This book set in an African-American in North Carolina. The central protagonist is a young woman, Knot, a teacher, an independent woman and one who likes her moonshine. But more than that, it spans over 40 years as we follow the lives of the people in the town of West Mills, their lives and the times they live in over those years. There are interesting relationships, personalities that are flawed as well as judgmental. It was an enjoyable read, a book that held my interest from start to finish.

My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

De'Shawn Charles Winslow is definitely a debut author to keep an eye on! In West Mills was a beautifully written novel and he depicted, with perfection, a small rural town from the 1940s to the 1980s--full of big personalities and where one's past and secrets are never forgotten. Knot Centre is a fantastic and multi-layered character--determined to live her own life the way that she wants and too stubborn to admit when she feels vulnerable. Otis Lee Loving is an amazing character--a bighearted and steady force in Knot's life and for the other residents of West Mills. Despite the novel's painful secrets and suffering losses, In West Mills is a deeply moving novel filled with hope, love, and forgiveness. The book is subtle in many ways, but will stay with you longer after you've finished it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of In West Mills. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a most original novel. I haven't read anything like it for a long time. It was almost a stream-of-consciousness or birth to death saga of Azealea, known as "Knot". This book uncovered some very sad truths about racial and gender inequalities throughout American history. It also revealed the sad reality of family trees with twisted roots due to "shame" of unwed mothers and/or grandmothers raising grand-children as their own. The dialect as well as dialog in this book was beautifully written. Interesting book, for sure!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!!!

“Why you so set on bein lonely, Knot.” Otis Lee Loving best friend and neighbor asks the question, but I’m not sure I ever found an answer here, and I’m not sure that Knot knew the answer herself. But she does know enough about herself to make decisions that we may not agree with, but are better for some like the two babies she gives up.
“I woulda kept that child if I didn’t care ‘bout her.”

Azalea Centre known as Knot is a teacher living in a small place called West Mills in NC in a shack with her moonshine and her books. She is living her life on her own terms, spending her time with men, drink and books, especially Dickens, her father’s favorite and now hers and spending time at Goldie’s Barn to drink more. It’s hard to like Knot most of the time, pushing away people who love her, leaving her job, but I always wanted her to be okay, just as Otis Lee did. This isn’t just Knot’s story, but it’s Otis Lee Loving’s story and the story of others in this black community in rural NC spanning several decades starting in 1941. It’s a story where there are secrets that need to be and are revealed even though Otis thinks that “Sometimes it’s best to keep ‘em locked inside. Best for everybody sometimes.” Its a story of friendship, of love, of complex relationships of some independent women defying who others want them to be. There’s a lot of sadness here caused by the actions of flawed characters, but there’s also a lot of caring and remorse and forgiveness. An affecting story.


I received an advanced copy of this book from Bloomsbury USA through NetGalley.

I honestly don't remember requesting this book from NetGalley, but suddenly it was in my queue--and I'm glad it was.

In West Mills follows Azalea (Knot) Centre in all her wonderful complexity from the 1940s to 1980s, but it's also a deeply American tale of a rural Southern African American community entangling, falling apart, and coming back together in surprising ways.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a chance to review an early copy of this book.

This is a classic! The complex lives of these perfectly imperfect human beings needed telling and the author excelled at this task. Drinking oneself into an early grave is tragic, but there is joy, friendship, loss, living! That short while is a clear-eyed choice and that is ok. Being a big-hearted fellow is wonderful, but there is selective forgiveness alongside the caring, the friendship, the Loving! Which is ok too. Everyone was themselves to the bittersweet end and that...somehow...was wayyy more than ok.

Thank you so much to the author for taking the time and putting in the effort to tell this story.

In West Mills written by De'Shawn Charles Winslow
The narrative takes place in a small African American community during the 1940s through the 1970s. Embedded in this delightful and inspiring read the audience is taken through the trials and tribulations of a strong, feisty African American young lady who suffers the inequalities of the American society.
Knot touched me as a reader and a woman who experiences many of the doubts and negative impressions inflicted on young women who want to follow their own path rather than those forced upon them. This impactful read has many life lessons that easily speaks to readers from that era but to the women of this generation. There are many facts and meaningful quotes to latch onto through the storyline. The story elements were well defined. In West Mills will leave the reader with a heavy heart and yet uplifted energy to press on regardless of the negative folks in one's ear.
I highly recommend In West Mills and look forward to reading more from Ms. Charles Winslow.

I enjoyed this book. The story was interesting. I enjoyed seeing the growth and development of Knot's spirit and unconventional throughout the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book. This book is a phenomenal debut. It is small and subtle, but will personally sit with me quite a while. The story takes place in an African America community in North Carolina between the 1940’s and 1980’s. The main character “Knot” was way ahead of her time, never felt she had to follow the norms. It was so much fun to follow this very independent w0man who would not care about following any of the norms. Very good read.

“In West Mills” is a novel that spans almost 50 years beginning in 1941. The main character Azalea AKA “Knot” is ornery, fiercely independent, has many vices and refuses to be influenced or told what to do by anyone. A true firecracker, she tells it like it is. She enjoys her moonshine and living life on the edge. In a time where it is necessary to keep many skeletons in the closet, she keeps and hides many secrets. In the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s life events weren’t as accepted as they are today, people still judged and scandal abounded.

