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Kinfolk: A Novel by “Sean of the South”
Sometimes it’s the most unlikely meetings that give us life’s greatest gifts.
1970s, Southern Alabama. Sixty-two-year-old Jeremiah Lewis Taylor, or “Nub,” has spent his whole life listening to those he loves tell him he’s no good—first his ex-wife, now his always-disapproving daughter. Sure, his escapades have made him, along with his cousin and perennial sidekick, Benny, just a smidge too familiar with small-town law enforcement, but he’s never harmed anyone—except perhaps himself.
Nub never meant to change his ways, but when he and fifteen-year-old Waffle House waitress Minnie form an unlikely friendship, he realizes for the first time that there may be some good in him after all. Six-foot-five Minnie has been dealt a full deck of bad luck—her father is a convicted murderer serving a life sentence, her mother is dead and buried, and she has a Grand Ole Opry–worthy singing voice with no place to perform. Oh, and there’s the small fact that she’s unexpectedly pregnant, courtesy of a no-good high-school boy.
Gradually, Nub realizes the gift he’s been a second chance to make a difference.
Beloved Southern writer Sean Dietrich, also known as Sean of the South, once again brings people and places to life in this lyrical song-turned-story about found family, second chances, country music, and the poignant power of love and forgiveness.
Heartwarming Southern fiction from Sean of the SouthStand-alone novelIncludes discussion questions for book clubsAlso by Sean The Incredible Winston Browne, Stars of Alabama, and You Are My Sunshine
1970s, Southern Alabama. Sixty-two-year-old Jeremiah Lewis Taylor, or “Nub,” has spent his whole life listening to those he loves tell him he’s no good—first his ex-wife, now his always-disapproving daughter. Sure, his escapades have made him, along with his cousin and perennial sidekick, Benny, just a smidge too familiar with small-town law enforcement, but he’s never harmed anyone—except perhaps himself.
Nub never meant to change his ways, but when he and fifteen-year-old Waffle House waitress Minnie form an unlikely friendship, he realizes for the first time that there may be some good in him after all. Six-foot-five Minnie has been dealt a full deck of bad luck—her father is a convicted murderer serving a life sentence, her mother is dead and buried, and she has a Grand Ole Opry–worthy singing voice with no place to perform. Oh, and there’s the small fact that she’s unexpectedly pregnant, courtesy of a no-good high-school boy.
Gradually, Nub realizes the gift he’s been a second chance to make a difference.
Beloved Southern writer Sean Dietrich, also known as Sean of the South, once again brings people and places to life in this lyrical song-turned-story about found family, second chances, country music, and the poignant power of love and forgiveness.
Heartwarming Southern fiction from Sean of the SouthStand-alone novelIncludes discussion questions for book clubsAlso by Sean The Incredible Winston Browne, Stars of Alabama, and You Are My Sunshine
398 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 14, 2023
344 people are currently reading
9539 people want to read
About the author
Sean Dietrich
35 books1,069 followersSean Dietrich is a columnist, podcaster, speaker, and novelist, known for his commentary on life in the American South. His work has appeared in Southern Living, The Tallahassee Democrat, Good Grit, South Magazine, The Bitter Southerner, Thom Magazine, and The Mobile Press Register, and he has authored ten books.
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November 22, 2023
It’s 1970’s Southern Alabama. Sixty two year-old Jeremiah Lewis Taylor, or “Nub, has a good heart but he’s always courted trouble. People have always said he’s no good, the town drunk, earning a crust here and there with his cousin Benny, most of the money ending up in the local ale house, and at his age why change the habits of a lifetime - anyway it would be impossible wouldn’t it?
Enter 15 year old Waffle House waitress Minnie, her father is a convicted murderer serving a life sentence, her mother is dead, and she has a Grand Ole Opry–worthy singing voice with no place to perform. To add to Minnie’s woes she is pregnant by a narcissistic high school boy, who took advantage of her because he could, because nobody ever said no to him, and he reckoned she ought to be grateful that he gave her any attention. Minnie is the first person who ever made Nub believe he could be a better person, now’s his chance to change and make his own life and Minnie’s much happier by being a friend, being there in her time of need, something he should have done for his own daughter.
This author sure knows how to make his characters come to life, the minutiae of life that makes both the story, and his characters sing, makes them meaningful, makes them jump off the page. This novel is about life, its ups and its downs, and it demonstrates yet again how powerful human endurance can be, and what a heartwarming story it is, peppered throughout with humour, courtesy of our protagonist Nub. Recommended.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Muse for an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
Enter 15 year old Waffle House waitress Minnie, her father is a convicted murderer serving a life sentence, her mother is dead, and she has a Grand Ole Opry–worthy singing voice with no place to perform. To add to Minnie’s woes she is pregnant by a narcissistic high school boy, who took advantage of her because he could, because nobody ever said no to him, and he reckoned she ought to be grateful that he gave her any attention. Minnie is the first person who ever made Nub believe he could be a better person, now’s his chance to change and make his own life and Minnie’s much happier by being a friend, being there in her time of need, something he should have done for his own daughter.
This author sure knows how to make his characters come to life, the minutiae of life that makes both the story, and his characters sing, makes them meaningful, makes them jump off the page. This novel is about life, its ups and its downs, and it demonstrates yet again how powerful human endurance can be, and what a heartwarming story it is, peppered throughout with humour, courtesy of our protagonist Nub. Recommended.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Muse for an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
May 23, 2024
It’s the 70’s in Park, Alabama. We meet Nub, Minnie, Emily and Shug. Nub is an alcoholic destined to self destruct.Minnie is a 15-year old giant, the brunt of unwanted teasing. Emily, Nub’s daughter, has just discovered she has cancer. And Shug, has just released from prison.
Dietrich takes us into these lives and we bear witness. We feel their fear and anxiety; their helplessness; but also their hope.
These are well drawn out characters with complex histories. Many themes playing out: addiction, poverty, redemption, Family, with humour peppered in.
Nub, the most loveable and memorable character of them all.
5⭐️
Dietrich takes us into these lives and we bear witness. We feel their fear and anxiety; their helplessness; but also their hope.
These are well drawn out characters with complex histories. Many themes playing out: addiction, poverty, redemption, Family, with humour peppered in.
Nub, the most loveable and memorable character of them all.
5⭐️
September 20, 2024
In a Nutshell: A heartwarming Southern historical fiction. Loved the characters, the plot, and most of all, the writing. How have I not read anything by Sean Dietrich before?!?! Much recommended! Check the triggers though.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Story Synopsis:
Bookish Yays:
💖 The central characters: Nub, Minnie, Benny, and Emily. Such a disparate quartet, and yet, each so convincing, realistic, flawed, and heartwarming. The author handles character development in the most satisfactory manner. Rarely would you see me rooting for an alcoholic character, but Nub is just hug-worthy!
💖 I loved how the characters aren’t stereotypical despite having characteristics that could have made them clichéd. Their personality traits are, in many ways, contrary to the image their physical traits would generate in our minds.
💖 The prologue is stunning! As I have mentioned myriad times before, I love prologues that create a firm foundation for the main story rather than simply regurgitating a scene from towards the end of the book. This is how prologues should be used in fiction!
💖 The story tackles quite a few themes, all of which are handled well. Not going into details as many of the themes are spoilers.
💖 Music has a very important presence in the story. As a music lover, I found these elements a pleasure. Learning about ‘Grand Ole Opry’ was delightful!
