Wow!! The splendidly written story of Birddog Harlen. A girl who was never quite good enough no matter how she tried. A story of poverty, a dysfunctional family, love and how with great love there also comes hurt so heart wrenching you are immune to the daily beauty of life around you and the caring of those who love you regardless of yourself. A story of racism and hatred but also redemption and great love. A story that shows that after great sorrow we are gonna be alright. Let the Willows Weep by Sherry Parnell made me laugh and brought me to tears.but left me with the feeling of hope. You will love this book!

As evidenced by the title, this is not a feel good book. It portrays the struggles of the working class in rural life. The obstacles that do not allow them to create a better life and the effects that cause a dysfunctional family. This is a heart-wrenching book but worth every bit of sadness. It is a good representation of the struggles the working class go through in order to take care of their family. #sherryparnell #bookworm #bookstagram #books #readingtime📖 #reading #letthewillowsweep

This is such a heart wrenching story, a tale of a young girl desperate for her mother’s approval. Birddog, as nicknamed by her beloved older brother, has a hard life by anyone’s standards. Her father's job as a miner ensures that their everyday existence is hardscrabble at best. That would be bearable if not for the scorn of her mother. For as long as Birddog can recall, her mother hasn’t shown her more than a smidgeon of love and affection scattered randomly and unpredictably. Still she keeps trying. Will she be able to break the pattern that she’s grown up recognizing as the norm?

Let the Willows Weep is a relatively short novel set in a mining town in America. The time period is not specified but seems to be roughly in the 1940's/50's.
The central character is Birddog, a naive young girl growing up in a poor family, whose father is a miner. Her mother treats Birddog harshly, favouring her 2 sons.

It's a tale of grief, loss and forbidden relationships, told through Birddog's eyes as she grows from a young girl into a woman. I found the writing to be poetically simple and lovely.
It felt like the author was perhaps trying to deliver something of a twist, with a revelation about the nature of Birddog's relationship with Samuel, but it didn't come as a surprise to me as a reader.
Short and sweet, but tinged with tragedy.

'With her voice long hardened from smoking Kent cigarettes, she spat out commands and insults that tore at your heart. I guess my father left before there was nothing left of his.'

Children are victims of their parents circumstances, more often than not. The leaving between their parents feels more like abandonment of them, particularly when left behind with the domineering person one parent fled. I love a good southern fiction, and the willows will weep for Birddog Harlin, whose own mother has endured a rage that hardened her when her own father fled her mother’s meanness long ago. A slamming door echoes through the decades, turning a little girl into a hard woman who doesn’t have empathy for her own child, Birddog.

Birddog is nothing but a disappointment to her mother, protected by her beloved older brother Denny ( who seems to give the only scrap of niceness in her life), more often than not she is dodging her rival, other brother Caul’s inborn meanness. Naturally the boys can do no wrong; the sun rises upon their shoulders, Denny’s in particular. Birddog adds to her mothers worries, fighting with boys, often covered in mud, her messiness the reason her mother can’t invite respectable ladies over for tea. Nothing like her beautiful mother, who her father admires so, despite her disappointment with the meager life his job as a miner gives them. Certainly not the low down job she ever wants her boys to do. Her adult life is just as tough as her youth was, slaving all day with chores, feeding her family, raising an impossible, disobedient, little girl are just some of the complaints that fill the air between she and her husband. Birddog knows her father feels shamed by her mother, but at some point her rage will always turn to her instead. When he defends his daughter Birddog it only strengthens her wrath.

Her mother wants nothing more than to enjoy tea with the ‘refined ladies’ of the town, just another thing a miner’s pay will never afford her. Worse, the gossip she is positive her shameless daughter inspires with her unladylike behavior makes that an impossibility. Birddog knows the truth of how things stand, as well as her father does. That just they don’t even exist in the eyes of polite society. If not for Daddy’s intervention, life would be nothing but darkness. Mother’s desire for better makes it impossible to feel and see just how much her husband adores her, and after a tragic turn of events, it’s too late to change things.

Weighted down by a deep blanket of grief, the children now have to step into adult decisions to keep the family afloat. Choices narrow for Denny as steps into his father’s shoes, Birddog’s mother is still jealous of the bond she had with her father, and a parting gift seals the distance between them. Caul comes into his own and seems to sail further from them, everything changes and mother fears all her children leaving. On the same breath, afraid of being left alone, she rips into Birddog- who still can’t live up to the sort of daughter she desires. Laziness won’t be tolerated, and soon Birddog is forced to take a job working for Ms. Tarmar who will teach her more than sewing, share her wisdom with her and have more room for compassion than her own mother.

