The release date for the English version of 'Light to the Hills' by
Bonnie Blaylock is Dec 2022. If you enjoy this novel, it is available for buy as a paperback from Barnes & Noble or Indigo, as an ebook on the Amazon Kindle store, or as an audiobook on Audible.
A really satisfying book about the strength of mother and daughter relationships, the influence of language, and Appalachian resiliency in the 1930s.
The Appalachian people of Kentucky are barely surviving. For these remote people, hardscrabble knowledge and coal mining are a way of life. However, Amanda Rye, a young widowed mother and itinerant packhorse librarian, offers optimism, bravery, and apple pie to a mountain town severely impacted by the country's economic collapse. Along the journey, Amanda develops feelings for the MacInteer family, particularly for the kind Rai, her quick-witted daughter Sass, and the amiable oldest son Finn. They bring up memories of Amanda's early years and her parents, with whom she yearns for peace.
As her bond with the MacInteers grows, Amanda opens up to them about a risky secret from her past. Amanda, Rai, Sass, and Finn find their lives intersecting—and threatened—in the most unexpected ways as that truth finally catches up with her in the present. As the truth paves the way for survival, mountain justice, forgiveness, and hope, they must now unite.