That Pinson Girl

by Gerry Wilson

In a bleak Mississippi farmhouse in 1918, Leona Pinson gives birth to an illegitimate son whose father she refuses to name, but who will, she is convinced, return from the war to rescue her from a hardscrabble life with a distant mother, a dangerous brother, and a dwarf aunt. When, instead, her lover returns with a wife in tow, her dreams are shattered. As her brother' s violence escalates and her aunt flees, Leona must rely on the help of Luther Biggs, the son of Leona' s grandfather and one of his former slaves, to protect her child. Told against the backdrop of the deprivation of World War I, the tragedies of the influenza epidemic, and the burden of generations of betrayal, That Pinson Girl unfolds in lyrical, unflinching prose, engaging the timeless issues of racism, sexism, and poverty.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

291 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 6, 2024

About the author

A seventh generation Mississippian, Gerry Wilson was born in Pontotoc, thirty miles from William Faulkner's Oxford and far from just about everywhere else. She is the author of THAT PINSON GIRL, Regal House Publishing, February 2024, and a story collection, Crosscurrents and Other Stories (Press 53). She lives in Jackson, Mississippi.

Reviews

[Constantine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Historical Fiction

The story focuses on Leona Pinson, a young woman of seventeen years of age who, in 1918, gives birth to an illegitimate son in a desolate farmhouse in the state of Mississippi. Leona is adamant that she will not reveal the identity of the man who is the father of her child; however, she is of the firm belief that he will come back from the war to save her from a difficult life. Whether it is society, a distant mother, or a dangerously abusive brother, Leona has been rejected and ridiculed by all.

Upon the return of her lover, accompanied by his wife, her hopes and dreams were dashed. She had waited so long for him to come back to her, and now that he was here, he was with someone else. She felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest. She had never felt so betrayed and alone

As her brother's violent behavior becomes more severe and her aunt runs away, Leona is forced to rely on the assistance of Luther Biggs, the son of Leona's grandfather and one of his former slaves, in order to safeguard her child. Leona's brother, who is a violent alcoholic, has been threatening to harm her and her child. Leona's aunt, who has been living with her and helping to take care of the child, has decided to move on with her own life, so Leona is left alone and afraid, and she doesn't know what needs to be done.

This is a beautiful family saga that focuses mainly on the Pinson girl (Leona), but it is narrated in the third-person style from several characters’ perspectives. This allows the readers to look at things from all the different points of view. It took me some time to get into the story and understand the structure of that household. But once I grasped it, I was totally immersed in this family saga. This is one of my favorite tropes, especially when it is in historical fiction.

The fact that this tale goes in a completely unexpected direction is one of its most appealing aspects. It is really impossible to predict how a character will act or how the story will conclude. The story being set against the backdrop of World War I gives it a rich reading experience. The author has done an excellent job of incorporating a tremendous number of significant settings and topics into this book without making it appear superfluous or excessively lengthy. Injustice, sexism, betrayal, and racism are just some of the many complex issues that are taking place in this story. I truly loved it, and the cover is very appropriate for the narrative.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced reader copy of this book.

[Caroline Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book for so many reasons. Complex characters, gorgeous prose, dark twists and turns, and a thread of hope for our protagonist. If you love historical fiction, this book is for you!

Also, this book is written by my brilliant, talented grandmother who continually inspires me to dream big. ❤️ I am proud beyond words to see her accomplish a lifelong dream.

Read this book!!!

