Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Review: Sweeping Up Glass by Carolyn Wall

There's nobody on this strip of mountain now but me and Ida, and my grandson, Will'm. While I love the boy more than life, Ida's a hold in another sock. She lives in the tar paper shack in back of our place, and in spite of this being the coldest winter recorded in Kentucky, she's standing out there now, wrapped in a blanket, quoting scripture and swearing like a lumberjack. Her white hair's ratted up like a wild woman's.

I'm Ida's child. That makes her my ma'am, and my pap was Tate Harker. I wish were here instead of buried by the outhouse. [pg 1]



Sweeping Up Glass by Carolyn Wall
Delta, 2008 (ARC)
Fiction; 319 pgs

I was not in the mood for Sweeping Up Glass when I began reading it. I had made a commitment though to read and review it. I am sure it sounded good to me when I checked the box at the BookBrowse website to be entered for a chance to review it, but once it arrived in the mail, I wondered what in the world I had been thinking. My extra-fabulous reading streak would surely be ruined now. Maybe that would be a good thing though, I told myself. People are beginning to think I not only like, but actually love just about everything I read.

Sweeping Up Glass is Carolyn Wall’s first novel. And let me just say now that it definitely did not ruin my love ‘em all reading streak. I loved it. Can I say that again, please? I loved it. So much for not being in the mood for it. Well, there you have it. End of review.

Okay, so not really. Despite my initial doubts, it was clear from the very first page that I was going to like this novel. Olivia Harker Cross has lived a lifetime in her nearly 42 years of life. It was not all bad at first. Although they were poor, which was true of most of the folk living in their Kentucky town, Olivia and her father ran the grocery store, living in the back. Olivia adored her father. He ran a little side business, mending and caring for injured animals. He did what he could for Olivia, making sure she did not do without. Olivia’s mother, Ida, during those early years was locked away in an asylum, having never been quite the same after giving birth to her daughter.

Olivia spent her days going to school and helping her father with the store, sometimes even helping him with the animals. Her best friend, Love Alice, a black girl just a few years older than herself, was married to Junk Hanley, a strong and decent man who often did work around the store for Olivia and her father. Junk’s family had taken Olivia in more than once, Junk’s mother being the mother Olivia never really had. This was during a time when the line between black and white was well drawn. Segregation was the norm: they shopped at the grocery store on different days from one another, attended different schools and churches, and the blacks had to enter through the back door rather than the front at the local restaurant. Color made no difference to Olivia, however. She knew who her friends were, and she loved them dearly.

When word came from the asylum that her mother was ready to come home, Olivia was devastated. Her mother had never taken kindly to her and Olivia knew it would not turn out well. She was right. Her mother treated her poorly, cruelly even. When Olivia got word of her father’s death, she blamed herself and her mother would not let her forget the part she played in it.

As time went on, Olivia found love and lost it, became a mother early on and struggled with raising a daughter. She did not hesitate to take in her grandson Will’m, when her daughter, Pauline left him on her doorstep. It was to that end that Olivia finds herself caring for her elderly mother, who has grown no nicer with age, and her young grandson, the only real joy in her life.

Will’m is so much like his great-grandfather, big heart and all. When the wolves on the family’s mountain are suddenly targeted by cold-blooded hunters, he begs his grandmother to try and save a litter of young pups. Olivia is angered that someone is trespassing on her land and killing off the wolves. She is determined to get to the bottom of it. What she finds is a town full of dark secrets, cover-ups and lies. And the closer she comes to the truth, the more danger she and Will’m are in.

Olivia Harker Cross’s life has made her tough and somewhat bitter. She has a softer side, which is most evident when she is around her grandson, Will’m. She is such a strong woman, so resilient, and yet still so full of doubt. Even though I may not have agreed with every choice she made, I never lost respect for her. She believes in standing up for what is right and is not afraid to speak her mind.

