The Girls in the Stilt House is a beautifully written book, filled with lush descriptions of natural settings and haunting details of 1920s Mississippi. It is a depiction of the valiant survival and courage of two girls, Ada and Matilda. It is a story of resiliency, love, hope, loss, loneliness, desperation, prejudice, determination and strength.

The main characters, Ada and Matilda, are likeable from the opening scene. There are several supporting characters in the community who give and show kindness, and I loved the wisdom of Gertie, the devoted and loving elderly midwife. There are also mean and violent characters who continuously raise the tension in the story.

The author Kelly Mustain doesn’t tell us what to think, but alludes to each message through writing so alive and powerful it transports the reader to primitive life in the swamps and fields of the Natchez Trace. She persuades us to seek, find and discover all on our own as we follow Ada and Matilda’s emotional journeys. The ending wrapped this up as a five star read for me.

Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

You Find a Way, Is What You Do

Oh! This book was so good. Historical fiction southern style 1920's Natchez Trace. Right in the middle of Mississippi black vs white. White landowner's, black sharecroppers, moonshining, greed, murder and mayhem.

Right in the middle you have an elderly midwife, two teenage girls and some of the meanest men on earth. These girls in the stilt house are terrorized by these men until they take matters into their own hands and must harbor horrible secrets. What they know they can't tell, but what they know could get them killed.

It is about dreams of the young and the shattering of those dreams . About the carrying on when you don't have the strength to go on . It is a story of hope, of despair and redemption.

This story is of the survival of women when they have no means of survival. It is of a human being pushed to the limit and beyond. It is of the ability to rebound from horrible tragedy and regain a life. It is about how some people risk it all to help other's.

I could smell the swamps, feel the rain and the wind blowing on the beach. The surroundings were vividly described I could almost feel like I was there. From the first chapter to the last I could not put this book down. It was that good. I would recommend it.

Thanks to Kelly Mustian, Sourcebooks Landmark, and NetGalley for granting my wish and allowing me to read an advanced copy of the book for an honest review.

Debut Author
Compared to Where the Crawdads Sing, so I had to read it, but was expecting another Crawdads.
This is no Crawdads. It is Mississippi in 1920s. It is two women and their struggles.
I got lost in the storyline, but had to know how it ended.

This book blew me away! I was unable to but it down. Perfect, dazzlingly, very well written. The details the author described throughout the book was so amazing. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

What a captivating story! I felt truly immersed in the swamp of Mississippi. Had to keep reading to find out what happened next.
This novel was sad, depressing, hopeful! I enjoyed how this is set In Mississippi in the 1920s.
Such an amazing read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Soucebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read this book so that I may provide an honest review.

Author Kelly Mustain paints a highly evocative picture in her setting of The Trace in 1920's Mississippi. As Mustian mentions in her very thoughtful Author's Note, she intended for the setting to be a character and she certainly succeeded in doing that. I loved how Mustain opened the book with a powerful scene that left me with so many questions about the two man characters' back stories, which she goes on to flesh out through flash backs and strong supporting characters. As Ada and Matilda's unlikely friendship develops, many themes are explored that are as relevant to today as they were in the 1920's - racism, lack of opportunity and socio-economic inequality to name a few. The story is fast-paced and was hard to put down. I found the ending a satisfying pay-off for my investment in Ada and Matilda. Thank you Kelly Mustain. I think this would make an excellent book for a reading club and look forward to recommending it widely!

Good book! The story is set in the swamp so it definitely reminded me at first of "Where the crawdads sing" but only in the setting. The rest of the story is unique to itself and beautifully told. Told between two characters, Matilda and Ada, the author tells a tale of two different lives that become intertwined through tragedy. I loved that each character was given the opportunity to tell their story, especially Matilda's.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and if you like to read historical southern fiction then you will too!

I cannot wait to read the next book by Kelly Mustian after reading her debut novel. The Girls In The Stilt House delivers on every level. It has characters to admire, evil villains to abhor, the story never lags or loses it’s dramatic direction, and it is so well written. It is historically placed in the 1920’s and has a fascinating feel of a southern gothic tale. I am so grateful to #Net Galley and #Sourcebooks for allowing me to read this wonderful novel early. I also hope that the author will consider writing more about the girls after the stilt house. I would like to imagine Ada as a couturier and Matilda as a budding Nellie Bly.

The Girls in the Stilt House is a historical novel set in the Mississippi swamp during the 1920's. Two teenage girls, Ada and Matilda come together as unlikely friends to survive hardships during this era in the south. Between the dangers of prohibition, poverty, racial injustice, and even murder, life can be down right rough and dangerous. This intriguing book will keep you turning page after page until the very end. Thanks to author Kelly Mustian, publisher SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for a honest review.

This is such a gripping story. Set in 1920s Mississippi, along the Trace, the characters are dealing with issues of race, social status and poverty. Ada's father is an abuser, striking out at whatever comes close to him, including his wife, his daughter, any animal he comes in contact with, just a totally unlikable character. Ada, his daughter, runs away after her mother dies, and returns some time later because she has no place else to go. Matilda lives at the other end of the road, and she has also dealt with her share of difficulties, compounded by the fact that she is Black. Ada and Matilda strike up an unusual friendship, and it becomes dangerous because of the racial divide.
One will read this book with their heart pounding, hoping against hope that everything will work out for both the girls and for Ada's little girl. Matilda has a community of people to fill at least some of her needs, from her parents to the healer/midwife to the pastor. Ada, on the other hand, has no one, except those who care for Matilda, and so by extension, are willing to help Ada.

Set in the 1920's this is the story of 2 girls in Mississippi and the hardships they endured. To sum up personalities for me- Ada, the young white woman was extremely needy and childlike. Matilda, the older black woman was a strong no nonsense complex character. Both of these young women suffered horribly throughout their lives which in the story brought them together.
I was engrossed in this book from the very beginning by the descriptive writings of this author.

When they first meet Matilda saves Ada by killing her father forever cementing the relationship between the two. This is the story of their relationship, their tragedies, and the landscape of the trace, a character unto itself. Beautifully written and poignant it’s a story of the south in the 1920’s.

For readers of Where Crawfish Sings, this book is an excellent companion book to read. Set in the South, a relationship between two young women bought together by a series of tragedies. The women lean on each other to discover what true friendship and royalty is. I hope that this book does as well as Crawfish did ,I highly recommend it.

I found this novel sad and hopeful, haunting and thought-provoking. The author's depiction of the beauty and brutality of the Trace and the characters desperately trying to live their best lives there pulled me in and wouldn't let me go. I quickly became deeply invested in the outcomes for both Ada and Matilda and did not want to put the book down. The complexity of their relationship had me on an emotional rollercoaster, but I was rooting for them both! Although the novel takes place in 1920s Mississippi, the issues of race, social status, and relationships remain relevant, and resonate strongly with me as I reflect upon what is happening in our society today. I can't wait to share this book with our book clubs at the library!