Red Clay and Roses

by S.K. Nicholls

A fictionalized true story of life in the Deep South during the time of Jim Crow Law, and before Roe vs. Wade. Women were supposed to keep quiet and serve, abortion was illegal, adoption difficult, and racism rampant. The discovery of an old ledger opens a window into the dynamics of the 1950s-60s. Unspoken secrets are shared between Beatrice, The Good Doctor's wife, and Moses Grier, their black handyman. The Grier's daughter, Althea, suffers a tragedy that leaves her family silent and mournful. Her brother, Nathan, a medical student, looks for answers from a community that is deaf, blind, and dumb. A summer romance between Nathan and Sybil, an independent, high-spirited, white woman, leaves more unresolved. Nathan is thrust into the center of the Civil Rights Movement. Sybil is torn between living the mundane life of her peers, or a life that involves fastening herself to a taboo relationship. Witness social progress through the eyes of those who lived it!

Genres: Fiction

444 pages, Paperback

First published March 20, 2013

About the author

S.K. Nicholls is author of Naked Alliances, Book One in the Naked Eye Series. Her family owns and operates a nudist resort located in Central Florida, Cypress Cove. She has a deep understanding of the lifestyle choice and how it harbors clandestine elements of intrigue and fascination. Social issues are at the forefront of her writing that is touched with a humorous edge. She lives in Orlando, Florida with her husband, Greg. When she’s not writing, she can be found tracking down Snorlaxes, wandering city parks with the homeless, or sipping margaritas on the bow of a boat.

Reviews

[Ionia · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I began reading this book just as a sample of what the author was discussing on her blog and ended up not being able to put it down until I finished it. This is the sign of an excellent book.

What did I like about it, you may ask, or you may not, but I will tell you regardless. There is so much to like. First of all, this book is based on reality and although it is a harsh reality, this is beautifully written and researched. The amount of information the author uncovered during her research and how she molded it into this story sets Red Clay and Roses apart from many other historical books I have read. I thoroughly enjoyed that this book was different from what I have come to expect from the genre. Reading this book is like visiting the memories of someone you love and seeing the world through their unique perspective, without leaving the comfort of your home.

There were no obvious errors in this book in regards to time periods or appropriate language, which kept me enjoying the story without distraction. I was also appreciative of the author's ability to affect a southern drawl and make it sound believable in text. That can be a difficult thing to do without it sounding silly or contrived.

S.K. Nicholls has a way of making you feel what her characters are feeling. This book is overflowing with tension, civil unrest and keeps you reading even when you would have given up on lesser books. One of my favourite things about this story, is the way the characters communicate their desires to the reader. There is not an overabundance of information given through dialogue. You are able to get to know the individual personalities of the characters and see how they react--emotionally and physically to the things they are faced with. I do not see this often enough in the books I read.

Although this book does deal with very serious subject matter and is an intensely thoughtful book, it is not depressing and gives you the opportunity to become so involved in the story that you nearly forget everything else. There were times during reading this where I wanted to shout, times where I wanted to laugh and hug a character and times where I had tears fill my eyes.

If you have not read this book yet, it is my firm opinion that you are missing out on something that you will likely never forget. Pick up a copy soon, and see for yourself.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book. This was probably the most important book I have read this year. This is not normally a book that I would pick up to read for myself but picked it up from a few other strong reviews. I would also say this book is one of the hardest books I have read, not difficult to read but hard to grasp that society can be so backwards and that hate and fear really hurt. S.K. Nicholls writes such a very well thought out book that really made me analyze myself and the world around me, are we living in a better world than 50 years ago? I would like to think so. She has an incredible use of diction and from the first few paragraphs I could hear the narrator reading out loud in a southern drawl. It was almost like watching a movie in book form. There are parts of the book that are sweet but other parts that made me so sad. The ending was bittersweet. The only thing that seemed a trifle odd was some parts of the book feel disjointed but eventually it all ties together to a complete picture. I feel like this book helped me think more about issues still prevalent today and really that helps me be a better person.

This book is on the Green Embers’ Recommended List and is well worth the price of admission.

[Sue Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first glance you might be forgiven for thinking this a ‘woman’s book’. Its characters revolve around women and some of the issues raised are certainly primarily feminine; though even there the writer challenges preconceptions for these issues should be primarily human. It is not the literary equivalent of a chic flick… it is a book that makes you think. It is not always a comfortable read, but it is well written, well told and engrossing.

