By: Hannah Johnson. Published: March 14, 2011
There are so many things that I could say about this book. This book takes place in the Appalachians, primarily on a mountain, Bloodroot Mountain to be exact. The dialect in the book makes you feel like you are sitting on a porch at the top of this beautiful mountain. With the character’s personalities and voices, one can become quickly dazzled by this rural area. I thought the book was extremely interesting and dark.
When I first looked at the cover with its pretty colors and lonely girl lying in a field, I thought that this book was going to be sweet and lovely (aka. boring). The book is written from many first person perspectives, not just the main character, Myra Lamb.
It takes you from the beginning when she was little and wild living on the mountain with her grandparents. She would play with the neighbor boys who were completely in love with her. She was like their horse, untamable. It was better to love her from afar than to get too close. As she gets older, she falls in love with John Odom.
This is where the book gets dark and twisted (aka. interesting). John is from the town below the mountain, and he wants a wife like most men wanted in those days—pregnant and barefoot in the kitchen. If he could, he would chain her to the house. But it becomes harder for him to control Myra’s wild and spontaneous ways.
This book leads you through all the lives that Myra’s wild spirit affected, including her grandma, neighbors, friends, husband, and even her little ones. From the beginning, it does not seem like it is going to be a great novel, but don’t let the cover fool you. This book will lead you down a dark twisty road that can only be compared to books like Wuthering Heights. This book is a must read and would be a great addition to any book collection.
