A story about a young woman during the depression and WWII, although the war is never mentioned. She loses her mother young and marries at 15 then is expected to settle down to a life of drudgery. She has to sneak to learn to drive since women were not smart enough to drive. She is also expected to give up on her dream after marrying. The title may be somewhat misleading. ( )

The Story

In 1933, Velva Jean was a 10 year old girl searching for entry into heaven by being saved in her belief in Jesus Christ. After she is baptized, her life as she knows it begins to crumble around her. Her father leaves the family home and very shortly thereafter her mother dies. She and her brother, Johnny Clay, are soon taken into the Appalachian Mountain home of their older sister, Sweet Fern. Although their father eventually returns, he never takes custody of them and their parenting remains the responsibility of Sweet Fern and her husband.

Velva Jean Hart’s passion is music and she is a beautiful young singer. She dreams of one day singing at the Grand Ole’ Opry. Johnny Clay supports her in this dream and spends his days being Velva Jean’s best friend and companion. Their adventurous ways take them on mountain trails where they meet a cast of different characters. A mysterious man, known as “Wood Carver,” becomes Velva Jean’s unlikely friend. He was an outcast to this small society and believed to have murdered a man. However, Wood Carver is a man with a generous and wise spirit who encourages Velva Jean to follow her heart when she visits him.

At the young age of 15, Velva Jean and Johnny Clay visit a traveling church revival in which Velva Jean recognizes the young preacher to be a boy of the mountains and her youth. His handsome appearance and engaging words entrap Velva Jean in a young love. His attraction to Velva Jean was mutual and within a year she marries the irresistible young preacher, Harley Bright. Their honeymoon is cut short when they receive the telegram that Harley’s mother has passed away. The newlyweds move into Harley’s family home with his moonshine distilling father, Levi.

As major roads are being built into the mountains, tragedy strikes the family. Between the ages of 15 & 18, Velva Jean is a on road of self-discovery, love, and finding the true voice within her… will it drive her all the way to The Grand Ole’ Opry?

The Review

This American family’s story exposes to its readers what life in the Appalachian Mountains was like in the 1930’s before major roadways were built through them and thereby connecting them to the outside world. Our heroine, Velva Jean, exudes the purity of heart and the human desire to make one’s dreams come true. This novel is beautifully descriptive in both the setting and its characters. As such, the reader of this heartfelt novel desires to observe Velva Jean’s happiness materialize.

This book was, for me, more than a plain family saga. It had plenty of unexpected twists and turns in the plot line that enriched the overall story. I enjoyed reading of the days of mining, bootlegging, and riding trains to visit nearby communities. What was difficult for me to relate to, yet completely comprehensible to me, was the thought of dying in the same small town that you were born in… where all of your community members know you, your family, and its legacy. At this time and in places such as these, the expectation of a young woman would be to marry within the locality, have babies, and be satisfied with that life. Women didn’t have the same rights as the men and their place was in the home, with the children, and minding her husband. Cognitively, I am educated to know this as the truth within our history. However, placing that life into my imagination sends my thoughts into sadness. Women were so undervalued and under-utilized for their talents and minds. With my sassy mouth and sharp thinking, I certainly wouldn’t have been experiencing a successful marriage in obedience to my husband had I lived in that time! On the flip side, maybe I wouldn’t have known or thought to be any different.

Like Velva Jean, if a shiny yellow truck sat behind my house unused, I would learn to drive despite what the neighbors, or my husband, might think. As my spirit mirrors hers, I would never let go of my dreams and eventually find my way to achieve them… as long as it takes and no matter how difficult it may seem.

The Rating

On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale,” I am giving Velva Jean Learns To Drive a rating of 8.5 out of 10. The story was brimming with the whispers of the mountains and the private wishes of the heart. There were a few things that I had wished for Velva Jean that she never got to experience, but I believe that Niven did this character great justice in the ending she wrote for her. ( )

In the mountains of western North Carolina, in the 1930s, Velva Jean Hartlives with her extended family in a community rich in folk tradition and seemingly isolated from the outside world. Velva Jean Dreams of one day going to Nashville to sing at the Grand Ole Opry. But Velva Jean's community is not one that people tend to leave. Velva Jean is limited by her age and family situation. With her mother dead and father run off, she is left to the restrictions of her older sister. With age and marriage Velva Jean's dreams of Nashville fade, but she gains a new desire- to learn to drive. This novel follows Velva Jean from childhood into young adulthood. At every turn it seems that Velva Jean is forced to push her dreams aside. Her story is set in Appalachia during the Depression, and we also see the first signs of outside intrusion into these previosuly cloistered communities. The Blue Ridge Parkway is about to be cut through the mountains. Even if it does not cut through their village, the new road will affect the lives of all around it. This was an engaging book, with a complex plotline and characters. A wonderful read. ( )

This book was a little hard to get into at first and yet strangely I could not put it down. We first meet Velva Jean when she is 10 years old and watch as she grows older, marries and has to make a decision about pursuing her dream of singing in the Grand Ole Opry. I had to really get myself into the right frame of mind for this book. It takes place in the early 1930s and continues into the early 40s. So there were a lot of things that I was shaking my head over. I couldn’t believe that it was unseemly for women to drive cars. I had never actually heard that before and would have smacked my husband if he tried to tell me I couldn’t drive a car. But things like this were a part of every day life for Velva Jean. This just makes her dream of singing in the Grand Ole Opry that much more difficult to achieve. This was a time where women were supposed to marry, have children and take care of the family and house hold and be happy with it. The story did pull me in and I loved the cast of characters you meet like her brother, Johnny Clay, the wood carver who is supposed to be some sort of crazy half-animal murderer and Sweet Fern, her sister who has to put her own life on hold in order to take care of her brothers and sister after their mother dies and their father leaves home. Velva Jean’s character often struck me as immature but then I would have to remind myself that she is not even 18 years old yet through most of the book so then I would find myself feeling sorry for her. The ending wraps up quite nicely with her learning the true reason her father left home and we finally learn the decision she makes whether to pursue her dream or pursue the love she has for Harley. ( )

Set in the Appalachian mountains in the 1930’s, Jennifer Niven beautifully portrays the time and place in Velva Jean Learns to Drive. The characters realistically revolve through the years to bring out the strengths in some and weaknesses in others. Highly recommended summer read. ( )