I love the stories of “Sean of The South” and was so excited to get this book. He is a master storyteller and word artist. This novel was powerful, inspirational and SO heartwarming. I loved Nub and his second chance.
Many thanks to Harper Muse and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Living in the fictional town of Park, Alabama, in 1972, sixty-something absentee father, Nub, has been perpetually drunk since his father’s suicide in 1921. He’s annoying and no one likes him, but if there is one generous truth, it’s that he’s ‘heart-stoppingly sincere’, has no tolerance for meanness, and will defend the vulnerable with everything he’s got. Sitting in an idling truck outside his daughter’s house on Thanksgiving is the closest he can come to celebrating with her. A car chase with the local deputy ends in a collision with Park’s water tower that he and cousin Benny have, ironically, almost finished painting.

At six-foot-five, fifteen-year-old Minnie passes for nineteen, is a target for persecution simply because she’s different, dirt poor, and happens to be pregnant by her most determined tormentor. When she’s informed that her mom has committed suicide, she passes out, hits her head, and is transported to hospital. Her self-soothing crooning irritates the old man in the next bed, who is trying to sleep after smashing up both his truck and his inebriated body. As Dietrich works his magic on random encounters, this becomes the axis around which the young mother-to-be’s destiny plays out.

Dietrich’s latest gem combines his trademark wit and compassion. Using short, unadorned sentences, there is a timeless universality to the way in which he conjures ordinary people scarred by hardscrabble lives. His prose has a familiarity and gentle reverence for his cast members, allowing each their moment in the sun. Minnie’s artistic coming-of-age is profound and uplifting, while Nub’s life-changing decision puts him back in touch with his feelings and those of everyone around him. Reminiscent of his previous novels, and skillfully date-stamped in the early Seventies, Dietrich’s keen observations of his native Alabama underscore a natural love of life-affirming storytelling.

At 63% … audio is narrated by the author. He does an amazing … and I’m loving the book as well.

Finished … OMG … I love this book so much! Longer review to follow. I would encourage anyone with extra audible credits to order this one. Listening via audio is the only way! (Narrated by the author who has an amazing singing voice.)*

* This is the longer review ...
I absolutely loved loved Kinfolk by Sean Dietrich.

Nub ... the town drunk and Minnie a 15 year old who drops out of school and is working as a chef at the local Waffle House end up crossing paths. Both down on their luck; both with musical talent; both lost a parent to suicide (as did the author) at a young age.

Sean Dietrich (the author) does an amazing job narrating (and singing) this audio. The Audie Awards are in March, I sure hope he is in the running. In my opinion, this audiobook is that good.

Nub's sidekick is his cousin. OMG ... the number of times I burst out laughing with this book!

Kinfolk was my second book by Sean Dietrich; I remember reading my first Sean Dietrich novel in line to get Covid tested. Anyway ... I much preferred Kinfolk. Possibly the 1 hour plus wait for a covid test had something to do with my mindset at the time.

Many (MANY!) thanks to NetGalley for introducing me to author Sean Dietrich and Harper Muse for approving my request to review the advance listen audiobook in exchange for an honest review. The publication date is Nov 14, 2023. The last day to be eligible for the 2023 GoodReads Readers Choice voting. I sure hope this book is in the running, because it definitely would have my vote. I've been raving about this book on Facebook. Give this book several chapters, then you'll be hooked. (I wanted to read this book so desperately, I requested both the audio and electronic version, I opted to listen. The way to go on this one!) 5 stars ... but more if I could.

When Nub Taylor decides to initiate a drunken car chase in Park (temporarily renamed Papk), Alabama, he ends up in the hospital next to 15-year-old Minnie Bass, who has just lost her mother due to suicide. Theirs is an unlikely friendship, for Nub can't even stay sober long enough to have a relationship with his actual daughter, Emily, who has just received a terminal cancer diagnosis. In a series of events that can only happen in a small town, Nub applies to be Minnie's foster parent. But there are secrets that are about to be revealed that will change everyone forever.