I saw a post by S.K. Nicolls on her website. Susan tells a good story, even within the limited scope of a blog post, and the details of her personal journey of discovery intrigued me. I bought the book.

Without giving the story away Red Clay and Roses explores the culture of the Southern States at a time in history when the various strata of society were as distinctly separate as oil and water and, as a rule, mixed less readily. Yet human emotions, both the good and the tragic, transcend these artificial barriers and you are not left with man and woman, black and white, but simply with people. That these people acted in ways we today might condemn raises the spectre of preconception and mirrors the changes in society; they were the creations of an era, acting from their accepted position, their ideas deeply ingrained. Do we, you wonder, do exactly the same and will future generations look back at us and wonder how we could behave as we do? This is a book that raises such questions.

Drawing on her own life experience, the author paints her characters in authentic colours. There are no saints or angels, no idealisations. Just real people… real lives, taken from history and cast in fiction, making one of those books that, once begun, you will find yourself continuing to read, engrossed in the individual stories that weave a tapestry of human experience.

There is an obvious reality to the description of place; the writer is familiar with her landscape and its people. That reality is also tangible in the way the characters are handled in many instances and you hear in the written word the veracity of the nurse who has handled these situations and the resulting emotional upheavals of those concerned throughout her career. It is this melding of personal experience and imagination that gives the book its credibility.
Reading in England there is the perspective of the outsider; our culture did not admit so readily to prejudice and division, though it was undeniably as prevalent and is arguably just as bad today, though less overtly so. It raises questions about racial and gender perceptions and, above all, about personal freedom… the freedom to choose.
Susan Nicolls addresses some difficult issues with this book and yet manages to maintain a position of
non-judgemental neutrality as its writer. For this, and for the articulate, imaginative story that is Red Clay and Roses, I applaud her.

Highly recommended.

[Anmol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red Clay and Roses is a historical fiction based on true stories, by S.K. Nicholls, majorly dating back to the period between 50’s and early 70’s.

It is a story based on the lives of people of a small town and the circumstances that they deal with everyday, with the racism prevalent against the African-American citizens in Georgia, similar to the situation in other Southern states, even when there was being seen a radical change in the rest of the country.

However, the story starts in the year of 2012 and ends in the same year as well, but the entire basis of the story lies during the time when equality did not prevail and some relations could not succeed because of the racist notions of the society.

This is a tale, of love, loss, family, friends and the entire society and how concrete certain believes were etched in the mind of the people, because of what was familiar to them and what was made known to them by the previous generations.

Thoughts regarding the book:-

1.The plot line is good which focuses on the lives of both fractions of the society during the period the book is set.

2.The writing style is unique and it contributes towards the plot of the book, giving it an extra nudge.

3.The characters are likable and they keep you interested throughout the book. Once you get into the flow of the story, it is as if you want to know more and more and you would not be able to stop reading unless you have reached to a point where another segment of story starts.

4.The structure is quite confusing towards the beginning. It takes time for the reader to understand the significance of the events happening in the story. But every thing which would seem apart comes out to form a complete circle finally.

5.The emotional factor of the novel is good, you would feel a little sad at certain stances, and you would sympathize with the characters.

6.The division of the story is done quite cleverly and it is easy to jump from one part to another.

7.It is a sort of drama of the lives of the common folks. There are certain issues like abortion, woman empowerment and taboo relationships, raised in the book and the writing is quite successful in putting forth the information regarding what the things were like back then.

8.The editing and grammar is such that you would have a nice reading experience.

9.The title of the novel is quite apt, creating an image in mind, which recurs in the story.

I would highly recommend this book to those who like reading about the lives of people and those who enjoy historical fiction for its facts and practicalities.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red Clay and Roses takes the reader into the history of the south. With characters so interesting and believable, the reader effortlessly connects with those who make the story.



As I read, I felt that I was following Hannah in her journey of meeting individuals, learning their histories, and discovering, in some cases, unspeakable truths. Author, Nicholls, raises subjects that were, and in some cases still are, those that society wants to try and overlook. But Red Clay and Roses presents a story about life, and life is seldom untouched by truths, both good and bad. This honesty is evident in Hannah's observations and experiences.



I am impressed by Nicholls' ability to present the south so believably. As a reader, I was taken there. Rich descriptions without being too long-winded and dialect that was both fitting and readable added authenticity to the story.

The only struggle I encountered was mild confusion in the first chapter. I knew the speaker was Hannah, but sometimes the dates of her history were unclear to me; it took me a few pages to register that her story was finally in the present. By the second chapter, this was fully resolved and I did not revisit any form of confusion there on out.



