Appalachian Justice Cedar Hollow Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition) Melinda Clayton Lee Covington LLC ThomasJacob Publishing Books
Download As PDF : Appalachian Justice Cedar Hollow Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition) Melinda Clayton Lee Covington LLC ThomasJacob Publishing Books
Deep in the mountains of Appalachia, Billy May Platte learned the hard way that 1940s West Virginia was no place to be gay
"We was sheltered in them hills. We didn't know much of nothin' about life outside of them mountains. I did not know the word lesbian; to us, gay meant havin' fun and queer meant somethin' strange."'
In 1945, when Billy May was 14 years old and alone, three local boys witnessed an incident in which Billy May's sexuality was called into question. Determined to teach her a lesson she would never forget, they orchestrated a brutal attack that changed the dynamics of the tiny coal mining village of Cedar Hollow, West Virginia forever.
Thirty years after the brutal attack, living in solitude on top of Crutcher Mountain, Billy May discovers the hideout of a young girl - a girl who just happens to be the daughter of one of the boys who attacked Billy May so long ago. No one knows better than Billy May the telltale signs of abuse, and she must quickly make a decision. Will she withdraw into the solitude in which she has lived since the horrific attack, or will she risk everything to save the girl from a similar fate? In spite of the heartbreaking incidents that take place in the novel, the book is ultimately a tribute to the resiliency of the human spirit and a celebration of the beauty of second chances.
Underneath it all, Appalachian Justice is also a powerful love story, though certainly not a conventional one.
Appalachian Justice Cedar Hollow Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition) Melinda Clayton Lee Covington LLC ThomasJacob Publishing Books
Trigger warning for survivors of abuse. As anyone familiar with victims of psychological and physical abuse can testify, the incidents portrayed in this book are disturbingly credible. Although the storyline deals with distressing levels of abuse, it is done sensitively focussing on the attitudes of the perpetrators and the psychological ramifications for the victims rather than gratuitously graphic depictions of the activities. Despite the abuse being pivotal to the narrative arc, this is not a depressing tale. It is a story of survival, redemption, and unconditional love.I loved the feel and pace of this story. The shifts between the complex characters, locations and time cleverly reveal the immediate personal and ripple effects of the attack on Billy May and her subsequent abandonment of Cedar Hollow for the isolation of the mountains. Likewise, the transitions enhance the reader's understanding of the evolution of each character's perception of what occurred and explain why it took so long for the situation to be resolved.
This is the first time I've read any of Melinda Clayton's work, but will definitely not be the last. I like her storytelling style and her ability to create believable characters, a sense of place and time. She has been added to my preferred authors list.
Addressing the criticisms by other reviewers:
Billy May's possible lack of a 'true Appalacian' dialect can easily be attributed to having been raised by an Irish father and Chorekee mother. neither of ehom are native to the area.
If you are uncomfortable with stories that deal with homosexuality, spousal and sexual abuse make sure you read a blurb closely. From the description, it is clear that this was not going to be story about the purity of human beings.
For those who say the book does not describe the Applachia they know, just be grateful you have not encountered situations like those in the book. Abuse of this sort does not repect geography, demographics or historical period. The setting simply provides the environmental background of small town where everyone knows your business, while the mountains made it easy for Billy May to isolate herself. It is a fictional story, not an indictment of nor commentary on Applachian people as a whole.
Regarding the assertions of biased depictions of men and women, this is a story about how an individual's behaviour creates another's perception of what sort of person they are. With this narrative being from the perspective of the survivor of their abuse, the primary antagonists are, unsurprisingly, portrayed as horrible men, giving them any redeeming qualities would not have made their attitudes and actions any less abhorent. Not all the men in this story are portrayed negatively. Most of them seem to know that something terrible happend to Billy May but don't know what or only have suspicions. Once these men discover the truth, their unconditional condemnation and the swiftness with which they take action to prevent further harm speaks volumes about their strength of character. Similarly, the female characters are depicted as having plenty of strength when neccessary but with ample tendency to take the easiest, but not always the right, path when encountering difficulties. I found all the primary characters to highly credible.
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Appalachian Justice Cedar Hollow Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition) Melinda Clayton Lee Covington LLC ThomasJacob Publishing Books Reviews
Whether you simply like a good story or prefer a timeless truth reflecting far deeper than its surface, Appalachian Justice will satisfy. More than just a good tale of backwoods ignorance and wrong righteously righted, this novel mirrors humanity in its flawed efforts at perfection.
On the face, this is a novel of brutal reality, accepted and endured by a rich cast of survivors. But for Billie May and Jessie atop Crutcher Mountain as much as for the townspeople populating the crevices of Cedar Hollow below, the tragedy is more in the many things that for the most part didn't happen.
Certainly at its core, there is subtly blatant crime and there is well-executed consequence. Focus on this outer arc is easy to label, call out as wrong, and triumphantly if clandestinely set to right. From that perspective, up on the mountain, overcoming denial to deal with its aftermath provides us with a thoughtful and well-justified tale of retribution.
