I updated at the halfway mark that I was waiting for the plot to start. In fact, it was rambling along woven into stories and musings about life in 1960s Mississippi and the racism that is an undercurrent of everything that happens. It’s a good listen. ( )

Although well written, this book did not have a lot of "staying power" with me. I finished it only one week ago, and already the threads of the narrative have fallen apart in my mind. I remember the book was very "southern" in the sense that it completely takes place in Mississippi - a state I knew very little about - and Yarbrough's ability to establish that "sense of place" is strong. But his connection of contemporary MS to the racially strained MS of 1962 seemed almost random, and the family "saga" which was developing to tie these times together was not strong, and the resolution of that connection proved a weak ending.

Still a good book, and probably far more "accessible" to readers more familiar with the dynamics and feel of that region. ( )

This is a well written story of a couple whose twin daughters have just gone off to college, leaving them alone with each other. College sweethearts, Luke is a history professor and Jennifer is a poet and a teacher. They live in Loring, MS where Luke grew up and the place is a also a character. Race and civil rights play a prominent role as Luke recalls a night in 1962 when a local woman was murdered by her husband. The daughter of the woman, Maggie, returns to Loring to teach at the same school as Luke and events from the past rise to the surface. Luke's parents still live nearby and their decline and memories figure into the story. I found it well written, unflinching and unsentimental. Running underneath the plot are the historian's perspective on life vs. the poet's - what is real when we look back on events regardless of the distance. ( )