Dot Jackson (1932–2016)

Historical fiction about life in the Appalachians, primarily in the late 1920’s to 1940’s. A young mother living in Charleston takes her two children and leaves her abusive husband to find her deceased father’s relatives in the Carolina mountains. Mary Seneca Steele moves into an old abandoned house and develops a romantic relationship with a cousin. It is a story of love, land, family, and finding a sense of home. This book is based on a real situation from the author’s family history, what she calls “an adventure of the heart.”

Mary Seneca has never experienced the type of support network she finds in this small mountain region. She develops an immediate rapport with her extended family. She strives to find her place in the world and struggles to live off the land. She watches her children adapt to a new life. The people in the area help them learn the necessary skills. It portrays an authentic sense of community.

The characters are vivid. I especially enjoyed Aunt Panama (also called Panammer or Nam), a woman in her eighties with a feisty, no-nonsense, take-charge personality. The dialect is not too severe, but enough to provide a flavor for the language of the area. The beginning, middle, and climax of the novel are extremely well-crafted. The ending chapters are not quite as strong, trailing off through the end of Mary Seneca’s life. It is too bad this work is not more widely known. It is wonderful piece of writing.
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Born into Charleston society, Mary Seneca Steele is devastated by the loss of her father at a young age. His stories and music from his childhood in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina were what made her childhood magical. After her marriage becomes unbearable, Mary Sen takes her children and husband's new car and sets off to find the family she knows from her father's tales. Waiting for her in NC is a way of life she seems born for. She is drawn into a family that loves and supports, but ultimately seems destined for disaster as history keeps repeating itself. The dialect and description of this hard scrabble life as the Great Depression and World Wars change the world come to life in Dot Jackson's capable hands. Long after the last page, these people and this place will stay with you. I came by this book late, but I cannot recommend it any higher.… (more)