September 1, 2023
Five aging sisters live in a cabin off the grid, not too far from Knoxville, TN. Their rhythm of working the land and loving extended family is interrupted when a pregnant teenager with a gunshot wound is found near their porch. As the women hide the girl from her vengeful father, the sisters have to reconcile the risk and the reward of loving their neighbors. Years later, in 1973, country star Walker Wylie's world implodes when he learns that he was adopted at birth. The celebrity has to slow down to find his Appalachian roots and discovers that when God closes one door, another path usually opens. The Smoky Mountain midwives are the unsung heroes of the book as they practice medicine handed down through generations and show compassion to mothers and babies in all circumstances. The themes of forgiveness and adoption into God's family, along with the beautiful setting, will resonate well with modern readers. VERDICT Shocklee (Count the Nights by Stars) delivers another powerful stand-alone novel for readers who love Appalachian stories in the style of Ann H. Gabhart and Kim Vogel Sawyer.
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 8, 2023
Songbird is found by the Jenkins sisters, pregnant and with a gunshot wound in her shoulder. Bertie brings her to the Jenkins cabin and the sisters decide to do their godly duty and care for her but keep it under wraps, as they do not know who shot her and what they wanted. Soon Songbird wins over all the sisters with her gentle personality and willingness to help around the cabin. Bertie especially grows a bond with Songbird, who she cares for as if she were her own daughter. But Songbird's, and her baby's, safety becomes a challenge that none of them are prepared to face. Thirty years later, singer Walker Wylie finds out he was adopted as a baby. Taking time away from the public eye, he seeks help in finding out where he came from. Reese Chandler, a local midwife in the Appalachian Mountains, may be able to assist in locating the midwife that cared for Walker's mother all those years ago. Together they go to the Jenkins cabin in search for answers, but they're not always black and white. Sometimes, even babies who are very much wanted by the mother are placed with adoptive parents. This moving tale will appeal to readers of Christian fiction.
COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.