Terry, who has kin in the cemetery next to our farm, says: Well, if you thought I had nice things to say about The Day of Small Things before.... I have just finished it, and as someone who grew up in the mountains trailing after her mountain grandmother (yes...Belva Roberts), I have to say, I am stunned and so, so pleased for you. You've done something not just elegant and fine but also something true. True in heart and true in spirit. And true to the mountains in the way I understand them. I don't know how universal will be the understanding or the appreciation for what you've done, but on some level that doesn't really matter, does it? Small things pass unnoticed in the larger, faster world, do they not? And yet, they are as true as any cell phone or SUV? And so much more powerful and more lasting. I'm sure I'll find more to say in time, but I am so, so moved by what you've done.
Deborah Andolino of Aliens and Alibis wrote:Carol at The Writer's Porch said:I wish I had the words to tell you how much I liked this book. This is one of the few books I've read lately that I've put down for a while (usually just an hour or two and then my curiosity would get the better of me and I'd pick it back up) because I didn't want it to end. She had a rough life - I wonder how many of would have had the courage to keep going?
Now I see why I've liked Miss Birdie in the other books. . . an awesome book about a very strong lady.
. . . we are taken on a historical journey of the mountains of Appalachia, on a spiritual journey of the differences in the beliefs of the mountain Holiness people and the Native Americans. This is a poetic tale of the strength of the spirit to survive and the battle between good and evil from two entirely different cultures..............
I could not lay it down ! It is a story you will not want to miss told by a brilliant story teller.................... (full review at The Writer's Porch)
Bronson L. Parker of Cobbledstones writes:
...Through Miss Birdie, readers will also learn the elements that made Appalachia a mysterious and often misunderstood part of America. It’s a place where a mixture of old-world lore, Native American beliefs, and fundamental religion combined to create a mindset and outlook on life far removed from the White Anglo-Saxon Protestant image that has been most often hoisted as the banner for America.
In addition to capturing the essence of the Appalachian mindset and outlook, the author has captured perfectly the language of the mountains. It’s a language, which in sentence structure and wordage, is more in keeping with sixteenth-century England than twentieth-century America. Throughout the book, it rings as natural as breathing without slipping into what so often becomes affected dialect. (Full review at Cobbledstones)
Pat in East TN: I am absolutely blown away! I honestly don't know what to say at this point in time ... my mind is racing between all that went on in Miss Birdie's life. Many emotions, like a roller coaster, as I read it. As it usually goes with your books, I am going to have to 'digest' this in time, and again, as it goes with your books, this story will stay with me for a long, long time. You are truly blessed with a gift in your writing ... to think that this book came from Miss Birdie 'talking' to you and your editor encouraging you to write a book just about her. WOW! I know I am not making sense right now ... I've read most of the afternoon/evening, finishing up just a few minutes ago.
Jean: I received my two pre-ordered books yesterday and haven't got a thing done since. Yes, I ordered two because I always want to share and never get them back before I'm wanting to re-read something. Thank you so much for keeping these in paperback. I will admit that when the April Fool's joke was posted it made me so mad at the powers that be I almost cancelled my order. My thoughts were How DARE "them" do that to you. I knew the book would be excellent no matter the cover or the color of the character's hair. Then I realized it was a JOKE! OHMYGOSH, what can I say--The Day of Small Things is absolutely outstanding and worth the wait. The grammar is so like what I grew up with that I can hardly wait for my sister to read it so we can compare words. On page 33 where you have Least fixing the roasting ears made me remember my husband saying he was grown before he knew that roasting ears were two words. His family always said roastnears and crammed it together as if they were one word. It is sad that television has made the language so universal, dull and boring. If you don't get a Pulitzer prize from this book, the powers that be are sadly lacking in intelligence. The next Elizabeth book will be just as marvelous and am looking forward to it.
Sheila Beaumont: I've just finished reading THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS. What a lovely, magical book! At first I was taken aback when I found out that this fifth suspense novel by
Ms. Lane was not to be another in the Elizabeth Goodweather series (especially since the fourth book, IN A DARK SEASON**, ended in something of a cliff-hanger), but instead would center on one of the supporting characters, Miss Birdie. As it turned out, I loved this story, in which the reader comes to know an Appalachia in which the characters are not the usual stereotypes, but real, human characters. This is a beautifully written novel of mythic depth, even incorporating the legends of Thomas the Rhymer and the Wandering Jew, in which the forces of the local Pentecostal religion and ancient Cherokee magical lore combine to defeat an unspeakably evil man, who Miss Birdie sees as the Raven Mocker of Cherokee legend, and save an innocent boy. Like the Elizabeth Goodweather books, this one is a wonderful read, not to be missed
