This blog hop is hosted by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer. We are supposed to offer up a book that's on our shelves that we've either already read or haven't gotten a chance to read and probably won't get around to reading. I am offering up a copy of The Lost Saints of Tennessee by Amy Franklin-Willis, which I have read. This is a terrific opportunity for those of you who are fans of Southern Literature, such as Nicholas Sparks. Here is the information on the title:
Synopsis:
With enormous heart and dazzling agility, Amy Franklin-Willis expertly mines the fault lines in one Southern working-class family. Driven by the soulful voices of forty-two-year-old Ezekiel Cooper and his mother, Lillian, The Lost Saints of Tennessee journeys from the 1940s to 1980s as it follows Zeke’s evolution from anointed son, to honorable sibling, to unhinged middle-aged man.
After Zeke loses his twin brother in a mysterious drowning and his wife to divorce, only ghosts remain in his hometown of Clayton, Tennessee. Zeke makes the decision to leave town in a final attempt to escape his pain, throwing his two treasured possessions—a copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and his dead brother’s ancient dog—into his truck, and heads east. He leaves behind two young daughters and his estranged mother, who reveals her own conflicting view of the Cooper family story in a vulnerable but spirited voice stricken by guilt over old sins and clinging to the hope that her family isn’t beyond repair.
When Zeke finds refuge with cousins in Virginia horse country, divine acts in the form of severe weather, illness, and a new romance collide, leading Zeke to a crossroads where he must decide the fate of his family.
I read your review of Lost Saints of Tennessee. I had read some other reviews and thought I might like to read it but wasn't sure. After reading your review, I probably will not pick it up or, at least check it out of the library rather than purchase it. It sounds like it just doesn't engage the reader's mind/imagination very much with its predictable story line. I, too, do not like my books even sprinkled with much religion. It sounds like this book has way too much "preaching" for me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up and for your honesty instead of just saying nice things all the time!
Great giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI have a giveaway for an ARC of Hades!
http://wwwthebookshelves.blogspot.com/2012/03/starting-march-right-arc-giveaway.html