Patchwork: Short Stories and Essays of the Appalachian Mountains

by Annis Ward Jackson

Patchwork is a collection of short stories and essays/articles drawn for the most part from the life experience of the author who was born and grew up in the Appalachian Mountains near Boone, North Carolina during the nineteen forties and fifties. The collection touches on family life, rough weather, folklore, mountain characters, and long-held Appalachian traditions. Patchwork has been described as a "good read" minus the stereotypes often applied to mountain people and their culture.

Genres: Fiction

233 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 25, 2009

Reviews

[Irene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Originally I gave it three stars, but I've reconsidered. First, these stories are actually too short. Most of them about two pages (if I were reading a physical book). This succinctness works well for some stories, but certainly not for all. Second, there ate far too many typos, editing misses, etc.--sometimes as many as four on a single page. I find these to be too disrupting to the flow of language and thought while reading. Third, the writer does not seem to capture the idioms and accent of the Appalachian voice well--the attempt to do so sounds phony and forced. Good enough to continue reading as I wait for doctors, subways, buses though.

[Tania · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy reading stories of the Appalachian Mountains. I think I discovered this author while reading "The Help." Some stories were longer than others. For the most part I enjoyed it. I was able to finish the book which says a lot.