3 of 3 copies available
It takes courage to save yourself...
In the dense pine forests of North Carolina, turpentiners labor, hacking into tree trunks to draw out the sticky sap that gives the Tar Heel State its nickname, and hauling the resin to stills to be refined. Among them is Rae Lynn Cobb and her husband, Warren, who run a small turpentine farm together.
Though the work is hard and often dangerous, Rae Lynn, who spent her childhood in an orphanage, is thankful for it—and for her kind if careless husband. When Warren falls victim to his own negligence, Rae Lynn undertakes a desperate act of mercy. To keep herself from jail, she disguises herself as a man named "Ray" and heads to the only place she can think of that might offer anonymity—a turpentine camp in Georgia named Swallow Hill.
Swallow Hill is no easy haven. The camp is isolated and squalid, and commissary owner Otis Riddle takes out his frustrations on his browbeaten wife, Cornelia. Although Rae Lynn works tirelessly, she becomes a target for Crow, the ever-watchful woods rider who checks each laborer's tally. Delwood Reese, who's come to Swallow Hill hoping for his own redemption, offers "Ray" a small measure of protection, and is determined to improve their conditions. As Rae Lynn forges a deeper friendship with both Del and Cornelia, she begins to envision a path out of the camp. But she will have to come to terms with her past, with all its pain and beauty, before she can open herself to a new life and seize the chance to begin again.
"Fans of Sarah Addison Allen won't be able to put it down."
—Booklist
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
January 25, 2022 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781496733337
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781496733337
- File size: 3818 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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December 15, 2021
When Rae Lynn's good but clumsy husband, Warren, is injured, she takes on the burden of a desperate act of mercy. To stay out of jail, she disguises herself as Ray Cobb and flees to work at a turpentine camp named Swallow Hill. Meanwhile, drifter and playboy Del is working on a farm when the owner finds him in a compromising position with his wife. As payback, the owner gives Del a dangerous task, and Del has a near-death experience that changes him forever. Soon after, he, too, flees to Swallow Hill. But Swallow Hill is a horrific place--at least, as long as Crow, a woods rider, is there to inflict atrocious punishments on workers for his enjoyment. As Rae becomes Crow's latest victim of cruelty, she forms bonds with others that might free them all. The distinctive setting of the turpentine camps in the South during the Great Depression will make an imprint on readers, just as the characters of Rae Lynn and Del do. Fans of Sarah Addison Allen won't be able to put it down.COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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December 30, 2021
During the Great Depression, some who are desperate for work end up at the Swallow Hill Turpentine Camp in Georgia. It's hard work tapping the pine trees for the resin that will make turpentine, but Del Reese needs a new job after getting caught sleeping with his former employer's wife. Rae Lynn Cobb is also on the run after killing her husband and gets a job at the camp by pretending to be a man. Crow, a sadistic boss, has it in for Del and Rae Lynn, who are white, since he takes offense to them working with Black colleagues. After rescuing Rae Lynn from one of Crow's horrific punishments and then finding out she's a woman, Del soon begins to fall for her. Cornelia, whose abusive husband owns the camp commissary, nurses Rae Lynn back to health, and they agree to join Del at his family homestead in North Carolina, where they slowly begin to contemplate a better future. VERDICT Everhart's (The Moonshiner's Daughter) latest Southern historical novel is full of tragedy and abuse with characters who initially aren't easy to like, but the story becomes much more appealing as Del and Rae Lynn grow into protagonists to root for, in a unique setting.--Melissa DeWild, Comstock Park, MI
Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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