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Christy

4.13 of 5 stars 4.13 · rating details · 18,194 ratings · 858 reviews

Christy Huddleston left home at 19 to teach school in the Smoky Mountains. There she came to know and love the wild mountain people with their fierce pride, their dark superstitions, their terrible poverty, their yearning for beauty and truth. Christy found her faith severely challenged in these primitive surroundings; and confronted with two young men of unique strengths...more

Mass Market Paperback, 501 pages

Published 1967 by Avon

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Mar 30, 2008 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

Okay - so I have read this book about 10 times, most recently 2008. It is about a young women who heads to the mountains to become a school teacher and the challenges she faces. There are two hunky guys she flirts with, too. This book does have religious tones while Christy questions and figures out what she believes. I think this book rings so true to me because I read it at an age when I was asking the same type of questions. I still enjoy the beauty of the story after repeat readings. This ma...more

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Jan 30, 2009 Abby rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was skeptical of this book at first, however, I am so glad that I stuck with it. I reached a point where I didn't want to put it down (yes, I did stay up all hours reading it...). This book entails a young woman's sudden decision to travel to the poverty-striken Applachain Mountains and become a school teacher. Her lifestyle dramatically changes from a normal, safe, and predictable life to one with primitive accomodations (no electricity, telephones, plumbing), surrounded with filth, disease,...more

4 likes · like · see review

Feb 23, 2009 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, spiritual-stuff, wishlist, strong-women

This was a really enjoyable book, and I feel like I learned quite a bit about the culture of some of the mountain people in that area. I've always been interested in those little pockets of people whom time forgot.
What a strong female character the narrator is! I enjoy a woman in a book who can confront her fears, push up her sleeves and do what needs doing.

The book was a little bit heavy on the Christianity, but I did appreciate a lot of what was said about it, particularly the discussions bet...more

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 13, 2008 Michelle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was interesting. I did read the whole thing, but when I was getting to the end I was starting to think, "Is this worth the time I have spent on it?"
It was overall an uplifting story. Probably my favorite aspect was the peek into life in a small Tennessee Mountain town at the turn of last century. I couldn't help but wonder if that's how some Arkansas towns were, too.
I did like the ending.
That said, there was much that I disliked about this book. It seemed very dated, like I was watching a...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 27, 2010 AnnaMay rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Beautiful, beautiful book.

I absolutely loved the descriptions of the Smoky Mt. area and the people. It was wonderful to know more of their heritage and what contributed to their stubborness, their 'clan' loyalty and their work ethic.

Marshall is such a GOOD storyteller. The characters and conflicts were so real. The school children were a delight to read about. I can't even begin to understand how she handled 70+- kids in a one-room school. Amazing.

It's no surprise people fell in love with Chr...more

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Sep 07, 2011 Carly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Carly by: Vicki

Shelves: thanks-mom, christian, romance, have-re-read

For anyone who says that reading fiction is not as edifying and worthwhile as reading a non-fiction book, I say, "Have you read Christy?"

I mourn that Catherine Marshall wasn't around in my lifetime, but I feel so utterly blessed that she poured her heart and soul and love into this eternal story! There are more moments of true wisdom tucked away in this biographical novel than in any other book I've read outside of The Book... and it's all nestled effortlessly in a touching, gripping, fascinatin...more

5 likes · like · see review

Aug 10, 2012 Sariah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: All women, and girls "old" enough to enjoy lovely romance

Recommended to Sariah by: My Mither

Shelves: re-read, want-to-own, favorites

I l-l-l-love this book! Christy is about growth, and it is very well illustrated in this book. (again I wish I could tell you better) This book is beautiful. That is all there is to it. SM

(below are my more current thoughts on Christy two years later from the stuff above)

This book was really fun to read with Lark, and good timing for myself. I got to know the characters so much better this go round, and appreciate them even more. Now if you look at my copy there is a comfortable amount of under...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 03, 2008 Natasha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was the book that spawned adult reading for me. My mom read it aloud on a car trip to the Smokey Mountains. The characters are engaging and could walk off the page. Truly the first experience I had with characters that i would recognize if they walked into the room.

Fifteen years later, this book remains the only book I've ever read that still holds all it's charm and wonder with each reread. I make a piont to reread it at least every two years.

