A great bookclub book that tackles secrets in a small town during the Depression era.

If you like books set in small towns with secrets and a good character read ... don't miss this one.

"The Truth According to Us" by Annie Barrows presents a narrative that, for me, falls somewhere in the middle of the literary spectrum. While it has commendable elements, there are aspects that left me with mixed feelings.

Barrows weaves a rich tapestry of historical fiction set against the backdrop of a small town, and her portrayal of characters is both vivid and authentic. The interplay of relationships and the exploration of family dynamics contribute to the novel's strengths. However, at times, the pacing seemed to lag, making the story feel slightly meandering.

The multiple perspectives offer a diverse glimpse into the characters' lives, but this narrative technique, while ambitious, occasionally resulted in a disjointed flow. There were moments of brilliance in the storytelling, but they were interspersed with segments that lacked the same level of engagement.

While the novel successfully captures the essence of a bygone era, I found myself wishing for a more compelling connection to the overarching plot. The resolution, though satisfying, came with a predictability that diminished the impact of the climax.

In summary, "The Truth According to Us" is a three-star read for me—neither a disappointment nor a standout. It has its merits, particularly in character development and historical ambiance, but the uneven pacing and occasional lack of cohesion prevent it from achieving a higher rating.

The writing, character development, and dialog are all superb, so the length never palls. I loved this book.

Not a bad historical fiction. I had a bit of a hard time getting into it. The Romeyn family dynamic was an odd one and I had a hard time figuring it out. My biggest complaint about this book is how it was constantly shifting perspectives. I think there were four or five, which is a lot. I wouldn't have minded so much if those sections had been labeled at the beginning with the name. It was annoying to figure out whose head we were in each time and it would even shift within chapters. I did not like that.

Love when a book can take you back to another time and give you the feel of life then. THis is a great book to read! The characters and plot are well planned out.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! Vivid characters and nice small town stories and an engaging plot, but slow at times.

I received this ebook in exchange for an honest review... way too long ago!

Being quite a chunk of a book , I've put this one off for too long. I had high hopes and great expectations for this book, but overall I am going with a 3 star review. The author had previously worked with her Aunt on the popular ~The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which I loved. With a similar format this book fell a little short for me. I enjoyed the MC , Layla Beck , and the Romeyns but when the end of the book came and it was time to part I was good. see ya!
The format of this book was similar to TGL&PPPS with letters being written back and forth to Layla's family and friends but I think because she was a bit spoiled and clueless there wasn't much sympathy for her from me. She developed throughout the book and did find a small place in my heart but overall I found this book to be long and tedious. happy to have read it but probably wouldn't pick it up again. On a positive note, I will go back to have another piece of the "Pie".

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I read so few books set in West Virginia, that this one had instant appeal for me and I'm glad that the story didn't fit my stereotype of West Virginia residents. Yes, there's a bootlegger, but more importantly, there is a WPA writer's project employee sent there. Its an enjoyable mystery and Barrow really has made us feel like we're a part of the family.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a story I could read, listen to and watch over and over again and I have!! Of course I knew even before opening the book I would love The Truth According to Us and I did!! You will love 12 year old Willa and it’s no surprise when you understand Barrows also writes the Ivy and Bean books. I didn’t make the connection until later. Read this book!!

Just seeing that I never reviewed this one. I found this one to be too long, and therefore I ended up skimming. I think there's a good story in there but I wasn't up to the task of digging for it. I'd give the author another chance, though.

An absolute charmer of a book about how we perceive the truth and about how the past impacts the present and the present can colour the past. And the art of letting go. And every moves of the hearts in between.

This one is definitely the best book I have read this year so far. I can not heap enough superlatives for the writing brilliance, the strive for authenticity and humanity, the great characters and the beauty of everyday life. And it is fun, too!

Summer of 1938.
12-year-old Willa Romeyn starts her way into the adulthood by starting to realize the world around and the secrets of her beloved family members. Driven by the desire to protect and to understand, she sleuths around - but truth might be more complicated than she can think about.
24-year-old Layla Beck, the senator´s daughter, is on her first job ever - to cover the history of the small town of Macedonia in West Virginia. She is also to realize that the life here is far, far away from boredom - and the others are to realize that there is more about her, too.
36-year-old Jottie Romeyn loves and cares for her family the best that she can, even with the secret pain in her heart. But the past will not stay hidden.

I loved all of the characters, even the faulty ones (and even the boring ones). Jottie has a special place in my heart because she is an exceptional woman, with the heart as big as whole city of Macedonia - and she is still capable of being quirky, intelligent and interesting personality. A total package and I understand the poor Sol. I wish to be half of the woman she is.
Willa is going to be the same when grown-up, an interesting woman with a heart.
And Layla? She is going to surprise herself the most - the seemingly airhead and naive city girl is going to find her spine and her voice. Welcome to the family!

Men in general are not that interesting as women, this is quite feminine book. But bad guy Felix is as complex character as can be, and one can understand the charmed womenfolk!
Emmett, my fingers are crossed for you and for your big heart.

And after all the superlatives, one slight con - it is a lengthy read (+ 500 pages). But every page is worth of the time.

This one is the must-read and the keeper on my e-shelves.