Love finds her older brother Denny, and it finds Birddog too. Nothing is more doomed than forbidden love, as she will soon learn when she meets a caretaker named Samuel and his sweet, childlike brother Diggs. If only one could love away from the eyes of their ‘own kind’. This is another shame she’ll bring upon her family, and no one will forgive it. For a time, this man will open her eyes and heart to genuine love and kindness. But as he tells her, “there ain’t no place for that kind of love in this kind of world.” They don’t know how true his words are, and what love will cost both of them, body and soul.

This is how people become hardened, the world will beat you down, if you don’t know how to rise. No one escapes the pain loving brings, and maybe Birddog isn’t so different from her mother after-all.

Let the Willows Weep is about poverty, love, intolerance, shame, racism and family dysfunction. Rage is a circle that even the wisest who wish to escape can become trapped in. How is one to hope when life just keeps bringing you nothing but grief and loss? Love takes such strange shapes, it gives and takes indiscriminately in this sad tale. For those who love southern fiction with enough grit to make your eyes water.

Published October 2019

This is a sweet & sad historical, fictional, coming-of-age read about love, loss, the challenges of family life & racism. It is said that, “Sometimes we cant cry enough for all the pain we feel. So we let the willows weep.” -Sherry Parnell

Let the Willows Weep by Sherry Parnell is a very highly recommended, beautifully written, heartbreaking novel written in the tradition of rural Southern fiction.

"Sometimes life is just like paper wings. Fragile, easily torn apart, and often there are too many pieces to pick up."

Birddog Harlin lives in the rural South by a small town with her parents and two brothers. Her father makes a hardscrabble existence by working in a coal mine while her mother is ever full of disappointment and bitterness over their poverty. Denny, her older brother is her idol and protector. Caul, the brother closest to her in age, is her tormentor. She is her verbally abusive mother's greatest disappointment. But Birddog (a nickname given to her by Denny) is her daddy's girl, and her father loves and cherishes her. After her father dies in a cave-in, the dysfunctional family spirals into self-destruction.

The opening chapter and the concluding chapter are set in the future, through the eyes of Birddog's daughter. After the opening where the mother is harsh to her daughter, then we jump back in time to Birddog's childhood, and her mother treating her even worse. Truly, children learn to parent from their parents, good or bad. This is Birddog's story. Although a time period is not mentioned, I found it relatively easy to place it during a basic time in history based on the story. (There were many period clues, for example segregated housing, the brothers leaving school to work, girls wore dresses all the time, etc..)

Let the Willows Weep is an excellent novel. Parnell's writing is simple gorgeous, descriptive, poetic, and sublime. Even while describing difficult, hurtful, abusive situations, the sentences are perfectly crafted and the reflections are unflinchingly told. Birddog is a memorable, very well-developed character. This novel is through her point-of-view, and her self-examination about her mother and her resulting attitude. Additionally, Let the Willows Weep is an emotional novel and I teared up, or cried during scenes throughout the novel. Yes, it explores the line between destruction and redemption, but the journey covers a myriad of emotions that exist between those two points.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Sherry Parnell.
Review also on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

I liked this. There are a number of reviews from smart readers that will give you a good sense of this moving novel. Recommended for literary fiction fans.

Thanks very much for the review copy!!

This story here is told by the life of the girl where she lived as a daughter of a coal miner daughter,where the mother was very disappointed in her daughter and let her know every single day! We All come from dysfunctional families how much is hers? They have their struggles and her protectors are her older brother and father until things changed! You go from home life to school...Verbal abuse is worse than physical cause the scar stays inside. Everything she does is always wrong. You travel with this girl as she grows up to a adult and to see how this effects her life! The tragedies she faces will they make her strong or does she call apart? What happens when she falls I love? You feel All of the emotions that the characters have and you better have the tissues. I didn't want to finish the book and then I did, hoping the story would change and it did,but you will have to read this for yourself to see how her life turns out! Received this from Net Gallery and the characters are so real that you really know the family. We All come from dysfunctional families It's just some are worse than others,you tell me where you think this family is?? It's a very much read !!🙈🙉🙊

I'm not even sure what to say. I almost wanted to give the book 4 stars because it is nothing but heartache, but it deserves 5.

If you like your heart being ripped out and trampled over then you should read this book.

I love southern novels because I relate to a lot of it, being raised in the south. As in the book there is a lot of exception for girls, where not a lot is expected from their brothers.

I really don't know what else to say without giving anything away and I'm kind of speechless.

Both you and the willows will weep with Birddog Harlin as she journey's through a world deadset against her happiness since birth. Born into a family beset by poverty and broken spirits, Birddog grows up constantly reminded that her mother finds her to be an utter disappointment, while her brother Caul branishes insult and rocks upon her daily; although she finds tenderness from her beloved father and older brother Denny, this tenderness is but shortlived. Entering into womanhood Birddog again finds tenderness, even love; but it was not meant to be a lasting love, and again, her heart and yours break.