I started this last night and finished it this morning. I would give it ten stars if I could, and I will, when I post this on my blog, where I can give as many stars as I want. This is an amazing story of love, forgiveness, redemption, and second chances. The Southern small-town cast of characters is a delight. Throw in bullies, organized crime, and a mysterious protector, and this is a book you won't want to put down. I laughed and sobbed. That's how good this was. I want to read everything this author has ever written. If you love Southern Fiction, read this! If you love Small Town fiction, read this. If you love redemptive stories about found family, read this! If you want to laugh and cry, read this. Read it. You won't be disappointed. I loved it so much I've already preordered the audiobook.

I received a free copy of this book from Harper Muse via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Fine Southern Fiction that’s not the same old thing.

“Kinfolk” is my first book by Sean Dietrich but it won’t be the last. His characters are SO well developed and have deep, complex relationships that were wonderful to explore. Dietrich nailed the setting and time period, taking me back to my younger days.

The sub theme involving music was a special treat for this retired musician. Country music isn’t my favorite genre but the love, passion and ability to draw folks together along with the healing abilities is universal; it’s well portrayed.

This is a small southern town with memorable characters that are worthy of another book, (or two?), Excellent plotting with steady pacing, PG rated and and ending you won’t see coming but will remember for a long
time📚

Read & Reviewed from a Harper Muse/First Editions ARC

Rural poor Alabama where life is rarely fair 15 year old Minnie struggles at home, quits school to work and help pay rent until she finds herself alone. Nub just couldn’t make a good decision if his life depended on it (and routinely does). Until people are placed in your life at the right time and make you see yourself and things in a whole other light. Heartwarming , sad, disturbing, hopeful, suspenseful —. All the perfect feels for an outstanding book.

Thank you to Harper Muse for the ARC!

Kinfolk is the fifth novel by American author Sean Dietrich. The first time that Jeremiah (Nub) Taylor encounters Minnie Bass, it’s just after Thanksgiving 1972 and, from the hospital bed opposite his, she’s disturbing his sleep as she comforts herself with a song her mama used to sing to her. Nub is there recovering from his drunken crash into the town’s water tower.

Not long after, he learns that Minnie, 6’5” but only fifteen, is a middle school dropout who works as a cook at the Waffle House. How, then, does a sixty-two-year-old divorced alcoholic whom many in the town of Park, in the tiny county of Ash, Alabama, see as white trash, decide to apply to foster this unfortunate teen?

Before she sank into alcoholism and took her own life on that fateful Thanksgiving, Celia Bass always told Minnie that the father she never knew died a hero in the Korean war when, in fact, Clarence (Sugar) Bass is just then being released after serving a fifteen-year sentence for manslaughter at the Draper Correctional Facility some miles to the south.

An accidental shooting during a robbery gone wrong isn’t going to help “the Organization” forget that Sugar Bass has $813,000 of their money, so he has a tail the moment he hits town. And the Organization’s wrath might be directed at family members if Sugar remains reticent about the location of the money.

High school biology teacher, widow and mother of teenaged Charlie Jr, Emily Ives has just been given an adverse diagnosis by her inept GP, and is trying to come to terms with her own mortality before she shares the news. But she is distracted, and a little chagrined, by the news that the father who abandoned her as a girl for his love affair with alcohol is planning to foster a fifteen-year-old girl.

It’s true that he is a good man: “He was whip-smart, for starters. And he was heart-stoppingly sincere. His greatest quality, however, was that he had the audacity to be himself, for better or worse”, but what qualifies her alcoholic parent to do this?

Nub understands he will have to be sober “He knew it meant that he would have to face the jaggedness of life without alcohol to round its edges” and he realises, after some weeks that way “It had been a long time since he’d felt the hotness of his own anger without alcohol to dull its spiked edges.”

Dietrich really does have a talent for creating a wonderful cast of characters who easily find their way into readers’ hearts. They are a flawed bunch but he gives them wise words and insightful observations: when Nub eventually shares with Minnie the one thing they have in common, a parent ending their own life, she tells him “When someone shoots themself, they kill a lot more than just them.”

Dietrich has a marvellous turn of phrase: “Benny crept down the hall toward the cabinet. He opened the door so slowly that Nub celebrated four birthdays.” Childbirth, concerts, a housefire, an exploding mobile home, a hospital shooter and at least three near-death moments all feature and, even though the plot is at times heart-breaking, there’s plenty of humour, especially in the dialogue: “Benny,” said Nub. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re kind of embarrassing me.”
“Thanks. That means a lot coming from a professional.”