When I realized that this book was written by the co-author of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society I knew I wanted to read it and I'm very happy I was able to receive this e-ARC. Set in the late 1930s in a small town in West Virginia this is ostensibly the story of a the spoiled daughter of a U.S. Senator who is forced into taking a job writing for the WPA. Layla has crossed her father by refusing to marry the man he has picked out so he has insisted she get a job (and then arranged it for her) and she travels the relatively short distance to W. Virginia while actually traveling to a totally different world. Her assignment is to write a history of the town of Macedonia for the occasion of its sesquicentennial. Boarding with a formerly more well off family, the Romeyn's, she is pulled into life of Jottie Romeyn, who is in charge of the family. Jottie who is in her mid 30s runs the house and raises her 2 nieces, Willa and Bird and provides their stability as their father Felix works and travels. The family is also made up of 2 other aunts, twin sisters Mae and Minerva who live there during the week and go home to their husbands on the weekend.
Willa however is a major character, 12 years old and determined to start paying attention to what is going on around her (after one too many mentions by Jottie that she has no clue -- and she doesn't). This leads to a lot of things to pay attention to, especially since Layla is also trying to find out the truth of the many stories various citizens tell her need to be in her book.
The stories are what pull you in as do the characters and it's a book that keeps you reading. As someone who has read Ms. Barrow's children's books (and laughed and enjoyed them)it's great to be able to enjoy writings for an older audience.

This is a really good one about a young woman whose father cuts off her money, prodding her to join the Federal Writer's Project. She ends up in a small West Virginia town where the Romeyn family reside. Twelve year old Willa Romeyn has discovered that her family harbors dark secrets, and with the arrival of Layla on the Federal Writer's Project, it will all come to a head.

I thoroughly enjoyed the premise, characters, and setting of this one!

I just wasn't able to connect with this book. I'm sure it wasn't due to the book, maybe just the mood I was in. I won't leave a review for it. And thank you for the opportunity to read it.

I tried reading and listening (over 4 CDs!) to this twice, but it never grabbed my attention. I was waiting and waiting and waiting for something . . . anything to happen. Sorry to say, it was just too slow and boring for my taste. Time to say good-bye.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved Annie Barrows previous book and was so excited to read this one. This novel fell a little flat for me, so I was disappointed.

I selected this title because I so enjoyed the author's The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society novel. Although The Truth According to Us had an interesting concept, I was a bit disappointed. I often found it dragging and difficult to connect with the characters. It would have benefited from a good edit. I would give it 3 stars.

Wrong book for me at the wrong time. I will read it again in the future. Members of the book club were more enthusiastic than I.

I unfortunately had to "did not finish" this book. I may try to read it again in the future but found that I was unable to get into the book at all. The story concept itself sounds really good but the writing and characters just did not grab me.

It was on Memorial Day 1938 when Willa realized that everyone seemed to be keeping secrets from her, which lead to her honing in on just one goal in life - to surreptitiously ferret out the unspoken mystery. What the twelve year old fails to realize is that sometimes there are some very good reasons to keep the truth hidden from view. Looking back she is only able to lament her aptitude at acquiring such potent sleuthing skills, but by then it is too late to unremember her discoveries.

The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows captures the essence of small town life during the depression era where everybody has nothing better to do than keep their nose in everybody else's business. There are no secrets between "friends" - or are there?

The story unfolds through the eyes of matriarch Josephine (Jottie) and other members of the Romeyn Family as they struggle through the summer heat in Macedonia, West Virginia. A parallel story intersects their lives when Layla Beck, an upper crust daughter of a US Senator who (after a major disagreement with her father) ends up boarding at the Romeyn house while writing the history of Macedonia's Sesquicentennial for a WPA project.

As Layla sets out to learn the true story behind historical Macedonia (versus the boring "official" accounts of the founding members), she discovers a talent for something other than being the center of attention at social events. The back story about her former life as a debutante is revealed via a flurry of letters back and forth between family and friends.

Lottie reveals her innermost thoughts through flashbacks to her childhood. Barrows slowly reveals details about the devastating loss which has colored Lottie's life resulting in her "old maid" status. Rumors abound about her past, but In order to avoid a potential scandal which might hurt the children, especially with Willa asking questions, she strives for respectability. Lottie spends her time helping her beloved brother Felix take care of his two daughters, Willa and Bird, whenever he is out of town on the frequent business trips necessary to acquire some cash to help them through the hard times.

There is so much to this story it is impossible to summarize the details. Expect quite a bit of rambling towards the beginning as the author introduces a myriad of characters. It takes a while to keep them all straight (an annotated list of townsfolk would have been helpful, although there is a Romeyn family tree for reference), but once the events start to snowball, the reading pace picks up.

One of the highlights of the story is the various eccentric personalities found in Macedonia. Barrows makes us a part of the community through their thoughts and actions, especially those of main characters Lottie and Willa. Willa, in a way, reminds me of Scout from Montgomery's To Kill a Mockingbird, somehow getting caught up in all the action. Lottie's childhood stories are both entertaining and informative in helping the reader get a handle on her personality. Whether you love or hate the smooth talking, womanizer Felix depends on whose eyes you view him with - as a brother, a father, a friend, or a curious neighbor.

While the ending isn't totally unexpected, it was at times a bit confusing, yet despite these flaws, The Truth According to Us is still a beautifully written book.

Four stars and a thank you to Netgalley and Random House for providing this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This review also appears on my blog, Gotta Read.