💖 Without getting into spoilers, Emily’s pov offers us an interesting insight into fear, stress, acceptance, and hope in case of a medical emergency. Her track becomes a tad too simplistic at times, but it fits the tone of the book.
💖 The historical references are brilliant. Though I am not as savvy about US history as a US reader would be, I still relished the insights offered by the writing without its getting judgemental or political.
💖 The writing is stunning. Everything is so vividly described that I had no trouble picturing the characters as well as the setting. I relished the author’s prowess with words. His metaphors were especially apt. If this had not been an audiobook, I would have highlighted quite a few quotes.
💖 There is enough of witty banter in the conversations, especially when Nub is involved. I actually laughed aloud multiple times while listening to the book.
💖 The title is perfect for this story about found family. After all, who are your kinfolk? If a blood connection necessary? Is blood really thicker than water? Can there be any hope for reparation in a dysfunctional family? ‘Kinfolk’ represents the central theme excellently.
💖 There are Christian elements in the story, but the plot never gets preachy. I also enjoyed the humorous comments about the judgemental attitude of some religious people – so true! (Note: This isn't Christian fiction in the 'clean' sense as some of the triggers don't fit with the genre.)
💖 The author’s note: the icing on the cake! Loved the personal insight!
Bookish Nays:
💔 I would have liked some more detailing in Sug’s arc. His was the weakest track in the book. On a related note, the mafia-style thuggery felt somewhat out of place in the narrative. I didn’t buy how the bad guys went after you-know-who-if-you-read-the-book instead of their main target. That part was silly and unconvincing.
💔 The climax went a teeny-weeny bit over the top in its action and was too perfect in its finish.
💔 It is odd how Emily’s son has barely any role to play in the narrative. Given that his mom, grandmom, and granddad have so many interactions, his being missing from every key interaction is tough to accept.
🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 9 hrs 44 min, is narrated by the author himself. I am usually not a fan of authors narrating their own books, as many of them don’t enunciate the books properly. But there was no need to worry this time. I hadn’t known that the author is a known podcaster, popular as ‘Sean of the South’.
It took me a while to get used to the gruff voice of Sean Dietrich, but once my ears were attuned to his tone, I enjoyed his narration to a great extent. In many ways, he is the perfect choice to read this book aloud. He intonates well, he provides the right emotions, he doesn’t go overboard trying to make each character sound distinct, and best of all, he even sings the few tunes in the book! (This might not work for all listeners, but I like it when narrators sing the verses instead of merely reading them poetically.)
That said, I would recommend this audiobook only to experienced audiobook listeners. As readers, you might have seen how a single chapter sometimes comes from the close third-person perspective of various characters. In audios, this gets tricky to keep track of, especially if there isn’t a sufficiently long pause before the switchover between characters. In ‘Kinfolk’, there’s hardly any pause before the narration jumps characters, so things get a bit confusing at times. I was listening at just 1.25x. The problem might have been even worse for those who zoom through audiobooks at 2x and above.
If you think you might get muddled up hopping across the characters without warning, stick to actual reading. This is a narration issue and not a writing issue.
All in all, a strong positive experience for me despite the presence of some intense content and some farfetched scenes. I loved the handling of the characters and the premise in this story about getting second chances at life and family. I would love to read more by this talented author.
Strongly recommended to historical fiction fans, literary fiction readers, and Southern fiction lovers. Do check out the content warnings online as there are quite a few. Despite the strong triggers, the overall effect is still feel-good.
4.5 stars. (I ought to have rounded this to 4 for the audio version, but I loved the story and the main characters too much to turn the rating dial downwards.)
My thanks to Harper Muse and NetGalley for the ALC of “Kinfolk”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Story Synopsis:
1972. Sixty-two-year-old Nub Taylor is known for all the wrong things in his small rural hometown in southern Alabama. He does menial blue-collar jobs, drinks and smokes too much, doesn’t go to church, and lives his life without any sense of responsibility, and is close only to his cousin Benny. To be fair, he does feel remorse about being estranged from his daughter Emily, but it seems too late to salvage that relationship.
When fifteen-year-old Waffle House waitress Minnie enters Nub’s life in an unexpected manner, he finally feels like he has a purpose. But unknown to them both, this new bond will soon be in danger from an unexpected source.
The story comes to us from the third person points of view of Nub, Minnie, and Emily.
Bookish Yays:
💖 The central characters: Nub, Minnie, Benny, and Emily. Such a disparate quartet, and yet, each so convincing, realistic, flawed, and heartwarming. The author handles character development in the most satisfactory manner. Rarely would you see me rooting for an alcoholic character, but Nub is just hug-worthy!
💖 I loved how the characters aren’t stereotypical despite having characteristics that could have made them clichéd. Their personality traits are, in many ways, contrary to the image their physical traits would generate in our minds.
💖 The prologue is stunning! As I have mentioned myriad times before, I love prologues that create a firm foundation for the main story rather than simply regurgitating a scene from towards the end of the book. This is how prologues should be used in fiction!
💖 The story tackles quite a few themes, all of which are handled well. Not going into details as many of the themes are spoilers.
💖 Music has a very important presence in the story. As a music lover, I found these elements a pleasure. Learning about ‘Grand Ole Opry’ was delightful!
💖 Without getting into spoilers, Emily’s pov offers us an interesting insight into fear, stress, acceptance, and hope in case of a medical emergency. Her track becomes a tad too simplistic at times, but it fits the tone of the book.
💖 The historical references are brilliant. Though I am not as savvy about US history as a US reader would be, I still relished the insights offered by the writing without its getting judgemental or political.
💖 The writing is stunning. Everything is so vividly described that I had no trouble picturing the characters as well as the setting. I relished the author’s prowess with words. His metaphors were especially apt. If this had not been an audiobook, I would have highlighted quite a few quotes.
💖 There is enough of witty banter in the conversations, especially when Nub is involved. I actually laughed aloud multiple times while listening to the book.
💖 The title is perfect for this story about found family. After all, who are your kinfolk? If a blood connection necessary? Is blood really thicker than water? Can there be any hope for reparation in a dysfunctional family? ‘Kinfolk’ represents the central theme excellently.
💖 There are Christian elements in the story, but the plot never gets preachy. I also enjoyed the humorous comments about the judgemental attitude of some religious people – so true! (Note: This isn't Christian fiction in the 'clean' sense as some of the triggers don't fit with the genre.)
💖 The author’s note: the icing on the cake! Loved the personal insight!
Bookish Nays:
💔 I would have liked some more detailing in Sug’s arc. His was the weakest track in the book. On a related note, the mafia-style thuggery felt somewhat out of place in the narrative. I didn’t buy how the bad guys went after you-know-who-if-you-read-the-book instead of their main target. That part was silly and unconvincing.
💔 The climax went a teeny-weeny bit over the top in its action and was too perfect in its finish.
💔 It is odd how Emily’s son has barely any role to play in the narrative. Given that his mom, grandmom, and granddad have so many interactions, his being missing from every key interaction is tough to accept.
🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 9 hrs 44 min, is narrated by the author himself. I am usually not a fan of authors narrating their own books, as many of them don’t enunciate the books properly. But there was no need to worry this time. I hadn’t known that the author is a known podcaster, popular as ‘Sean of the South’.
