The Coal Tattoo

The last, in publication order, of House's Appalachian trilogy, the action in this novel takes place in the late 1960s, in Kentucky coal country, as the failing industry is beginning to take advantage of "broad form deeds" in which mineral rights were sold for a song generations back. Two sisters, Easter and Anneth Sizemore, have struggled to craft lives without parents since they were teenagers. Their family home is a source of stability for both of them, though they are very different women with nearly incompatible views on what they want from life. Easter, who has taken responsibility for her younger sister all their lives, seems prematurely middle-aged in her mid-twenties, partly for being in loco parentis to a hell-raising show more teenager, and partly for her devotion to her Pentecostal church. Anneth, on the other hand, wants Life, with a capital "L", and rambunctiously makes one mistake after another, while clinging to her home, her faith, and her sister through it all. Having read Clay's Quilt previously made my reaction to the ending of this one quite different, I think, than it would have been if I had read the books in chronological order. I puzzle over House's decision to write them "inside out", as it were...but maybe he did not set out to do it that way. I think, now that all three exist, I would recommend starting with the earliest story, A Parchment of Leaves, and saving Clay's Quilt for last. But DO read them. show less

Sometime during the past year there was a meme going around facebook with a list of the best authors per state. Kentucky had a name I had never heard of! A girl from Bowling Green writing chick lit. I commented, with the many outstanding writers from the Commonwealth it was a travesty to choose a virtual unknown amid greats such as Silas House. And Bobbie Ann Mason, Barbara Kingsolver, Wendall Berry etc etc etc

This book is magic in your hands. You never know what's happening next. You hope it turns out well.

And it does in an unexpected and yet worldly way.

Nothing flashy. Just honest writing enhanced by melodious prose.

I absolutely loved [b:A Parchment of Leaves|54103321|A Parchment of Leaves|Silas House|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1592238395l/54103321._SX50_.jpg|880730], so I went into this novel with great expectations. I was disappointed. It was not a bad novel, but there were flaws and I had some difficulty connecting with the two main characters. I have sisters, five of them, and I have had just about every kind of sisterly relationship you can have, I did not find theirs believable.

The end of the novel saved it to some extent, because it became about something more than this strange relationship between these women. But, that was quite late in coming. I did not, right up to the last page, understand show more what drove Anneth. Little that she did made a bit of sense to me.

I had really looked forward to this novel and will still read his third, [b:Clay's Quilt|51732144|Clay's Quilt|Silas House|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1590434251l/51732144._SY75_.jpg|518136]. I hope it will at least fall between this one and the 5-star novel I began this series with.

For those who loved this novel, and many did, I am happy it worked for you in ways it did not work for me. I gave a lot of thought to how I was left feeling at the end and realized a large portion of the novel was almost DNF material for me and it was only saved by the last quarter. Can’t win them all. show less

Another great book. I loved the interaction of the two sisters and the exploration of family. And the backdrop the the Appalachian mountain culture is beautifully drawn.

Like the other Silas House book I read, I most enjoyed the sense of place House creates in The Coal Tattoo. The writing was good, the story and characters were interesting, but what got me most was the setting.

“The Coal Tattoo” is the third installment in a series by Silas House. This sweet novel is strong enough to stand on its own if you haven't read the first two books in the series, “A Parchment of Leaves” and “Clay's Quilt.” This a story primarily of two very different sisters as they walk through various trials, sometimes successfully and sometimes just by enduring. It is also a reflection of life in a rural area and the influence of coal mining on a community. As lives of the sisters unfolds the reader discovers how events in their past affects the characters present choices and values and leads them to uncover strength within.

This is the third book I've read recently (with My Sister's Keeper & Fall on Your Knees) about sisters--a "good" sister & a "bad" (but good-hearted) one. This one is less plot-driven than the other two, focused more on the sisters' relationship and, even more, on their relationship to their land & heritage in the hills of Kentucky where coal mining dominates. Both aspects are well treated; the "good" sister's on-again, off-again Pentecostal faith seems less fairly treated.