In 1931 Carbon Hill, a small Alabama coal-mining town, nine-year-old Tess Moore watches a woman shove the cover off the family well and toss in a baby without a word. For the Moore family, focused on helping anyone in need during the Great Depression, the apparent murder forces them to face the darker side of their community and question the motivations of family and friends. Backbreaking work keeps most of the townspeople busy from dawn to dusk, and racial tensions abound. For parents, it's a time when a better life for the children means sacrificing health, time, and every penny that can be saved. For a miner, returning home after work is a possibility, not a certainty. However, next to daily thoughts of death, exhausting work, and race are the lingering pleasures of sweet tea, feather beds, and lightning bugs yet to be caught.
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"I really enjoyed this book - - it's based on a sad/startling premise, but I loved the character development. Of course, I read the bulk of this book on vacation which always seems (for me) to create a positive bias . . . .what book isn't better when read on the beach? :)"
— Amy (4 out of 5 stars)
" right from the start the characters in this book are easy to love. It's a book that's easy to read and catches your attention on sentence #1. Beautifully written and I look forward to reading more from this author. "
— Jenny, 2/20/2014" I didn't think the characters and the way they interacted was entirely believable, yet I would like to believe families in their situation would have behaved this way. I loved that each family member was strong and likable in different ways. "
— Cristy, 2/20/2014" Good story about life in a mining town in Alabama in the late '20's & early '30's & a secret they were trying to figure out. I would not have done well in that era, when I read about the work women (& men) had to do I know I would not have made it! "
— Lynne, 2/18/2014" A very good read. I enjoyed the 5 different voices of the novel. Phillips tries to make you understand that all things aren't black and white. Thought it reflected well on what the modernists were trying to say about perspective. "
— Colette, 2/14/2014" Such a wonderful, tenderhearted story. I loved the characters, especially the sisters and their father - such a kind man. "
— Melissa, 2/14/2014" wonderful companion to teaching about the Great Depression and the migrant farm period. Dynamic characters- the first paragraph will hook you....a bit confused sometimes as to who was who.... "
— Caroline, 2/8/2014" Good story that is well written, told from the view points of five family members living in Alabama in the 1930's. "
— Abby, 1/27/2014" A really educational slice of life story set in a coal-mining town in the 1930s. All the more poignant in light of the Pyke River Mine tragedy. "
— Tiffany, 1/24/2014" I really liked this story. Each family member had their own voice in the story about a happening and their perspective on it. I wish the story could go on. "
— Lena, 1/19/2014" Absolutely loved this book. Best since Water for Elephants. Takes you right back into the time period... "
— Kristin, 1/15/2014" Interesting picture of life during the Depression era in small-town Alabama. "
— Jan, 1/6/2014Gin Phillips is the author of several books, including The Well and the Mine, which was a Barnes & Noble Discover Award selection.