Cutter Gap and it's people are very much alive...more

6 likes · like · see review

Mar 05, 2012 Gretchen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is probably the seventh or eighth time I've read this book. One of my all time favorites. Gritty, Appalachian tragedy and glorious, contrived redemption. Lyrics of mountain music thrown in everywhere. Love it.

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 11, 2008 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: mountain lovers, people with good noses, locals, Christians

Shelves: read-fiction

Christy is a sort of classic for our family. (the first book I ever wept over the romance in!) It's a true story set just over the mountain, in Tennessee, about a 19-year-old girl from Asheville who volunteers to teach at a mission and learns what it truly means to 'love your neighbor as yourself'.

Can be a tough book to read, dealing with disease, sex, rape, alcohol, death...life. Still PG-13. (Seriously. I first read this when I was...12? Completely forgot about most it and was more shocked th...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 04, 2013 Nolan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an unusual coming-of-age novel and so much more. I had watched and loved the television series based on this book starring Kelly Martin back in the 90s, and I decided to give it a try. There’s a lot to like about this book. It magically transports you to an America of a century ago that was so foreign to America as to almost not be part of it in terms of culture, superstitions and the like. Based on the life of Marshall’s mother, this book is a fascinating snapshot of a young girl with a...more This is an unusual coming-of-age novel and so much more. I had watched and loved the television series based on this book starring Kelly Martin back in the 90s, and I decided to give it a try. There’s a lot to like about this book. It magically transports you to an America of a century ago that was so foreign to America as to almost not be part of it in terms of culture, superstitions and the like. Based on the life of Marshall’s mother, this book is a fascinating snapshot of a young girl with a head full of hopes and dreams who escapes the soft and sometimes confining world of Asheville, North Carolina and teaches school in a small community where she feels she can make a difference.

But her arrival in the community is inhospitable at best, and within hours of arriving, she witnesses a primitive surgery to restore one of the locals to health—a man who had been en route to find her.

But this is so much more than a mere book about a young girl who encounters a culture foreign and different from hers. This is a book about a girl who must become converted to God after she thought she had already taken care of that. The book asks hard, fundamental questions about belief, and the answers are worth the read. It’s the story of a would-be teacher who blossoms into a highly respected and beloved, albeit youthful, pillar in the tiny community.

It’s the story of violence and of love. Of one minister’s inner struggles with his commitment to God and a young doctor’s struggles to overcome the sorrow and horror of his past that he might love and believe again.

You will read here of bridges built and crossed—not the physical bridges over water, but the spiritual, emotional, and cultural bridges over which both Christy and the fiercely independent villagers must cross in order to reach one another.

This is a book about friendships forged in difficulty; it is about loss and one girl’s ability to learn that people are always more cherished than things. The ending scenes are absolutely beautifully written and highly memorable.
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Nov 27, 2012 Bekah Porter-Sandy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Some books grab you by the heart and never let you go. For me, there are three: "Gone With the Wind," "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe," and then "Christy." I try to annually read each, although in recent years (with a new marriage, new college focus, and cross-country move), I have failed in that effort.
This year, I decided to rectify that situation, and I am ever so glad that I did, especially with this particular novel.
I first read it as a teenager, and it captured my soul then. I loved...more Some books grab you by the heart and never let you go. For me, there are three: "Gone With the Wind," "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe," and then "Christy." I try to annually read each, although in recent years (with a new marriage, new college focus, and cross-country move), I have failed in that effort.
This year, I decided to rectify that situation, and I am ever so glad that I did, especially with this particular novel.
I first read it as a teenager, and it captured my soul then. I loved the idea of a grand adventure to better people's lives and institute social change. But that was then, when I was still looking for my own grand journey and purpose. Now, as an adult, this book spoke to me in a much deeper way on many various levels.
First, there was the historical aspects. Before, I was all caught up in the subtle love triangle and the story line. This time, I noticed how Ms. Marshall wove the culture and the dignity and the grace of the mountaineers throughout the entire novel. It was like seeing a new world through a subtle sociological perspective, and I appreciated the novel all the more for this almost academic approach.
Second, Christy's spiritual journey really resonated with me. She was asking the big, overarching questions that I recently found myself pondering, and I loved how the book coaxed out an answer from a mixture of characters who all approach their faith in their own ways. While before, I thought that Christy and her relationships provided the heart of the story, this time, I recognized that it was her inner coming-of-age that really makes this book shine.
And third, I recognized with renewed respect the wonderful literary ability of Ms. Marshall. She painted vivid pictures of these homes, these people, and what was in their hearts. Every paragraph, every description, every piece of dialogue -- they all served a purpose, and in an age of "Twilights" and "50 Shades of Grey," I find myself craving good, solid, real writing rather than pandering to the popular mood of the moment.
I imagine I will read this book dozens times over in my coming years, and I imagine I will be just as touched with each new reading. And THAT's what a good book is supposed to accomplish. Hurrah for Ms. Marshall for doing so.