It took me a while to get used to the gruff voice of Sean Dietrich, but once my ears were attuned to his tone, I enjoyed his narration to a great extent. In many ways, he is the perfect choice to read this book aloud. He intonates well, he provides the right emotions, he doesn’t go overboard trying to make each character sound distinct, and best of all, he even sings the few tunes in the book! (This might not work for all listeners, but I like it when narrators sing the verses instead of merely reading them poetically.)
That said, I would recommend this audiobook only to experienced audiobook listeners. As readers, you might have seen how a single chapter sometimes comes from the close third-person perspective of various characters. In audios, this gets tricky to keep track of, especially if there isn’t a sufficiently long pause before the switchover between characters. In ‘Kinfolk’, there’s hardly any pause before the narration jumps characters, so things get a bit confusing at times. I was listening at just 1.25x. The problem might have been even worse for those who zoom through audiobooks at 2x and above.
If you think you might get muddled up hopping across the characters without warning, stick to actual reading. This is a narration issue and not a writing issue.
All in all, a strong positive experience for me despite the presence of some intense content and some farfetched scenes. I loved the handling of the characters and the premise in this story about getting second chances at life and family. I would love to read more by this talented author.
Strongly recommended to historical fiction fans, literary fiction readers, and Southern fiction lovers. Do check out the content warnings online as there are quite a few. Despite the strong triggers, the overall effect is still feel-good.
4.5 stars. (I ought to have rounded this to 4 for the audio version, but I loved the story and the main characters too much to turn the rating dial downwards.)
My thanks to Harper Muse and NetGalley for the ALC of “Kinfolk”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
December 23, 2023
Kinfolk by Sean Dietrich is a Satisfying Blend of Southern, Family, and Literary Fiction
It's 1972 in a small rural town in Southern Alabama, where sixty-two-year-old Jeremiah "Nub" Taylor is known as the town drunk. He hangs out with his cousin Benny doing odd jobs to pay for all the booze they drink closing down the local bar every night.
People around town say Nub's no good. His ex-wife and adult daughter think so, too. Nub thinks differently though and has a fondness for his quiet and simple life. He's inclined to maintain his status quo.
That is, until an unfortunate accident brings someone unexpected into his life. Minnie Bass is a fourteen year old pregnant teenager who has recently lost her mother from suicide, and Nub realizes she's a lot worse off than he is. He acknowledges his life is one big mess, but Minnie needs help and, as crazy as it may seem, he's up for the challenge...
Kinfolk is a surprisingly touching story that centers around kindness, second chances, love, and family. It's about the family you're born into and the family you make piece-by-piece. The writing style is unique and the storytelling is true to the South. The characterizations feel authentic to the US Southeast during the time period, richly drawn, and not stereotypical or caricatures in any way.
I did freak out a bit when I discovered the audiobook is narrated by the author knowing this is a situation that doesn't always end well. What I didn't know was that I was safely in the hands of "Sean of the South", an author who's also a paid speaker with an amazing voice and voicing skills, and a well-known storyteller of the American South. Yep, he's all that.
Kinfolk is a surprisingly emotional story and I will definitely check out this author's backlist for other goodies. I'm excited I've discovered another 'new-to-me' author and I recommend this book to readers who enjoy Southern, Family, and Literary Fiction as much as I do.
4⭐
Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Muse, and Sean Dietrich for an ALC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.
It's 1972 in a small rural town in Southern Alabama, where sixty-two-year-old Jeremiah "Nub" Taylor is known as the town drunk. He hangs out with his cousin Benny doing odd jobs to pay for all the booze they drink closing down the local bar every night.
People around town say Nub's no good. His ex-wife and adult daughter think so, too. Nub thinks differently though and has a fondness for his quiet and simple life. He's inclined to maintain his status quo.
That is, until an unfortunate accident brings someone unexpected into his life. Minnie Bass is a fourteen year old pregnant teenager who has recently lost her mother from suicide, and Nub realizes she's a lot worse off than he is. He acknowledges his life is one big mess, but Minnie needs help and, as crazy as it may seem, he's up for the challenge...
Kinfolk is a surprisingly touching story that centers around kindness, second chances, love, and family. It's about the family you're born into and the family you make piece-by-piece. The writing style is unique and the storytelling is true to the South. The characterizations feel authentic to the US Southeast during the time period, richly drawn, and not stereotypical or caricatures in any way.
I did freak out a bit when I discovered the audiobook is narrated by the author knowing this is a situation that doesn't always end well. What I didn't know was that I was safely in the hands of "Sean of the South", an author who's also a paid speaker with an amazing voice and voicing skills, and a well-known storyteller of the American South. Yep, he's all that.
Kinfolk is a surprisingly emotional story and I will definitely check out this author's backlist for other goodies. I'm excited I've discovered another 'new-to-me' author and I recommend this book to readers who enjoy Southern, Family, and Literary Fiction as much as I do.
4⭐
Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Muse, and Sean Dietrich for an ALC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.
June 12, 2024
It’s dark at times in 1972 in the small town of Park, Alabama, where everybody knows everything about you as is often the case in these small places. A small place, but not immune to the things that happen to people everywhere. There are traumatic childhoods, suicides, a cancer diagnosis, alcoholism, a teen pregnancy, bullying, organized crime, violence. The darkness, though is tempered by moments of humor, moments of pure joy when a young girl sings, but mostly when she realizes that she is loved.
This is the story of a family. Some are family by virtue of birth, some are family born by connections of shared grief, of remorse and the desire for a second chance to do right, of the hope for reconciliation, of the desire to rekindle the love between a father and his daughter, of the goodness that people hold in their hearts and bring out at just the right time. A man named Jeremiah Taylor, “Nub”, an alcoholic becomes the unlikely heart of this family, another incredible character by Dietrich. This father, his cousin, his estranged daughter, a friend , his foster daughter and later a baby girl and another estranged father are the family. Sean Dietrich beautifully illustrates that love is what make you kinfolk.
I loved Dietrich’s The Incredible Winston Browne, also the story of a good man. I recommend that as well.
I received a copy of this book from Harper Muse through Edelweiss.
This is the story of a family. Some are family by virtue of birth, some are family born by connections of shared grief, of remorse and the desire for a second chance to do right, of the hope for reconciliation, of the desire to rekindle the love between a father and his daughter, of the goodness that people hold in their hearts and bring out at just the right time. A man named Jeremiah Taylor, “Nub”, an alcoholic becomes the unlikely heart of this family, another incredible character by Dietrich. This father, his cousin, his estranged daughter, a friend , his foster daughter and later a baby girl and another estranged father are the family. Sean Dietrich beautifully illustrates that love is what make you kinfolk.
I loved Dietrich’s The Incredible Winston Browne, also the story of a good man. I recommend that as well.
I received a copy of this book from Harper Muse through Edelweiss.
November 17, 2023
EXCERPT: Thanksgiving. November 23, 1972. The world was going to pot in more ways than one. Violence and idiocy ruled the culture. The hit movie was 'The Godfather', which featured two hours of sustained gunfire interrupted only by boobs. Don McLean's 'American Pie' governed the radio waves, a two chord song that was approximately the same duration as veterinary school. Nixon was in office, so there was that. The Vietnam War was still in full swing, and everyone was either protesting it, protesting the protesters, or protesting Jane Fonda. Meantime, in Alabama, Governor George Corley Wallace, the same man who once shouted from podiums for "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever," was head honcho. The world was a mess. And now 1973 was on the horizon, and Nub wasn't nearly drunk enough to face it.
