FROM AMAZON: The lives of four generations of one Louisiana family, woven together by a master storyteller

Tracing a family's roots is like taking a journey through the years. In the case of one Louisiana family, that journey can be charted by the books they read and loved.

The journey begins in 1939 with Rose, who moves with her mother and siblings from rural Texas to live with their estranged grandfather in the Louisiana bayou. Rose connects with this flavorful community through her love of books and by driving a bookmobile. Two decades later, Merle Henry, Rose's son, is more passionate about trapping a mink than about reading, although there is a place in his heart for Old Yeller. In 1973, Merle Henry's daughter, Annabeth, feels torn between reading fairy tales and a crush on a real-life knight in shining armor. And in the present day, Annabeth's son, Kyle, finds himself in a bind: he hates reading, but the only summer job he can get is at the library.

In her people-smart way, Kimberly Willis Holt introduces us to a Louisiana family: touching, lyrical, and always intriguing, their stories reveal the powerful connections between four generations.

This book is really individual stories of several generations of a Louisiana family. The stories are loosely intertwined and at the end tied together by the theme of love for books! I listened to the audiobook, and the reader was great. Some people may feel that the stories were too spare or didn't explain enough about what happened to each character, but I loved the way each story answered some question about the last and hinted toward the next. ( )

This little book contains several short stories about a Louisiana family through several generations. ( )

These linked short stories - Trapped is my favorite - trace generatiosn of a Louisiana family through the books they've read. I have a bias against writers writing about writing, unless it's only for writers. The second half of this book contains lots of that. But, the first half is lovely. I do see how linked short stories can be jarring between character shifts, even in close third. It seems the link between the stories must be evident up front. All in all, these were linked through one character, Rose, as she aged and became a writer. I would have liked some more tension in that overall arc to carry me between stories. ( )

These linked short stories - Trapped is my favorite - trace generatiosn of a Louisiana family through the books they've read. I have a bias against writers writing about writing, unless it's only for writers. The second half of this book contains lots of that. But, the first half is lovely. I do see how linked short stories can be jarring between character shifts, even in close third. It seems the link between the stories must be evident up front. All in all, these were linked through one character, Rose, as she aged and became a writer. I would have liked some more tension in that overall arc to carry me between stories. ( )