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Nov 25, 2012 Deb rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, historical-fiction

I received this as an audiobook and enjoyed it immensely. My neighbor was always into the TV series but I never had time to watch the program. I was glad to have a chance to listen to this story. The person reading this book, Jeannette Clift George, was fantastic and provided lots of emotion. I only wish it was longer. I really got into the story and the characters.

Note: This was a book that I received from a member at
Bookcrossing.com

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May 27, 2011 Kathy Tope rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My Granny recommended this book to me an eon ago but I had no desire to read it. That being said, it is my firm conviction that you won't read what won't speak to you on some level, so as I was not a Christian yet, the recommendation was a bit premature. But 20 some odd years later and what a beautiful story that provoked a deeper hunger for God, confirming my own relationship and interaction with Him. The most poignant part of the book for me was when Christy was grieving and could not stand up...more

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Dec 17, 2010 J.Elle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I ruined this book for myself by watching the TV series "Christy", starring the totally annoying Kellie Martin. Christy decides to take up a teaching post in an almost uninhabitable area. She quickly finds the people there need more than just an education. They need love. I think the book might have been really enjoyable if it weren’t for the fact that I saw Kellie’s chubby cheeked, fake wide-eyed innocence with every word I read. Sigh. The only saving grace was Dr. Neil MacNeill, who there simp...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 07, 2010 Rhapsodyblue00 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I cried at the sadness, the poverty and the 'Superstitions.' I fell in love with Fairlight, and of course, Dr. Mc Neal. Christy was a caring and loving person throughout the story, despite her lack of real understanding of "Mountain Ways!" I read the book when I was a teenager, and did not pay attention to more than the story. I have recently reread and came away with a completely different reading experience. I think the way it was structured by Catherine Marshall (telling it in the past tense)...more

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Mar 24, 2010 Natalie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is different than other historical fiction novels I have read. It was rewarding for me to see the main character's faith in God grow stronger through the power of prayer. Her love for the people she served was remarkable. I enjoyed getting to know Christy. After finishing the book, I found out that this is a true story - a biography written by Catherine Marshall about her mother. This made it all the more astonishing!

There were many passages in the book that made me take pause. The au...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Suzie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, romance

Honestly, loving this book was a big shocker! It looks like one of those titles I'd seen and passed over on my Grannie's bookshelf. But it was amazing. It's long, about 550-something pages, but I only found myself less than 100% interested twice: Once in the prologue (after the first two chapters I was hooked!) and once about 4/5ths through.

The story's about a girl who on a whim volunteers to teach school out in the boonies. She's young and inexperienced, but slowly succeeds both as a teacher an...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Julie Graves rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads

Christy is one of my all-time favorite books. I read it as a young teenager and it captured my heart then as well as now after re-reading it. I find it so hard to write a review of a classic for some reason so I'm going to go a little different than normal and just introduce the characters:

Christy Huddleston: A 19 year old full of idealism goes to Cutter Gap to teach the mountain children of the Cove. She has never taught before but doesn't realize how difficult her job will be. Over 60 students...more Christy is one of my all-time favorite books. I read it as a young teenager and it captured my heart then as well as now after re-reading it. I find it so hard to write a review of a classic for some reason so I'm going to go a little different than normal and just introduce the characters:

Christy Huddleston: A 19 year old full of idealism goes to Cutter Gap to teach the mountain children of the Cove. She has never taught before but doesn't realize how difficult her job will be. Over 60 students in all grades would challenge even a seasoned teacher. She is shocked by the poverty of the mountain people. Children who walk to school barefoot in the snow, no running water in their cabins, very few outhouses. But yet full of so much pride that feuds are common among them.