ABOUT'KINFOLK': Sometimes it’s the most unlikely meetings that give us life’s greatest gifts. 1970s, Southern Alabama. Sixty-two-year-old Jeremiah Lewis Taylor, or “Nub,” has spent his whole life listening to those he loves tell him he’s no good—first his ex-wife, now his always-disapproving daughter. Sure, his escapades have made him, along with his cousin and perennial sidekick, Benny, just a smidge too familiar with small-town law enforcement, but he’s never harmed anyone—except perhaps himself. Nub never meant to change his ways, but when he and fifteen-year-old Waffle House waitress Minnie form an unlikely friendship, he realizes for the first time that there may be some good in him after all. Six-foot-five Minnie has been dealt a full deck of bad luck—her father is a convicted murderer serving a life sentence, her mother is dead and buried, and she has a Grand Ole Opry–worthy singing voice with no place to perform. Oh, and there’s the small fact that she’s unexpectedly pregnant, courtesy of a no-good high-school boy. Gradually, Nub realizes the gift he’s been a second chance to make a difference.
MY THOUGHTS: Kinfolk - (in anthropological or formal use) a person's blood relations, regarded collectively or singularly. A member of one's own family, one's own flesh and blood, a blood relative, a loved one.
And that's what Kinfolk is about: family, in one form or another.
The dedication had me clutching for tissues before the book proper even started. Kinfolk is the book I wanted when I read an earlier offering from this author - The Incredible Winston Browne. I liked that, but I love Kinfolk.
I felt all the emotions while reading Kinfolk - sorrow, joy, and anger at the absolute stupidity of some of the human race. Make that a lot of the human race. I laughed, and I cried. My heart twisted itself into knots at the way Minnie was treated and at the way Nub changed his life so that he could care for Minnie. I cried for Emily, for her feelings of rejection and her unrecognized love for her father. I cried for Nub, for his youthful stupidity, and for the world wearing him down. I applauded him for the strength he showed when he needed to; for reaching deep down into his reserves and proving everyone wrong about him - even himself.
The characters are richly drawn, the plot intriguing. I was immediately immersed in the 1970s Alabama setting, in the small town of Parke (or PAPKE as it is spelled on the water tower).
I loved every word of this book and now I can see why Sean Dietrich is called Sean of the South. He writes with a raw and poignant lyrical beauty and his warm humour shines through. There is an awful lot of himself in these pages.
Sean Dietrich narrates the audiobook of Kinfolk amazingly well. It would be one of, if not the best narration I have ever listened to. And he can sing beautifully. His voice is rich and has a wonderful range of both tone and inflection. Mr Dietrich, I hope you don't mind me saying this, but if you ever let anyone else narrate your books then you're a danged fool. And I certainly don't think you are that. Kinfolk would have to be audiobook of the year for me.
The full 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
#Kinfolk #NetGalley
Kinfolk is due for publication November 14, 2023.
THE AUTHOR: As a child, I liked to write. I filled up notebooks with tales of the high-seas, shameless vixens, and steamy scenarios combining both of the aforementioned. My fifth grade teacher found one of my notebooks and scanned through it. She told me I wrote with too many commas, and encouraged me to pursue a career in construction work.
That, old, woman, never, liked, me.
Years later, I learned my teacher had left the school. She took a job at the Piggly Wiggly as a cashier. I went to visit the old girl, to show her the man I’d grown into.
She seemed genuinely glad to see me. And I was just as glad to find her wearing that red apron for a living. After visiting for a few minutes, I realized something I’d never noticed before. Beneath her hardshell exterior was a regular lady, working from nine to five for pennies. She was doing the best she could with her life. Just like me.
Before I left, she asked me what kind of work I did.
At the time, I worked in construction.
DISCLAIMER: Thank you a thousand times to Harper Muse for providing an audio ARC of Kinfolk by Sean Dietrich for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
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ABOUT'KINFOLK': Sometimes it’s the most unlikely meetings that give us life’s greatest gifts. 1970s, Southern Alabama. Sixty-two-year-old Jeremiah Lewis Taylor, or “Nub,” has spent his whole life listening to those he loves tell him he’s no good—first his ex-wife, now his always-disapproving daughter. Sure, his escapades have made him, along with his cousin and perennial sidekick, Benny, just a smidge too familiar with small-town law enforcement, but he’s never harmed anyone—except perhaps himself. Nub never meant to change his ways, but when he and fifteen-year-old Waffle House waitress Minnie form an unlikely friendship, he realizes for the first time that there may be some good in him after all. Six-foot-five Minnie has been dealt a full deck of bad luck—her father is a convicted murderer serving a life sentence, her mother is dead and buried, and she has a Grand Ole Opry–worthy singing voice with no place to perform. Oh, and there’s the small fact that she’s unexpectedly pregnant, courtesy of a no-good high-school boy. Gradually, Nub realizes the gift he’s been a second chance to make a difference.
MY THOUGHTS: Kinfolk - (in anthropological or formal use) a person's blood relations, regarded collectively or singularly. A member of one's own family, one's own flesh and blood, a blood relative, a loved one.
And that's what Kinfolk is about: family, in one form or another.
The dedication had me clutching for tissues before the book proper even started. Kinfolk is the book I wanted when I read an earlier offering from this author - The Incredible Winston Browne. I liked that, but I love Kinfolk.
I felt all the emotions while reading Kinfolk - sorrow, joy, and anger at the absolute stupidity of some of the human race. Make that a lot of the human race. I laughed, and I cried. My heart twisted itself into knots at the way Minnie was treated and at the way Nub changed his life so that he could care for Minnie. I cried for Emily, for her feelings of rejection and her unrecognized love for her father. I cried for Nub, for his youthful stupidity, and for the world wearing him down. I applauded him for the strength he showed when he needed to; for reaching deep down into his reserves and proving everyone wrong about him - even himself.
The characters are richly drawn, the plot intriguing. I was immediately immersed in the 1970s Alabama setting, in the small town of Parke (or PAPKE as it is spelled on the water tower).
I loved every word of this book and now I can see why Sean Dietrich is called Sean of the South. He writes with a raw and poignant lyrical beauty and his warm humour shines through. There is an awful lot of himself in these pages.
Sean Dietrich narrates the audiobook of Kinfolk amazingly well. It would be one of, if not the best narration I have ever listened to. And he can sing beautifully. His voice is rich and has a wonderful range of both tone and inflection. Mr Dietrich, I hope you don't mind me saying this, but if you ever let anyone else narrate your books then you're a danged fool. And I certainly don't think you are that. Kinfolk would have to be audiobook of the year for me.
The full 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
#Kinfolk #NetGalley
Kinfolk is due for publication November 14, 2023.
THE AUTHOR: As a child, I liked to write. I filled up notebooks with tales of the high-seas, shameless vixens, and steamy scenarios combining both of the aforementioned. My fifth grade teacher found one of my notebooks and scanned through it. She told me I wrote with too many commas, and encouraged me to pursue a career in construction work.
That, old, woman, never, liked, me.
Years later, I learned my teacher had left the school. She took a job at the Piggly Wiggly as a cashier. I went to visit the old girl, to show her the man I’d grown into.
She seemed genuinely glad to see me. And I was just as glad to find her wearing that red apron for a living. After visiting for a few minutes, I realized something I’d never noticed before. Beneath her hardshell exterior was a regular lady, working from nine to five for pennies. She was doing the best she could with her life. Just like me.
Before I left, she asked me what kind of work I did.
At the time, I worked in construction.