Though difficult to believe that Let the Willows Weep is a debut novel, Sherry Parnell is set to release a second in the coming year and I know that I for one, will be counting down the days. The world of southern storytelling is richer for having Sherry Parnell's voice.

I cannot thank NetGalley enough for the honor of getting to read Let the Willows Weep in exchange for my honest review.

Let the Willows Weep recounts the story of "Birddog" Harlin through her childhood and early adulthood as she grows up in a dysfunctional family. Beautifully written, the novel explores the complicated relationships Birddog navigates with abusive family members, a romance that cannot be, and the very few people she can count on for love and warmth.

I really enjoyed the writing style used by Parnell; it was artistic in a way, and conveyed a lot of emotion. Her characters are also multi-faceted and believable. This book is incredibly sad, but almost too much. At the beginning, my heart would continually break for little Birddog, but as the story continued I almost became desensitized to it despite still feeling connected to her. I think the author did a moderately strong job of weaving issues of racial and economic inequality into the story, but some elements either went over my head or were described in a way that information was left out (not writing about here due to possible spoilers).

Overall, this is worth a read despite the few drawbacks I mentioned. Good writing and length, and a lot of potential discussion material for those reading as a group.

Sherry Parnell's novel follows Birddog who grew up in the south during the early twentieth century. Although her father is a loving dad, her mother displays zero affection towards her daughter. You could say she perceives her daughter as a big disappointment and she makes sire to show it. However Bird dog copes through her brother and friends. As Birddog grows up she becomes close to a boy from town and the locals don’t like their relationship and we accompany her as she makes her choices.
The story is so powerful and emotional, very well written and so rich in its characters. I did not understand though why Bird Dog’s mother was so hateful towards her an dwixh we ah d a little bit insight into the mom’s workings. It was heartbreaking and raw, and for a couple of nights after finishing this book, I would catch myself thinking about the characters, despite the fact that the book ends hopefully.

This was a heartbreaking read! It is the story of a girl, known to her family as "Birddog", who continues to suffer tragedy and heartache as she transitions into adulthood. It begins and ends from the perspective of the woman's daughter as she tries to make sense of her father's abandonment and her mother's despair. The bulk of the book is a flashback of the mother as she recounts her life as a young girl growing up with grief and betrayal.

There are many themes of morality, loyalty, judgment, forgiveness, grief, acceptance, and adversity. Birddog relies on the words of her father as she navigates familial relationships, romantic interests, and eventually becoming a mother. She is often disappointed as she remains loyal to people who do not remain loyal to her. Again and again she forgives, but often finds herself wondering where and with whom she truly belongs.

"Mama sighed and said, 'I like her just fine, but we both know it ain't a matter of likin' her. It's a matter of...' Whispering the word at the same time, Mama and I said, 'Belonging.' At that moment, I knew that as much as I wanted to belong--I never would."

Birddog endures insurmountable grief as people exit her life either by choice or by death. Ultimately, she must make the choice to press forward with rage and unravel or to overcome her pain and find gratitude in opportunity she had to experience love and happiness before losing it.

Unfortunately, there were a few parts of the book that I felt were lacking. For one, I have no idea where this story takes place or what time period. It was mostly left to the imagination, but considering it addresses topics such as poverty, racism, and gender roles, it would have been nice to have a backdrop to make sense of it. Also, there were a few gaps in the story about certain characters or experiences that left me wondering why some of these individuals or events even occurred. It begins at a slow pace and ends rather rushed.

However, the writing was incredibly poetic and had amazing quotes that both made me cry and caused me to reflect on my own life. These quotes became relatable and I think drew me further into the story.

"Denny said that Mother was trying to give us a better life, but I thought she just wanted a better one for herself so she pretended the one we lived didn't exist."

"After Samuel's daddy died, Mama grabbed the tattered ends and sewed them up, tightly tying each to the other until they were enclosed insider a warm and loving home. My mother allowed the frayed threads to pull loose from her grasp, unstitching us from each other until we were left splintered and broken inside a cold and quiet house."

This is something that becomes evident in every member of the family as they grow up. This outlook on life seems to pass down to one another and eventually becomes a decision that Birddog must face on whether to continue this pattern or break the habit.

"I didn't mind that Mother forgot me in the prayer because I knew that God wouldn't. Or at least I hoped... Please God, if you can't make me what she wants then please make her want what I already am."

"My mother's greatest talent was her ability to cause pain with her words. It was also her greatest weapon, and she rarely held back when wielding it at me."

She seeks the approval of her mother, but shapes her identity from the words of her father:

"You're a good girl and as long as you do what is right and stay true to yourself then you'll always be respectable."