Miss Alice Henderson: A Quaker woman who has settled among the people and has started a couple of schools for the mountain children. Christy admires her peace and her ability to maintain a Quaker silence in order to listen for God's voice in her heart. Miss Alice has come to be respected in the Cove and they value her presence and example.

David Grantland: The young preacher who struggles with the stubbornness of these mountain people. He like Christy finds himself kicking at tradition that has been in place for hundreds of years. And like Christy he too is struggling with who he is. A pastor that cannot offer people an assurance of an afterlife because he has no idea if there is one. Pushed into seminary by his mother and sisters, David questions faith but yet has a true desire to help the mountain people.

Dr. Neill MacNeill: The doctor who was born and raised among the mountain people but yet is still apart from them because of his education and position. Also a man that confuses and angers Christy. He challenges her to think for herself and to form her own opinions.

Fairlight Spencer: The first adult that Christy teaches to read. Also Christy's first friend among the mountain people. She has a grace and beauty that transcends the poverty in which she lives. Fairlight teaches Christy how to enjoy the beauty around her.

Bird's Eye Taylor and his son Lundy: Bird's Eye is part of a blockade running gang. Lundy is one of Christy's students. Both examples of the pride and anger that the mountain men carry with them in maintaining their feuds.

Opal Machone: Her new discovery that God actually loves her helps her to be the first to extend forgiveness to someone who seems unforgivable.

Such a great great book! I came to love all of the people in the story just as the young Christy learns that really looking at someone and investing in their lives can help you look beyond the dirt and squalor to see the real person and love them where they are at.
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Jul 17, 2011 Vicki rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A delighful re-read! I so see myself at that age in the description of Christy as impulsive & quick to believe she understands the whole of a new situation immediately.

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Jul 03, 2012 Valerie Robinson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Christy is a book written by Catherine Marshall that is based on her mother's experiences teaching in the Great Smoky Mountains in the early 1900's. The story follows a young woman named Christy Huddleston from Asheville, NC who goes to teach at a mission school in Cutter Gap, TN in 1912. This story depicts the first year of her time spent in Cutter Gap. Her students show her every day that even in Cutter Gap, "the wildest of places," there is always hope for the future. I have to say that Littl...more Christy is a book written by Catherine Marshall that is based on her mother's experiences teaching in the Great Smoky Mountains in the early 1900's. The story follows a young woman named Christy Huddleston from Asheville, NC who goes to teach at a mission school in Cutter Gap, TN in 1912. This story depicts the first year of her time spent in Cutter Gap. Her students show her every day that even in Cutter Gap, "the wildest of places," there is always hope for the future. I have to say that Little Burl Allen had my heart from the very beginning when he introduced himself by saying, "Teacher, I've come to see you and to swap howdys." Christy also sees the brutal realities of life in the Great Smoky Mountains that make her question her already shaky faith. For example, the death of an infant due to the practice of a mountain superstition. But she also learns about the real meaning of the word "friendship." She finds true friendship in Miss Alice Henderson, a Quaker woman full of light, love, and inner peace in the midst of the harshness of life. She also meets a true friend in Fairlight Spencer, a mountain woman that Christy believes was born to be a princess because of her gentle and loving spirit. Christy also gets a lesson in the meaning of true love when she finds herself attracted to two very different men: David Grantland, a young, charming minister fresh out of seminary who was sent to Cutter Gap, and Dr. Neil McNeil, a mountain doctor who is deals with pain every day of his life, but still gives so much of himself. Only the one who truly understands her heart can win it in the end.

This story is beautifully written and it tugs at the heartstrings. I saw a lot of myself in this idealistic young woman. She knows she wants to make a difference in the world, but is not always sure of how to go about it. She often finds herself completly at a loss and must seek out faith in the Almighty to help her though it.

