Stork Bite is a historical novel which has a little bit of everything - prejudice, murder, family dynamics, love, second chances. All of this is so beautifully described that you just feel like you're there. Written from different perspectives of characters that are black and white sharing a very different experience at the same point in history. Really enjoyed this story.

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy. All opinions are my own.

I just can't with this one. I have decided to put this one down. I loved the premise. It just did not work for me as a reader.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. The opinions are my own.

For me the book felt almost like 2 distinct and separate stories. The first story of David and his encounter with a Klansman and then secondly the story of the women. My brain kept trying to find the connection and that pulled me out of the story - I kept wondering what happened to David. I don't know if I just wasn't reading carefully enough or if the connection is too vague, but I sure didn't find it till the end of the book. For me, that detracted from the overall story. I liked the individual stories, just wish the connection was stronger and more of a through line.

A good representation of that era in the south.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

The book spans more than a century from 1913 to the 21st Century and takes place primarily in Louisiana and East Texas. The themes involve racial tensions and discrimination, WWI, the role of women in society and business, prohibition, and much more. The well-drawn characters must face the consequences of their actions. The story grabs the reader from the beginning. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this work of historical fiction.

In 1913, David Walker lived with his Gramps, his Mama, his Papa and his Catahoula Hound, Huck, "obedient only to David." in one moment along the Pigs trail, while David is duck hunting with his grandpa's wartime Sharps .22 rifle, his life changes dramatically. He kills a white man, and the fact it is in self-defense will not help him. Throughout this novel, that takes us from 1913 Port Barre, Louisiana to a remote improvised camp near a lake, to a farm near Jefferson, Texas, to many years in Shreveport Louisiana, David makes choices, learns skills and meets people who shape his future, but none of this changes his fundamental nature honed by his loving upbringing. I want so badly to tell this story from beginning to end, because Simonds' is one of those authors who captures character, dialogue and dialect, nature and cityscapes, periods in history and why people do things we do not understand so beautifully. Her subplots are equally rich. But saying more would require so many spoilers, so I will just include some random quotes below and tell you that Stork Bite is a lovely, lovely book with more than one "can't put it down" story. I bought it to do this review justice. It is a book I will read again -- soon.

"A wood stork started hanging around camp, and David named him Old Gourd because of his cobbed head. David didn't know if Old Gourd hung around because he had taken a shine to the catfish offal David threw his way or if the old bird had been ostracized by a colony of storks that lived in a nearby myrtle."

"The house and small barn were unpainted and badly weathered. The family appeared to be barely scratching out a living from the hard-packed earth, practically with their bare hands. David thought about how ungrudgingly Caddo Lake had supplied him, even in winter, and he wished he could load the Tatums into the pirogue and take them to his camp, where life was easy."

"Jax pulled back a tarp behind the rear seat that covered cases of Canadian Club that Red's men had loaded the night before. ... 'What's all this?' Mae asked when she climbed inside. 'Medical supplies,' Jax said. He winked and added, 'Sometimes I gotta mix a little business with pleasure.'"

"The Strand's owners were happy enough to take her quarter at the box office, the same as if she were white too. But after that, Cargie was expected to enter an alley so narrow she had to squeeze between the wall and the steep iron staircase that a climbed the theater's three-story wall. She was expected to climb the rickety steps while they rattled and squeaked in protest-- feeling for all the world as if they were about to come off the wall -- and take her seat in the upper balcony. Where the white folks wouldn't have to look at her."

"'On a Saturday morning,'... 'a warm Indian summer day a long time ago, a boy went hunting and never went home again.'"

I really enjoyed reading this book, it was a beautifully done historical novel. The characters were what I was looking for. It really left me thinking for a few days and I enjoyed going on this journey.

Thank you to Netgalley for an opportunity to read and review this ARC. This is a novel full of twists, turns, and delightful surprises. The story keeps you engaged throughout and the author weaves several narratives together with great skill. I highly recommend this book to all!

Really interesting premise and good writing! The characters are intriguing and the story is very interesting...

#storkbite #NetGalley

In 1913, 17 year-old David kills a white man and flees Caddo Parish to protect his family. He fends for himself for a while and then takes shelter with a poor sharecropping family for a time.

The story picks up again in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1927 with the stories of Mae, a college-bound young woman somewhat reluctantly engaged and seeking adventure, and Cargie, a twenty-something Black woman who gets a job as a bookkeeper at a local dry cleaners.

The writing was really evocative of this time period in the south. The book managed to cover a lot of ground--race relations, WWI and WWII, women's independence, education, relationships, marriage, Prohibition and bootlegging.

It took a quite a while for David, Cargie, and Mae's stories to come together, but I really enjoyed how the author finally connected them.

This story is a familiar one in that it chronicles the discrimination faced by black people in years gone by. It all begins with a young black man being unjustly harassed by a middle aged white fellow. This leads to an accidental death and the flight of the young man in order to protect himself and his family. I enjoyed this book mightily, and appreciate the reminder that we must never forget the errors of the past.

This is probably more of a 4.5 stars than a 4 star book (GR really needs to allow for half stars!)

This started out slow for me; Book 1 and David's story wasn't quite hitting it for me. Book 2 turned the tide though, and I really got into it at that point. This book is all about relationships - the ins and outs; good ones, bad ones; deep and shallow. The connections and the way each relationship intersects in this book are phenomenal. The writing is wonderful; there's depth and emotion, and life lessons that sort of float over you, so you can slowly absorb them, rather than being hit in the face by them. There's a lot going on in this book - it spans generations and lifestyles and various social issues. But it all comes back to the relationships between the characters.