Olivia’s mother, Ida, is such an interesting character. She too has had a difficult life. She is much kinder to the men in her life (other than her husband) than she is to the women. She’s long been plagued with mental illness, but it is never clear what exactly that may be. One of the heart-wrenching moments in the book is when Olivia visits the state hospital her mother had spent much of Olivia's early childhood in. Even though Ida was terrible to Olivia, it was hard not to feel for her, having had to live in a place like that. For all intents and purposes, Ida seems to be a woman unhappy with her lot in life and so she takes it out on those closest to her. The relationship between Olivia and Ida is a complicated one.

Olivia has long harbored a hate in her heart for a mother she does not understand. All her life, even now, Olivia has wanted her mother to show some sign that she loves her. Her mother never has. The scars her mother has left on her run deep. They impact her relationship with her own daughter, who could not wait to escape. Olivia’s heart has been broken too many times, and love does not come easily for her. She guards her heart as those who love her know all too well.

Carolyn Wall’s novel begins in the future and quickly steps back into the past where the reader learns about Olivia’s childhood, setting the stage for the events to come. What begins as a quiet novel picks up intensity in the second half, particularly in the final 100 pages or so, as everything comes to a head (several soft expletives escaped me mouth, causing my husband to wonder if I was crazy). It almost seemed like two different novels in a way: the first half being more of a life story and the second being the suspense-filled mystery. And while I could fault another novel for this, I actually thought it worked quite well. The transition happened gradually and the story threads were interwoven from beginning to end.

The novel is set in the late 1930’s, at least in terms of the “current” story thread. The time period plays an especially important role in the novel. Life was hard all over the United States at that time and in the decades preceding it, people struggling to make ends meet. In Pope County Kentucky, where the novel is set, it was no different. Carolyn Wall captured the desperation of the times as well as the adaptability of the people. People bartered with food and services when they could not pay. Segregation was commonplace and racism ran rampant.

There is so much I want to say about this book and I haven't even come close to capturing all that I loved about it, but I’ve already said more than I probably should. This is one of those books that you have to read for yourself. Told in the voice of Olivia, the narrative is uncomplicated, her wry humor coming out now and then. The pages are filled with characters well worth getting to know, and Olivia’s story is one that will surely touch the reader’s heart. The secrets uncovered are chilling and the resolution is satisfying. The novel is as complex as Olivia Harker. Sweeping Up Glass is a love story, a mystery, and historical novel that touches on social issues that still reverberate today.

To think I had doubts about reading this book. That will show me, won’t it?

Rating: * (Outstanding)


Challenge Commitment Fulfilled: ARC Challenge & New Authors Challenge

38 comments:

  1. That sounds pretty full on and complicated. But I can see how done correctly (which your review says it has) could really pay off.

    Great review you made even me want to read this book and I normally avoid these books like the plague (I figure I have enough things in my life that are serious enough dont need my books to be serious too).

    ReplyDelete
  2. This book sounds wonderful, your review has really encouraged me to check it out! On to the wishlist it goes. =)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes, it sounds great! I'm going to keep it on the list!

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a GREAT review. I so love when I book I don't expect to care for surprises me. BTW: Thanks for the Bookbrowse link, i just joined --it looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow! What an endorsement! A book that you weren't in the mood for ended up being a 5 star book. It sounds fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I only read the beginning of your review because I have this coming up on the TBR and don't want to know too much, but you have definitely made me look forward to it.

    I've starred your review and will come back after I've read the book.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm glad your streak wasn't broken :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a great review. Definitely makes me want to check it out!

    ReplyDelete
  9. This sounds good! On to the wish list it goes. Thanks for the review!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Five stars?! Definitely going on my to-read list.

    ReplyDelete
  11. It's always nice to be surprised by a book - I'm so glad this exceeded your expectations!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love the cover of this book. This sounds like something right up my alley. I love strong women, historical fiction, and great writing. I had never heard of this book or this author, so thank you for posting such a lovely review. I will definitely keep this one on my radar.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow - this is a recommendation I simply can't ignore. It's on my TBR list and I am now quite happily #1 on the library waiting list for it. Thanks for the heads up on this one.

