Review of Child of the Mountains

Child of the Mountains by Marilyn Sue Shank is the story of a young girl named Lydia who lives in Appalachia. It takes place in the year 1953. Lydia feels pretty lost right now. She has been sent to live with her aunt and uncle. Her father passed away in an accident some years ago. Her mother is currently in jail, for theoretically killing her little brother, BJ, who had cystic fibrosis. Her grandmother has also just passed away. She is angry and confused and turns to her teacher for support and guidance. Along her journey, she also discovers some life-changing family secrets.



The dialect of this book made it difficult for me to read at first. As I went on, either I got used to the dialect or it seemed to be less prominent in the writing. It almost felt like Lydia's use of more proper English improved as the story went on. The dialect is necessary, though, to have a more authentic feel to the book.

I enjoyed reading this book and was able to do so rather quickly. It is a common tale of a girl trying to find herself after tragedy befalls her family. The cystic fibrosis part of the storyline was more unique. I felt like I understood Lydia and some of her anguish. I felt sorry for her.

The book seemed like it just ended, and the story was resolved too easily. I would have liked the final courtroom segment to be fleshed out just a little bit more so that the ending made a bit more sense.



This book is also available for your Kindle.

I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.