Set in South Carolina (roughly) near the end of the 1800's, this is the story of Julie, narrated by Julie. By the time she is 16 or 17, she has seen a lot of suffering and worked very hard. She falls in love with Hank, and they get married. They are both very young, and the first year of their marriage is difficult. The book is really about the marriage, as seen through Julie's eyes.

There were times (when Hank gets angry and smacks her) when I was really frustrated and wanted her to just leave the marriage, but then I reflected that a man writing a book set in the late 1800's is not likely to have his heroine ponce off home to her mother in a feminist huff. Once I adjusted my frame of reference, I thought it was an amazing story. It could have been about my great-great grandparents who settled in Eastern Utah about the same time period - minus the flooding. In my Great great grandmother's memoir, she writes about having almost nothing and making shoes for her son out of old boots of her husbands' and not being able to see the stitching because she was crying so hard.

As they struggle with life, hardship and sorrow together, both Julie and Hank grow up a lot and learn about how to make their marriage work. While the ending is not a "perfect" happy ending, it is happy and beautifully done.

“Work ain’t nothing but work.” -Julie
Proof that in the hands of a gifted author and poet you can feel the joy, the pain, the fear and the presence of God in everyday events (even if they are from a different time and place) without resorting to shock, fantasy murder or international conspiracies.

This was a high school read since it took place in NC. I hated it then, Amd reflection has not improved my opinion. There was a bit of the “Precious based on the novel Push, by sapphire” schtick to it. Everything weird and gross and difficult that could happen did and I’m just over that stuff. I mean, I get it, poor white Appalachian dwellers also had it hard. I just don’t care.

And the sex from a woman’s point of view, written by a man, was all too eye roll worthy. I’ll never forget him referring to her first orgasm as “the sweetest little kerchoo” from her middle. No thank you.

Beautifully written telling a story of marriage and day to day work of a rural family in the Carolina mountains. Reading this really takes reader back in time and place and felt was right there with Julie and all the work she did every day and held things together for those around her.

I asked for a really sad book to read and someone recommended this.

It was "sad", but it wasn't my kind of sad. I love books that wrap me up in the characters so that when something tragic happens to them, I feel it too. This book was just sad because life was hard for the characters and they experienced a lot of tough breaks. But I didn't feel anything for the characters... they were pretty flat. And the writing was pretty boring, often taking three pages to describe skinning a hog or something equally high on the "I didn't need to know that" scale.

I don't have a clear set of reasons why I didn't love this book. It seemed needlessly brutal at times, and the relationship between the two main characters didn't work for me. I know that they were going for some kind of "realism" but any book with a dead kid is a hard thing to read. Two dead kids? It's not something I'm going to recommend to my friends. Also, what was with the childbirth scene? I've given birth half a dozen times and it's very apparent the writer does not own a uterus. Note to author: childbirth pain does not run down your spine in multicolored lightning bursts. Even a baby born "sunny side up" is more unbearable spinal pressure than fireworks. Can no more describe it to a man than a man can describe getting racked up to a woman. Sigh.

This book was good in parts, almost exhausting just to read. I found myself zoning out frequently while reading. Maybe just not my type of genre.

I went to Oprah's book club to find some new reads and happened on Morgan. I was attracted to this because it takes place in the Appalachians.

His writing is very poetical and descriptive, with an almost musical lilt to some of his writing. Add to that the country way of speaking that lends a charm of it's own.

"The ground was deep in fresh-fell leaves, and leaves sparkled like they was waxed and oiled. I kicked up a cloud of leaves. I kicked up a fog of new-fell leaves. I kicked away the leaves in front of me like deep fresh snow. Leaves swarmed around my head, clicking as they touched. I waved my arms and swatted them away. I danced with the leaves and made them swirl faster. I laughed out loud and laughed at the top of my voice. I caught leaves in my apron and pitched them away."

Julie is such a strong character, and she helped me feel how hard it was to live and survive back not too long ago. There was lots of work that had to be done, like it or not. And Julie just kept doing the next thing, even when it seemed impossible.

There's a strength in all of us that we'll never realize til we're pushed to our limit and made to pull out every bit of grit and gumption. It's very empowering to get to that point and then through it. It builds you up for the next hard thing you'll have to face.

This book takes you on the journey with Julie.

I read this book years ago and loved it. I forgot the title and searched for it for years. This time, I listened via audiobook. I finished it in less than 24 hours. It's written so well and authentically depicts the grit, strength, and resilience of Applalachians and mountain folk.

depressing AF, and Julie could have done better than marrying the first man that looked at her. ugh.

This is a difficult book for me to review. It is not one I would recommend for everyone. It takes a certain appreciation for all things literary to enjoy this book; as it is certainly not for the faint of heart. The themes are depressing, even over-the-top sometimes, but rather than make one sad, it tends to elicit an appreciation for the ease and conveniences of our post-modern existence. More than anything, it evokes an empathy for the main character. It is not so much about the plot, but about the writing style for me. It is definitely associated with the realism of post-Civil War literature. The characters have difficult lives, incredible hardships, and almost infuriating personality traits, yet there are redemptive qualities as well as moments of sheer bliss derived solely from nature. The elements of naturalism are reminiscent of romanticism in that the only time Julie is at peace or finds comfort is when she is either alone or in nature.

The subtitle is deceiving, because I did not agree it was the story of a marriage, but rather a young woman's tale. The story opens before her marriage, and truthfully,her marriage is just another unfortunate event in her life that leads to further hardships. I did enjoy Morgan's writing style, and plan to read some of his other works for the sake of comparison.

I was looking at the reviews of this book and it seems that it was either loved or hated, with few in between. I am happy to report that I loved it. It takes place around 1900 in Appalachia, both North Carolina and South Carolina. The story is told by 17-18 year old Julie, who is one of the best heroines ever created. She is hardworking, tough, strong, no-nonsense, and loves the outdoors. She finds joy in small things. She marries for love, though she grows up that first year of her marriage. One thing I remember-and it stands out to me as friends and I have had this very discussion-is how disconcerting it is when Julie discovers that of the two of them, she is the stronger mentally.
There is a scene early on in her marriage where her husband slaps her and calls her a “heifer” when she is duped and naively hands over money. That sort of thing is tough to read, and I wish she had spoken up, and I suppose this was more common during this era, but it bothered me. A lot of readers did not like the description of the hog-killing, or the laying out of a dead body, etc. I appreciated these descriptions because it was true to life in this area of the country, and life and living were tremendously difficult. And I suppose the slap was too.
An excellent read, with a main character who is unforgettable in her strength.