[Kavya (wishes and tries to be more active) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!
This is a historical fiction set in 1918 in a small town in USA. As it is nearing the end of the world war and the start of the spread of influenza worldwide, Leona and her small town go through a lot of losses. They lose children, partners, parents and friends, both to the war and the pandemic. I had seen photos of the people in 1918 adopting to the pandemic. But reading this reminded me of the pandemic I've myself lived through. It was surreal seeing the people go through the same a century ago. This pandemic was accompanied by the tensions of the war and the young men fighting in Europe.
Leona was also eagerly waiting for somebody to return. Walker Broom. Yes, that is indeed his name. She was also waiting for him with a teeny tiny surprise. His baby. Despite being scorned by everybody for having an illegitimate child (it's 1918 afterall), she never reveals the name of the father. All she hopes for is his safe return and acceptance of the baby.
But this novel isn't just about her. It's also about Luther, Raymond, Sally, Jesse and Walker (Yes, him!). This novel also represents the blatant racism against the Black community during that period. Luther and his son Jesse work for the Pinsons and face utter disrespect and insults of Raymond because they are helpless. If they speak up, they would face severe consequences. Leona tries her best to stop her brother but he cannot be restrained. He's older plus, he's a male. His word is law in the household as he is the eldest male in the family. He was an awful person but whenever I was reading his pov, it felt like maybe he's redeemable? But then I'd read the other povs and go back to hating him. Maybe because in Raymond's mind, he's not as awful as he really is and being inside his brain convinced me temporarily too. It was the way the author brought nuance to the villain's character. He wasn't a personality-less villain whose only trait was being evil.
There were certain storylines like Jesse's which had a mysterious air around them but they were quite predictable from the beginning. I had guessed the secrets about him and Luther. It was pretty obvious. Despite that, I wasn't ever bored in this novel. The writing style flowed smoothly. The slump I had been in since New Year has finally abated. This novel made me eager to finish it.
This novel ends on an ambiguous note. I wish I could have gotten more from this. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to the novel yet. I wanted to see where Leona's journey led her to. Moreover, reading certain parts of the novel formed a lump in my throat. The injustice, the helplessness, the deaths, the sickness, the unhappiness, it all got to me. I was sitting in public transport and barely controlling my emotions. I'm very glad to have read this novel.

[Melanie Caldicott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a twisty family saga set around the time of World War I which compelled me from beginning to end. Exploring themes such as class, racism, disability and female agency this historical fiction illuminated attitudes of the era in Deep South America well. The protagonist Leona is strong and well drawn - someone the reader immediately feels they are rooting for. Occasionally the threads of the plot were left hanging a little and therefore felt they had only appeared for the sake of convenience to the story building but nevertheless I really enjoyed this novel.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

[Ellen Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gerry Wilson takes readers to rural north Mississippi in the World War I era—William Faulkner’s precise pick for his human epics—and, through the experience of Leona Pinson and those around her, mesmerizes with a propulsive story of human need, goodness and failure. I was captivated. The events Leona experiences feel unnervingly timely today as we also confront the forces of white supremacy, the price exacted on women as childbearers and the sweep of a pandemic.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A walk down a dark Southern road. . .Leona Pinson's resolve took her through trials that were hard to read about. Her brother was . . .a miserable beast.

I wanted more of Luther, and I wanted Leona and her boy to leave - find another place to make her home. Just wanted her to run-run-run away, dash off to another future. The last page was a relief, and this one does as some books do - yet it leaves behind a languishing atmosphere. I haven't shaken it yet.

*A sincere thank you to Gerry Wilson, Regal House Publishing, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #ThatPinsonGirl #NetGalley 25|52:33e

[Aleksandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

That Pinson Girl is a thrilling story following young Leona, whose life becomes entangled in a variety of situations. We get to witness the choices of the protagonist and the people around her in many settings and many points in life. The book is incredibly well-written and exciting, and it won't let you put it down once you get familiar with the characters and their secrets! I loved how each one of the characters is unique and has a hidden story to tell, and how they all add a little piece to the big jigsaw puzzle that the story is. The ending was very abrupt though and I must admit I didn't expect that at all, so be ready for that in case you are hoping for a "It all makes sense now!" type of an ending. All in all, I really enjoyed the book and would totally recommend it to everyone who likes historical fiction and a bit of a mystery and drama surrounding the characters!

[emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ☆

That Pinson Girl is a debut historical fiction novel set in the author’s home state of Mississippi during and immediately following WWI. The novel adopts a largely kaleidoscopic narrative style, jumping around from character to character in order to give an overview of the families and characters inhabiting the small farming town. At the center of the novel lies the Pinson family, particularly Leona, a young single mother who is keeping the identity of her child’s father a close-guarded secret, and Raymond, her cruel and violent older brother whose reputation casts a long shadow in the family.

I found myself engaged in the characters that Gerry Wilson crafted in this story, and personally found her character work and exposition to be the strongest aspects of this novel. Almost immediately, I was drawn in to Leona Pinson’s life, and was impressed with Wilson’s ability to give the reader enough information to understand the pre-existing dynamics between characters without over-explaining or taking me out of the story. I also enjoyed the tension that Wilson was able to maintain during several key points in the novel. At one point, my heart was actually pounding, and I was so captivated by the danger that Leona and her son were in that I physically could not stop myself from reading.

