Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters by Emily Carpenter is a historical fiction novel with a touch of magical realism. No, it is not based in the WWII era.

The story is entertaining. The protagonist is tasked at finding a rare coin from her grandmother's era to prevent a huge loss to her legacy as a renowned preacher and faith healer. The narration takes place in alternate timelines of the past and the present, and the plot is revealed bit-by-bit in every cycle.

Thanks to the author and the publisher for the ARC.

Verdict: One time read.

Great story! It's always a literary pleasure to go back and forth between past and present day. This book did that well. Everyone plays roles in their family, and the families presented here were engaging. The past caught up with them, and their roles became even more important.

First, let me start by saying that I LOVE Emily Carpenter's writing and wouldn't pass up a chance to read anything she puts to paper. That being said, this twisted tale had me from the description with a tad historical and some gothic, cultish vibes.
Not only does she craft her characters in such a way that you feel like you're walking along side them, but the story itself drags you in and holds you tight until the last page, always hoping for more.

Engrossing story full of surprises! I loved the memories in the beginning of the story. The story alternates between the 1930s and the present time. during the 1930s, it is Dove’s story. For years, Dove was an evangelist and a faith healer. But her story begins long before that when she was a young girl. The present time Is Dove’s granddaughter, Eve’s story. It’s her work to preserve her grandmothers life and work. But she soon finds out that there were secrets about her grandmother that she never knew.

This story about faith, unbelief, disappointment and hope, family, ties between people and the uncovering of past is surprisingly good. Also the Southern charm and interesting settings are strong catchability points. Not a Southerner, I have got very interested into all the dark (and light) of the Bible belt and all the preacher glory, mysteries ands miracles.

The story is told within 2 timelines - a story of fierce young woman Ruth (later called Dove) in the 1930s and in the the present, where Dove's granddaughter Eve is questing for truth of the past. While Eve’s story brings the bigger moral conflicts, Ruth’s story is simply more colourful and interesting.

The mystery of the missing coin and the potential murder is truly not the main motif here. At least for me. I got very much invested into the parallels of the true reality vs. the supposed "facts" (coloured by hurts, opinions, lies, omissions, chances...you name it). This setup plagues Eve, who simply knows that the miraculous preacher Dove WAS a con. She told her herself! Eve, unbeliever, is a strong protector of the weaker ones - her simple, believing mother; her weaker brother and the good name of her grandmother (as well as the family business built on the said grandmother). It is in the name of love (and practicality) that she is questing the past, her inner settings based on the truth she knows. But does she?
Ruth, fierce as they can be, is fighting for her place under the sun. After all, she is alone against the world. Behaving on her own set of values, she paves her way. An innocent lie here or there, what hurt can that do? But...but. Occasionally, there is a strange...movement of...something.

To me, this is a strong, moving novel. And yes, there are weaknesses in the plot, internal logic, realationships (men are simply bland, one-dimensional creatures here). But there is also something very, very true within this novel - part magical realism, part true female soul and relationship, part simply the feeling of sun on the skin...yes, this simply could happen.

After reading a few books from Emily Carpenter, I really was excited to read this one. It fell a little flat for me. I could not really get into it I know other people really enjoyed it. The writing was good the story just wasnt there for me.

I'm a huge fan of Emily Carpenter's and have loved every one of her books immensely until now-I have to say that I didn't love Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters as much as I'd hope to, which was disappointing since Southern Gothic, well gothic literature period, is my favorite genre since I was an English lit professor for almost 2 decades specializing in gothic lit. Yes, the atmosphere was lush and had all the taut, suspenseful elements of a fab gothic novel, and she writes slow page-turning mysteries like no other author that I know, but I couldn't connect to the story of Eve and Dove. It just felt implausible at times and I never cared for Eve enough not to skim through parts of the book. This could have just been a case of me and not the book since so many other reviewers have given it 5 stars, so I would take my opinion with a grain of salt on this one. It was still enjoyable in parts. However, The Weight of Lies is still my favorite, for now at least, and Carpenter will always remain a favorite author!

This was a very good, interesting mystery. The characters are wildly different, The ones that are like able are very like able, the ones who are not are easily loathed, I do love the way that Eve learns about her grandmother and who Ruth/Dove really was. I think that was maybe my favorite part about the story, as I always thirst for knowledge of my family and who they were! Definitely recommend this book, it may at times seem a little gloomy but it really is worth the read in the end.

Many thanks to @lakeunionauthors for sending a copy of Emily Carpenter’s novel Reviving The Hawthorn Sisters for review, all opinions are my own.

Reviving The Hawthorn Sisters is a story told in two timelines, Eve’s and her grandmother Dove’s. Dove was once a member of a travelling evangelical duo known as The Hawthorn Sisters. Eve now runs a charity around her grandmother’s work and they make a documentary about her. While filming, Eve is told her grandmother may have stolen something valuable in her youth and it will be exposed if it’s not returned. So Eve heads back to Tuscaloosa to try and uncover what really happened back in Dove’s past.

