A Parchment of Leaves

August 5, 2002
House offers a poignant, evocative look at the turmoil that plagues a rural Kentucky family during WWI in his solid second novel, which begins when Saul Sullivan takes a shine to a mysterious, beautiful Cherokee woman named Vine. Courtship quickly leads to marriage and a newborn girl named Birdie, but trouble surfaces when Saul's younger brother, Aaron, an unfocused dreamer who longs for a more fulfilling life than his country existence as a laborer, also becomes attracted to Vine. Aaron's opportunity to express his longings comes when Saul leaves to work at a logging camp, hoping to provide some luxuries for his family while supporting the war effort. Vine spurns Aaron's initial advances and manages to drive him away, but the younger brother returns with a young mixed-race bride from East Tennessee who looks exactly like Vine, and soon he is drinking heavily and exercising his formidable temper on his newly pregnant wife. Saul returns briefly to try to straighten out his brother but, when he departs, Aaron turns his attentions on Vine again, who shoots Aaron after he rapes her and goes after Birdie, then buries the body on top of a mountain near the family homestead. A slightly more original story line would have made this an exceptional novel, but House's lovely storytelling, graceful prose, strong characters and his feel for Southern rural life distinguish it. Agent, ICM. (Oct. 18)Forecast:Solid local sales are the bedrock on which this novel's success will rest, but strong reviews, a 15-city author tour and House's NPR connection (he is a frequent contributor) are certain to broaden House's audience.

September 15, 2002
In 1917 rural Kentucky, a young Cherokee woman named Vine, rumored to cast spells on unsuspecting men, falls in love with local Irishman Saul Sullivan, whom she eventually marries. This second novel by Appalachian writer House (Clay's Quilt) tells the story of Vine and Saul's tender relationship and the prejudice they face and eventually overcome. While Vine was not raised according to Cherokee customs, she is still aware of being seen as an outsider when she leaves her Cherokee community to be with her husband. People are drawn to her gentle and generous personality, however, and soon she forms enduring friendships with her hard-working mother-in-law, Esme, and feisty and independent midwife Serena. When World War I erupts and Saul temporarily takes a better-paying job far from home, Vine finds herself trying to ward off the unwanted advances of Saul's restless younger brother, Aaron, who declares his own love for Vine. A deep respect for the natural world and the enduring spirit of the human heart are what make this book worth reading and remembering. Recommended for all fiction collections.-Maureen Neville, Trenton P.L., NJ

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2002
In the follow-up to his much-acclaimed debut, " Clay's Quilt" [BKL Mr 1 01], House returns to his Kentucky mountain setting. The year is 1917, and a beautiful Cherokee woman named Vine falls in love with and marries Irishman Saul Sullivan. She must relocate to God's Creek, leaving her people behind on Redbud Mountain, and she is deeply homesick. She keeps busy by building her new house and figuring out just what kind of man she has married. She meets Serena, a profane, raucous midwife, and gives birth to a fragile daughter she names Birdie. Vine is content until she realizes that her brother-in-law is obsessed with her; she tries to tell Saul but gets nowhere. When Saul takes work at a distant sawmill, Aaron grows bolder and becomes violent. Vine is not sure she will be able to save her marriage. This is a moving love story set against a stunningly beautiful background, and House seems to capture it all--the deep emotion, the love of land, the customs of mountain people--in quietly eloquent prose.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)