Stars of Alabama by: Sean Dietrich
Published by:Thomas Nelson
Genres:Historical Fiction, Southern Fiction
Setting: Alabama
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Pages:352
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With a voice both humorous and heartfelt, Sean Dietrich—also known as Sean of the South—weaves together a tale about the dignity of humanity and the value of enduring hope.
One child preacher traveling across the plains.
One young woman with a mysterious touch.
Two old friends, their baby, and their bloodhound.
And all the stars that shine above them.
When fifteen-year-old Marigold becomes pregnant amid the Great Depression, she is rejected by her family and forced to fend for herself. And when she loses her baby in the forest, her whole world turns upside down. She’s even more distraught upon discovering she has an inexplicable power that makes her both beautiful and terrifying—and something of a local legend.
Meanwhile, migrant workers Vern and Paul discover a violet-eyed baby and take it upon themselves to care for her. The men soon pair up with a widow and her two children, and the misfit family finds its way in fits and starts toward taking care of each other.
As survival brings one family together, a young boy finds himself with nary a friend to his name as the dust storms rage across Kansas. Fourteen-year-old Coot, a child preacher with a prodigy’s memory, is on the run with thousands of stolen dollars—and the only thing he’s sure of is that Mobile, Alabama, is his destination.
As the years pass and a world war looms, these stories intertwine in surprising ways, reminding us that when the dust clears, we can still see the stars.
‘You can control what you know and what you think and what you do. But not who you love.’
‘The Stars of Alabama’ tells the story of multiple characters struggling to survive in the south amid the Great Depression. The stories of various unrelated characters come together to form a beautiful tale of survival and love.
I really love Southern Fiction. It, along with historical fiction, is by far my favorite genre. When the two come together they are always a must-read for me. Sean Dietrich is known for his southern persona and storytelling and this story did not disappoint.
This book has all the things I love, a gritty struggle to make ends meet, strong but endearing characters, all set among the historical south.
I loved Vern and Paul’s story the most. To me, they were the most likable and had the most interesting personalities. I didn’t really connect with Marigold’s character and I really didn’t care much for the supernatural part of her story. I feel like if we had gotten to know her backstory more and how she became a homeless pregnant teen, she would have been a more fleshed-out character.
I was also not a big fan of the ending. I would like to have had more of the loose ends tied up and less ambiguity. I did enjoy the book. I just felt it was lacking something.
This is one of those books that really make you appreciate the things that we have today and appreciate those that came before us. It also brings home the fact that life experiences are more important than having things and happiness is not always in what we can acquire.
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Love Me Some Southern Fiction #StarsofAlabama #Southernfiction Click To Tweet
Instagram tour:
Monday, July 22nd: @whatmeganreads
Tuesday, July 23rd: @storied.adventures
Wednesday, July 24th: @prose_and_palate
Thursday, July 25th: @simplykelina
Friday, July 26th: @_ebl_inc_
Saturday, July 27th: @beritaudiokilledthebookmark
Thursday, August 1st: @sweethoneyandbrei
Review tour:
Monday, July 29th: Kendra Loves Books
Tuesday, July 30th: @books_faith_love and Books.Faith.Love
Thursday, August 1st: Lori’s Reading Corner – spotlight
Monday, August 5th: Audio Killed the Bookmark
Tuesday, August 6th: Book by Book
Thursday, August 8th: Books and Cats and Coffee and @bookncatsncoffee
Friday, August 9th: From the TBR Pile
Monday, August 12th: Girl Who Reads
Monday, August 12th: @thecaffeinated_bibliophile
Monday, August 12th: Well Read Traveler and @wellreadtraveler
Wednesday, August 14th: The Book Return Blog
Thursday, August 15th: @bookishanki
Friday, August 16th: Jathan & Heather
Monday, August 19th: Christian Chick’s Thoughts
Wednesday, August 21st: @angelareadsbooks
Thursday, August 22nd: Treestand Book Reviews
Monday, August 26th: The Sketchy Reader
Wednesday, August 28th: Broken Teepee
TBD: Wednesday, July 31st: Running Through the Storms
About Sean Dietrich
Sean Dietrich is a columnist, podcaster, speaker, and novelist, known for his commentary on life in the American South. His work has appeared in Southern Living, The Tallahassee Democrat, Good Grit, South Magazine, The Bitter Southerner, Thom Magazine, and The Mobile Press Register, and he has authored ten books
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I’m also a fan of southern authors and I didn’t even realize it until I was organizing my shelves- I need to get this one on there, too! Thank you for being on this tour. Sara @ TLC Book Tours