Knot has many loyal friends, my favorites were Otis Lee and Valley. They truly stood by her in spite of her faults and short comings. This story reflects the hard times in this small African American community and we follow the characters from a young age into their golden years.

An excellent read.

Azalea Marie Centre aka Knot, a nickname from her father. We follow her story from 1941 to 1987. She has moved to the town of West Mills, North Carolina to teach school. Or to be out from under her family, either way, she's here and she's a complete mystery to the town folk of this African-American town.

At a time when single women weren't swilling down moonshine on the regular nor enthralled with 19th Century literature and for goodness sakes, they weren't having one night stands with men.  She is determined to do everything her way. And I thought that was a pretty selfish outlook. Her dear friend Otis Lee Loving and his wife have become her family. 

So when she gets into a bit of trouble, Otis is there to bail her out. Again and again. I did not care for her blase' attitude or her inconsideration of how her behavior hurt so many people. People who should have been taking care of their own families instead of cleaning up her messes.

And once those secret messes come tumbling out of the closet, the damage may be too hard to repair. As her own family shuns her and her adopted family is tired of bailing her out of trouble, Knot may just have to own up to her bad behavior and face the consequences.

A story of family, secrets and how the power of love can soothe even the ugliest of hurts.

I can't believe this is a debut novel. The author's style is smooth and honest and he didn't try to make it pretty. It was life. Then and Now.

I would highly recommend it!

NetGalley/June 4th 2019 by Bloomsbury Publishing

Great debut. Well-worth a read. I'm particular about historical fiction, but De'Shawn Charles Winslow captures the eras included as fine as anyone could. One should not have any issue relating with Azalea, if they were considered rebellious or lived against stereotypes for women, especially black women. Recommended.

West Mills is a highly entertaining, uniquely written novel about the African American community of West Mills, in the rural South from 1941 to 1987. The main character, Azalea “Knot”, a strong personality, loves her moonshine and refuses to be bossed around by anyone. It’s a story about relationships, love and friendships. It’s filled with wonderfully complex and amazing characters. It explores difficult choices, inner strength and heartbreak. This a deeply moving, unforgettable book. I highly recommend it. My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A fantastic read a novel that should be added to everyones must read list perfect for book club discussions.An African American community a smal town we are introduced to well written characters multiple story lines.An intimate look at the town their lives interaction.A book I am recommending to all my reader friends and my book club.# netgalley #bloomsburyusa

DNF at 10%

The protagonist sounds like a less nuanced version of Toni Morrison's Sula. There is this scene were Sula wondered what would happen if she were to scratch the skin of her lover and imagines that beneath a layer of skin there would be gold. Knot wonders what would happen if she were too peel a guy's eyebrows off...the word 'retorted' appears one too many times. There is something about the writing which strikes as lacking creativity. The dialogues rings true but I wonder wherever in the 40s in America a man would have openly admitted that he liked men (especially given that he does it in a bar where he could be overheard by others).
This is probably another case of the 'it's me, not you'. Hopefully others will enjoy this more than I did.

I am trying to add more diverse and own voices titles to my own reading queue and our collection, and this one caught my eye. Love the voices of these characters. We will definitely buy a copy. Due to some personal experiences in my own life, the main character's behavior and some of the narrative was difficult for me to read, so I ended up not finishing it. Thanks for the opportunity to preview it before publication. I would recommend it to others.

A beautifully written novel, In West Mills, transports the reader to an African-American community filled with rich and complex relationships ranging from love, to blurred friendship riddled with a lot of grace and acceptance. Azalea "Knot" Centre is a captivating protagonist with her inability to be bossed around, resistance of a "socially acceptable" lifestyle and relatable love of moonshine.

De'Shawn Charles Winslow successfully uses a mix of literary techniques to capture the reader's attention and develop his character's narratives. Winslow deftly incorporates a diverse amount of relevant cultural topics within a 20th century context making his cast of characters worthy of their own individual case studies.

A fast-paced storyline, In West Mills, is a joy to read and needs to be read en masse. I look forward to future works from Winslow and anticipate recommending the novel to many when it hits shelves.

If you have ever read these two books: The Twelve Tribes of Hattie and The Turner House, similarly In West Mills is a story about a woman living by her own rules and the rural community that struggles to understand her.

Azalea “Knot” is unbought and unbossed and determined to live life as she pleases. Let the people of West Mills say what they will; the neighbors’ gossip won’t keep Knot from what she loves best: cheap moonshine, nineteenth-century literature, and the company of men. Knot will learn that her freedom comes at a high price. Alone in her one-room shack, ostracized from her relatives and cut off from her hometown, Knot turns to her neighbor, Otis Lee Loving, in search family and home.

Otis Lee is eager to help. As a lifelong fixer, he desires to steer his friends and family away from decisions that will cause them heartache and ridicule. . But while he’s busy trying to fix Knot’s life, Otis Lee finds himself powerless to repair the many troubles within his own family, as the long-buried secrets of his troubled past begin to come to light.

The setting is in an African American community in rural North Carolina from 1941 to 1987, In West Mills is a small-town story about family, friendship, storytelling, and the redemptive power of love