This one was an interesting read. Some of the evangelical parts didn’t hold my interest as much, but overall it was well woven between the two storylines and I thought it fit together well in the end. If you like Southern fiction, this is a good one!

I will read anything that Emily Carpenter writes. The queen of southern gothic does it again with this book is a follow-up to the author's debut, Burying the Honeysuckle Girls, which was just as FANTASTIC. If you love complex mysteries that are well researched and original, grab this one immediately. The story is told in alternating timelines and points of view: those of renowned evangelist and faith healer Dove Jarrod in 1934 and her granddaughter, Eve Candler in the present day. Perfectly done, unputdownable and I loved it!

Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters was a pretty interesting story! My favorite part by far was the super deep family mystery and secrets. I always love some good family mysteries.

I liked that it went back and forth between the present and past. It was in depth and well written. I was never confused going back and forth and I felt connected to the characters.

Even though the story was entertaining and I felt it was well written, it just want really for me. I don't really enjoy religious stories and there were things I just didn't love. It was preachy at times and because of the setting and the characters I just felt annoyed about certain events.

I am giving it 3 stars though because I know that there are people out there who will love this book! It was well written with great depth and mystery. So, it's worth a read if you are okay with some religion and church aspects!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded intriguing to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during that 2nd attempt, I have only managed to make it halfway through so I'd rather stop here and state that this book just wasn't for me.

I’d read a few chapters every few weeks and just could not get into it. Dove, an evangelist healers, legacy is at stake as her family start to unravel her secrets and true death.

I just really couldn't get I to this book. I struggled from the first chapter. The book is well written, I just couldn't latch on to a character I enjoyed. Maybe I'll try rereading it at a later date, I'm sure most people have loved it.

What do you do when you find out your faith healing grandmother is a fake? When Eve's grandmother, Dove, dies Eve tries to keep the secret to herself as she continues her charity foundation. While making a documentary about her grandmother, Eve finds out not everything she knows is true. This is a book about family, loyalty, secrets, love and forgiveness.

Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters was a wonderful book! I absolutely loved the southern writing in this novel and the development of the characters. I felt like I was a part of their lives by the end of this story.

Unfortunately I could not get into the novel. I enjoy Emily's writing but no character in this book caught me. I also didn't enjoy the hopping back in forth in time. The actual writing was well done, as usual, but sadly, not the book for me.

Emily Carpenter's Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters is a captivating work of Southern fiction. It's a stand-alone follow-up novel to her debut Burying the Honeysuckle Girls.

It's a lush and atmospheric novel told in dual timelines as readers become acquainted with Dove Jarrod and her granddaughter Eve Chandler. Dove is known as a faith healer and evangelist, but her granddaughter knows what no one else does - that she was a fraud. When a darker secret comes to light, Eve must go deeper into her grandmother's history, where the truth may destroy more than her legacy.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

This book is simply amazing! The story is told in a dual narrative from 1934 to present day Alabama. Eve Candler is the granddaughter of Dove Jarrod. Eve has maintained her charity since her grandmother passed away eight years ago. She has also kept her lies, that her grandmother was a con artist. Dove tells her story from 1934, from escaping a psychiatric hospital to becoming part of the famous southern duo The Hawthorn Sisters. Now, Eve must find the truth about her grandmother before accusations threaten to unravel everything she’s ever known and worked for.
This was a great old southern mystery! There was plenty of suspense, family drama, and secrets! I couldn't turn the page fast enough. The writing was excellent and I loved the story and family so much! I can't wait to read more from this author!

Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters is my first Emily Carpenter book. The mystery surrounds Eve Candler's grandmother, Dove Jarrod, who was a faith healer and evangelist who joined hands with her good friend Bruna Faulk to team up to be the Hawthorn Sisters. They sang and prayed for healing at revivals and drew quite a crowd, earning quite a good deal of money.

Eve knew that Dove was really that her grandmother's healing wasn't really genuine, but she wanted to know the entire truth about her so she set out to discover many things about her. One thing that had Eve very intrigued and something she was determined to find out the answer to is what happened to a very valuable coin and if her grandmother murdered a man she'd been a caretaker for.

What I really liked about the book is the historical aspect of it, jumping from 1930/1934 to "present day." It was like reading a family tree in many ways and I've always wanted to be able to do that, so it immersed me in something of personal interest. Dove had been in a psychiatric hospital and escaped from it, and I really wanted more of that aspect of her life.

I thought that the two POV's told by Dove and Eve worked really well. I prefer 1st person which was how Eve's storyline was told. Dove's was told in 3rd person but the different POV's helped me keep their stories separated.

I want to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a free ebook copy for my honest opinion of this book.