A feel-good ending is always welcome: “Minnie had come to believe that life was not about finding miracles, or happiness, or success, or purpose, or about avoiding disappointment. It was about finding people. People are what make life worth it. People are the buried treasure. People who understand you. People who will bleed with you. People who make your life richer. Your people. Your kinfolk.”
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harper Muse.

I loved Kinfolk from the first word to the last word. I had so many emotions throughout this book. I laughed, cried, yelled out loud and cheered! I just this minute finished this glorious story, and I just want to go back and start reading from the beginning…all over again. The characters jump out at you and grab your heart, and I loved each and every one of them. “People Finding People” is a perfect description of this perfectly told story. Grab a copy now, you will not be sorry. Wish I could rate it 10 stars.
Thank You to NetGalley, The Author Sean Dietrich and The Publisher Harper Muse for allowing me the privilege of reading this story for my honest review..

Sean Dietrich (Sean of the South), a columnist, novelist, musician, and stand-up storyteller known for his commentary on life in the American South, returns with his latest novel, KINFOLK — a heartwarming lyrical song-turned-story about family (not always blood-related), second chances, country music, humor, and the power of love and forgiveness.

"Sometimes it's the most unlikely meetings that give us life's greatest gifts."

Set in a small rural town in Alabama in the 1970s, we meet protagonist Jeremiah Lewis Taylor (Nub).

As the book begins, it is dark. A father's suicide (much like the actual story of the author and his childhood). Triumph over tragedy.

Nub is an alcoholic, the town drunk. His ex-wife has disowned him and his grown daughter. The entire town is against him.

His life changes when he meets Minne, a tall fifteen-year-old teen, down on her luck and works at the Waffle House diner.

She is pregnant by a high school guy who does not care. She just lost her mother. Nub cares for her and her circumstances. An unlikely pair may turn into something called a family.

And Minnie can sing! Could a dream of the Grand Ole Opry come true? Life has pleasant surprises on the way to redemption when all looks dim and bleak.

Minnie's father is a convicted murderer serving a life sentence, her mother is dead and buried, and she has a Grand Ole Opry-worthy singing voice with no place to perform.

Has Nub been given a second chance to redeem himself?

KINFOLK is a heartwarming story of trials, tribulations, disappointment, and sadness to joy, love, acceptance, belonging, and second chances. When life is full of overlooked miracles—they never happen the way you expect them to.

The entire book is much like a country music song. Great characterization with Nub, Emily, and Minnie!

KINFOLK is a thought-provoking and uplifting story of forgiveness mixed with humor and the power of music, reminding us that every person has worth and value despite their circumstances. Be mindful of that in your everyday life. You never know whom you may come in contact with that could change your life.

"People who understand you. People who make your life richer. Your people. Your kinfolk."

The author is a wonderful Southern storyteller. I enjoyed KINFOLK in the audiobook format, narrated by the author with his authentic Southern voice, which will capture you with vivid settings, humor, song, and skillful storytelling.

My first book by the author. KINFOLK would make an emotional and entertaining movie.

Thanks to HarperMuse and NetGalley for a gifted ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Note: Hopefully, the finished e-book will be corrected. In the advanced reading digital copy, there were formatting issues with the HarperMuse large logo appearing multiple times on every page, making it very distracting to read. Glad I had the audio version.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Nov 14, 2023
My Review: 4.5 Stars
Nov 2023 Must-Read Books

Thanks to Harper Muse and NetGalley for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own. Expected publication date Nov 14, 2023.

Wow! Unputdownable! 5++ stars! I knew this would be good since I’ve read other books and columns by author Sean Dietrich, but this amazing story surpassed my expectations.

This skillfully written novel takes place in the 1970s, in a small Alabama town where everyone knows everything about everybody. One by one the characters are introduced to the reader. Some of their connections are explained from the beginning, some take a while before the connections become apparent. Everyone has grief or trauma in their life – either beyond their control or due to their own weaknesses. The more I read, the more the characters came to life, and I found myself caring about them and hoping for miracles.

Even though the novel begins with a death, the thread of hope connects each person, all of them outsiders struggling with challenges, longing for a life of stability and happiness. The development of these relationships is balanced with the powerful plot containing conflict, suspense, and danger.

