Drowned Town

by Jayne Moore Waldrop

"They had been told their sacrifice was for the public good. They were never told how much they would miss it, or for how long."

Drowned Town explores the multigenerational impact caused by the loss of home and illuminates the joys and sorrows of a group of people bound together by western Kentucky's Land Between the Lakes and the lakes that lie on either side of it. The linked stories are rooted in a landscape forever altered by the mid-twentieth-century impoundment of the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers and the seizing of property under the power of eminent domain to create a national recreation area on the narrow strip of land between the lakes. The massive federal land and water projects completed in quick succession were designed to serve the public interest by providing hydroelectric power, flood control, and economic progress for the region -- at great sacrifice for those who gave up their homes, livelihoods, towns, and history.

The narrative follows two women whose lives are shaped by their friendship and connection to the place, and their stories go back and forth in time to show how the creation of the lakes both healed and hurt the people connected to them. In the process, the stories emphasize the importance of sisterhood and family, both blood and created, and how we cannot separate ourselves from our places in the world.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published October 26, 2021

Reviews

[Angela M · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up
Is home where your heart is, or where you are now, or with the people you love and who love you, or is it the place where you came from ? Maybe a little of each . That’s what I felt as I read this fictional story based on real events in Kentucky in the 1960’s. The US government created The Land Between the Lakes recreational area and the impact on some people who owned the land, the land where their homes were, land covered in water, is depicted here.

I found it to be a bittersweet mixed bag of memories and place and family and a little more of a romance story than what I usually read, but still a good story with lovely characters and some history I didn’t know about .

A little of the real history that I couldn’t help but look up :
https://southerndocumentaryfund.org/1...

I received a copy of this book from University Press of Kentucky through Edelweiss.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to read this when I saw a Twitter post by Silas House who brought my attention to it, referring to it as a ’meditation on loss, friends, family and place and saying that Jayne Waldrop was ’a writer who cares deeply about every sentence...I know you’ll love these characters and their place in the world.’ As I love the writing of Silas House and find his writing exactly the way he describes her writing, I knew I wanted to get a copy of this as soon as I could.

’They had been told their sacrifice was for the public good. They were never told how much they would miss it, or for how long.’

I remember the feeling that I had when, after returning to the small neighborhood where I grew up many years after moving across the country, I pulled up in front of the house I grew up in, and got out of my car to look at the neighborhood. The colour of my old house had changed, but other than that the only thing that had changed was some of the trees were taller. In that moment, I could almost imagine it all again as it once was, with the street filled with those I grew up with. And then the front door opened and the woman who lived there asked me if I needed any help. When I explained that my family had been the first ones who’d lived there, she invited me in, and showed me around. Virtually nothing had changed except paint colours. There was a comfort in returning, but also felt like I’d fallen into a time warp, and I half expected them to have the old B&W television in the basement that had once belonged to my grandparents.

What I can’t imagine is returning and finding it all gone. Submerged by a lake created by man, not Nature. Homes that had been owned by the same family generation after generation since the beginning of this town. Families who were essentially forced to give up their homes and their land. While there were benefits that came from this project for the public in general - flood control, hydroelectric power, new jobs, a stronger economy, they came at the cost of families who had generations of ancestors buried on their land, who lost their homes and their history, their connection with home. Home is where your memories begin, where your heart returns time and again. So what happens when it is gone?

Shared through linked stories, the stories of two women and their friendship share more themes, as well as some unexpected moments. Stories connected by their common connections, loss and sorrow, shared memories both good and bad. The sacrifices they were forced to make in the name of progress, and their history, those touchstones that they left behind, as well as the friendships and bonds created by time and place. Memory, and the loss of memories add another dimension and shape this story, as well as the significance of family - the ones we are born into and the ones we create.

A gracefully shared story of the bond of friends, women and sisterhood, loss, love, the joys and sorrows of our journeys, and the mistakes made along the way.