This book was a welcome and attractive read. The presentation of women's rights, civil liberties, and free will against the bacdrop of the deep south was fascinating to me, having not lived it, myself. I was taken to another place.



When I would set the book down, between readings, I would find myself thinking of the characteres - their experiences, the secrets they kept, the silences they chose. These characters became very real to me, and I often found myself feeling their grief, joy, or frustration. Nicolls is masterful in bringing her characters to life, and Red Clay and Roses contains an honest look at history, as well as the rights we have as individuals.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I strongly recommend this book for those who are interested in the history of race relations and women's reproductive rights, particularly in the Southeastern US during the early part of the 20th century. The story embedded in this book, particularly of the four major characters, Moses, Althea, Sybil, and Nathan, is compelling. Ms. Nicholls' writing style evokes some of the great writers of natural realism such as Theodore Dreiser. She weaves a sense of place and culture with details and dialogue that make the story come alive and reveal the complexity and humanity of each person in the story.

This book is a diamond in the rough. Although I loved the story, some parts of the book I didn't like as much as others. I do think the Introduction and Conclusion were long and distracting. I know the book is based on real people and true events. I appreciated going along on the author's discovery in the Introduction and learning about how she brought events to closure in the Conclusion. But I was distracted by some of the side trips, such as in the Conclusion when the author wrote about her nursing experience at length. And yet the Conclusion did provide me a sense of closure that I needed, for the inner story is indeed tragic.

The heart of the book, the story she tells of Moses, Althea, Sybil, and Nathan, will now always be with me. And despite my complaint about the Introduction and Conclusion, through those parts of the book, I learned that this author is not only an excellent storyteller, but also a kind and generous person.

[D.theobald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the revised and edited edition, so I can’t speak to how well the first edition was prepared. This edition seems to be very well written and well edited. I wanted to read it because it is a faction novel based on a true story. The introduction and conclusion wrapped the story up neatly, like brown paper around a surprise package. The first six chapters and the conclusion are written in the first person by the narrator, and Sybil and Nathan’s Story is written in the third person. The conclusion adds a sweet note to an otherwise poignant story. I appreciated that the author clearly marked the dates and title sections of the story. I did not feel lost at all and felt the story moved fluidly. I liked the way the different sections of the book were clearly defined, it made for a fast but deeply thought provoking read. It was not at all distracting the way they led into each other. The plot was interesting. The characters were colorful and well developed, and the descriptions were thorough, but succinct, and not overly verbose or long-winded. Although Sybil and Nathan had strong lead roles, my favorite character was Moses. I could see a clear picture of him retelling his stories, and he seemed very real. My least likable character was Trent, because I saw him as chauvinistic and racist, but he was a believable character. There is a most important message in the novel. I would recommend this read to anyone wanting to know what life was like during this era, about Civil Rights or women’s issues, as the history provided was nicely woven into the story line.

[Rosie Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Red Clay and Roses steps back in history to Georgia and the deep south at a time where people struggled to survive and where changes to segregation and inequality faced fierce resistance.



The stories within are written around an old accounting ledger, found many years later, after it was hidden away. Hannah Schmidt pieces together the events and lives of the characters who were associated with The Good Doctor. She interviews relatives and follows leads from which she tells the reader of the everyday lives of a group of people whose destinies became entangled. There is passion, love, fear and survival written over several decades during which the American nation was forced to change laws and move into a new direction.



We meet the Good Doctor who ran a double accounting system and provided a much need, but illegal, abortion service. Mrs Bea, his wife, who was left alone after he died to face her own guilt about what the doctor did. Moses and his family are the black help who live in a shack on the Good Doctors land. The Good Doctor goes on to sponsor Nathan, Moses' son, through school and sets him up to train as a doctor. Then there is Sybil, a young, independent white women who wants to start her own business running a salon in town.



The lives of the characters show some great hardships. There was such prejudice and fear of stepping over the acceptable line. This book is like a window in time which lets us peek at history in the making.

[Barb Taub · Rating 5 out of 5]

They say all politics are local, and that history is written by the victors. But there is a genre of fiction (such as One Hundred Years of Solitude) that tells more truth than the official version. Red Clay and Roses makes politics micro-local, and makes history personal.

This isn't a genre I would usually pick up. But I raced through S.K. Nicholls' incredible book and then went back for a slower read. Red Clay and Roses tells the beautiful, bittersweet story of a generation through an unforgettable cast. Characters' strengths and flaws change and develop in ways that are completely true to their own history. At the same time, they are actors in early twentieth century issues of racism, civil rights, gender issues, reproductive rights, and far more.