DISCLAIMER: Thank you a thousand times to Harper Muse for providing an audio ARC of Kinfolk by Sean Dietrich for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
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December 29, 2023
I am a recent convert to Sean Dietrich, also known as Sean of the South. I love his ability to write a phrase that just defines a character or a scene. He’s humorous, but his characters are also realistic. And he sets up a heartwarming storyline that has you laughing and crying in equal measures.
With Kinfolk, he sets his story in early 1970s Alabama. He has created several memorable characters. There’s Nub Taylor, an alcoholic who’s estranged from his daughter. Thanks to his drunken shenanigans, he tends to interact with the police department more than he should. During a hospital stay, he meets 15 year old Minnie, a pregnant 6’5” high school dropout. Emily is Nub’s daughter who has just been handed a bad health diagnosis. And Shug is a convicted murderer and Minnie’s father. He’s just been released from prison and has bad guys on his trail seeking revenge. Even the minor characters, like Benny and Leigh Ann, were fully developed.
Dietrich pulls from his own background. Both Nub and Minnie have lost a parent to suicide. So did Dietrich. He dropped out of HS and worked in his teens. So has Minnie.
The story moves at a steady pace, with equal measures action and descriptions. As you would expect from a book titled Kinfolk, it deals with family - those we are related to by blood and those we form on our own. It’s a book about forgiveness and redemption.
I listened to this and it made for an entertaining audio experience. My only complaint was that there are frequent changes in whose voice you’re hearing. And with minimal pauses between these segments, I had to pay close attention to know whose POV was being given.
Dietrich provides his own narration and does a great job. And as a plus, he has a wonderful singing voice.
With Kinfolk, he sets his story in early 1970s Alabama. He has created several memorable characters. There’s Nub Taylor, an alcoholic who’s estranged from his daughter. Thanks to his drunken shenanigans, he tends to interact with the police department more than he should. During a hospital stay, he meets 15 year old Minnie, a pregnant 6’5” high school dropout. Emily is Nub’s daughter who has just been handed a bad health diagnosis. And Shug is a convicted murderer and Minnie’s father. He’s just been released from prison and has bad guys on his trail seeking revenge. Even the minor characters, like Benny and Leigh Ann, were fully developed.
Dietrich pulls from his own background. Both Nub and Minnie have lost a parent to suicide. So did Dietrich. He dropped out of HS and worked in his teens. So has Minnie.
The story moves at a steady pace, with equal measures action and descriptions. As you would expect from a book titled Kinfolk, it deals with family - those we are related to by blood and those we form on our own. It’s a book about forgiveness and redemption.
I listened to this and it made for an entertaining audio experience. My only complaint was that there are frequent changes in whose voice you’re hearing. And with minimal pauses between these segments, I had to pay close attention to know whose POV was being given.
Dietrich provides his own narration and does a great job. And as a plus, he has a wonderful singing voice.
January 1, 2024
Well Sean of the South, you have a new fan! Thanks to Goodreads friends Maureen, Terrie, Sandy, Kara and Donna for putting this book on my radar with your glowing reviews. I am forever indebted! I need to read whatever else Sean Dietrich has written. I hear the audiobook is quite a treat as well.
It's the 1970s in Southern Alabama and Jeremiah Lewis Taylor, or “Nub", is 62 years old, the town drunk, divorced from Loretta and estranged from his daughter Emily who is a widow. Nub befriends Minnie Bass, a 6'5" 15-year-old whose father is in prison and whose mother is dead.
This is one of the best books I've read this year (I read most of it in 2023!). I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, even when they were misbehaving - drinking and smoking and damaging property. It's a really comfortable book to read and elicited chuckles and tears and a feeling of pride in the characters who never stayed down for long as they struggled to turn their lives around. I'm pretty sure there was little, if any, profanity in the book which is a bonus. Highly recommended.
Watch out for deer Nub!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Harper Muse via Netgalley for approving my request to read this novel.
Published: November 14, 2023
It's the 1970s in Southern Alabama and Jeremiah Lewis Taylor, or “Nub", is 62 years old, the town drunk, divorced from Loretta and estranged from his daughter Emily who is a widow. Nub befriends Minnie Bass, a 6'5" 15-year-old whose father is in prison and whose mother is dead.
This is one of the best books I've read this year (I read most of it in 2023!). I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, even when they were misbehaving - drinking and smoking and damaging property. It's a really comfortable book to read and elicited chuckles and tears and a feeling of pride in the characters who never stayed down for long as they struggled to turn their lives around. I'm pretty sure there was little, if any, profanity in the book which is a bonus. Highly recommended.
Watch out for deer Nub!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Harper Muse via Netgalley for approving my request to read this novel.
Published: November 14, 2023
October 2, 2023
‘People are the buried treasure. People who make life richer. Your people. Your kinfolk'.
Jerimiah (Nub) is an alcoholic. Born and raised in small town Alabama, he has found an odd type of acceptance as the foolish town drunk, along with his cousin Benny. After his latest car crash sends him to the hospital, he meets Minnie Bass, a 6'5'' teenage girl who's just lost her mother and is due to be sent to a home for unwed mothers. Nub is oddly touched by Minnie. He can relate to her. It's time to get things right. But who's ever heard of a drunk old man, with a haphazard income, adopting a teenage, unwed mother?
'A miracle is not a big thing. A miracle is millions and millions of small things working together'. Kinfolk is not only a snapshot of small-town, Southern life in the 70s, it is a feel-good story of redemption. But Sean Dietrich has also sprinkled over a bit of sass and a secondary story of crime and mystery to round out a wholly engrossing and entertaining story. This is the type of story you could easily imagine as a movie and I think it will appeal to a range of readers who just enjoy a great story of beating the odds.
Jerimiah (Nub) is an alcoholic. Born and raised in small town Alabama, he has found an odd type of acceptance as the foolish town drunk, along with his cousin Benny. After his latest car crash sends him to the hospital, he meets Minnie Bass, a 6'5'' teenage girl who's just lost her mother and is due to be sent to a home for unwed mothers. Nub is oddly touched by Minnie. He can relate to her. It's time to get things right. But who's ever heard of a drunk old man, with a haphazard income, adopting a teenage, unwed mother?
'A miracle is not a big thing. A miracle is millions and millions of small things working together'. Kinfolk is not only a snapshot of small-town, Southern life in the 70s, it is a feel-good story of redemption. But Sean Dietrich has also sprinkled over a bit of sass and a secondary story of crime and mystery to round out a wholly engrossing and entertaining story. This is the type of story you could easily imagine as a movie and I think it will appeal to a range of readers who just enjoy a great story of beating the odds.
September 4, 2023
4.5 big stars. Sean Dietrich writes about downtrodden spirits and big, bright, shiny hearts like no one else. I tore through this book in nearly one setting. Long live Nub Taylor, and Minnie too!
January 22, 2024
‘Life wasn’t about finding miracles, or happiness, or success, or purpose; nor was it about avoiding disappointment. It was about finding people. People are what make life worth it; people are the buried treasure. People who understand you, people who will bleed with you, people who will make your life richer. Your people, your kinfolk.’ - Sean Dietrich, Kinfolk.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A hidden Southern Fiction treasure!
From the moment Millie and Nub met I was hooked! Nub’s ‘one-liners’ were hilarious. I found myself laughing and crying within the span of a sentence. Lovingly written characters that will melt your heart.
I highly recommend listening to this on audio since Sean Dietrich narrates himself! I think this was a wonderful choice and he does an amazing job.
