∎ Download A Land More Kind Than Home A Novel Wiley Cash Books

A Land More Kind Than Home A Novel Wiley Cash Books

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A Land More Kind Than Home A Novel Wiley Cash Books

I don't know why I ordered this book. I don't usually like gothic novels, much less Southern Gothic novels. I'm also not particularly into mysteries. But I'm so glad I bought it - and read it. Without diminishing the Southern and Gothic qualities of this book, there is a sweetness and a sincerity to it. The prose is simple and straightforward, and for that and other reasons it comes across as eminiently real and believeable and, despite its narrow focus, it contains some universal truths. I hope that Mr. Cash continues to write and that he expands his reach into other areas. Based on this book, i suspect his reach will not exceed his grasp.


Tags : Amazon.com: A Land More Kind Than Home: A Novel (9780062088147): Wiley Cash: Books,Wiley Cash,A Land More Kind Than Home: A Novel,William Morrow,0062088149,Literary,Brothers,Brothers;Fiction.,Fundamentalists,Fundamentalists;Fiction.,North Carolina,North Carolina;Fiction.,Suspense fiction,AMERICAN FIRST NOVELISTS,FICTION Literary,FICTION Small Town & Rural,FICTION Thrillers Suspense,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction-Literary,GENERAL,General Adult,Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945),United States

A Land More Kind Than Home A Novel Wiley Cash Books Reviews

Told in alternating chapters from three different viewpoints, A Land More Kind Than Home is a strong mystery, a lyrical evocation of place, and a heartbreaking family story.

An elderly woman named Adelaide Lyle introduces us to the little flyspeck of a town about an hour north of Asheville, North Carolina, and its church with the papered-up windows. Why doesn't Pastor Carson Chambliss want anyone to see inside the old storefront that houses his church? And why did such a deeply religious woman as Adelaide Lyle stop attending?

We next hear from Jess Hall, a little boy fervently attached to his older brother, and finally the local sheriff, Clem Barefield, shares what he knows. The focus of this book starts out soft and misty, but as we learn the story from these three people with their vastly different ages and life experiences, that focus sharpens dramatically-- and a feeling of dread begins to grow.

One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was the fact that the story wasn't all spelled out for me. An old woman who doesn't get out much isn't going to see everything that goes on. A little boy may see many things that he can't understand or put words to. And a sheriff may have suspicions but no cold, hard facts to back them up. I had to piece everything together from these three narratives, and Cash's writing style made the work a pleasure. But for some strange reason, I couldn't come completely under the spell of his story or of his characters. I'm at a loss to explain it. The closest I can come is to say that I felt as though I'd read this story before. The particulars may be different, but the basic story is very familiar. Will this keep me from reading more of Wiley Cash's work? Absolutely not! And if you're in the mood for a mystery that's strong on setting, suspense, and characterization, I urge you to read A Land More Kind Than Home.
Amazing read. The story unfolds through the point of view of 3 character-narrators--a 9 year-old boy that inadvertently sets tragedy in motion, an elderly woman of wisdom and compassion, and a veteran sheriff with his own regrets. The author helpfully signals the transition from one point of view to the next by including the character's name at the top of each transitional chapter. Although it's a story of tragedy, it's also one of healing and redemption.
This book is so darn good! Excellent story and some of the best writing I have read in a long time. The writing was tight--not a word wasted. My heart was racing and I was on the edge of my seat for parts of this book. Mr. Cash handles multiple narrators and moves back and forth in time like a pro. I believe this is his first book. Amazing!
The story takes place in the mountains of North Carolina in the mid-1980's. It is narrated by an elderly woman, a young boy, and the 60-ish town sheriff. The voice of each narrator is different and believable. The story revolves around a secretive fundamentalist church with a sketchy preacher. People die there. A faith healing on a developmentally disabled mute boy goes terribly wrong. The consequences for his family and the town are deep and tragic. To say more would ruin the plot.
I ate this book up! I talk about it to anyone who will listen. Read this book! You won't be sorry. (I'm carrying on like I am related to the writer. I'm not).
This book is intense. Very intense. I found I couldn't read it for more than an hour at a time because it just tore my heart in two. Masterfully written by Wiley Cash, this is the story of two brothers, Stump (Christopher) and Jess, who live on a tobacco farm in a valley of mountainous western North Carolina. Their mother, Julie, belongs to a Pentecostal-snake-handling church. Unadulterated evil emanates from the church and its pastor, invading the souls of its parishioners—something only Jess appears able to see. To tell more of the story would be a spoiler.

Each chapter is told in the first person by one of three characters who are most intimately involved in the plot—the 80-something-year-old church matriarch, 9-year-old Jess and the county sheriff—a literary technique that fully brings the characters to life. We readers are able to climb into the story through their personas.

This is a literary masterpiece. It is a powerful lesson in betrayal and greed, forgiveness and family, good and evil, and—in the end—an abiding hope in God. It will invade your soul and hang on. It will make you cry. It will make you think. It may even haunt your dreams. "Gripping" doesn't even begin to describe it. All I can say is this Read it.
I don't know why I ordered this book. I don't usually like gothic novels, much less Southern Gothic novels. I'm also not particularly into mysteries. But I'm so glad I bought it - and read it. Without diminishing the Southern and Gothic qualities of this book, there is a sweetness and a sincerity to it. The prose is simple and straightforward, and for that and other reasons it comes across as eminiently real and believeable and, despite its narrow focus, it contains some universal truths. I hope that Mr. Cash continues to write and that he expands his reach into other areas. Based on this book, i suspect his reach will not exceed his grasp.