannot talk. Born in the middle of a severe snow storm, he never was able to say a word. His younger brother Jess is the strongest voice in the story, and all too soon he realizes that preacher man has it in for them and will not rest until their mouths are sealed permanently.
Advocating dangerous poisonous snake handling, preacher man tells his congregation that if the Holy Spirit is with them, then can handle the snake without the powerful bite of venom.
When he tells the boy's mother to bring Christopher to church to be healed, Jess is afraid of what will happen to his brother whom he adores. Sneaking behind the church, he peers into the church building to see the pastor and his mother, as well as members of the congregation, holding Christopher down as Christopher, speechless tries to struggle free. When he doesn't die from this rough handling, his mother is told to bring him round that evening for another session.
This time, Christopher isn't as lucky.
This is a story of evil, and also a story of redemption. This is a tale of a young third grade boy who witnesses too much in his young life and is fearful of telling what he knows.
As the town sheriff tries to put the pieces together, seeking the assistance of the town midwife who, in the past was strong enough to stand up to preacher boy, he learns the terrible truth of fundamental religion gone wrong. Instead of the power of love; preacher boy advocates violence while bran washing his congregation in the name of the Lord.
This is great reading material at the hands of a master craftsman.
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LibraryThing member EBT1002
"And the Lord knows that when people don't get what they need they take what they can find..." and if this doesn't lead to heartbreak, I don't know what does. Told from the perspectives of 9-year-old Jess Hall, elderly midwife Adelaide Lyle, and Madison County sheriff Clem Barefield, this
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compulsively readable novel has indelibly imprinted by brain with rich characters and vivid scenes, but it's my heart that has been touched. *A Land More Kind than Home* is the story of religious fanaticism gone wrong (can it go otherwise?) in a community of hard-working and hard-drinking souls who have little hope of anything beyond what they can see over the next mountain ridge. It's the story of the damage to be wrought by need and longing and loneliness. It's also a story of hope. "It's a good thing to see that people can heal after they've been broken, that they can change and become something different from what they were before." I don't know if I buy Wiley Cash's notion that churches can heal just as people can, but I closed the book knowing that I will read whatever this man next publishes. Show Less
LibraryThing member sleahey
A most evocative story of a Southern slice of life that revolves around the impact of an extreme evangelical church in a small town, and the power of one person to introduce evil. Told from three points of view, the author is skilful in making each narrator distinct, particularly the nine year old
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boy. The fact that the apparently inevitable tragedy is pretty clear from the start in no way diminishes the strength of the story, and although the ending is a bit abrupt, its positive message lingers with the reader. Show Less
LibraryThing member eachurch
A moving book about all the different ways people try to find redemption. The land and the weather are as important (and as well portrayed) as the characters. The various voices that tell the story are distinctive. Each story is compelling in its own right.
LibraryThing member mikedraper
In western North Carolina sits Marshall, a quiet, protective mountain town where the inhabitants are skeptical about outside interference.
Three people narrate the story. The first is Sister Adelaide, an elderly church member who objects to the handling of snakes and other dangerous things church
Jess Hall is a nine-year-old, innocent child. His narration shows his curiosity as he wonders what goes on behind the covered windows of the church. His brother, Christopher, known as Stump, is age thirteen. Stump doesn't talk and Jess tries to look out for him.
The final narrator is the sheriff, Clem Barefield. When he hears that a child has been killed at the church, he lets his feelings become known. Like Sister Adelaide, he objects to the dangerous things that the people of the church do and thinks that church officials should be held accountable for what goes on there.
Clem investigates Carson Chambliss, the pastor of the church. He finds that Chambliss was formerly in prison for drugs but now claims to have found God. He has such power over his parisoners that Clem doesn't know if he'll get anyone to give evidence against them.
There is a powerful scene where church members try to force their way into the home of the parents of the child killed at the church. They feel that they can sway the mother but the child's father blocks their way. It ends in a physical confrontation and reminded me of some of the confrontations in "The Grapes of Wrath."
The writing is superb and the story will pull at the reader's heart and leave them thinking about events of the novel for a long time.
Three people narrate the story. The first is Sister Adelaide, an elderly church member who objects to the handling of snakes and other dangerous things church
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members are forced to do to prove their faith.Jess Hall is a nine-year-old, innocent child. His narration shows his curiosity as he wonders what goes on behind the covered windows of the church. His brother, Christopher, known as Stump, is age thirteen. Stump doesn't talk and Jess tries to look out for him.
The final narrator is the sheriff, Clem Barefield. When he hears that a child has been killed at the church, he lets his feelings become known. Like Sister Adelaide, he objects to the dangerous things that the people of the church do and thinks that church officials should be held accountable for what goes on there.
Clem investigates Carson Chambliss, the pastor of the church. He finds that Chambliss was formerly in prison for drugs but now claims to have found God. He has such power over his parisoners that Clem doesn't know if he'll get anyone to give evidence against them.