But if the book had ended there, justice would have been incomplete. Despite rejoining in community, for the women liberated from the abusive threat, deeper unspoken pain and an unanswered layer of neglect and inequity still remained hidden within. Fortunately, author Melinda Clayton recognizes that as long as these innermost truths lie at the heart, the story can't end with their return to the valley.
Rather, to satisfy the story's most naked underlying reality and its characters' most fundamental heartfelt longings, the final pages of Appalachian Justice had to celebrate the triumphs at the heart of the lives of its four strong women -- and it does.
But even though those fictional triumphs satisfied my sense that justice had served Billie May and Sue Ann Leary Temple Williamson Hayden and Corinne Johnson and even Jessie, a bittersweet residue still lingered. In the end, I find my heart still breaks -- I keep returning to the reality of their story and thinking of all the girls and women like them, the ones whose unresolved reality remains a recurring tragedy, whose unspoken abuse hasn't yet reached the closure of Appalachian Justice.
Perhaps in the final analysis, that is the most gripping truth the book reveals perfection is fiction; reality always remains flawed.
Wow. I purposely sought out the 1 star reviews just to see what anyone could possibly find wrong with this book. One disagreed with the portrayal of the area, and the other didnt like the content. That doesnt make a bad book, that makes the book not your type of book. Yes, there are graphic passages in this book, but believe it or not people, this stuff happens! Just because you dont like it doesnt mean its unbelieveable. Of course, this is fiction. If you dont like the synopsis of the story, stick to romance .
that being said, This book was an amazing book. I got it free on BookBub, and it is worth every penny of the increased $2.99 price. These are stand alone books, no need to read book 2 if you dont want to. Book 1 completes this portion of the story, and what a story it was!!!!!
I believe I saw 2 typographical errors, but those dont bother me as much as they do some grammar nazis. The characters are the type where you fall in love with them and care what happens to them (well, some of them, heh). It does bounce back and forth from past to present the first half of the book, which was a little confusing because the book (purposely) doenst tell you WHICH character is in the present [hard to explain without spoilers]. Trust me, it all comes together in the end, and oh, it is well worth it.
The story, the characters, the way it is written, the entire book.... just amazing. Wow. I have to say, This has to be one of my favorite books. Ill be picking up Book 2, not because I have to, but because Book 1 got 4.5 stars on , and Book 2 has 5. I cant imagine a better book than this one.
Trigger warning for survivors of abuse. As anyone familiar with victims of psychological and physical abuse can testify, the incidents portrayed in this book are disturbingly credible. Although the storyline deals with distressing levels of abuse, it is done sensitively focussing on the attitudes of the perpetrators and the psychological ramifications for the victims rather than gratuitously graphic depictions of the activities. Despite the abuse being pivotal to the narrative arc, this is not a depressing tale. It is a story of survival, redemption, and unconditional love.
I loved the feel and pace of this story. The shifts between the complex characters, locations and time cleverly reveal the immediate personal and ripple effects of the attack on Billy May and her subsequent abandonment of Cedar Hollow for the isolation of the mountains. Likewise, the transitions enhance the reader's understanding of the evolution of each character's perception of what occurred and explain why it took so long for the situation to be resolved.
This is the first time I've read any of Melinda Clayton's work, but will definitely not be the last. I like her storytelling style and her ability to create believable characters, a sense of place and time. She has been added to my preferred authors list.
Addressing the criticisms by other reviewers
Billy May's possible lack of a 'true Appalacian' dialect can easily be attributed to having been raised by an Irish father and Chorekee mother. neither of ehom are native to the area.
If you are uncomfortable with stories that deal with homosexuality, spousal and sexual abuse make sure you read a blurb closely. From the description, it is clear that this was not going to be story about the purity of human beings.
For those who say the book does not describe the Applachia they know, just be grateful you have not encountered situations like those in the book. Abuse of this sort does not repect geography, demographics or historical period. The setting simply provides the environmental background of small town where everyone knows your business, while the mountains made it easy for Billy May to isolate herself. It is a fictional story, not an indictment of nor commentary on Applachian people as a whole.
Regarding the assertions of biased depictions of men and women, this is a story about how an individual's behaviour creates another's perception of what sort of person they are. With this narrative being from the perspective of the survivor of their abuse, the primary antagonists are, unsurprisingly, portrayed as horrible men, giving them any redeeming qualities would not have made their attitudes and actions any less abhorent. Not all the men in this story are portrayed negatively. Most of them seem to know that something terrible happend to Billy May but don't know what or only have suspicions. Once these men discover the truth, their unconditional condemnation and the swiftness with which they take action to prevent further harm speaks volumes about their strength of character. Similarly, the female characters are depicted as having plenty of strength when neccessary but with ample tendency to take the easiest, but not always the right, path when encountering difficulties. I found all the primary characters to highly credible.
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