Appalachian Song

Title: Appalachian Song
Author: Michelle Shocklee
Major Themes: Adoption, Midwifery, Appalachian Mountains
Synopsis: When a pregnant, injured girl lands on Bertie Jenkins’ doorstep, she and her sisters quickly realize the Lord has brought someone to them that needs all the love and support they can give.

One fun discovery in recent years is that I love books set in the Appalachian Mountains. When I saw Appalachian Song coming up, and especially after reading the description, I knew I wanted to read it. It sounded like the perfect mixture of history and mystery, with a decent dose of family-oriented story, as well, all of which I love. I couldn’t wait to dive in when the book landed in my inbox!

In 1943, middle-aged midwife Bertie Jenkins lives with her four sisters on the homestead their father built for the family years ago. She’s had the privilege of delivering many babies in their area, and hopes to continue—although some people are saying she’s getting too old to do a good job now. When a young girl stumbles onto the family property, pregnant and injured, she and her sisters do their best to help her—but keeping her hidden from those who want to hurt her might be difficult.

In 1973, young midwife Reese Chandler loves her job as she serves the community around her—hippies, Amish, and other people, helping to bring their babies into the world. As an adoptee, she’s especially passionate about helping people who have to give up their children for adoption or advocating for those who have been adopted. When well-known country singer Walker Wylie arrives on her doorstep, asking her to help him find information about his adoption, she realizes he needs the support through his grief and questions that she needed while working through hers. But with the state of Tennessee’s adoption records sealed, is there any hope they can find the answers he needs?

Unlike many books I read, I was sucked into Appalachian Song from nearly the first page. Both timelines were well-formulated and gripping, and I couldn’t wait to see how they came together (although there are some fairly broad clues from the beginning). Adoption is a subject that is close to my heart, so I love books that feature adoptees and their challenges as they try to come to grips with their stories. I also find midwifery intriguing, and loved that aspect of the story. Then there are a few scenes with hippie characters, a movement my grandparents came out of, the historical context of World War II, and the way adoptions were handled in Tennessee for many years. The history, the way this book was written, the characters, and the dash of mystery made for an intriguing, gripping story.

Somewhere around the half to two-thirds mark, however, I realized my excitement for the story was waning. It was all well written, but somehow the story went from something fresh and new to something almost predictable. I wouldn’t call it boring, because it was still a fun, gripping, well-put-together read, but I didn’t find it as compelling as the book’s first half. Honestly, it was a little disappointing, because I loved the first half of the story!

Overall, Appalachian Song is another good Christian fiction book. I loved the faith element of the story, and how the characters had to grow in their faith as things progressed. I adored Rubie and her devotion to the Lord. I also loved the glimpse into farm life in the Appalachians in the 1970s—although there were a few things that didn’t seem quite realistic to me, there were some hilarious scenes involving someone from the city finding themselves on a backwoods farm! I also loved how relatable some of the characters were, and couldn’t help but admire Songbird. I wish I could be half as courageous as she was! I enjoyed this glimpse into an era I haven’t read much of, and I hope I can read other Michelle Shocklee books in the future.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.

WARNING: “Good gracious” is used in ch. 1 and 14; jeepers is used in ch. 3; “I’ll be hanged” is used in ch. 8 and 18; doggone is used in ch. 9 and 19; “thank goodness” is used in ch. 10 and 12; “land sakes” is used in ch. 12; “what in tarnation” is used in ch. 13 and 18; swear is used in ch. 19; someone is called “you lyin’ piece of dung” in ch. 19; “dear Lord in heaven” is used as an exclamation in ch. 22; goodness is used in ch. 24, 30, 31, and the epilogue; geez is used in ch. 29; gosh is used in ch. 31; and characters talk about a lie told in the past in ch. 29. A girl is shot in ch. 1. In ch. 6, there is a reference to a woman being a witch, practicing spells, and making potions (this is mentioned a couple of other times, too). There is an attempted kidnapping and someone is held at gunpoint in ch. 18. A woman almost bleeds to death in ch. 22 and 23. Several times throughout the book, there are descriptions of mothers in labor. In the prologue, a couple commits fornication (no description, it just says “[he] loved me”); this is referred to again in ch. 6 and 20. In ch. 3, and a couple of times later, a character thinks about a woman who had an affair with a married man. Women’s monthlies are mentioned in ch. 6, 9, and 15. A baby is stillborn in ch. 9. In ch. 20, there is a mention that someone was almost forced to abort her baby, and in ch. 21, someone wonders if a woman wasn’t poisoned. An unmarried couple holds each other or touches in ch. 23 and 28, and kisses in ch. 31. There is a scene where someone prophesies over a dead person, and they come back to life. A woman talks about how she married a divorced man in ch. 30. 

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