Book Review: Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge, via NetGalley,  for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it

Synopsis: 

The summer of 1963 begins like any other for nine-year-old Starla Claudelle. Born to teenage parents in Mississippi, Starla is being raised by a strict paternal grandmother, Mamie, whose worst fear is that Starla will turn out like her mother. Starla hasn’t seen her momma since she was three, but is convinced that her mother will keep her promise to take Starla and her daddy to Nashville, where her mother hopes to become a famous singer—and that one day her family will be whole and perfect.

When Starla is grounded on the Fourth of July, she sneaks out to see the parade. After getting caught, Starla’s fear that Mamie will make good on her threats and send her to reform school cause her to panic and run away from home. Once out in the country, Starla is offered a ride by a black woman, Eula, who is traveling with a white baby. She happily accepts a ride, with the ultimate goal of reaching her mother in Nashville.

As the two unlikely companions make their long and sometimes dangerous journey, Starla’s eyes are opened to the harsh realities of 1963 southern segregation. Through talks with Eula, reconnecting with her parents, and encountering a series of surprising misadventures, Starla learns to let go of long-held dreams and realizes family is forged from those who will sacrifice all for you, no matter if bound by blood or by the heart.

Review: This is one of those books where you want to laugh/cry/applaud, many times all at once. You will find yourself cheering for Starla and Eula, and hoping that their bond will make them a family that they need, and should have. There are many Southernisms in the book, that make it ring very true for the time and place. The author got her history right, and it makes for a wonderful book that teaches and it entertains. This is definitely a book to share with your teenager, and to provide for some enlightening discussions.I also highly recommend it for book clubs! 

About the Author: 

Susan Crandall is an award-winning women's fiction, suspense, romance and mystery author. Her first book, Back Roads, won the RITA award for best first book, as well as two National Reader's Choice awards in 2003. She has released eight more critically-acclaimed and award-winning novels since. Her tenth book Whistling Past the Graveyard is due July, 2013 from Gallery Books / Simon & Schuster. She currently lives in Indiana with her husband and two dogs.