This book was such a brilliant and evocative insight into 1940's south, I was so wrapped up in the characters and found myself seeing bits of me in some of them. Donna Everhart truly crafted a masterpiece here that I feel will stand the test of time.

A heartwarming story of hardship, family and survival.
Set in 1940's North Carolina 14yr old Wallis Ann Stamper's home is destroyed by an horrific storm. Luckily the family survive but they are left with nothing and have to travel on to find any chance of surviving.
The story details the many struggles the family face along the way.
The description of the landscape from beautiful scenery to devastation by storms really make this story.
An emotional and compelling read.

This book was provided to me by NetGalley in turn for a review.

What a wonderful, compelling, beautiful book. I couldn't put it down. I want to read it again. Highly, highly recommend!

The cover does not do this book justice! A Historical Fiction, the Story takes place in the Appalachians of North Carolina in the 1940s. This book is beautifully written with a plot that grabbed me from the first word and well developed characters that I fell in love with.

A coming of age tender story of life in the Carolina's in the 1940's told through the eyes of Wallis Stamper. This southern historical fiction is an accurate description of Appalachian life and the way they spoke too. The hardships detailed here made me feel as though I was there experiencing the tragedies right along with this family. There is the mother,father,main character Wallis,her older mute sister,Laci and younger brother. Wallis is responsible for her sister, Laci the majority of time as mother watches and cares for the younger brother. It is a responsibility Wallis starts to resents as she has to take Laci with her everywhere. Lucky to escape with their lives after a flood washes away their home they are left with nothing. Wallis becomes separated from her family for days and has nothing but the saturated ground she walks upon. Lack of food and mud covered clothing,skin and hair are the norm for this girl. Before she is reunited with her family she wonders if they have all survived the devastating flood. When the family is reunited they have no home and have to survive through their wits on the hardscrabble ground. The creek is soiled and there is no water to drink unless they boil it. There is a real struggle to survive here. When they are ready to give up something happens that makes life easier for them as they go away from their home site . Will things stay looking better for this family or will tragedy come to greet them again?
I suggest everyone who enjoys a great Appalachian survival story to read this. I very much enjoyed it!
Pub Date 26 Dec 2017
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for a review copy I was not required to write a positive review.

First of all I have to thank NetGalley and Kensington Publishers for the honor of reading such a good book.

This story takes place in North Carolina in 1940s.
If you was faced with tragedy after tragedy what would you do. Give up? Fight? Fall apart? Hope you and your family would somehow make it? Get out and do something? The Stampers were a happy family living in a log cabin in the Appalachians. They loved each other and took care of their own. They had a pretty nice life. Food to eat a home and each other. Wallis Ann is the one actually telling this story. She is a 14 year old girl who helps more than most her age would. She is strong, loving, caring and very smart too. She knows her family depends on her to help because her older sister, Laci, does not speak. She is different somewhat and depends on Wallis Ann. She loves her dearly and follows her everywhere. The youngest is a boy, Seph, who is a treasure for sure. Being the youngest he gets lots of attention and they all adore him.

Their lives are turned upside down when a flood hits and they have to leave suddenly. Then one thing after the other seems to happen to them. They are separated. First the dad and Seph fall over the back of the truck and are swept away. Then Wallis Ann falls over. She is of course terrified yet is smart enough to know she has to do something to survive. Survive she does too. She has had to grow up way to fast and in some ways that is good. In some I think it would have been nice for her to get to be a child too. But she survives this by climbing a tree until the water has gone down enough for her to come down and start walking. She meets Joe Calhoun and helps him and his children. Then she makes her way back to their home which is completely destroyed. Wallis Ann makes a makeshift lean too to sleep in and get a fire started. She works very hard to survive so her being smarted than the average 14 year old is a blessing here. She is alone until the family mule makes its appearance. She’s very happy to see him. After a week or so her mom, dad and sister Laci come back. They are all reunited except the baby, Seph. He’s with a neighbor. Her parents are proud of the things she has done to survive. Laci is always right next to Wallis Ann, touching, holding her hand and just very clingy. She trusts her completely.
Laci can’t speak but she can play any musical instrument you give her. She loves playing the fiddle, but will play other instruments also.
They have a tragedy that is so sad and made me cry. I won’t tell though. The dad decides it’s time to move on and see what they can do to survive. He takes them to his brothers but that does not last long. They end up going up and down the South Carolina highway singing for money and dad doing what he can to provide. One day Wallis Ann is out in the woods and meets Clayton who works at a carnival. She thinks she really likes this young man and he tells her that they may can get a job singing with the carnival. They go and get the job and do pretty good for a while. Clayton, who Wallis Ann likes, falls for Laci though and it makes Wallis Ann angry. Everyone it seems loves Laci and makes Wallis Ann feel invisible.
Now, to find out what else happens you will just have to read this awesome book. It will have you wanting more from the first page. It’s definitely one of the best books I have read in a while of it’s kind. It has a bit of everything that a book needs to make it great. I cried reading this book. But a lot of happy tears too. Not all sad. It made me truly appreciate that I have a good life and feel bad for anyone that has to go through so many horrible things. This family loves each other even when they tend to get a big angry at each other for different reasons. They know how to work together to make a happy life.
It’s one of those books that will stay with you. In your heart, in your soul. For a good long time. Now I can’t wait to read more by this awesome author, Donna Everhart. I truly LOVED this book from start to finish.
I had to give it a 5 star rating and it deserves many more