If you are a Southern fiction fan then this book NEEDS to be on your list! 5 sweet southern stars!
Available on Hoopla. Listened at 1.4 speed.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A hidden Southern Fiction treasure!
From the moment Millie and Nub met I was hooked! Nub’s ‘one-liners’ were hilarious. I found myself laughing and crying within the span of a sentence. Lovingly written characters that will melt your heart.
I highly recommend listening to this on audio since Sean Dietrich narrates himself! I think this was a wonderful choice and he does an amazing job.
If you are a Southern fiction fan then this book NEEDS to be on your list! 5 sweet southern stars!
Available on Hoopla. Listened at 1.4 speed.
September 6, 2023
Narrated by the author and he does a great job!!! Absolutely loved the authors note at the end and the couple of scattered facts about The Ryman and Grand ol Opry that are incorporated into the story.
My second novel by this author and absolutely love his ability to tell a small town story that has every emotion present. You will gasp, cry, feel fear, mystery, joy and much more.
Love before her, Love behind her, Love above her, Love beneath her.
Love on the crown of her head, Love on the soles of her feet, Love way down in her heart.
These are the words/song that start the relationship between “Nub” Jeremiah Taylor and “Minnie” Minifred Bass and so it’s appropriate that these words close out their story as well. Story gives segments of several characters and weaves all these characters lives together beautifully. I loved the characters and that they each have flaws, and are so relatable.
Can’t recommend this book enough!! Please check it out!!
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and Harper Muse for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
My second novel by this author and absolutely love his ability to tell a small town story that has every emotion present. You will gasp, cry, feel fear, mystery, joy and much more.
Love before her, Love behind her, Love above her, Love beneath her.
Love on the crown of her head, Love on the soles of her feet, Love way down in her heart.
These are the words/song that start the relationship between “Nub” Jeremiah Taylor and “Minnie” Minifred Bass and so it’s appropriate that these words close out their story as well. Story gives segments of several characters and weaves all these characters lives together beautifully. I loved the characters and that they each have flaws, and are so relatable.
Can’t recommend this book enough!! Please check it out!!
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and Harper Muse for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
October 27, 2023
Kinfolk is the fifth novel written and narrated by American author Sean Dietrich. The first time that Jeremiah (Nub) Taylor encounters Minnie Bass, it’s just after Thanksgiving 1972 and, from the hospital bed opposite his, she’s disturbing his sleep as she comforts herself with a song her mama used to sing to her. Nub is there recovering from his drunken crash into the town’s water tower.
Not long after, he learns that Minnie, 6’5” but only fifteen, is a middle school dropout who works as a cook at the Waffle House. How, then, does a sixty-two-year-old divorced alcoholic whom many in the town of Park, in the tiny county of Ash, Alabama, see as white trash, decide to apply to foster this unfortunate teen?
Before she sank into alcoholism and took her own life on that fateful Thanksgiving, Celia Bass always told Minnie that the father she never knew died a hero in the Korean war when, in fact, Clarence (Sugar) Bass is just then being released after serving a fifteen-year sentence for manslaughter at the Draper Correctional Facility some miles to the south.
An accidental shooting during a robbery gone wrong isn’t going to help “the Organization” forget that Sugar Bass has $813,000 of their money, so he has a tail the moment he hits town. And the Organization’s wrath might be directed at family members if Sugar remains reticent about the location of the money.
High school biology teacher, widow and mother of teenaged Charlie Jr, Emily Ives has just been given an adverse diagnosis by her inept GP, and is trying to come to terms with her own mortality before she shares the news. But she is distracted, and a little chagrined, by the news that the father who abandoned her as a girl for his love affair with alcohol is planning to foster a fifteen-year-old girl.
It’s true that he is a good man: “He was whip-smart, for starters. And he was heart-stoppingly sincere. His greatest quality, however, was that he had the audacity to be himself, for better or worse”, but what qualifies her alcoholic parent to do this?
Nub understands he will have to be sober “He knew it meant that he would have to face the jaggedness of life without alcohol to round its edges” and he realises, after some weeks that way “It had been a long time since he’d felt the hotness of his own anger without alcohol to dull its spiked edges.”
Dietrich really does have a talent for creating a wonderful cast of characters who easily find their way into readers’ hearts. They are a flawed bunch but he gives them wise words and insightful observations: when Nub eventually shares with Minnie the one thing they have in common, a parent ending their own life, she tells him “When someone shoots themself, they kill a lot more than just them.”
Dietrich has a marvellous turn of phrase: “Benny crept down the hall toward the cabinet. He opened the door so slowly that Nub celebrated four birthdays.” Childbirth, concerts, a housefire, an exploding mobile home, a hospital shooter and at least three near-death moments all feature and, even though the plot is at times heart-breaking, there’s plenty of humour, especially in the dialogue: “Benny,” said Nub. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re kind of embarrassing me.”
“Thanks. That means a lot coming from a professional.”
A feel-good ending is always welcome: “Minnie had come to believe that life was not about finding miracles, or happiness, or success, or purpose, or about avoiding disappointment. It was about finding people. People are what make life worth it. People are the buried treasure. People who understand you. People who will bleed with you. People who make your life richer. Your people. Your kinfolk.”
This unbiased review is from an audio copy provided by NetGalley and Harper Muse.
Not long after, he learns that Minnie, 6’5” but only fifteen, is a middle school dropout who works as a cook at the Waffle House. How, then, does a sixty-two-year-old divorced alcoholic whom many in the town of Park, in the tiny county of Ash, Alabama, see as white trash, decide to apply to foster this unfortunate teen?
Before she sank into alcoholism and took her own life on that fateful Thanksgiving, Celia Bass always told Minnie that the father she never knew died a hero in the Korean war when, in fact, Clarence (Sugar) Bass is just then being released after serving a fifteen-year sentence for manslaughter at the Draper Correctional Facility some miles to the south.
An accidental shooting during a robbery gone wrong isn’t going to help “the Organization” forget that Sugar Bass has $813,000 of their money, so he has a tail the moment he hits town. And the Organization’s wrath might be directed at family members if Sugar remains reticent about the location of the money.
High school biology teacher, widow and mother of teenaged Charlie Jr, Emily Ives has just been given an adverse diagnosis by her inept GP, and is trying to come to terms with her own mortality before she shares the news. But she is distracted, and a little chagrined, by the news that the father who abandoned her as a girl for his love affair with alcohol is planning to foster a fifteen-year-old girl.
It’s true that he is a good man: “He was whip-smart, for starters. And he was heart-stoppingly sincere. His greatest quality, however, was that he had the audacity to be himself, for better or worse”, but what qualifies her alcoholic parent to do this?
Nub understands he will have to be sober “He knew it meant that he would have to face the jaggedness of life without alcohol to round its edges” and he realises, after some weeks that way “It had been a long time since he’d felt the hotness of his own anger without alcohol to dull its spiked edges.”
Dietrich really does have a talent for creating a wonderful cast of characters who easily find their way into readers’ hearts. They are a flawed bunch but he gives them wise words and insightful observations: when Nub eventually shares with Minnie the one thing they have in common, a parent ending their own life, she tells him “When someone shoots themself, they kill a lot more than just them.”
Dietrich has a marvellous turn of phrase: “Benny crept down the hall toward the cabinet. He opened the door so slowly that Nub celebrated four birthdays.” Childbirth, concerts, a housefire, an exploding mobile home, a hospital shooter and at least three near-death moments all feature and, even though the plot is at times heart-breaking, there’s plenty of humour, especially in the dialogue: “Benny,” said Nub. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re kind of embarrassing me.”
