Appalachian Justice (Cedar Hollow Series Book 1)

Events unravel bringing the story to a dramatic conclusion and affecting a number of the town's families. This book skips between the 40's, and , where Billy May who is now in her 80s is in hospital.

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She recounts her story and we gradually find out what actually happened to change many lives as a result of one incident. We also find out whether Billy May gets any justice for what has happened to her. I'm not usually the sort of person who cries reading books I think I can count the ones that have affected me in that way on one hand but this one had me in tears. I was so moved by everything that had happened to Billy May, and the way in which the story reaches it peak in the 70s. To start with I wasn't sure about the author's use of lots of apostrophes to recreate the Billy May's manner of speech, but once I got into it I felt it actually helped me better imagine her and get closer to the character.

The story is very sad, one of prejudice, abuse and ignorance yet with all the threads tied up and knowing how everything turned out, seeing the good in people as well as the bad, it was strangely uplifting.

In places Billy May is reading a book about a seagull and the excerpts reflect a story very similar to hers. I thought it was a very clever device to readdress the issues in a more simple way and emphasise them. I love this book and really didn't want to put it down. In fact I'm kind of sad to have finished it. I think this will be a book that stays with me and one I'll probably re-read in the future. If it sounds even vaguely interesting to you get a copy! I really enjoyed this novel. Though it deals with sexual abuse and I tend to shy away from novels with this topic, the premise and the delicacy with which Clayton treats it made the story an enticing must read.

I love I really enjoyed this novel. I loved the depiction of all the characters, and though I hated some of them due to their treatment of women and those around them in general, I have to say that Clayton wrote all her characters to be extremely convincing, and I just loved the believability of the dialogue through the dialect. Clayton does such an amazing job with her characters that my hatred was palpable on many an occasion, as was my fear for Billy May and the other abused women of the story. I cheered aloud when everything came to a head and the smoke cleared… Clayton really did a great job.

To see my full review: Just started this one. Found it by accident on Goodreads and the reviews are great. Also the Amazon reader reviews are 5-star as well. Loved, loved, loved this book. Where do I start? The only downside to the setting is that people who read this book will think that West V Just started this one. The only downside to the setting is that people who read this book will think that West Virginia is just as it is portrayed in this book, and that West Virginia is nothing but coal miners and hicks.

As Billy May, the lead character, would say: Them hicks is everywhere. The author lets Billy May use the language that she would actually have used, had she been a real person. Well you get the picture. But it wasn't overdone. A young girl in the '40's gets caught in a romantic embrace with another young girl. The rest of the story details what happens to her as a result of being found out. Needless to say, homophobia was alive and well in a small WV mining town in the '40's. The bonus of the book is that it is generational; the reader gets a glimpse of what took place in Cedar Hollow, WV, before the opening of the story, and what happens as Billy May ages to nearly There is a sequel which I have already downloaded to my Kindle.

Billy May Platte, the main character, is a marvel — broken but rebuilt, wise, fearless The characters are all real and honest, the bad guys make your skin crawl, and the good guys are flawed enough to be interesting. The author makes good use of time and place — the starkness of the mountain and the isolation of the village really put you in the heart of things. But the main attraction here is Billy May herself. When she is speaking, the story really comes alive, not only because her accent is dead on, but you can hear the yearning in her voice.

I was rooting for her the whole way. For my full review, see Boomers and Books - http: Billy May from the time when her dad died in the mines to her death and everything in between. It shows the ugly side of people as well as the compassionate side. It also has the lesson that people will help if you let them in. I have to confess I love the format that this story is written in. Sifting through her memories is like reading a diary. The characters are well rounded and they jump at you throughout the story. When she is remembering the mountain itself you can picture it in your mind very easily.

There were times especially toward the end that I felt I was there. Melinda Clayton did a wonderful job and I hope to read more of her work. Delight hardly seems the right word for a book that deals with such horrific abuse.

Appalachian Justice

But this book does delight on so many levels. First, for the brilliant writing including the wonderful way Clayton captures the accent and mannerisms of speech. Secondly, for the beautiful rendition of love on many levels. Thirdly for showing strong but flawed characters as well as the terribly flawed with such realism that we can believe they exist even when we don't want them to. A beautiful book in all respect Delight hardly seems the right word for a book that deals with such horrific abuse. A beautiful book in all respects but one.

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I would have preferred a cleaner ending--one that wasn't quite so detailed and Pollyannish This book was an intriguing read, and it shows just how much hate can cost. What a beautifully written story. Melinda grabs you by your heart and leads you through the life and times of Billy May Platte and doesn't let you go.

