The Saints of Swallow Hill: A Fascinating Depression Era Historical Novel

by Donna Everhart

Book Overview

Where the Crawdads Sing meets The Four Winds in this Depression-era historical fiction novel set in the turpentine camps and pine forests of the American South.

A captivating story of friendship and survival as the lives of three vagabonds intersect in rural Georgia and North Carolina.

It takes courage to save yourself...

In the dense pine forests of North Carolina, turpentiners labor, hacking into tree trunks to draw out the sticky sap that gives the Tar Heel State its nickname, and hauling the resin to stills to be refined. Among them is Rae Lynn Cobb and her husband, Warren, who run a small turpentine farm together.

Though the work is hard and often dangerous, Rae Lynn, who spent her childhood in an orphanage, is thankful for it--and for her kind if careless husband. When Warren falls victim to his own negligence, Rae Lynn undertakes a desperate act of mercy. To keep herself from jail, she disguises herself as a man named "Ray" and heads to the only place she can think of that might offer anonymity--a turpentine camp in Georgia named Swallow Hill.

Swallow Hill is no easy haven. The camp is isolated and squalid, and commissary owner Otis Riddle takes out his frustrations on his browbeaten wife, Cornelia. Although Rae Lynn works tirelessly, she becomes a target for Crow, the ever-watchful woods rider who checks each laborer's tally. Delwood Reese, who's come to Swallow Hill hoping for his own redemption, offers "Ray" a small measure of protection, and is determined to improve their conditions. As Rae Lynn forges a deeper friendship with both Del and Cornelia, she begins to envision a path out of the camp. But she will have to come to terms with her past, with all its pain and beauty, before she can open herself to a new life and seize the chance to begin again.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1496733320
• ISBN13: 9781496733320
• Release Date: January 2022
• Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.6" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Shines a light on a lesser-known slice of Southern history. Easy, short read.

Venturing into Southern fiction, I discovered "The Saints of Swallow Hill." It's a novel that is based during the Great Depression era in Georgia and the Carolinas - a region I was not familiar with before. I wasn't even sure where the name "tar heel" came from before reading this book. The Saints of Swallow Hill is a bit of a slow burn. It's rich in details about the Great Depression and the turpentine industry. The book reveals the harsh realities of the era while also being a story of survival, healing, and coming to terms with one's past. The true brilliance of Donna Everhart's writing lies in the atmospheric setting and immersive world she builds. Yet, the pacing occasionally hindered my engagement. There were sometimes lengthy stretches where the story slowly progressed. Many pages are spent where not much is going on. The predictability of the ending also left me wanting more. 3.5/5. Rounded to 4/5.