While these moments of tension are wonderfully written, I will admit that the suspense is largely situational, and any intrigue or mystery that’s baked into the plot is pretty easy to figure out long before it is “revealed” to the characters or reader. I was able to guess the “twists” as soon as their relevant characters were introduced, although I will say that I do feel like this may have been intentional. The driving force of the plot was not necessarily “finding out” what’s going on in the town and in these characters’ histories, but rather seeing how all of the characters will react once everyone else’s secrets come to light. Unfortunately, some of these big reveal moments were somewhat anti-climactic (or never occurred at all), and I was left wishing that some of the characters had had a more impactful resolution or managed to achieve more emotional closure. Some characters felt like they were just removed from the story entirely with no real reason other than to narrow down the cast, which was unsatisfying and gave certain aspects of the plot an unfinished feel. If you’re going to write a novel from several perspectives, it feels incomplete to only give one of those characters true resolution.

My largest issue with the novel, and the reason that I hesitate to recommend this to other readers, is the way that Wilson has written race into this book. There are important stories to be told about Black individuals and families at this point in history, but I felt that Wilson’s representation of her Black characters relied largely on stereotype and depicted substantial trauma that was not necessary to the central plot or meaning of the novel. Racism, violence against Black characters, and the very characters’ identities as Black men read more as plot devices or ways for Leona to experience emotional growth. In the end, Wilson’s conclusion largely abandons the primary Black character in the novel, and the resolution of Leona’s emotional arc has much more to do with her brother and the father of her child than the racial violence in which she played an integral role (even though she never was able to take full responsibility for it).

Thank you to NetGalley and Regal House Publishing for providing an e-ARC of this novel!

[Clifford · Rating 5 out of 5]

That Pinson Girl by Gerry Wilson. Here’s the blurb I gave this novel: Devastating and beautifully written, Gerry Wilson’s Spirit Light is at once a heart-rending tragedy and a testament to the indomitable human spirit. In her heroine Leona, Wilson has drawn an unforgettable character buoyed by her determination to survive and to care for her child, even when confronted with violence, racial tensions, the horrors of a distant war, mounting losses from the influenza epidemic, and the lingering repercussions of murder. This historical tale about a hard-scrabble Southern farming family grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let go.

[Pam Butts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Northbay book club. Our neighborhood book club is very much looking forward to meeting this local author in person. I enjoyed this story of a young girl in north Mississippi in the 1917-1919 range, her trials, her hopes, her complicated family life with all its secrets. It was easy to hate Raymond, be disappointed in Walker, appreciate Luther, mourn Jesse, and root for Leona.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I read "That Pinson Girl" I kept remembering Jane Austen's characterization of her writing as
being done with a fine brush on a "little bit (not two inches wide) of ivory". "That Pinson Girl" is no comedy of manners, but its hyper-focused setting is surely no more than two inches wide. World War I and New York City make cameo appearances, but otherwise the novel is all rural Mississippi. The writing is clear and straightforward even as the plot becomes more intense, which can make reading difficult emotionally while it continues to draw you in. There is a moment when Leona, "that Pinson girl," muses that it would be a shame if "pictures had to be hidden away, like so much else." It is the discovery of just what the hidden "so much else" is that makes the novel hard to put down.

[KayG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic story - couldn’t put it down. It’s the story of a complicated family in rural Mississippi in the years around WWI. It covers almost every social and economic issue of that day, and because it’s Mississippi, there is a lot of racism.

The writing and setting is authentic - so much happens within this small book, and I’m so happy I got to be there. That Pinson girl will remain in my memories.

I’ll be recommending this to my Mississippi book club soon. It will invite a wonderful discussion.

[froschpapi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to think about this one for a few days after finishing it, and came to the conclusion that this is a 3.75 stars for me. The story in itself is very compelling, and at times unbearingly stressful. The characters are not simply good or bad but are shown in their complexities, something the author managed to do by switching the point of view around. Not always did I appreciate that, but in itself it was well done.
Once you get a hang for the language (that I thoroughly enjoyed) and the characters, this story just flies by. The storytelling is intricate, the context rich and thought-provoking, subjects like racism, sexism, classism are tackled but also, at times, played down. Especially the depiction of sexual abuse was quite casual at times, but after thinking about it, this also seemed fitting within its context.

Leona's and Luther's stories truly made my heart ache; but they were also the only characters I didn't come to detest. When the ending of the book came around, I was pretty upset myself, since it felt like it was missing a conclusion, and at the same time I guess it didn't need a heavy handed one, the implied one was way more harrowing. Overall, I really liked and appreciated this book.

[Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in 1918, in the bleak but beautiful landscape of Northern Mississippi, That Pinson Girl is an engaging, sometimes disturbing but always compelling tale of how secrets revealed can turn lives upside down. It seems everyone in the novel has a secret: Leona Pinson, 17 has had a child out of wedlock but keeps the father's identity to herself; her Aunt Sally, who knows the father's identity but hides it from Leona; Leona's violent brother Raymond, who knows the secret of their father's death; and Luther, a Pinson employee and former slave who risks Leona's friendship and loyalty if he reveals what he knows of the Pinson family's past. Eventually, these secrets become known, often with powerful consequences.

How Leona overcomes so many obstacles--a flu pandemic, a disturbed, vindictive brother, the shaming of a small town, the heartbreak of seeing a man she loved marry another woman is at the heart of the novel. The rich language, the gorgeous settings and the universal truths make That Pinson Girl well worth reading.

[Chris Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I heard Gerry Wilson read selections from her debut novel That Pinson Girl, I knew this instantly: We are in the presence of a master storyteller. Wilson’s rich, exquisite prose firmly plants you in the middle of the heartbreaking and heartwarming lives of Leona Pinson and Luther Biggs, their histories and secrets, their terrors and triumphs. You’ll want more of their story. You’ll hold them in your heart for a long time after that last sentence, maybe forever as Wilson’s masterpiece will likely take a seat among the Classics of Southern literature.

[Lori Godwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story that struck my heart.

[Darlene Messenger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The storyline intrigued me. Its a tale of resilience and strength while facing seemingly insurmountable odds. Thoroughly enjoyable book to read while also leaving the reader with much to contemplate. I anticipated this to be an excellent book club read.

[Daphne Manning · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Pinson Girl is a gripping , unforgiving look at life in rural America. Leona Pinson is used and discarded but a young man whose family has some sway in the town where she lives. The man in question left for war and Leona is pregnant and in the end alone . Leona has a brother who is dealing with his own demons in an increasingly violent way. Her story unfolds with little relief, and you find yourself wishing for a way for this character to rise.

[Marjorie Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wilson's story opens up the hardscrabble lives of Southern rural people in the time before and after World War I. A powerful and kind Black neighbor has protected a white family his whole life, and the terrible secrets these two families hold unravel till they become dry tinder for a devastating fire.The characters could be drawn right out of Flannery O 'Connor or Faulkner, but none are stereotypes, all invite recognition and empathy, leaving us haunted with a vision of a place burned to ash - the Jim Crow South whose survivors can only run for their lives.

[Nancy Graben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel tells Leona's story. She's a poor girl from the outskirts of town who falls in love with a young man. War happens, and he signs up. Unbeknownst to them both, a baby is on the way. Family secrets are revealed through plot twists.

The ending is satisfying but it leaves unanswered questions.

[Nina Romano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC.

Gerry Wilson’s is a fine author whose portrayal of the rural south shadows Faulkner’s utilization of descriptions and details. However, Wilson exhibits confidence that makes the lyrical prose style all her own. That Pinson Girl is a dazzling and spellbinding story of people in the Mississippi hill country. The novel covers a variety of deep and intricate concerns, including race and poverty, for her well-rounded characters. The storyline depicts murder, remorse, sorrow, and heartache in a well-conceived plot. If you like historical fiction at its finest, I guarantee you’ll enjoy delving into this book set in the early 1900’s.

[Trisha Crawford]

Leona Pinson won’t let anyone know who the father of her child is. She does so to protect the father who may or may not still be alive. She is living under harsh and sometimes unsafe conditions. But thankfully she has someone looking out for her.

This book really drew me into what life was like for Leona and her family in this small community in Mississippi. I found myself rooting for her and her young child living under harsh conditions. As you discover the secrets in her family you begin to understand how the past has shaped them.

This is one of those dysfunctional family stories that you boh struggle to read and can’t stop reading because the drama never stops.

[Gale · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite debuts of 2024. Compelling characters and enthralling storytelling. If you love Southern writing this is one you won’t want to miss!

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in 24 hours flat I think, I couldn't put it down. Easy to read with compelling stories and characters I liked - I really felt for Luther. I did figure out the twist early, but the very end I was a little surprised by - there was a moderately "happy ending" just not in the way I'd thought. Would recommend this to anyone and would read more by this author!