But it's the author's compassion and love for the people on her stage that raises Red Clay and Roses to rank with some of the best books I've ever read. I have no idea how she'll follow up, but I can't wait to see what's next for Ms. Nicholls.

[Pamela Beckford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The word pictures were so well done that I felt like I not only knew the characters, but I have mental images of them. Historical fiction can be ho hum or it can be as if you are living it. The author did a great job of inviting the reader to live it with her. I thought the book started a bit slow...maybe not so much slow, but it seemed much of the very beginning was unnecessary. Of course, once I finished the book, I saw it all tie together.

I highly recommend this book. It was an easy read...and engaging read. I can't wait to read more by this author.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Brought back many memories of life in the 50's, 60's & 70's. I would suggest it to friends.

[Sandee · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read for me, and a new author.

From Amazon:
Unspoken secrets are shared between Beatrice, The Good Doctor's wife, and Moses Grier, their black handyman. The Grier's daughter, Althea, suffers a tragedy that leaves her family silent and mournful. Her brother, Nathan, a medical student, looks for answers from a community that is deaf, blind, and dumb.

A summer romance between Nathan and Sybil, an independent, high-spirited, white woman, leaves more unresolved. Nathan is thrust into the center of the Civil Rights Movement. Sybil is torn between living the mundane life of her peers, or a life that involves fastening herself to a taboo relationship. Witness social progress through the eyes of those who lived it.

A story of life in the Deep South during the time of Jim Crow Law, and before Roe vs. Wade. Women were supposed to keep quiet and serve, abortion was illegal, adoption difficult, and racism rampant. The discovery of an old ledger in 1992 opens a window into the dynamics of the 1950s-60s.

[Awesome Indies Book Awards · Rating 2 out of 5]

Red Clay and Roses tells a unique story that centers on a chiropractor’s secret ledger, which, upon further investigation, provides more than just patient information and payment methods. The author finds a complicated and heartbreaking tale of interracial love and women’s productive rights in the era of the civil rights movement. Part one of the book sets the stage with the discovery of the ledger and the author inquiring as to its meaning. She meets with “the Good Doctor’s” wife, his farmhand, and a lost cousin. Over the course of many visits she is told the story of Nathan and Althea (the farmhand’s children), and Sybil (an acquaintance of “the Good Doctor”). After several chapters of interview style writing, part two moves into character dialogue and interactions as the author builds a story out of the information that was told to her. We truly learn of “the Good Doctor’s” occupation when Althea becomes pregnant after being raped by a white man. Nathan is devastated and vows to improve the life of black women. He does so by working toward a medical degree and contributing to the civil rights moment. While these events occur Nathan meets Sybil. The two proceed to have a very awkward relationship and become secret lovers rather out of nowhere. Nathan is very keen to remind Sybil that black men should not interact with white women, but this does not stop the two from engaging in a brief interlude. As the story progresses we are forced to watch Sybil endure hardship after hardship upon telling Nathan she cannot be with him. The book concludes by bringing the reader back into the present with final thoughts from the author on the tragic love story.

The novel does a tremendous job setting up the time period, but almost to a fault. Comments made between characters and everyday actions remind the reader that African Americans and women were treated as second class citizens in the 1950s and 1960s. These moments were typically followed up with one of Nicholls’s main characters redundantly explaining the shown inequality. In the instances where Nathan and Sybil witnessed these inequalities the explanation was justified; a black man cluing someone into white privilege. However, the majority of the explanations diluted the importance of the scene and removed the reader from the action by unnecessarily taking us to a history classroom.

Red Clay and Roses tackled three difficult topics, and as a result, overloaded the reader with information. As there was no story progression in part one it was awkward to keep track of information the author was discovering about the ledger. There was a sense of importance placed on what she was finding out, but the jumbled anecdotes prevented the reader from intuitively knowing where they were in the timeline. Part one of the book provided plenty of ideas for scenes that would have played out better as dialogue and action among characters. In communicating necessary information through interviews, Nicholls’s undercut her own potential for character development. After getting into part two and seeing what Nicholls’s could do with dialogue, the first part, comparatively, was boring.

Part two of the book seemed like a rush after the long interviews in part one. Here was the time to give the details of Althea and her struggle but it was only mentioned in the past tense. The budding romance between Nathan and Sybil was rushed to the point of surprise. After reading pages of Sybil turning a lukewarm shoulder to Nathan the reader is given a rather abrupt sex scene. The equally abrupt ending of the relationship will make the reader question whether Sybil saw anything in Nathan past a fascinating prospect.