"We all make our own cages in this life, sweet girl. We build little metal bars from some decision or another until we're sittin' confused and trapped inside not knowin' how we got in... or knowin' how we can get out... The harder your heart, the harder those bars are to break. You can use these hands to make little metal bars or you can use them to free others from their cages."

Many quotes focus on accepting the difficulties of life and that there is nothing one can do about it. It is such a sad way to live, but I think many people have felt that way at one point or another"

"...sometimes life is just like paper wings. Fragile, easily torn apart, and often there are too many pieces to pick up."

"Sometimes in life you have to trade what you want for what you need."

"Watching it fall to the floor, I realized that no matter how tightly we hold on, sometimes things still slip from our grasp."

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would likely recommend it to others. It would prompt a great discussion to reflect on the unresolved traumas of our past and how we decide to press forward. I wish there was more information on the setting of the book, but it didn't take away from the story too much.

This author brings an emotionally raw book to life through the characters. This book is not a simple story yet the theme is tragically a common thread in many lives. Dysfunctional families, mental conditions, mental abuse, childhood emotional trauma and trying to grow up and develop a normal sense of self worth and love and belonging. This book was recommended for me as I loved “where the crawdads sing”... sometimes I had to Put the book down and at other times I couldn’t stop turning the pages. This book connects with readers on many levels.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC of Let the Willows Weep by Sherry Parnell.

"Birddog" is a young girl growing up in the south during the early twentieth century. Her father is loving and doting, and her mother is emotionally unavailable and borderline abusive. But Birddog finds a lot of comfort with the friendship of her brother and other friends. But things slowly start to change as Birddog gets older, there is a mining accident, which does not help to soften her mother towards her. And Birddog forms a close friendship with a local boy, but no one is happy about it...

I almost feel like this could have been a better screenplay. It has a promising structure, and I can see how the author was really trying to pull inspiration from To Kill A Mockingbird. But, and maybe this is my problem, there was no real flow. It was definitely a story telling story, but I struggled to see where the climax or resolution were. And it ends so abruptly. It left me unsatisfied.

This was such a sad novel. Set in the rural south, it follows a young girl nicknamed Birddog Harlin, following her poor but humble life, her dysfunctional family, and the ups and downs that come with it. It is essentially a coming-of-age novel which makes you really fall in love with the character.

The whole book is frankly, quite depressing. I did cry, especially at the end, and I really felt her emotions - as if I could relate, but I really couldn't.

The only issues I had with the book was that the description of the setting was very ambiguous. I knew it was set in the south because of the dialect that the characters speak in, but had no clue what state or town, and absolutely no clue what time period - I just presumed it was perhaps set in the 195o's/60's. Maybe earlier. The fact that there was no mention of modern technology, or modern dress, gave me this indication. Furthermore, the fact that the book touches on harsh racism also gave me this very set-in-the-past feel - not that harsh racism doesn't exist today, just that there was almost racial segregation in the novel. You see: I have no idea! Just presumptions! Another issue was that the (white) author used the n-word on some occasions. Which, I know wasn't intended to be racist, but was supposed to show the level of racism at the time of the novel - but as someone who isn't black, it isn't for me to justify whether that is exactly appropriate or not. But this did bring the rating down from a 4 to 3.5 rating, because I was conflicted on it.

I wish I could comment more on the plot, but it was just simple and heartbreaking. If you want a slow, but touching read, I'd consider giving this one a go. It isn't extraordinarily unique, as this type of novel has possibly been done many times, but it was nevertheless emotional.

Stunning!!!! Beautifully written story about a dysfunctional family that will grab you in and not let go. Told in a way that will pull you in and not let go. I will be looking for more reads by this author. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

Wow! I'm not sure if I was given this book to review because it was my very first review, but it was a good effort by the author. However, besides feeling sorry for the main character "Birddog", I didn't feel much of anything. The story had so many disconnects for me, that truth be told, I feel like I was either the butt of somebody's cruel joke or I'm not taken seriously and was given a freshman in high schools book to read.

Character development was lacking, storyline was basic at best and the most interesting thing in the book was how cruel her mother was to her, and that wasn't even really that bad enough to be of any interest or explained at all. Honestly, I would've given the book 1.5 stars but I'm scared the author will think I am mean and unfeeling.

This book was about was about a family of a mother, father, two sons and a daughter. Slowly, but surely, the men leave either by choice or by death and then the book brings in a surprise racial element to it. I'm sorry, I just didn't get it. It just didn't make sense. Hopefully, I will be given a book of some merit to review. Thank you to Net Galley for giving me a chance, but my goodness, my reading level is way above this. Honestly, I'm insulted!