Bloodroot by Amy Greene

Photo Credit: Rutland Free Library

Summary:

Bloodroot Mountain is both remote and beautiful. It only makes sense that a place so wild and resilient would be home to people just like it. At the heart of this story is Myra. We learn about her childhood from her grandmother, her adolescence from her friend, her married life from none other than herself, and her motherhood from her children. Her wicked husband even has a few things to say later in life. Myra comes from a family of witches. Some even believe her bloodline is cursed, but Myra seems above all this useless gossip. In her own unique way, she is mysterious and lovely, just like the mountain she calls home.

Comments:

With its band of such colorful, diverse narrators, this book will enrapture you. I might have been skeptical at first, but soon I realized I was eagerly anticipating the chapter where Myra gets to tell her own story. My favorite narrators, by far, were her children— especially Laura. It’s difficult to explain why I love Laura so much without giving too much away, so I’ll leave it at that. I will say that if you become invested in the children’s lives, you’ll be hanging on the edge until the second to last page. I’m serious. There are 365 pages in the paperback edition and as I neared the final pages, I was becoming increasingly upset. I thought Greene might do the unthinkable and leave a very important part of the story open-ended. Mercifully, she did not, and on page 364 you’ll find the real reward of the story.

The Point:

It’s an original story of both triumph and failure through poverty and tyranny; through the confines of being human and the wildness of being free. I recommend it to anyone.