“Thanks. That means a lot coming from a professional.”
A feel-good ending is always welcome: “Minnie had come to believe that life was not about finding miracles, or happiness, or success, or purpose, or about avoiding disappointment. It was about finding people. People are what make life worth it. People are the buried treasure. People who understand you. People who will bleed with you. People who make your life richer. Your people. Your kinfolk.”
This unbiased review is from an audio copy provided by NetGalley and Harper Muse.
October 24, 2023
This book was completely beyond any of my expectations. I absolutely loved it, and it's now probably one of my favorite books ever. It was such an interesting story and was full of richly drawn and intriguing characters. I'm not sure why, but I've always had a soft spot for old southern men characters with quick wit, sarcasm and self-deprecating humor. Nub was the epitome of just that.
This book made me feel things. From tearing up, to smiling, to laughing out loud then to openly sobbing from sadness then to joy - it was everything. I think I felt more deeply for this story due to my own complicated relationship with my dad - and coming up on a year since his death. But still, it was well written and emotionally evoking.
To top it all off, the audiobook was narrated by the author himself and he did a phenomenal job. Delivery and vocal inflections were just perfect.
In my opinion, this book was a masterpiece, and I highly recommend it! Beyond 5 ⭐️'s.
This book made me feel things. From tearing up, to smiling, to laughing out loud then to openly sobbing from sadness then to joy - it was everything. I think I felt more deeply for this story due to my own complicated relationship with my dad - and coming up on a year since his death. But still, it was well written and emotionally evoking.
To top it all off, the audiobook was narrated by the author himself and he did a phenomenal job. Delivery and vocal inflections were just perfect.
In my opinion, this book was a masterpiece, and I highly recommend it! Beyond 5 ⭐️'s.
July 31, 2023
Oh, I’m glad I read this one. The book is populated with southerners down on their luck: an old alcoholic, a convict, someone with terminal cancer, old has-been musicians, an unwed teen mother, as well as other folks, both broke and broken. It’s heartwarming without being sappy, funny, and loving. It will rip your heart apart and then put it back together.
NetGalley.
NetGalley.
December 6, 2023
I loved this book so much!! These characters felt so real, and even with their flaws, you will be rooting for them. There were parts that brought tears to my eyes.
Taking place in southern Alabama in the ‘70’s, 62 yr old “Nub” (Jeremiah Lewis Taylor) has always been known as the town drunk. He's definitely made some bad choices throughout his life, but I just loved him in this book. You gotta read it to know. He's given a “second chance” to redeem his character when he meets Minnie. A young teen that's working at the Waffle House. Minnie's mom has passed away, and her dad is serving his life sentence in prison. When Minnie becomes pregnant, Nub wants to take her in and help her, because she has no one. Such a heartwarming story about life's hard times, and how you can find love in the most unexpected places! There are also secondary characters that just add to the story too. These characters will pull you right in!
You will love these characters and story. I can almost guarantee it. Such a great book! Will definitely be one of my favorites this year!
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy.
Taking place in southern Alabama in the ‘70’s, 62 yr old “Nub” (Jeremiah Lewis Taylor) has always been known as the town drunk. He's definitely made some bad choices throughout his life, but I just loved him in this book. You gotta read it to know. He's given a “second chance” to redeem his character when he meets Minnie. A young teen that's working at the Waffle House. Minnie's mom has passed away, and her dad is serving his life sentence in prison. When Minnie becomes pregnant, Nub wants to take her in and help her, because she has no one. Such a heartwarming story about life's hard times, and how you can find love in the most unexpected places! There are also secondary characters that just add to the story too. These characters will pull you right in!
You will love these characters and story. I can almost guarantee it. Such a great book! Will definitely be one of my favorites this year!
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy.
December 23, 2023
This is my first novel by Sean Dietrich and it won't be my last.
He is known for his storytelling of the American south and he tells it extremely well.
This is a story of hope, love and forgiveness set in 1970's Southern Alabama.
I love that the author narrates his own novel!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for an arc of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
He is known for his storytelling of the American south and he tells it extremely well.
This is a story of hope, love and forgiveness set in 1970's Southern Alabama.
I love that the author narrates his own novel!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for an arc of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
August 18, 2024
In a small town in Alabama, a drunk whose ex-wife and daughter both hate him, the drunk’s cousin who has had a stroke, a 6’5” teenage girl, a criminal, and a female bartender’s lives collide.
Books like this one don’t come along every day. If it hadn’t been for my Goodreads friend, Jennifer writing a review, I might never have got around to this one. What a loss that would have been for me!
This book is heartwarming without being sappy, and crazy without pushing the bounds of believability. The humor is plentiful, and I laughed out loud several times. Even when I wasn’t laughing I was still smiling at the witty conversations. Ok, it did get just a bit unbelievable and sappy in the end, but by that time, I was ready to forgive and buy right into it, lock stalk and barrel.
Not to say that this story didn’t have depth. It absolutely did. The problems these colorful characters face could not be more serious. Crime, suicide, alcoholism, teenage pregnancy, bullying, loneliness, cancer, and the list goes on. But the theme is anything can be conquered with someone else in your corner.
Any reader who enjoyed Third Hill North of Town by Noah Bly will love this as well, not because they are anything alike, but for the humor and lovable characters. In fact, I haven’t read a book of its kind this good since reading Third Hill!
Highly recommend, five big stars, and all y’all watch for deer and drive safe!
Books like this one don’t come along every day. If it hadn’t been for my Goodreads friend, Jennifer writing a review, I might never have got around to this one. What a loss that would have been for me!
This book is heartwarming without being sappy, and crazy without pushing the bounds of believability. The humor is plentiful, and I laughed out loud several times. Even when I wasn’t laughing I was still smiling at the witty conversations. Ok, it did get just a bit unbelievable and sappy in the end, but by that time, I was ready to forgive and buy right into it, lock stalk and barrel.
Not to say that this story didn’t have depth. It absolutely did. The problems these colorful characters face could not be more serious. Crime, suicide, alcoholism, teenage pregnancy, bullying, loneliness, cancer, and the list goes on. But the theme is anything can be conquered with someone else in your corner.
Any reader who enjoyed Third Hill North of Town by Noah Bly will love this as well, not because they are anything alike, but for the humor and lovable characters. In fact, I haven’t read a book of its kind this good since reading Third Hill!
Highly recommend, five big stars, and all y’all watch for deer and drive safe!
February 1, 2025
The word "heartwarming" comes to mind with this book, but that also brings to mind fairies and unicorns and ice cream, and this is not that. Somehow Dietrich creates a story full of mischief and pain and trauma and grudges and bad behavior and troubled souls and still makes it heartwarming. And funny. It's a magic act.
"Nub" is a perfect main character, full of piss and vinegar hiding a roiling soul; regret, love, dashed dreams, unfulfilled wishes, and a thimbleful of hope that keeps him moving forward against all the odds. He gets a chance at redemption and grabs it, baffling even himself in the process, but trusting his wobbling instincts as he stands up for and ultimately befriends a young girl (Minnie) who is fighting demons of her own. An unknown Nub emerges from the dust of his life to shock his ex-wife, estranged daughter, and most of the small town who thought they "knew" him.
Family drama, mystery, small town dynamics and people trying to move beyond their pasts to build new futures keep the tension and interest going.