The overall story would have been more powerful if Nicholls had used the Good Doctor as the central theme in a three part series with each book tackling one topic: women’s reproductive rights, civil rights, and interracial love in the 1950s and 1960s. Nicholls’s created likeable characters that the reader can identify with. Three novels would have allowed the reader to experience Althea’s tragedy, see Nathan struggle through med school and join the civil rights movement, and follow Sybil through the rise and fall of her business and marriage.

I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately the strength of the story is diluted by the author’s structure choice. The interviews in the beginning ramble and would be better suited as plot development. The plot development in the dialogue portion of the novel is forced upon the reader and rushed. It pains me to give this story a 2 star rating because I can see the elements of an amazing novel series in this book.

[Francis Guenette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicholls’ novel is a story of real life events overlaid with a façade of fiction. Knowing this gives the stories an emotional impact that might not otherwise be present if one thought the author had simply ‘made it all up’. There is immediacy to the writing – as if one were turning the pages of someone’s diary.

A book, written in the way Nicholls has written Red Clay and Roses, breaks many of the conventions that readers expect when reading a novel – not necessarily a bad thing. We can all do with a shake-up now and then.

The story weaves together the life events of a small town doctor and his wife, a black family who work for them and a young woman determined to break through some barriers of oppression (opening her own business) but not others (being involved with a coloured man) – all of these stories come, in one way or another, through the voice or intervention of nurse Hannah.
The stories are overwhelmingly ones of unfilled dreams or dreams snuffed out only as they are about to be fully realized. The reader has a sense of pulling over to the side of the road to peer into a car wreck – the tragedy is quite real.

The Southern location leaps off the pages with artfully done descriptions of places and settings. Small details, like the way in which Hannah stops to wipe the red clay from her shoes onto the grass, sparkle with realism. The author has done an excellent job of conveying the type of racism that is ingrained in people’s thoughts and behaviours to such a degree that their actions appear, to them at least, to be the natural order of things.
This book does present challenges. The author admits to not taking a stand on a controversial topic that is central to the work. The result seems to be that none of the characters take a stand either and that makes the retelling less believable than it could have been.

Take the ‘good’ doctor, as he is constantly called. The man is a pivotal character in the story, yet he remains a shadow figure – the reader rarely hears his name. His actions are at times saintly, underhanded, criminal, racist, or down-right cruel. Women emerge from his at-home clinic either laughing in relief or suffering a botched procedure. Yet, Sybil, a character who has many personal experiences with the man, never expresses an opinion. Moses, the black man who has spent years in servitude to the ‘good’ doctor might come closest to actually taking a stand, though his is one of a forbearance born of oppression. Perhaps the author is hoping to convey the fact that people simply have no choice so what would be the use of getting all worked up. If so, I salute her efforts. And maybe the ‘good’ doctor must remain a shadowy figure as he operates in a world where there are no easy answers – right or wrong.

The writing of a local dialect, be it geographical or time-based (always hard to do) works in some cases – when the old black man, Moses, tells his story the atmosphere is palpable. It runs out of steam in other cases. The way in which colloquial expressions of the ‘50’s, ‘60’s and ‘70’s are used to the point of being somewhat comic and at times indecipherable to an audience unfamiliar with the times or place.

The book begins with the nurse Hannah, the character who will bring the stories to the reader. But we lose sight of her as the book progresses and it becomes almost jarring when she pops back in to make a cameo appearance. When she re-emerges at the end of the book for a longish section of tying all the story threads together, the reader does not know her well enough to enter fully into the details provided about her work life.

Overall, a worthwhile read for the immediacy and powerful sense the book conveys of the racial oppression of black people in the South through a defining period of American history. A lesser but just as important theme is the way in which control of women was exercised through the denial of birth control and appropriate access to safe and affordable abortion services. These themes come together in the extreme suffering of the black women in the story.

[Teresa Karlinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rushed visit to a small town in Georgia, family stories and times revisited, a hidden ledger and secrets abound.

Sybil, a smart woman ahead of her time, has gumption, is open-minded and knows about secrets. During the racial upheaval in the 50s to 70s, she remains open-minded and true to herself. Nobody tells her how to live unlike other women of the time. She owns a beauty salon, her husband is jailed and a colored lover waits. She juggles her life and experiences loses she wishes she’d avoided. Who has secrets? Sybil, the good doctor, her husband, and Nathan’s family.