I loved the writing. Ms. Everhart paints pictures with her words. I loved the storyline and finished the book in three days. I fell in love with all the characters and felt their pain and their sucess. I hope there will be a sequel to revisit these characters. This would also make a great movie!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC for my Kindle.
I was drawn to this book because it is set in Appalachia, NC and SC. But even if it should be a YA book, it still was interesting. A struggling family facing poverty, flooding, loss, death, and survival was both uplifting because they continue to be strong, and depressing because of all the hardships they faced. Made me appreciate that I didn't live in the time period, 1940's.

A terrible storm ravages the valley, leaving no one unaffected. Wallis Ann and her family live in the Appalachian Mountains of N.C. when their lives change forever. This is the story of their survival, of young love found in the hardships they must endure and in family. The surroundings are wonderfully described...so real to me. It helps that I am from the area, but reading the story is like visiting places near my hometown, right down to the big flood. Through Donna Everhart's magic, we become part of the family. We hurt when they hurt, we revel in their small successes, and in the end...well, I can't tell you that part. This is a hard book to put down, so plan to sit a while.

Wallis Ann Stamper is such a practical girl she makes a special heroine in this well written novel set in the Appalachians. When their homestead is flooded out, Wallis Ann and her family must gather up whatever they can and try to find a safe place to live. Eventually joining a traveling circus, Wallis Ann learns there is more to life. Engaging and an excellent read.

THE ROAD TO BITTERSWEET by Donna Everhart is a work of historical fiction set in the 1940's in the Carolina Appalachians. The first major event centers on the torrential rains and resulting flood around the Tuckasegee River that impacts 14-year-old Wallis Ann and her family: older sister Laci and younger brother Seph, plus her parents, Ann and William Stamper. The family attempts to outrun the storm, but their truck is swamped by river water in an exciting opening where Wallis Ann is separated and must survive for days alone. Eventually reunited, they head for a relative's home, making (as described by the author) both an emotional and physical journey. Laci has been mute since birth, although she is gifted musically and Wallis Ann, while younger, often cares for Laci. Their relationship is tested with the arrival of a young man named Clayton; he performs with a traveling show that welcomes the singing Stampers. THE ROAD TO BITTERSWEET could make an interesting book group choice and there is a helpful reading group guide with discussion questions included. Checkout the sample excerpt on amazon or visit the author’s website for more info on her "gritty southern fiction with a down-home style."
Link in live post: http://www.donnaeverhart.com/

3 1/2 *. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This was an enjoyable work of southern historical fiction set in the 1940s. The engaging narrator, fourteen year old Wallis-Ann, tells the story of a family struggling to survive after a flood wipes out their home in the Appalachian Mountains. Good writing and a compelling plot line pull the reader in, although the ending was a little too predictable.

Don't have time left til tomorrow because it's archived bummer!!

I so enjoyed this book and spending time with Wallis Ann Stamper. Even though the main character is much younger than me I found myself wanting to be more like her! Most have described this as a coming-of-age story and I would agree with that. I am a lover of Appalachian fiction so this story was well suited for me. I loved the author’s style of writing and her use of the Appalachian way of speaking. While this isn’t high brow or scholarly literature it is a very well written book. If you love southern or historical fiction with great characters and a good storyline you will enjoy this book.

This is a beautiful well-written coming of age story that takes place in the 1940's. As I love historical fiction, I would have enjoyed this one more if it wasn't so sad and depressing. I think many readers will like this one so I don't want to take anything away from the book. It's just that I was reading it at Christmas and just wasn't in the mood for a sad story that bummed me out.

4.5

I loved this novel because it broke my latest Restless Reader Syndrome (picking books up, putting them down after a few chapters, getting piles of stuff from the library and returning them all the next day, uninterested . . . you probably know the jive.) But I was captivated by "The Road to Bittersweet" right from the start and was engaged to the very end.

The Stampers are mountain people who lose everything in a catastrophic flood. It's 1940, the area is remote, and there's no one to ask for help, as if proud Mr. Stamper would ever do such a thing. The family travels in truck, picking up small jobs here and there,and they are starving.

The narrator is 14-year-old Wallis Ann, a practical girl with guts and heart. Her older sister, Laci, is mute and appears to be autistic. She does not look anyone in the face but can play any music on any instrument after hearing it only once. She is Wallis Ann's responsibility, and Wallis loves her deeply.

Wallis Ann's curiosity about the world leads her to spy a young man high diving off a cliff near one of their campsites. They meet and chat. He's with a traveling family carnival, and once he hears Laci play and the rest of the Stampers sing, he introduces them to his boss at the show. It seems as though the Stampers are finally going to get a break.

These are such appealing characters and Donna Everhart writes an unsentimental story of hard life in the rugged, isolated mountains of North Carolina before WWII. I found myself wondering what would happen to the Stampers when the war starts, and how that would impact their way of life.