This is a poignant and totally engrossing story with well developed characters that will break your heart and then heal it leaving memories that are not truly your own. Billy May's story and strength of character will stay with me forever. I highly recommend this book. This is one of though books that most readers find thereselves torn on whether to download or not. I tell you not to be afraid and to tell those who snicker to read it themselves.

Melinda does a superb job of telling a side of a story we tend to ignore in a place that is seldom thought of. I applaud her book and challenge all who read this interview to sample the book. You will sample, read This is one of though books that most readers find thereselves torn on whether to download or not. You will sample, read and then buy.

Being a "mountain" book, this had my attention before I opened it! But with the first page, the setting, the characters, and the writing all grabbed and wouldn't let go til I finished. The book's meandering through 3 different time periods is superbly done and is used to build incredible suspense and to weave a beautiful but at times disturbing love story.

Billy May is one of those amazing characters you must meet! This is one for more than 5 stars for me!

The Cedar Hollow Series: Books 1-4

The tale she weaves brings Cedar Hollow and its mountain to life in brilliant and horrifying color. Melinda Clayton does such a rich job with the character you can hear her speaking plain as day by the end of her first chapter and her voices resonates long after she leaves the pages of the book behind. Other characters in the book are just as deeply drawn out, especially the antagonist who will make your skin crawl, almost literally. Appalachian Justice is a tale of the cost of prejudice, the value of love and the price of courage. It is the story of everyday characters who happen to be settled in the Appalachian mountains during a period of time from the forties through modern day, though the vast majority of the story covers two critical times, one, a single day in the life of Billy May Platte that would change her forever, the other a few critical weeks, in the lives of four families that will once again change the face of the small mountain town and the lives of those living in it.

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Appalachian Justice is visceral, reaching out to grab your emotions and senses from the first pages until the last. The tension is well-developed growing exponentially until it finally reaches the breaking point. It is a wonderful debut album for Melinda Clayton and deserves to be read by every family trying to teach tolerance and the cost of prejudice. This is the first time I've read any of Melinda Clayton's work, but will definitely not be the last. I like her storytelling style and her ability to create believable characters, a sense of place and time. She has been added to my preferred authors list.

Addressing the criticisms by other reviewers: Billy May's possible lack of a 'true Appalacian' dialect can easily be attributed to having been raised by an Irish father and Chorekee mother. If you are uncomfortable with stories that deal with homosexuality, spousal and sexual abuse make sure you read a blurb closely. From the description, it is clear that this was not going to be story about the purity of human beings.

For those who say the book does not describe the Applachia they know, just be grateful you have not encountered situations like those in the book. Abuse of this sort does not repect geography, demographics or historical period.

The setting simply provides the environmental background of small town where everyone knows your business, while the mountains made it easy for Billy May to isolate herself. It is a fictional story, not an indictment of nor commentary on Applachian people as a whole. Regarding the assertions of biased depictions of men and women, this is a story about how an individual's behaviour creates another's perception of what sort of person they are.

With this narrative being from the perspective of the survivor of their abuse, the primary antagonists are, unsurprisingly, portrayed as horrible men, giving them any redeeming qualities would not have made their attitudes and actions any less abhorent. Not all the men in this story are portrayed negatively. Most of them seem to know that something terrible happend to Billy May but don't know what or only have suspicions.

Once these men discover the truth, their unconditional condemnation and the swiftness with which they take action to prevent further harm speaks volumes about their strength of character. Similarly, the female characters are depicted as having plenty of strength when neccessary but with ample tendency to take the easiest, but not always the right, path when encountering difficulties.

I found all the primary characters to highly credible. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. I purposely sought out the 1 star reviews just to see what anyone could possibly find wrong with this book. One disagreed with the portrayal of the area, and the other didnt like the content. That doesnt make a bad book, that makes the book not your type of book. Yes, there are graphic passages in this book, but believe it or not people, this stuff happens!

Just because you dont like it doesnt mean its unbelieveable. Of course, this is fiction. If you dont like the synopsis of the story, stick to romance.

Books by Melinda Clayton

These are stand alone books, no need to read book 2 if you dont want to. Book 1 completes this portion of the story, and what a story it was!!!!! I believe I saw 2 typographical errors, but those dont bother me as much as they do some grammar nazis. The characters are the type where you fall in love with them and care what happens to them well, some of them, heh. It does bounce back and forth from past to present the first half of the book, which was a little confusing because the book purposely doenst tell you WHICH character is in the present [hard to explain without spoilers].

Trust me, it all comes together in the end, and oh, it is well worth it. The story, the characters, the way it is written, the entire book I have to say, This has to be one of my favorite books. Ill be picking up Book 2, not because I have to, but because Book 1 got 4. I cant imagine a better book than this one. Whether you simply like a good story or prefer a timeless truth reflecting far deeper than its surface, Appalachian Justice will satisfy.