Thanks to Regal House Publishing/Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) via Netgalley for the electronic ARC.

[Doreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel is set in North Mississippi in 1918. Seventeen-year-old Leona Pinson gives birth to a son whom she names Isaiah. Unmarried, she refuses to name his father, Walker Broom, to anyone. Walker has gone off to fight in the war, but Leona believes he will return and they will become a family. In the meantime, she lives with her damaged, dysfunctional family. Leona’s father Herbert was murdered and his sister Sally, a dwarf, moved in afterwards. Other members of the household are Leona’s remote mother Rose and her dangerous and abusive brother Raymond.

Sally helps Leona look after Isaiah, and Luther Briggs, the son of Leona’s grandfather and one of his slaves, helps her with the farm. Since Raymond is often absent from home, Luther and his 15-year-old son Jesse, described as remaining “forever a child,” do a lot of the physical farm work. Raymond is a racist so when he is around, tensions often arise between him and Jesse in particular. Then Walker returns from overseas, but he brings someone with him.

Leona is admirable in many ways. She is a young woman who has many burdens. She is a single mother raising a child alone and, because she has a child out of wedlock, she has to endure shaming from the residents of the nearby town. Raymond’s behaviour is dangerous so she has to protect herself and her son; also because her brother is irresponsible and unreliable, she has to ensure that the farm work is done. Influenza arrives in the area and Leona is worried about her son, especially after several members of a friend’s family die. And then she has more than one heartbreak.

The perspective of several characters is given: Leona, Luther, Walker, Rose, Raymond, Sally, and Jesse. This narrative approach does allow the reader to know the characters better and to understand their motivations. As a consequence, characters are shown to have both positive and negative traits. For instance, Leona thinks Raymond is “incapable of love. She imagined her brother’s heart a shriveled thing, cold to the touch, relentlessly beating.” Certainly, many of his actions are deplorable and difficult to justify, but his thoughts do explain his motivations.

Unfortunately, I found the motivations of several characters to be rather weak. Sally’s decision to keep a package from her niece is not convincing, though I imagine her mother’s comment that “’No man will ever have you’” suggests an underlying jealousy. Edith’s not wanting to ask her mother-in-law for the name of a seamstress makes little sense since such a conversation might have served to promote a relationship. Sometimes actions are never explained: why doesn’t Luther return with cough syrup, especially when “It wasn’t like him not to keep his word”?

The novel as a whole has a disjointed feel. Characters appear and then disappear until needed to impact the plot. Luther, who is so important to Leona, is not present as much as one would expect. When Sally’s presence would complicate issues, she is helpfully removed. The Ridge Riders conveniently appear and disappear. Wouldn’t Luther recognize Raymond’s beloved horse Belle when the Ridge Riders visit? Sally doesn’t know the young man who drops in to see Leona? She has lived in the area for two years and has never been to the mercantile store? Comments she makes later suggest that she certainly knows his family!

The book examines the destructive power of secrets. Leona hides the identity of Isaiah’s father, but she is not the only one who has secrets. So do Rose, Sally, Luther, Walker, and Raymond. Much tragedy could have been prevented if secrets had not been kept. Even Jesse might have been better protected if he had been more forthcoming. I was not shocked by Raymond and Luther’s revelations; there are clear indications that both are burdened by guilt.

Though it touches on several important issues, the novel is uneven in quality. The pace at the beginning is slow, and then the ending feels rushed. And, as mentioned, the plot lacks fluidity and there are some plot holes.

Note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/DCYakabuski).

[Esther Bradley-detally · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know Jerry as a fellow blogger a long time back. Somehow we kept in touch. I hearda about her book, finally purchased it, and it sat with about 50 other boooks and writings to deal with. But I was thrilled for her. The other night, late, after injuringmy collarbone, and coming back from urgent care, i stayed up to eleven, not wanting to sleep on this bone. i was tired, but i looked around the house for That Pinson Girl. Reader, my fingers trolled the buoyant cover, which i loved, and my fingers opened beginning pages. Anna Akmatova is special to me, and her quote as I lived n former Soviet Union for 3 years. and i love Akhmatova.

I opened to Chapter 1. The earth fell away. The whole book had be frozen and mesmerized, and I read it thru the early night, after midnight. The prose was superb, smooth, as if each word could only go where it was placed, and the book is a gripper, as well as eloquently written, and one them of nobility of the Pinson Girl was definitely nobility, or grit under hardship. One crisis after another, and as a reader I could not put the book down. The characters were so finely drawn, and those at first in the background, revealed such subtleties of cruelty by the larger population it was horrifying.