    I've got one coming from bookbrowse that looks interesting (Await your Reply by Dan Chaon). I tried to also get the new Pat Conroy, but didn't get that one.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I recently read the first chapter of this book and rather liked it. There's something so grounded to the writing and I was impressed by how quickly characters were introduced, and properly so. Good to know the rest of the book lives up to the start.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'm not really sure -- did you like it? ;-) What an endorsement!

    ReplyDelete
  16. This does sound good! Don't you just love it when something you don't expect to like blows you straight out of the water?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wendy...Awesome review. I loved this as well. I had to review this for HNR Magazine a while back. I think I posted it on my blog as well. Of course I am limited with number of words for the magazine. But bloggers....Wendy is soooooo right. Read this book you will love it.
    I called it a 5 star also. Fabulous writing, fabulous story. Just awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Just reading the quote from the book I may not have been very tempted by it... The quote isn't bad but it just doesn't scream "my kind of book" but reading your review definitely makes me think twice about it!

    I love it when a book surprises us in a good way don't you? Thank you for such a great review!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Sometimes first impressions don't always fit the bill, do they? I am glad you gave this book a chance and then to top it off, liked it! That's fantastic. It is hard sometimes to capture into words everything we loved about a book and we ramble and try our best but don't feel like we did it justice. I have done the same. But you have shown that there is more to this book than meets the eye!

    ReplyDelete
  20. oooohhh...five stars? Love the plot and I somehow love the name Olivia :)

    There are so many times when our instincts about a book are wrong. And after reading and loving it and finding that you actually love it is definitely a pleasure.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Wonderful review, Wendy! Always feel captive with the way you write your review and given us your view in a place that we never thought to look on the other side.

    Sound like this going to be a good read!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hi Wendy, this sure sounds like a rich book. I'm not into historicals but maybe one day I would like the genre. Well done on the review! :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Oh I hate not being in the mood to read something. If I try to force myself to read it anyway I usually nit pick it apart. Glad you wound up liking it though!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Have I mentioned how much I love your reviews? I'm starring this one so I don't forget about this book!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I'm so happy your "I loved it!" streak continues! =)This one sounds great.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Great review. Sounds like a fascinating read. I had tried for this one at BookBrowse myself. I'll have to get my paws on a copy.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Great review, Wendy! I've read a few good reviews about this book so I'll make sure to pick it up. :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Wow - second great review of this this week - this is definitely going on the list. Glad to know you loved it!

    ReplyDelete
  29. This one's on my wish list too (and I just mentioned your review in my Friday Finds post)!

    ReplyDelete
  30. I was so disappointed to not receive this ARC. So far all I've seen are high recommendations. I'm sure looking forward to it.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Thanks so much everyone for stopping by! I've fallen behind in replying to comments. I feel so terrible about that. I hope you can forgive me for doing one big comment in response.

    Those of you who will be reading this one, I hope you like it even if only half as much as I did. And if you are thinking about reading it, I hope you will!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Wow, 5 stars! That's saying a lot. What a great review Wendy. This book sounds great and has gone on my wishlist.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Fab review Wendy! You convinced me, I added it to my TBR.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Dar & Teddy - Thank you! I hope you will enjoy it if you read it.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Wendy -- loved the review and can't wait to read the book now. Thanks!

    Denise

    ReplyDelete
  36. Denise - Thank you. I hope you do enjoy it!

    ReplyDelete
  37. As a child, I spent three summers inside a little room with about 20 other children listening to Carolyn Wall speak about writing. This was part of an arts day camp in our little town, and I loved Carolyn. Every kid that went through her workshop came out a different person--at the very least, a much better writer. I heard about the publication of this novel, but it is so far down my TBR list at the moment. I wanted a review to see how it went over--I very much appreciate the depth of your review!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Anonymous - What an experience that would have been! I would have loved to be one of those children sitting in her class. I hope you enjoy this book when you get to it.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to visit Musings of a Bookish Kitty. Don't be shy! I would love to hear from you. Due to a recent increase in spam, I will be moderating all comments for the foreseeable future. Please be patient with me as it may take a few hours before I am able to approve your comment.