By far, the best part of this book for me was the ending. This is saying a lot; I am consistently disappointed in book endings, and that's often what takes many good books and makes them just okay for me. But this one was absolutely perfect in the way that it wrapped this beautiful gift of a story up in a big bow and presented itself to me.

First off I want to thank NetGalley for the chance to read this book and write a review.

While I read the synopsis, I was quite confused when we went to completely different set of characters about a third of the way through the book. So much so that I almost didn't finish. With that said, I liked BOTH stories. I just really don't understand why the author thought that the second (plot and characters) needed to be in this story. This could have been written with the complete story about David Walker....which is what I wanted and expected to follow.

The story I wanted to follow was about David Walker. He is a seventeen years old black man, living in Caddo Parrish in 1913. While hunting at a hidden oxbow lake he accidentally kills a klansman who confronted him. He is on the run wanting to protect his family from the KKK. (This would have made a great story alone! Following his life and adventures on the run into manhood!)

Then, all of a sudden it switches scenes and we meet Mae and a different character, Cargie. While these two women are ahead of their time in Shreveport, Louisiana, 1927...the switch was so sudden I was (as I said) confused! I followed it to find out how the two stories connected. They did, but I think that the author could have probably had TWO good stories out of this book.

I was glad to get through this book because of the confusion and that it wasn't a book I felt I wanted to keep getting back to. It took me quite some time to finish! It was just ok for me.

NOTE: I want to apologize to the author for my opinions about the separate stories. I know that it is a wonderful feeling to put pen to paper and have your ideas and creativity put out there. I just think that this would have been TWO wonderful books; separately! And what do I know...I'm just a reader. :(

This book started off with a great story of a young boy caught in an impossible situation, a black teenager killing a Klansman in self-defense in 1913. The second section, a young woman unknowingly marrying a mobster, began another storyline that intersected tangentially with the first. This was really two distinct stories, both good, but not related enough to be in one novel. It tries to be historical fiction by mentioning historical events, but the characters are not really affected, just referencing them. Even with these niggles, the characters are solid, interesting, and endearing, even the ones who struggle the most to be good, and I recommend it for that alone. It's really like getting two stories in one, actually. I was fortunate to receive a digital copy from the author through NetGalley.

I have mixed feelings on this book. One is drawn into David story in the year 1913 and the difficult, unfair choices he was forced to make. Then all a sudden you’re reading another story with new characters that had nothing to do with David and his story. Now to make it more confusing throw in another story with more new characters. The story spans a 100 years and there is a mystery through most of it. David story does finally continue, but to me the book seemed to drag on. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story.

I absolutely loved this book. Incredible history of racial discrimination spanning a century. . We are introduced to David, a young black man out hunting with his dog in 1913. . He encounters a Klansman and the situation is dire. David sets out on a journey to protect his family and in return changes his and so many others destiny. Wonderful character interactions, loved all the internal dialogs. You will smile at times and definitely cry, a must read!

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I have mixed feelings on this book. I really enjoyed the storylines but felt like I was reading different books. David’s story pulled me in from the beginning but and I wished there was more. But then the plot totally changed and I felt a bit lost trying to figure out new characters and side plots. It was a lot to follow. I enjoyed both Cargie and Mae’s stories and again felt like there could have been so much more. The ending felt a bit rushed in trying to pull it all together and I still don’t really see a connection with the title of Stork Bite. I loved the writing though. The characters and the time frame it was set in really got my attention.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review!

This book sucked me in! I wanted to find out what happened to almost all the characters, especially smart and resourceful Cargie Barre. And even though the two storylines are only loosely related and the title was never explained, I did enjoy how the author resolved the plots in the end.
Several quotes I especially appreciated:
About the KKK hood David found and tried on after he killed the owner: "It was merely cloth and thread, and all the hate and fear it carried came from the man inside."
Wife and mother Audrie Tatum: "Folks think the way things has always been is the way they gots to be, but I don't believe that."
"The more journal entries Cargie (Black) read, the less she thought about Mr. Cole being white." And they did become close friends and partners!
When Cargie wasn't sure what to do next: "Pastor Euell said if you don't know what to do, follow your peace."
About different colors: "A body had to remember to take people as they come, individually, instead of lumping them all together in a bunch."

This book stole my heart. Seldom does a book grab your attention and your emotions from the first pages.

Spanning some of the most volitale and historic times in our past - the book follows a young black man throughout his life. David/Jacob/Thomas's evolves from a sheltered young man that happens across a man full of hatred to finding love with an amazing woman and people they meet along their way.

Each character is so we'll developed you feel a connection to them. The story is so well written - like you are there with them.

Great story - great book!

An okayish read, which left me slightly heart-broken after finishing. This is a deeply emotional book and it seems very personal as well. It's dificult for me to review, because I do not want to be disrespectful, but U had some hard times with this book, mostly because of the writing style and the content. The ending made me smile, however, so I decided to go for three stars.

I received a free copy by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting novel that spans from the early 1900's through until almost present day.

Starting with the story of David Walker, a young black man who has a run in with, and accidentally kills a Klansman, we follow several people as they deal with racism, sexism and prohibition over the years,

Beautifully written prose gives us characters that are multi-faceted, deep and well drawn. Cargie stands out as a character I particularly enjoyed. Their lives weave together along with the social history of the 20th century. The author does a great job of showing us their motivations, the obstacles they need to overcome, and how hard they each work to make better lives for themselves.

I don't want to give too much away, as I think you need to understand the story as it unfolds, to truly enjoy it at its best.

The first book I have read by author L.K. Simmonds, but it won't be the last.