There is a powerful scene where church members try to force their way into the home of the parents of the child killed at the church. They feel that they can sway the mother but the child's father blocks their way. It ends in a physical confrontation and reminded me of some of the confrontations in "The Grapes of Wrath."
The writing is superb and the story will pull at the reader's heart and leave them thinking about events of the novel for a long time.
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LibraryThing member JackieBlem
It's hard to believe that this is a debut novel--the prose is stirring, the atmosphere nearly touchable, the characters memorable. Of course, he had one heck of a mentor: Ernest Gaines. But this guy has all kinds of talent plus he's smart enough to stick with what he knows best: the folks, scenery
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and culture of North Carolina. This story is about an old midwife, a charismatic preacher, a sheriff and two small boys, one of which is autistic. It's about secrecy and forbidden knowledge that starts a chain reaction of tragedy that leaves one family, and a whole town, changed forever. This is an exceptional book, and the start of what should be a brilliant literary career for this impressive young man. Show Less
LibraryThing member aunthez
Loved this book. The tension built quietly but continuously. If you liked the way the characters were developed in Crooked letter, Crooked letter, you'll like the character developement in this as well.
LibraryThing member ReviewsFromTheHeart
In his debut novel author Wiley Cash tells a chilling tragic tale from the view points of three of the main characters. The first is from Adelaide Lyle, an town's elderly midwife and healer who finds that the things that have been taking place at their local church isn't something that the children
The second part of the story continues with a young boy named Jess who has an older brother Christopher that was born a mute. Earning the nickname Stump, which the reader will learn about later in the book, the spend their lazy summer days hunting down salamanders and just being boys in Madison County. Everything was going along perfect until Jess and Christopher spied on his mother one day and after that, nothing would ever be the same again.
The final part of the book picks up with the local town Sheriff, Clem Barefield, who has a bitter and painful past of his own being a sheriff and resident in the small rural town of Marshall. The reader will learn how this man is interconnected with the case of a lifetime when he's called into investigate a murder. What happens then will completely change everyone's lives forever.
I received A Land More Kind Than Home compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. This was an interesting story with a unique twist I can't give away but once you begin reading, the story hooks you until the very final page. In all honesty I didn't see how this plot would turn out in the end, and think that Wiley Cash did a masterful job at creating a book that readers will enjoy for his debut. I rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars and for those that love a bit of suspense with their murder mystery in a town that doesn't want to share their secrets, then this is a must read for you.
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should be a part of. When she confronts the pastor, Carson Chambliss, he relents to having the children spend time with her but only if she is willing to keep the secrets of the church to herself. Seeing herself as the children's only protector, she agrees.The second part of the story continues with a young boy named Jess who has an older brother Christopher that was born a mute. Earning the nickname Stump, which the reader will learn about later in the book, the spend their lazy summer days hunting down salamanders and just being boys in Madison County. Everything was going along perfect until Jess and Christopher spied on his mother one day and after that, nothing would ever be the same again.
The final part of the book picks up with the local town Sheriff, Clem Barefield, who has a bitter and painful past of his own being a sheriff and resident in the small rural town of Marshall. The reader will learn how this man is interconnected with the case of a lifetime when he's called into investigate a murder. What happens then will completely change everyone's lives forever.
I received A Land More Kind Than Home compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. This was an interesting story with a unique twist I can't give away but once you begin reading, the story hooks you until the very final page. In all honesty I didn't see how this plot would turn out in the end, and think that Wiley Cash did a masterful job at creating a book that readers will enjoy for his debut. I rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars and for those that love a bit of suspense with their murder mystery in a town that doesn't want to share their secrets, then this is a must read for you.
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LibraryThing member TooBusyReading
Great Southern flavor, wonderful characters, and a heartfelt and too-often tragic story all add up to make for a great summer read. I'm a sucker for Southern lit, and this book, with its poison-drinking, snake-handling Christians, with kids caught in circumstances beyond their control, with
Other than that minor quibble, I loved this novel.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy for my review.
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dialogue that seemed so right to me, did not let me down. My only issue with the book came in the last chapter where a character I met at the beginning of the book and very much liked, wrapped up the story. To me, the last couple of pages seemed a little too preachy, and it felt more like the author was speaking to me than that the character was.Other than that minor quibble, I loved this novel.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy for my review.
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Awards
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2014)
Crime Writers' Association Awards (Winner — 2012)
Maine Readers' Choice Award (Finalist — 2013)
Southern Book Prize (Winner — Fiction — 2013)
PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize (Finalist — 2013)
Spinetingler Award (Nominee — New Voice — 2013)
Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award (Winner — 2013)
Crook's Corner Book Prize (Longlist — 2014)
The New York Times Notable Books of the Year (Fiction & Poetry — 2012)
Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year (Debut — 2012)
Library Journal Top Ten Book (2012)
Call number
FIC J Cas