Minnie, one of the main characters, shares the book’s message after the edge-of-your-seat climax: “Life was full of overlooked miracles. And miracles never happen the way you expect them to. They are softer than a baby’s breath. They are, at times, as noticeable as a ladybug. A miracle is not a big thing. A miracle is millions and millions of small things working together. But then, this didn’t matter. Not really. Because Minnie had come to believe that life was not about finding miracles, or happiness, or success, or purpose, or about avoiding disappointment. It was about finding people. People are what make life worth it. People are the buried treasure. People who understand you. People who will bleed with you. People who make your life richer. Your people. Your kinfolk.”

Themes of redemption and second chances, forgiveness, family, and hope. This is a heartwarming, feel-good story about love, country music, and kinfolk. Another one for my “favorites” list. I highly recommend!

Content warning for suicide, alcoholism, teen pregnancy, bullying, cancer.

There are some books that just unexpectedly tug on your heartstrings and this is one of them. The characters, the story telling, and the love was just the story I needed, but didn’t know that I needed.

I love a good small Southern town story, and Sean of the South never fails in that regard. He’s a great writer who can weave a story, poke fun where it is due, and build thoroughly enjoyable characters. In this book, we find Nub, an alcoholic so flawed it is hard to see how he could ever find redemption. But somehow, he becomes so lovable that the reader blows through chapters that don’t involve him to reach the ones that do.

The setting is Park, Alabama – about as rural as you can ever get. Nub has lost his family because of his drinking. But starts to turn his life around after a chance encounter when he sees a local teenage boy harassing Minnie, a girl who works in a local Waffle House. 15-year-old Minnie is an orphan who can sing like an angel. And this awakens something in Nub, who is a musician himself.

There is a subplot regarding a mafia-type character who was recently released from prison. That’s where the book lost me a little bit. Some of the situations were completely implausible. But I enjoyed the book and will continue to read whatever Sean Dietrich writes.

‘People are the buried treasure. People who make life richer. Your people. Your kinfolk'.

Jerimiah (Nub) is an alcoholic. Born and raised in small town Alabama, he has found an odd type of acceptance as the foolish town drunk, along with his cousin Benny. After his latest car crash sends him to the hospital, he meets Minnie Bass, a 6'5'' teenage girl who's just lost her mother and is due to be sent to a home for unwed mothers. Nub is oddly touched by Minnie. He can relate to her. It's time to get things right. But who's ever heard of a drunk old man, with a haphazard income, adopting a teenage, unwed mother?

'A miracle is not a big thing. A miracle is millions and millions of small things working together'. Kinfolk is not only a snapshot of small-town, Southern life in the 70s, it is a feel-good story of redemption. But Sean Dietrich has also sprinkled over a bit of sass and a secondary story of crime and mystery to round out a wholly engrossing and entertaining story. This is the type of story you could easily imagine as a movie and I think it will appeal to a range of readers who just enjoy a great story of beating the odds.

This book starts with stories of people who are not connected to one another, but the author weaves the story so they all come together in a beautiful tale! I loved every minute of this story! I’ve always been a fan of the author’s posts on social media, but this is the first novel of his that I’ve read. What a fabulous story! I laughed. I cried! 1000% loved it!

After having read The Incredible Winston Browne, I will always be lined up as soon as Sean Dietrich releases a new book. He manages to read down into my soul and have me emotionally drained. As you absorb the words sprinkled on the pages, you will come to know Nub, Minnie, and a few other characters from Park, Alabama. There are a lot of dark subjects buried in the pages … suicide, teen pregnancy, murder, cancer, judgmental attitudes, bullying. So, it is not a light easy read as you experience how the decisions of one family member can have a ripple effect on others in the family. But it will also have you smiling as you realize that there are opportunities for second chances.

Church services. Reading about Minnie’s singing and beautiful voice. Tabasco sandwiches. Lots of things will stay with you long after you close the book. And make sure you hang in there to the very end and the author’s note.

And the following words from Kinfolk will stay with me for a while:
People are what makes life worth it. People are the buried treasure. People who understand you. People who will bleed with you. People who will make your life richer. Your people, kinfolk.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This was the first book I had read by Sean Dietrich. It was different than anything I had read before. I am from Alabama, so the references were fun! It does have some extremely hard aspects to it (so be mindful of that if you go to read it). Parts of the book seemed a little choppy, but overall I enjoyed it. It was a fast read as well.