Pub Date: 26 Oct 2021

Many thanks for the ARC provided by University Press of Kentucky / Fireside Industries

[Jon Sokol · Rating 4 out of 5]

In her debut novel, Drowned Town, Jayne Moore Waldrop explores the impact mid-century TVA reservoirs had and still have on families haunted by their removal from their homes, farms, and ways of life a half century ago. The story follows multiple generations of connected families who once lived in the town of Eddyville, Kentucky. A town now sitting at the bottom of Lake Barkley on the Cumberland River near the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area.

Full review at www.jonsokol.com

[Becky Conner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great quick read. I now call this part of western Kentucky home and have spent time on Kuttawa beach with the grandkids, visited LBL, and boated on the lakes. But this book provided a look backwards at the history of the area and how much people gave up so that today we can enjoy the lakes and LBL.

[Beth Farley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well. I enjoyed the setting, since I live in the same end of the state. This was really all over the place for me though. And a Credits page at the back of the book somewhat explains why so much of the 'plot' felt forced and information about the LBL or the building of the dam was repeated from chapter to chapter. Apparently several of the chapters had been previously published as stand alone short stories in other publications then assembled with additional chapters as a book. Not sure who's idea that was. Although I would like to get married again so I can have a wedding like the one described early on. And I think I'm going to drive over to Kuttawa sometime soon.

[Kea4 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book could have been so good. I liked learning about Kentucky’s Land Between the Lakes and how this occurred. Seeing people have to deal with eminent domain would have been a solid book.

The issue is that some of the short stories had been previously published and then put in this book to fit the plot.

This sadly does not help the overall book. Some of the side stories are more interesting yet we never hear from these people ever again.

I wasn’t really into the main characters of the story anyway. Again it’s a shame because this could have been a good book.

So in the end some stories are connected and others are not. This to me does not bring the story together well. And then in the end the mother with Alzheimer’s felt kind of cheap add-on.

https://theworldisabookandiamitsreade...

[Kathie Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunting and melancholy look at land very near where I grew up. I remember the opening of Barkley Dam and have spent countless hours in and around LBL. As the author states in her Acknowledgements, I was aware of but too young and foolish to realize how damaging the drowning of towns like Eddyville and Kuttawa and (my favorite) Linton was to those who were forced to leave family land. Just paying a summer visit to home (Hoptown) I was struck by the title of this book in a new indie bookstore ( 🙌 ) and immediately knew it must be about the area. Many thanks to the author for a nostalgic and heartfelt piece of fiction that took this western KY girl back in time.

[Matt Jaeger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jayne Moore Waldrop has done Western Kentucky proud with this book.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a bit stingy with stars. 3 stars = good. I enjoyed this book. Having chapter/stories that could have stood alone yet contributed to the overall plot of the book worked as a narrative device.

A few characters were not discussed much in later stories, and I would have loved to know what happened to them, particularly Nate. And did Emmie NEVER tell?!

I started this book thinking it was literary fiction, so the turn toward romance was surprising but still enjoyable. I did look online to see what the genre is for this book: Southern fiction.

The historical info about the creation of lakes and recreational areas via impoundment and eminent domain was interesting and led me to read more online.

Overall: Recommend.

[Susie Fenwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jayne Moore Waldrop captured a tale of a painful era in Western Kentucky life. Those not from the area most likely are not aware of how the renowned recreational area, Land Between the Lakes, between Lake Barkley and KY Lake came to be or even how the Lakes came to be. The government land grab through the provisions of eminent domain created bitterness in multigenerational families who lost home places to make room for tourists.

The tales weaves the story of current day area residents into an interesting tale of past and present.

A lifetime Bluegrass resident, I loved the references to local places, particularly the Eddyville State Penitentiary known as The Castle.

This is a quick and interesting read.