Christy has made its way onto my "Favorite Books of All Time" list. I would reccommend this story to anyone who is a fan of historical fiction, Christian fiction, romance, adventure, or drama. Just read it...you won't be sorry.
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Jun 26, 2010 Chris McKenzie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I first discovered this book when I was about 10 and home from school with some minor illness. It was actually the Readers' Digest condensed version, thus I devoured it within a couple of hours. I have read it many times since, in its entirety, and have gone through several copies as I am always loaning books to people and not getting them back. The short-lived TV series was, to me, an excellent portrayal of Christy and the mountain people, but the book is richer, deeper, and more profound. Even...more

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Jan 25, 2009 Rhys rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the only book that I've ever burned.

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Jul 02, 2007 Jenny rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I didn't expect to like this book because the cover was so dang cheesey. But in actuality, it was an absolutely beautiful book about really learning how to turn your will over to God. Also, it taught me a lot about the mountain people of the Appalacia back at the turn of the century. Very, very good. Very unaffected, candid writing. More story, less prose.

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Jul 15, 2012 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the story of a young woman who, after hearing an inspirational speaker, signs up to become a school teacher in a backwoods mission. She shows great courage beginning with her trip to get to the mission and overcomes her shock at the poverty and living conditions that she is faced with. I really enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down. I loved watching her grow spiritually and having her faith challenged by the hardships that she saw the people she served go through. I wish...more

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May 22, 2010 Kate Quinn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am not normally a fan of evangelical novels, but "Christy" is an exception. The titular heroine is an idealistic young girl in the 19th century who finds herself moved to volunteer as a teacher in an impoverished Appalachian town. Christy struggles to understand her pupils, their insular mountain culture, and ultimately her own faith and what it means to her. Unlike many evangelical novels, faith is not the character's sole concern: Christy spends plenty of time worrying about how to get new b...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Shari Larsen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the story of Christy Huddleston, who at 19 years old leaves home to teach school in the Smoky Mountain community of Cutter Gap. She comes to know and love the people, their fierce pride, dark superstitions, and terrible poverty. But her faith will be severely challenged by trial and tragedy, Her heart will also be torn between two men, the young minister David Grantland and the dedicated doctor to the mountain people, Dr. Neil MacNeil.

I really loved this stories, and Christy and all the...more

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Aug 23, 2011 Tamara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is a coming of age story that simply enthralls readers much in the same way as L.M. Montgomery's timeless works, but in a far more adult and sophisticated way. I would recommend this to everyone over the ages of 14. There is a woman who was raped in it, although not at all graphically-- the woman tells Christy about it years later, and it honestly deals with the fear that the main character has around some, er..., less savory men, and it may be a bit too much for someone under that age...more

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Oct 13, 2009 Gwen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who like love stories with a religious/spiritual overtone

Shelves: special-favorites

LOVE this book. I read it a bunch of times when I was younger and most recently re-read it about a year ago. I think watching Songcatcher put me in the mood to pick it up again. The book was nearly as good as I remember it (although maybe just a tad more preachier than I remember it) but somehow it made me feel more wistful than I remember -- not sure if it was for nostalgia for who I was the first time I read it or just sadness that I couldn't ever meet any of these people. Christy (Catherine M...more

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May 13, 2009 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"...man sees other men in masse, whereas God insists on seeing us one by one, each a special case, each inestimably beloved for himeslf. The world around me was still full of riddles for which my little mind had not been given answers;...Nor could I know what the future held. But the fundamental doubt was for me silenced. I knew now: God is. I had found my center, my point of reference. Everything else I needed to know would follow. That morning the sun came up in a blaze of glory."

A great story...more

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Quotes from Christy

“I still don't understand anything- exept that somehow I know that You are love. And that in my heart has been so great a love for Christy as I did not know could exist on this earth. You, God, must be responsible. You must have put it there. So what do I do with it now? ” — 24 people liked it

“Evil is real - and powerful. It has to be fought, not explained away, not fled. And God is against evil all the way. So each of us has to decide where WE stand, how we're going to live OUR lives. We can try to persuade ourselves that evil doesn't exist; live for ourselves and wink at evil. We can say that it isn't so bad after all, maybe even try to call it fun by clothing it in silks and velvets. We can compromise with it, keep quiet about it and say it's none of our business. Or we can work on God's side, listen for His orders on strategy against the evil, no matter how horrible it is, and know that He can transform it.” — 20 people liked it

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