Kinfolk has everything I look for in a book - it is powerful, it has diverse and well developed characters, it has a perfect balance of conflict and suspense, it made me laugh out loud, and it held my interest throughout. Sean Dietrich has a true talent for storytelling.

Nub Taylor is the town drunk. His wife left him, his daughter barely speaks to him and he can’t stop causing trouble wherever he goes. But deep down, Nub is a kindhearted soul who tries his best to do his best.

When 15-year old Minnie’s mom commits suicide and leaves a pregnant Minnie on her own, it’s Nub Taylor who steps in to care for her. He doesn’t have much, but he does have good friends and a forgiving daughter who see how hard he’s trying and together they care for Minnie and Minnie’s child.

Through some extremely difficult and challenging times, Nub gives Minnie the home and the love he wishes he would have given his own daughter, but he has redeemed himself in the eyes of his “kinfolk” and together they forge a loving family.

This book is emotionally satisfying in so many ways. The pages are filled with humor during difficult times and the enduring love of family. I highly recommend this one and give it 5 stars, though it deserves many more. Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Muse for the ARC. You can pick up a copy on November 14, 2023.

This is such a neat story!
It has sadness, fear, love and redemption as we see "Nub" who has spent time "away" and now finds he is not as "hard" as he thought. Can he make things right in this life?
He has a second chance to change a young girls world and others.
Now... will he?
It's southern charm with a heart! I loved it!
Thank you to @NetGalley and to @Harper Muse for this wonderful ARC and allowing me to provide my own review of this novel..

A Southern tale that will bring both laughter and tears. Sean Dietrich is indeed an amazing storyteller. The Garrison Keillor of the South.
From the tragic beginning to the triumphant end, this is one humdinger of a tall tale. Full of southern culture from the early 1970's, with unique characters that will wind themselves around your heart until you can't stop thinking about them. I loved Minnie and Nub. You can't help but root for them. Nub is the ultimate underdog hero. They both show how a small act of kindness can turn into something bigger, begin the healing of old wounds, and bring second chances. Father-daughter relationships are featured in a unique way. Alcoholism and its destructive wake are explored.
Recommend to readers who enjoy a well-written story of second chances. 4.5 stars

I feel I must start this review with a disclaimer. Sean Dietrich is my favorite present day author. With that being said, I do try to be objective when I am reading a book for review purposes. If I hadn't been reading this for review, however, my reaction and review would be the same.

Sean Dietrich, also known as Sean of the South, writes from the heart. Whoever said that writers write what they live would reinforce this idea after reading Sean Dietrich's latest book - "Kinfolk". Full of emotion and characters who are so real the reader feels that they are best friends by the end of the book, this book is one that is easily read in one sitting. Once I started it, I just could not stop.

The book starts with a very difficult scene - a suicide and the grief that follows in a small Alabama town in the 1970's. If you are familiar with Mr. Dietrich's back story you can understand that that is a real and personal subject matter to him and one that he writes about often. But just like the author, the main character, Nub, is able to overcome the sadness and the life situation that he found himself in and is eventually able to live a life with love and happiness.

This is not an easy book to read at times due to the themes of alcoholism, suicide, loss, racism, and crime but the overall theme is love and that is indeed the message that the reader comes away with in the end. Redemption prevails as a strong theme and what a joy it is to read this book to see how the story unfolds.

The author has a unique way of telling a story. His true Southern charm bleeds through every page and his witty descriptions had me laughing out loud several times. He definitely knows how to evoke an image in your mind as you read with his descriptions.

The main characters, Nub, Emily and Minnie are so well defined and described that it was easy to fall in love (and sometimes dislike) at their antics and actions. They are just plain folk who are the type of folks that we run into every single day in our lives. Thankfully these were ones that were not ignored and it reminded me that each and every person has worth and value in this world despite their circumstances. Sometimes we need to be reminded of that.

If you have the chance to read this book I would highly recommend that you pick up a copy. Better yet, get an audiobook so you can hear the author read it to you in his own voice. This was one that I listened to at regular speed and did not speed up because I wanted to enjoy every drawn out word and hear every inflection of Mr. Dietrich's voice.

Huge thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me an advance copy for review. This is my honest review of Kinfolk.