Book Review: Bloodroot

I've been reluctant to write this book review, because writing a review forces me to face that I really am finished with this first novel by Amy Greene.

I didn't want Bloodroot to end. I miss it.

Bloodroot is a story of four generations of the Lambs, an Appalachain mountain family both blessed and cursed—literally. They are people who are part of the mountain and yet can't resist, in the later generations, the draw of what's below. The sections are narrated by different pairs of characters in different time periods. This particular layout has a tendency to confuse me in novels, but in this case, Greene does a great job of labeling the chapters and voices.

Greene is a wonderful storyteller, and she obviously has a deep love for and understanding of the mountains and Appalachia. She doesn't paint a picture of happy mountain folk out gathering ginseng. Instead, we see the poverty on the mountain woven in with the love of the mountains, and we see the truth of foster care, alcoholism, abuse, ignorance, and a yearning for something more. She manages to tell satisfying stories about a whole cast of characters, although I would love to read a novel about each individually.

Greene is a lyrical writer who weaves just the right amount of mountain magic into her words. I highly recommend her first novel and look forward to many more.

Other Reviews of Bloodroot
Fiction Addict
This Is This
Life Is Short. Read Fast.
Mostly Fiction
New Dork Review