Louisiana's Song
by Kerry Madden
Published by Viking Publishers
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Reviewed by Andrea Sisco
Louisiana’s Song is the second in Kerry Madden’s trilogy that takes place in Maggie Valley in North Carolina’s Smoky Mountains. It’s the early 1960s and the Weems family life is narrated through the eyes of twelve-year-old Livy Two.
In Gentle’s Holler (see our earlier review), the Weems dad is seriously injured in a car accident. It’s eight months later and the family eagerly awaits his homecoming. Dad is going to be recuperating in the smokehouse and Louisiana has painted the walls with family memories. The children’s excitement is dashed when they realize dad’s brain injury has severely impacted his memory. He’s confused, cranky, doesn’t seem to recognize his children and often hears music playing in his head.
Money is tight (a perpetual problem in the Weems household) and Grandma Horace is subsidizing the family. She takes to heart the adage that ‘the person with the gold makes the rules’ and has snatched the ‘head of household’ role. She wants to move home and badgers mom Weems with the idea of taking the family back to Enka where a steady paycheck can be found.
While navigating the trials of dad’s accident, money problems and Grandma Horace’s threats, Livy, Louisiana and the other children do their best to contribute to the family coffers, pull together, and have some fun. From the bookmobile where Livy Two works, the letters to a Nashville agent, the pancake house, an amusement part and the contributions of a shy, tall Louisiana selling her art, we breathe the beloved mountain air where the Weems family lives and feel the strength of a proud mountain family determined to beat back poverty and take on life in their own terms.
In the age of ‘it’s all about me’ and little of ‘us,’ Madden shares the idea that there is much value in pulling together and helping others. The values are positive, the tenacity and creativity of the Weems family is delightful. And Livy Two is an extraordinary narrator.
Waiting for the third book in the trilogy is difficult. Will the Weems family move from Maggie Valley? Oh, no! That’s a problem waiting to unfold.
Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended. Be sure to read Gentle’s Holler too.
Author’s Web site: http://www.KerryMadden.com