The two youngest children die of pneumonia when they are just babies. This destroys Hattie for many years to come - even after several more children are born.
Life is very hard in Hattie's household. There is never enough food to eat, or money to clothe the children and keep the house warm. This is in large part due to Hattie's husband August who is a gambler and a womanizer.
One of Hattie's children Floyd, is gay during a time when being gay is most certainly not OK. He struggles with his sexuality and stays on the road as a musician so he can meet men on one day and be gone the next to another town.
Another child, Six, becomes a preacher in his late teenage years, but in secret is a womanizer just like his father. And Franklin tells his story as a military man in Viet Nam.
Cassie sounds like she is a bi-polar schizophrenic and as an adult child with a child of her own, Hattie and August institutionalize her. Her daughter Sala is the granddaughter that Hattie must raise.
All of these stories and more comprise this book which shows Hattie for the most part, as a strong woman bent on taking care of her children to the best of her abilities - even if it may seem harsh at the time.
I liked this book because it showed that families aren't perfect and that everyone struggles with their own problems. What I didn't like about the book is that each chapter of the children seemed a novella unto itself. For the most part there wasn't one story line that was developed through the book. Instead there was a story line for each of Hattie's children. These stories were good - but other than having the same people in each story there was really nothing that linked them together to make one cohesive book. If you approach it like all of the chapters are short stories, then it makes a little more sense. More importantly, all of the chapters were good and held your attention.
Note: This is an Oprah's Book Club selection.
Rating: 7 / 10
ISBN: 9780385350280
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Edition: 1st Edition