

THE FORGIVING KIND by Donna Everhart
“The heart is fertile ground…”
In this masterful new novel, set in 1950s North Carolina, the acclaimed author of The Road to Bittersweet and The Education of Dixie Dupree brings to life an unforgettable young heroine and a moving story of family love tested to its limits.
For twelve-year-old Martha “Sonny” Creech, there is no place more beautiful than her family’s cotton farm. She, her two brothers, and her parents work hard on their land—hoeing, planting, picking—but only Sonny loves the rich, dark earth the way her father does. When a tragic accident claims his life, her stricken family struggles to fend off ruin—until their rich, reclusive neighbor offers to help finance that year’s cotton crop.
Sonny is dismayed when her mama accepts Frank Fowler’s offer; even more so when Sonny’s best friend, Daniel, points out that the man has ulterior motives. Sonny has a talent for divining water—an ability she shared with her father and earns her the hated nickname “water witch” in school. But uncanny as that skill may be, it won’t be enough to offset Mr. Fowler’s disturbing influence in her world. Even her bond with Daniel begins to collapse under the weight of Mr. Fowler’s bigoted taunts. Though she tries to bury her misgivings for the sake of her mama’s happiness, Sonny doesn’t need a willow branch to divine that a reckoning is coming, bringing with it heartache, violence—and perhaps, a fitting and surprising measure of justice .
RECOGNITION for THE FORGIVING KIND
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She Reads chooses THE FORGIVING KIND as their top pick in their Winter Roundup!
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SIBA Trio 2019 selection, song “Lift Me Up,” written and sung by Bruce Greenwood, art by Nikki Kozack. Go to this site to listen to the music and see the art!
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A Deep South Magazine Ten Picks for the New Year
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An Amazon Best Book of the month, February, in “Heart Felt Fiction”
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A BookBub 21 of the Best New Historical Novels coming this winter