Bloodroot (original 2010; edition 2010)

by Amy Greene

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
793	58	27,857	(3.79)	61
Myra Lamb of Bloodroot Mountain has troubling "haint" blue eyes and a grandma whose touch charms people and animals alike. When their neighbor John Odom tries to tame Myra, he meets a with shocking, violent disaster.

▾Book information

Member:	PattyLouise
Title:	Bloodroot
Authors:	Amy Greene
Info:	Knopf (2010), Edition: 1, Hardcover, 304 pages
Collections:	Your library
Rating:
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Work Information

Bloodroot by Amy Greene (2010)

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Evidence of Things Unseen by Marianne Wiggins (tangledthread)
tangledthread: Part of the setting for Evidence is also Tennessee. Characterizations and writing style are similar.

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Appalachian Fiction Reading List (5)

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▾Member reviews

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Showing 1-5 of 58 (next | show all)

I love books that take place in Appalachia. This book was so well written and follows the family for three generations. (

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dara85 | Jan 7, 2023 |

I am loving this story so far! It was wonderful. (

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Carmentalie | Jun 4, 2022 |

When I heard this book is Southern Gothic with a psychic twist, I knew I had to read it! I hope this is as good as THE FANG FAMILY. (

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AngelaLam | Feb 8, 2022 |

The first few pages are a bit confusing, then this turns into a great gothic novel that I could not put down. A pleasant surprise! (

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Rdra1962 | Aug 1, 2018 |

I started out not liking this book at all--I couldn't stand the dialect in the early pages--but it really grew on me. I thought it was very moving and that the characters were well-drawn. I've read that some people felt there was not enough payoff, but I thought the ending was very poignant. So thumbs up, even if four stars does feel a tiny bit generous. (

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GaylaBassham | May 27, 2018 |

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▾Published reviews

2 reviews

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thingScore 63

In unadorned but assured prose, Greene then takes her readers to the hardscrabble world of foster homes and juvenile detention centers, of life in a blue-collar Appalachian town.

added by Shortride | editThe New York Times Book Review, Lisa Fugard (Feb 14, 2010)

Greene’s novel is undeniably appealing, in the way its weird swirl of Southern Gothic and bleak domestic drama keeps the pages turning. But the overall impression the novel leaves is lacking. Greene is apparently unable to truly confront some of the novel’s darker moments, and is more interested in Appalachia as a sort of mystical Shangri-la.

added by Shortride | editA. V. Club, Todd VanDerWerff (Jan 21, 2010)

▾Other authors

» Add other authors (2 possible)

Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Amy Greene	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Bernstein, Jessie	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Card, Emily Janice	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Heyborne, Kirby	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Lowman, Rebecca	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
McGonagle, Richard	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Raver, Lorna	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

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▾Awards and Honors

Awards

The Morning News Tournament of Books (Short List – 2011)

Weatherford Award (Fiction – 2010)

Distinctions

Booklist Editor's Choice: Adult Books (Fiction – 2010)

Historical Novel Society Editors' Choice (Literary Saga)

Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year (Debut Fiction – 2010)

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Canonical title

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

2010

People/Characters

Important places

Bloodroot Mountain, Tennessee, USA

Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

Tennessee, USA

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

For Adam, Emma, and Taylor

First words

Myra looks like her mama, but prettier because of her daddy mixed in.

Quotations

Myra stared after her for a long time. Like Daddy, she was smittten. But I knew she loved Wild Rose for a different reason than Daddy did. Daddy loved her because she was something different than he was. Myra loved Wild Rose because they were the same. I guess it doesn’t matter why, but both of them loved her better than they loved me.

If I mark time, it's by their birthdays. Not the exact date, because I forget sometimes. But I can tell by the weather, how it smells outside and what's growing out of the ground. One day I'll wake up and there's a charge in the air and I'll know it's the anniversary of their birth.

“Nature never did betray the heart that loved her.” {Wordsworth, Tintern Abbey}

Last words

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Disambiguation notice

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▾References

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▾Book descriptions

Myra Lamb of Bloodroot Mountain has troubling "haint" blue eyes and a grandma whose touch charms people and animals alike. When their neighbor John Odom tries to tame Myra, he meets a with shocking, violent disaster.

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