[Kara Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was good story to read. My Mom was from western KY, the Hartford/Centertown area. She talked about the people that were displaced during the damming of the rivers and how they had such a hard time. The book delves into the feelings of the people that lived there during this time. On a side note, some of the language brought back happy memories. The author spoke of kids ‘wallering’ around on the couch. I hadn’t heard the word used in that context for decades. It made me remember my mom yelling “you kids quit wallerin’ around in there!” I had completely forgotten about that. 🙂🙂🙂

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the surface this collection of linked stories is about a town that disappeared due to eminent domain The government wanted to take western Kentucky land bordered by rivers and turn it into a recreational area. The disruption to those townspeople reverberate over the years and generations. But the loss of this town and its residents is actually about the loss we all experience as human beings regardless of where we live and our life circumstances. The writing is just superb and the last chapter brought tears to my eyes. I can't recommend it enough.

[Marie Coutu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Touching and Thoughtful

Fictional stories reveal truths about the connections between people and place, especially when inhabited by generations. Although a collection of short stories, these stories work together to create a picture of the people who inhabited and remember the vanished towns near and within Land Between the Lakes in western Kentucky I came to love the characters and to grieve with them over their losses, but also to share their joys.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very disjointed. Several characters were brought up once, then never again. Too many characters mentioned that weren't necessary and didn't add anything to the story but add confusion. I almost stopped reading but skimmed the second half to see if the story line was salvaged. This book left me really unsatisfied. The topic and premise were very interesting, but this bovel didn't pull them off.

[Michel Sabbagh · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review for the book can be read on The Southern Review of Books's website:

https://southernreviewofbooks.com/202...

In a nutshell: "As with the shifting Kentuckian landscape, Drowned Town treats its audience to the ebbing and flowing of emotions that come with forging and embodying a sense of identity through place."

[Melissa Helton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interconnected stories about the community that was forced to move for a dam project in western Kentucky. Several of these characters need their own book because I want to know what happened before and after the quick glimpses we get into their lives. Interesting weave of fiction and historical fact to show the human side of "progress."

[Amy Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pulled into these layers of history and the lives of these characters. The emotional complexities of these events and of life’s tragedies are woven so well with pieces of joy and life’s little extraordinary moments. Excellent slices of life that present us with a full picture of the lives and generations affected by these drowned towns. Such rich, beautiful stories.

[Nicholas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent novel about chosen family and the intergenerational impact of the terrible seizing of entire towns by the government to establish The Kentucky Dam and Land Between the Lakes. Relatable characters and nuanced portrayals of how families process loss and change. Excellent book. Captures the beauty and heartbreak of the setting.

[Peter Brackney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waldroup captures the sense of place beautifully in a way that makes location a living organism - which it is. The lifecycle of location mirrors all organism’s birth, death, and rebirth.

I’d highly recommend the book which is beautifully written, though (as it follows those rhythms of resurrection) predictable.

[DeeAnna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. The timeline and dates are about 80 years off, but the author does an excellent job of putting it together to create the loss and survival and the stories of the families and individuals that lived through the TVA dam bldg. It is tragic and beautiful and she tells this story with love and empathy.

[Sandra Bagwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had family in the area that was flooded. I have heard stories my whole life. I seldom find fiction that includes the LBL area or Paducah. Jayne Moore Waldrop did an excellent job of creating believable characters and highlighting this portion of history many have either forgotten or never knew.

[Sidney Hubbard · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was surreal to read a book located where I’ve lived all my life. While I was captured by it, some parts felt repetitive and the ending felt not quite finished. Overall, I enjoyed reading ti and learning about the Drowned Town.

[Beth Wyant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A worthy book. It’s especially meaningful for those of us who live in Western Kentucky and have roots in LBL. Well done.

[Teresa Brewen-White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book, esp the history of the changes made to create the LBL

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the history.

[Kathy Howells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I remember the flooding of Eddyville for Lake Barkley, this was especially enjoyable

[Chuck Beal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting novel set in the Land Between the Lakes in western KY.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a beautiful novel! The ending, especially, was so powerful—it really is a beautiful meditation on the relationship between love and loss.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you grew up in western Kentucky (and I did), this was a wonderful read. The places hoped out at me and I loved the people —- mostly.

[Kayle · Rating 2 out of 5]

interesting to read about where you live, but jumped around too much for me