Four 1/2 stars because the end is a bit of a let down, but don't let that stop you from enjoying this novel.

Candace Siegle
Greedy Reader

Donna Everhart takes readers to Stampers Creek, 1940 North Carolina along the Tuckasegee River with the Stampers family. THE ROAD TO BITTERSWEET —a gritty Southern tale of despair, family, and hope. A perfect and fitting title for this coming-of-age journey through life's ups and downs from childhood to womanhood.

"It takes courage to find your way."

In the Appalachian mountains, near Cashiers, NC, we meet Wallis Ann. Fourteen-years-old and wise beyond her years. She takes most of the burden caring for her sister, Laci. Her sister is two years older, yet she will never be able to read or write or solve problems. They all wondered what she must be thinking. There was also the younger brother, Seph; only three-years-old.

Laci is "savant." Gifted. A person affected with a mental disability (such as autism or mental retardation) who exhibits exceptional skill or brilliance in some limited field (such as mathematics or music).In this case, music. The family played music, known as The Stamper Family. From the piano, banjo, fiddle, among others.

There is a devastating flood after the waters broke over the dam. The worst this area had ever seen. Torrential rains. This event scared Wallis more than anything she had ever experienced. They are swept away by the strong currents.

After losing everything, the Papa takes them to his brother, Hardy in South Carolina. They are on the road trying to survive by singing for money to have enough to eat.

The momma depended on Wallis Ann for so much of Laci's care, and Laci experienced guilt from some of the events happening in the story. Wallis Ann feels somewhat invisible at times due to her sister's disability.

Along the way, there are more struggles, and challenges striving for survival amid life's storms. Burdens to carry. Hearts broken. Dreams unfulfilled. Guilt-ridden. Betrayal.

Heartstrings are pulled especially with Wallis Ann. She is brave, and resilient while suffering from hardships, hopelessness, and other situations and emotions she encounters. Deeply emotional a mix of Southern fiction/Gothic, coming-of-age, historical, and literary fiction.

“Windows give you a view. Otherwise you can't see nothing, no matter how hard you try. It ain't much different in how we look at our world from inside ourselves."

I enjoyed the theme of water which is apparent throughout the novel from the river, the flood, the waterfalls and symbolic in many ways to the peaceful trickle of water sliding over the rocks. On a side note: My favorite places in the NC mountains are the Highlands and Cashiers. Beautiful waterfalls and scenic mountains. I miss my log cabin in Big Canoe, GA.

The characters are well-drawn (as the secondary ones) and the times researched, drawing you into their world of survival and vivid settings.

"We're going to keep on having hope until there's no possibility of having it anymore. That's all we can do."

Descriptive storytelling, a well-written emotional Southern coming-of-age novel of family, heartbreak, love, loss, and acceptance.

For fans of Southern historical fiction and authors: Leah Weiss, Kim Michele Richardson, Wiley Cash, Emilie Richards, Diane Chamberlain, and David Joy.

A special thank you to Kensington for an advanced reading copy and the introduction to this talented North Carolina author. Look forward to reading more. Writing Inspiration by Donna Everhart

JDCMustReadBooks

This is a tragic, yet hopeful coming of age story. Wallis Ann is a 14 year old girl, that is much older than her 14 years. Wallis Ann is the middle child but takes care of her older mute sister and her 4 year old brother. The family falls on hard times after a hurricane and dam break levels their home and surrounding area. I feel that Wallis Ann bears the brunt of hurt for the tragedies the Stamper family faces. My heart ached for her.

This story is very well written. This is the second book of Donna Everhart that I have read and she is a wonderful story teller.

A beautifully written historical coming of age novel with a terrific heroine in Wallis Ann. This is set in the 1940s rural South and Everhart uses that effectively. Wallis Ann is faced with so many challenges, from the loss of her home, to dealing with her autistic sister Laci, to finding a new way to live. She handles all of it with equanimity and grace. Clayton, the boy who almost splits this family, is well drawn. You'll form your own opinions about him and his interest in Laci. This lovely novel is about family, hope, and determination. Yes the Stampers are poor but they've got each other. That might sound saccharine but the book is not. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. This is a winner I'll recommend to others.

<b>4 southern fiction stars to The Road to Bittersweet</b>

I enjoyed my time spent with Wallis Ann Stamper and her family. Set in the 1940s in both North and South Carolina, there was a flood in the Stampers’ small mountain community at the start of the book that left me riveted. Wallis Ann went on quite an adventure finding her way home.

Wallis Ann’s parents reminded me a bit of the Ingalls parents from Little House, through their patience and kindness towards their children. The family has lost everything from the flood, and their experiences, their hunger, their trials and tribulations, are all authentically depicted. This close-knit family truly tries it all to survive and to thrive.

I found Wallis Ann’s coming of age to be memorable and heartwarming. This book is highly recommended to fans of southern historical fiction.

Thank you to Donna Everhart, Kensington Books, and Netgalley, for the opportunity to read and review this special book. The Road to Bittersweet will be published on December 26, 2017.