The Forgiving Kind by Donna Everhart

☆☆☆☆☆
Kindle Edition, 352 pages
Expected publication: January 29th 2019 by Kensington Books
About the Book:
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.

My first read of 2019 and it was an amazing five stars.

The Forgiving Kind was a complex and delightful read. I absolutely adored this book from start to finish. I was immediately pulled in and intrigued by these irresistible characters and couldn’t seem to read fast enough. I wanted to know every little thing about them, especially Sonny, yet I also wanted to savor each and every word of this richly detailed, poignant, and artfully crafted tale.

The writing was smooth and well-paced; while the story was unique, amusing, emotive, and compelling. I relished the ease and comfort in following the narrating voice of Sonny , as well as the colorful depictions and lush descriptions of each scene and person. But it was the characters that held my heart as they were fascinating, well-drawn, knowable, endearingly flawed, and divinely written.

I absolutely loved this book. The Forgiving Kind isn’t just a story, but the recounting of the life of one young woman who overcame adversity, sacrificed her own happiness for the sake of others, and made a place for herself in the world.

Sonny’s life was full of both great sorrow and tremendous joy and that all plays out in the novel. This is a story of discovery, of great caring and friendship, and overwhelming emotion. Sonny struggles to understand her own place in the world and learns to accept that what she thought she knew and wanted may not be what’s best for her in the long run. The Forgiving Kind is a beautifully woven together tale sure to captivate the reader.

The storyline was full of feels and held me captive from page one until the satisfying conclusion. I now feel more than a bit bereft to leave them behind.

Thank you NetGalley, Kensington Books and Donna Everhart for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

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