Also, i felt the times presented, among mountain folk and the like, at a time on our earth, nothing was thought of poor people or blacks. Society treated them like blunt animals, and the light of spirit shone so much in them. What a combination. I loved being thrust back into the scenes where I would gasp, I had no idea.

The book was like a string of pearls, gentle and beautiful prose which had to be displayed to show horror after. horror,and grit after grit. I am actually at a loss for words, except I felt this book should be a best seller, so much heart and mind I
nformation shared, such brutal suffering, such unimaginable nobility. I felt the prose to be seamless and nothing, no horror was predicted, but one calamity follows another, the making of those who came out of it strong and brave.

The wider background gave this reader a broader insight into World War I, and infljenza epidemic, and of generations deluded by promises made.

I have a job to do. At 85, a writer about to start on 3rd book, and a little physically crumbly, I must go to libraries and promote this book. I must email all of my friends of same. If I new high school teachers, and the like, I'd promote it, but that should be a natural offspring.

This book shows genuine love amongst people who do not turn away from tragedies, or racial issues, class prejudice. It is a world we are going to go into. That Pinson Girl, could change awareness with the overriding theme of love! Humbly, esther

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was immediately immersed in this story since it begins in a farmhouse in Mississippi as the protagonist is giving birth. As a mother and a native Mississippian, this novel really spoke to me and the diversity of the characters drew me further in. The author has created fully fleshed out characters who are compelling on many levels.

A couple of things about this novel made a deep impression on me. The first was that the setting of the novel - the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918- was deeply relatable after going through a pandemic. Wilson was smart to choose this backdrop, because the emotions of the pandemic are still fresh for all of us. I was immediately transported to those scary and confusing days in the spring of 2020. It made me realize how deeply that experience has marked my life.

The other thing that impressed me was the timeless truth that we don’t choose who we love. Love happens. And it happens across the boundaries of race, class and economic status. In my own life I have found this to be true, and I was deeply moved by the love stories in this novel. Perhaps the greatest one was the one that never should have happened by the standards of that time: the intimate companionship of a young white woman and an aging black man.

Wilson’s ability to draw these complex relationships and make them work realistically in that setting is a true gift. They shouldn’t work, but they do. As in life, art rebels against societal strictures. And in the process, our hearts are liberated.

A worthwhile read. Thank you to the author for sending me an advance reader’s copy!

[Ginger Pinholster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gerry Wilson’s quintessentially American story of life in early-1900s Mississippi crackles with love, loss, and salvation. As war takes a heavy toll overseas, inequity and influenza rage closer to home. Leona, an unwed young mother heartbroken by her lover’s departure for the front lines, must contend with her disturbed brother’s erratic, violent behavior. Leona’s guardian angel, Luther, is a friend with dark secrets and deep familial ties, complicated by racism. In lyrical, often breathtaking prose, Wilson presents one intriguing puzzle piece after another, until at last the complete family portrait falls into place. Readers of this beautiful, heartbreaking tale will turn pages ever faster as they root for Luther, Leona, and her infant son. Highly recommend!

[Milana Marsenich · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful, intriguing, and heartbreaking novel. I would give it ten stars and more, if it was possible. I found myself glued to the pages of this tragic and stunning story. In the harrowing moments of childbirth, Leona Pinson prays that Luther Biggs, a former family slave, will save her from the danger she senses. And he answers her prayer. In the deep South in 1918, she gives birth to a child with a nameless father. She protects both the child and his father, hoping the boy's father will return from the war to claim them. A dark shroud of secrets surrounds this family saga, and Leona soon learns that she is not the only one keeping secrets. That Pinson Girl is beautifully written and moving at every turn. Against the backdrop of poverty, violence, betrayal, and absolute love, Gerry Wilson portrays the unyielding courage of a heart forged in adversity. I loved this book and highly recommend it.

[SmallPressPicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was moved by the resolve of the protagonist, Leona, and by Wilson’s vivid and deeply felt writing about her. I also loved that Leona never comes across as a victim; instead, Wilson makes clear her determination to survive, and to give her son the best life possible. Wilson takes on the conflicts at the heart of this novel with searing honesty, and with compassion for the central characters. The result is an affecting and thought-provoking read.

For my full review of the novel, see https://smallpresspicks.com/that-pins....