Velva Jean lives at the top of a mountain in North Carolina during the depression of the 1930's. She's desperate to be saved by Jesus yet when it happens she's never sure of her faith. She's fast friends with her brother, Johnny Clay and together they try to find their way into adulthood. As the Blue Ridge Parkway was being built, life changed for everyone who called the mountains home.
Velva Jean loves to sing and has the voice of an angel. Without the guidance of her mother, she rushes into a marriage while still a teenager. She loves Harley but he changes in ways Velva Jean is afraid of. But it's truly Velva Jean who is changing, growing up in a new world.
I loved this book. The author has perfectly crafted the story. There were parts I thought moved a little too slowly but on second thought life moved slowly Appalachia. Every time a chapter disappointed me, I thought for awhile and then decided that was exactly how life is. We are all on a path out of our own control. Ms. Niven captured the essence of life in the depth of each character. She also plotted the story perfectly through to the climax and joyous life changing end.
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