Have you ever found yourself praying for a character in a book or movie? That’s what happened to me while reading Fleetie’s Crossing. That means the characters became real people to me! Which is the best kind of book to read, right?
Warning: Fleetie’s Crossing is not the usual Christian book I review on my pages. While there are many God-fearing, kind, and loving Christian characters throughout the story, there is also cursing, even several instances of taking the Lord’s name in vain which I don’t condone. But the author grew up in the mountains surrounding the coal fields in Eastern Kentucky, and a good friend of mine who also grew up in that area told me it is written in the language of the mountains, good or bad. So, since the writing is so good, and the characters are so real, I still want to share it with you.
There are also several hard on the emotions scenes to read, and I don’t want to divulge any more details except the overview on the back of the book: “Fleetie’s Crossing will reveal events and upheavals in the lives of two families who stumbled upon the heartbreak of the beginning of the out-migration in the Appalachians. The devastating results of this period in history,beginning in the late forties, continue to some degree still today. This author has captured the time, place, and events that might otherwise have been lost in the mists of time.”
I hope you will read this book of historical fiction that made that area and time come alive for me!
Author Bio: K. Bruce Florence wears many diverse hats, including mother, grandmother, retired college administrator. church elder and published poet. I am also happy to say she is a friend of mine and we have encouraged one another in the same writing group for years.
Fleetie’s Crossing is available in Kindle and in print on Amazon.com and also at her daughter’s store, Simply Vintage, in downtown Cynthiana on Joe B Hall Ct., where you can sometimes see the author herself!
I also read Fleetie’s Crossing. I grew up in those hills and hollers probably a generation later than the characters in the book . Their trials tribulations and joys were easy to identify with. I found myself thinking of people I knew and seeing them in these characters. For me this book is a joy because it is so realistically portrayed, both in the struggle and the joys. The author, Bruce, has a wonderful writing style that is both relaxing and engrossing. I highly recommend this book.
Thanks for the comments, David Foster. Your words of experience will go a long way in encouraging someone else to read it.
Bruce thanks so much for letting me share your book. Happy writing!
Thank you, Dave. It means so much to hear from folks with an Appalachian background. I had so hoped that I would ‘get it right’. Those American stalwarts deserve that their story be told factually without sterotype. I learned so much in my Appalachian years.
Bruce Florence