With probing, secrets are revealed. Are resolutions likely?

At the start, the transition from a necessary trip to the deep south to the unfolding of the fictionalized story occurred smoothly. The conclusion, however, felt disruptive in that the author inserted herself into the story and interrupted my reading enjoyment. I wish another approach had been taken to tie up the last loose end. Still, that revelation when it was exposed, satisfied.
Although this historical period is a painful reminder of the past, I enjoyed S.K. Nicholls’s novel.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com or Amazon.ca (Kindle only)

It’s worth a mention all proceeds from this novel will be awarded to The Russell Home for Atypical Children.

[John W. Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up a copy of Red Clay and Roses a while ago and like others put it in my TBR pile. I understood from the promotional material, the book is a fictionalized true story. I was a little apprehensive going in, since I was not sure how one could fictionalize what is true. I learned early in the book Susan Nicholls took real events and turned them into a fictionalize account of how those events played into the lives of her characters. My apprehension turned to total commitment to the story. This is the kind of book you want to keep reading even after you are finished. It’s not that the story is so compelling you don’t want it to end. It is more the telling of the story is of such high quality and richness; you as a reader want it to keep going in order to keep experiencing the movement and character interactions. Susan has put together a wonderful blend of action, suspense, and drama that broadcasts her talent as a writer. She also demonstrates the dedication to getting the facts straight. Her civil rights struggle backdrop was impeccable in detail and served to enhance the love story which was the major theme of the book . I absolutely loved this book and will look forward to others by this talented author.

[Luanne Castle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I started reading S.K. Nicholls’ roman à clef Red Clay and Roses, I had to be pried away from the book for work and sleep. Her masterful storytelling is ideal for this southern story that, like Faulkner’s, covers generations of customs and politics and changes. She explores the tragedies of racism and gender inequality with a firm hand and a warm heart.

We hear the story through different voices. The nurse who learns the secrets and mysteries of the past tells us the story of the present—what’s “become” of the past. Then the love story of Nathan and Sybil is told in 3rd person. And it’s an enthralling story of transracial love in a time and place where such love could only be destroyed.

My fascination with American local and regional history was only fueled by this book. The details, down to specifics about Sybil’s business, lend authenticity to the story and demonstrate the research that went into the writing of the book.

Once you enter the world of this book, no matter how difficult that world can seem, you won’t want to leave.

[Rebecca Larsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Star


"Think for yourself. Don't think too much of yourself."


Red Clay and Roses takes you on a journey through time, as one woman learns secrets about the people from her hometown. Brings to light what living in a small town in Southern Georgia was like back in the 1950's and 1960's. Back when the prohibition was going strong, Vietnam war, the Great Depression. I do have to warn that their is a lot of racism in this book that keeps with the time period during which the story is placed. (This book is by no means racist, but is in line with the time period being written about.)


The only thing I didn't like about the book was the Journal style writing that was constantly changing from the 1950's/60's time frame to the year 2012.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book weaves a fictional tale into the setting of the tense race relationships in the South in the 50s and 60s. A nurse finds an old ledger used by a doctor of chiropractic medicine who performed abortions on the side. Through that book she uncovers the stories of the people surrounding the "Good Doctor," including an African-American family who works for him as well as a young white woman who has an affair with the family's son. The amount of research behind this book is impressive, yet it doesn't bog down the story. I found myself invested in Nathan and Sybil's relationship and was anxious to see how it would all come together in the end. I was not disappointed. I also enjoyed the smooth writing style. Overall a wonderful read.

[Lori Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am originally from the great state of Mississippi, and this book feels like my old uncle is sitting in his rocking chair on the front porch telling me a story. I have always struggled with dialects in the written word, both writing them and reading them. Some read pretty awful, some are difficult to get through, but once in a great while an author nails it. S.K. Nicholls absolutely rocks it in RED CLAY AND ROSES. It's a stunning book of taboos, racism, and civil unrest, based in the deep south where things are a little different than the rest of the world.

[Mark Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book lulls you into its pace with a good and believable story. Since I live in the south, I found the Civil Rights Era history fascinating. The characters are very real. While reading about one, I found myself impatient to get to the next chapter so I could learn what was going on with the another. Colorful secondary characters litter the streets of Lagrange and give the story an authentic feel.

Even though this isn't a fun read, it is a great story and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Pat Newman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part of the book promised more than the whole thing eventually delivered. I enjoyed it, but am not raving.