Tumbleweeds
A Novel
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4.1 • 164 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A recently orphaned girl moves to the Texas panhandle and struggles to forge new friendships in a town of football glory in this unforgettable novel of surprising plot twists and unexpected beginnings.
Recently orphaned, eleven-year-old Cathy Benson feels she has been dropped into a cultural and intellectual wasteland when she is forced to move from her academically privileged life in California to the small town of Kersey in the Texas Panhandle where the sport of football reigns supreme. She is quickly taken under the unlikely wings of up-and-coming gridiron stars and classmates John Caldwell and Trey Don Hall, orphans like herself, with whom she forms a friendship and eventual love triangle that will determine the course of the rest of their lives.
Taking the three friends through their growing up years until their high school graduations when several tragic events uproot and break them apart, the novel expands to follow their careers and futures until they reunite in Kersey at forty years of age. Told with all of Meacham's signature drama, unforgettable characters, and plot twists, readers will be turning the pages, desperate to learn how it all plays out.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Meacham (Roses) explores a small-town love triangle against the backdrop of Texas football in her overblown latest. Since childhood, Trey Don "TD" Hall and best friend John Caldwell have cared primarily for football and one another. But when recently orphaned Catherine Ann Benson moves to town to live with her grandmother, the boys are immediately drawn to her. At first, the three sixth-graders are just fast friends, but after adolescence sets in, their relationship deepens and complicates. Despite the boys' stellar high school football careers and Catherine Ann's equally sterling academic record, their future plans are fumbled thanks to a botched prank, a secret infatuation, and an accidental pregnancy, all of which will have consequences stretching far into the future. Spanning nearly 30 years, the novel seems unsure of its intentions: is it a romance, a sports saga, or a murder mystery? Most jarring is the novel's unevenness of tone; a detailed description of autoerotic asphyxiation feels out of place compared to rosy-hued scenes of young love, and the poorly-plotted murder mystery is an awkward and unnecessary appendage to what could otherwise have been a satisfying drama.
Customer Reviews
Tumbleweeds
This book was a wonderful exploration of the kinds of love that we all feel: romantic, friendship, as a parent,as a child. It has several twists that are truly unexpected and, as the author herself says, does not end with a Hollywood ending. I was really impressed with this writer and would love to read more of her work!
Disappointed
I feel I have to write a review after not being able to finish this book. Was very depressing for me. It seemed it was negative and not anything like Roses. When reading a good story it usually takes me right into the surroundings. The dark subjects turned me off with this read. Hope this helps someone else!
I couldn't put it down.
I would consider myself a pretty particular reader. I love intricate story lines and well-developed characters. This book drew me in immediately and kept me involved the entire time. One of my favorites, for sure.