The thing about Mary Alice Monroe's books is that you always learn something. Sometimes it's about loggerheads, sometimes about birds of prey. Sometimes it's about heritage and tradition, as well as preserving the beauty of this wonderful lowcountry. That's why I always snap up her books-- the stories are the vehicle, at times almost incidental (though always well charactered and well told) to share this wonderful place with the world. Thank you, Mary Alice.

From the Publisher

Sweetgrass is a historical tract of land in South Carolina that has been home to the Blakely family for eight generations.

But Sweetgrass -- named for the indigenous grass that grows in the area -- is in trouble. Bulldozers are leveling surrounding properties. and the Blakelys could be forced to sell the one thing that continues to hold their disintegrating family together. For some of the Blakelys, the prospect of selling Sweetgrass is bittersweet -- for others, it is completely unimaginable. But as they find the strength to stay and fight, they realize that their bond as a family is all they need to stay together. ( )

A Carolina Lowcountry story of a family keeping their emotions knotted up tighter than the sweetgrass baskets made by their former housekeeper. Family patriarch Preston Blakely has suffered a devastating stroke leaving him unable to talk. It happens at a time when it seems as if the Blakelys will be losing the home that has been in the family for generations. For Mama June that prospect is bittersweet as she has known joy and heartache on the place that has divided her family. She must dive deep into herself to find the strength to keep going and fight for her family. ( )

This book made me cry on more than one occasion. I loved the strong characters, especially Mama June, and their real relationships with one another. I especially enjoyed Preston and Mama June’s relationship and Morgan’s relationship with Preston. These characters aren’t just on paper but I could see them and I wanted to be their friends. Her descriptions of the Low Country can actually bring alive the sounds and smells of this area, rich in tradition and history.

Sweetgrass was heartfelt without being too over the top, and heart-wrenching without being depressing. ( )

Booklist
When his domineering father, Preston, suffers a stroke, environmentalist Morgan reluctantly returns to help run Sweeetgrass, the aging family plantation, even though he said he'd never go back to South Carolina after guilt over his older brother's death made him flee to Montana. Mary June, Morgan's mother, has grown estranged from her husband, but his stroke causes her to take a hard look at their past. Amid all this emotional chaos, Morgan's Aunt Adele is trying to force them to sell Sweetgrass to developers. Once again, Monroe, author of Skyward (2003), makes expert use of metaphors as she weaves the story of the region's Sweetgrass baskets into the story, and subtly addresses the urgent need to protect the environment. ( )

I admit, I bought this book for its absolutely gorgeous cover. Little did I know, there was a heartfelt family saga inside, just waiting to be read.

There have only been a few books I've read over the last couple of years that had such great characters with integrity and reality. I loved "meeting" each one of them, and I will carry them with me long after I lend this book to a friend.

The illness that befell Preston was very sad, but it lent such warmth and hope to the story. Morgan was a story within himself, as was Mary June. The novel reveals that, although families aren't perfect, family members are the reeds that are lives woven like one, great, big, wonderful sweetgrass basket. ( )