Appalachian Song
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4.8 • 8 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Forever within the memories of my heart.
Always remember, you are perfectly loved.
Bertie Jenkins has spent forty years serving as a midwife for her community in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Out of all the mothers she’s tended, none affects her more than the young teenager who shows up on her doorstep, injured, afraid, and expecting, one warm June day in 1943. As Bertie and her four sisters tenderly nurture Songbird back to health, the bond between the childless midwife and the motherless teen grows strong. But soon Songbird is forced to make a heartbreaking decision that will tear this little family apart.
Thirty years later, the day after his father’s funeral, Walker Wylie is stunned to learn he was adopted as an infant. The famous country singer enlists the help of adoption advocate Reese Chandler in the hopes of learning why he was abandoned by his birth parents. With the only clue he has in hand, Walker and Reese head deep into the Appalachian Mountains to track down Bertie Jenkins, the midwife who holds the secrets to Walker’s past.
For fans of historical and Southern fiction comes a poignant story of love and sacrifice set in the heart of Appalachia, from award-winning author Michelle Shocklee.
• Full-length Christian historical fiction
• Standalone novel
• Book length: approximately 94,000 words
• Includes discussion questions for book groups
Customer Reviews
You Just Have to Read This Story!
I believe that this quote from the book is its theme: “Family don’t always mean blood kin.” ~Bertie Jenkins
This beautifully written adoption story left me needing several days to contemplate all that this heart-wrenching story taught me. A dual-time novel, Shocklee takes you from the 1943 mountain folk of east Tennessee to Nashville and the mountain life of 1973. The characters and storyline are so endearing. They speak to family (good, bad and taken in) and wreck your heart along the way. The timelines and characters are woven seamlessly throughout the book, making the story easy to read.
This book has a beautiful spiritual thread including the sharing of the gospel and a Christian worldview. The prologue includes a young woman giving herself to a man (she plans to marry) before her family moves away. There is not a description of this scene and it is later discussed from a Biblical perspective. So, don’t let this keep you from reading this book. The prologue lays the foundation for the rest of the story.
Caroline Hewitt truly gives the audiobook its voice as she crafts representative roles for the broad array of characters in this tale. From the mountain folk of 1943 to the contemporary phrases of 1973, Hewitt’s narration is distinct, believable and just stellar and that’s saying a lot from this born and raised southern girl who cringes when a non-southerner tries to fake a southern accent.
This book is suitable for teens and older with no inappropriate intimate scenes and no bad language. I received this ebook from the author/publisher free of charge, with no expectation of a positive review. I also purchased the audiobook version of this title.