4.5 rounded up.
"Nub" is a perfect main character, full of piss and vinegar hiding a roiling soul; regret, love, dashed dreams, unfulfilled wishes, and a thimbleful of hope that keeps him moving forward against all the odds. He gets a chance at redemption and grabs it, baffling even himself in the process, but trusting his wobbling instincts as he stands up for and ultimately befriends a young girl (Minnie) who is fighting demons of her own. An unknown Nub emerges from the dust of his life to shock his ex-wife, estranged daughter, and most of the small town who thought they "knew" him.
Family drama, mystery, small town dynamics and people trying to move beyond their pasts to build new futures keep the tension and interest going.
4.5 rounded up.
February 5, 2024
Kinfolk was my first book by this author, "Sean of the South," who has been writing for quite a while, and I've just been looking other directions. I'm on to him now, and will pick up more of his work, and give a listen to his podcast under his moniker (above-given "s of s").
I listened to this one, and wished I'd also had an e-book, which I'll gather up soon. The story wrapped me in straightway, with Nub finding Minnie, and needs must when the devil drives. . .putting them directly in each other's path, two oddballs for sure. Mix in the Grand Old Opry, and a baby named Bun, and you have a family forming itself right in your read! Are there problems? of course, but Nub and Minnie are up to the challenges. A sweet Southern read.
*A sincere thank you to Sean Dietrich, Harper Muse, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* #Kinfolk #NetGalley 52:11
I listened to this one, and wished I'd also had an e-book, which I'll gather up soon. The story wrapped me in straightway, with Nub finding Minnie, and needs must when the devil drives. . .putting them directly in each other's path, two oddballs for sure. Mix in the Grand Old Opry, and a baby named Bun, and you have a family forming itself right in your read! Are there problems? of course, but Nub and Minnie are up to the challenges. A sweet Southern read.
*A sincere thank you to Sean Dietrich, Harper Muse, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* #Kinfolk #NetGalley 52:11
June 3, 2023
Kinfolk by Sean Dietrich is the thoroughly enjoyable story of Nub Taylor who hasn’t had the easiest of lives and hasn’t been easy on those in his life.
Nub had musical talent and he had opportunities, but drink got in the way of that and perhaps his time in the War was the reason for the drinking problems. He was a disappointing husband to Loretta and an embarrassment of a father to Emily and not much of an employee either.
Set in small-town Alabama, Kinfolk is a detailed and interesting exploration of southern people, their relationships and mid-70s rural-Alabama culture.
Nub turns his life around after an especially problematic drinking session and a chance encounter when he sees a local teenage boy harassing Minnie, a girl who works in a local Waffle House. AA meetings help, a blossoming relationship with the bar maid who also attends AA, and Minnie who turns out to be 15, pregnant to that boy who was harassing her and newly-orphaned. Minnie proves to be a talented singer and Nub encourages her to achieve the dreams he once had.
Nub is a likeable drunk and the reader quickly sides with him in the neighbourly and family disputes as well as his brushes with the law.
There’s a parallel plot that involves a newly-released prisoner, the mafia from which he stole and hid a serious load of cash and their intention to get that cash back by threatening Minnie, but I think I shouldn’t write much more about that, other than to say it adds some excitement and tension to the story.
I really enjoyed reading this well-constructed story. The characters are well-developed as are the eb
Nub had musical talent and he had opportunities, but drink got in the way of that and perhaps his time in the War was the reason for the drinking problems. He was a disappointing husband to Loretta and an embarrassment of a father to Emily and not much of an employee either.
Set in small-town Alabama, Kinfolk is a detailed and interesting exploration of southern people, their relationships and mid-70s rural-Alabama culture.
Nub turns his life around after an especially problematic drinking session and a chance encounter when he sees a local teenage boy harassing Minnie, a girl who works in a local Waffle House. AA meetings help, a blossoming relationship with the bar maid who also attends AA, and Minnie who turns out to be 15, pregnant to that boy who was harassing her and newly-orphaned. Minnie proves to be a talented singer and Nub encourages her to achieve the dreams he once had.
Nub is a likeable drunk and the reader quickly sides with him in the neighbourly and family disputes as well as his brushes with the law.
There’s a parallel plot that involves a newly-released prisoner, the mafia from which he stole and hid a serious load of cash and their intention to get that cash back by threatening Minnie, but I think I shouldn’t write much more about that, other than to say it adds some excitement and tension to the story.
I really enjoyed reading this well-constructed story. The characters are well-developed as are the eb
September 14, 2023
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the audio book in exchange for an honest review!
For me it's very hit or miss when an author narrates their own books but it was great in this case. I really enjoyed him singing the songs in the story instead of just saying the words like most do in other audio books. I will say that it was a bit confusing at times when there was a transition between characters and settings and it took a few seconds to realise we weren't in the truck with Benny and Nub anymore & we were now listening to what was happening with Sug (not just those characters specifically, that's just an example). I enjoyed the story overall but I think it would have been more enjoyable to me as a written book than audio because I'm sure those types of transitions are more obvious in written form. Overall decent story, awesome characters/character development, great narrator.
For me it's very hit or miss when an author narrates their own books but it was great in this case. I really enjoyed him singing the songs in the story instead of just saying the words like most do in other audio books. I will say that it was a bit confusing at times when there was a transition between characters and settings and it took a few seconds to realise we weren't in the truck with Benny and Nub anymore & we were now listening to what was happening with Sug (not just those characters specifically, that's just an example). I enjoyed the story overall but I think it would have been more enjoyable to me as a written book than audio because I'm sure those types of transitions are more obvious in written form. Overall decent story, awesome characters/character development, great narrator.
August 18, 2023
Kinfolk is my first Sean Dietrich novel, by it certainly won’t be my last. I loved the southern setting, the gloomy but hopeful tone, and the writing which included funny metaphors and similes (i.e. “Waffle House was like the Vatican, only with better hash browns.” Or, “The motor idled like a man choking to death.”)
The story starts with death and shows the ripple effects of suicide and grief. Heartbreak is woven throughout the narrative, but there is a hopeful undertone that keeps you turning the pages to see how it will all turn out ok in the end. This is a story full of outcasts, those who everyone else has given up on. It is a story of redemption, second chances, found family, and community. I loved it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Muse for the advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.
The story starts with death and shows the ripple effects of suicide and grief. Heartbreak is woven throughout the narrative, but there is a hopeful undertone that keeps you turning the pages to see how it will all turn out ok in the end. This is a story full of outcasts, those who everyone else has given up on. It is a story of redemption, second chances, found family, and community. I loved it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Muse for the advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.
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February 27, 2024This book had a strong voice and authentic characters. I laughed and I cried. If you love southern fiction that leans toward literary, you will love this story.
April 11, 2024
I’m not crying, you’re crying! Omg! Loved this book! SO happy it was picked for my IRL bookclub this month! It’s just as wonderful as The Incredible Winston Browne!!!! I’m such a fan of Sean Dietrich!
April 23, 2024
I don’t know where to begin. I love this book so much.
It’s been so long since I’ve laughed throughout a book. And with this one I laughed out loud, turned the page, and cried at a different part. It got me right in the heart!!
I didn’t read the synopsis and I really don’t think you should either. It’s a southern story— southern Alabama— and the date is 1970s. The characters and setting are so relatable to me, since I grew up in south Arkansas. I felt like I knew these people before the story even began.
This is one of the best audiobooks I’ve ever listened to. The author’s voice is perfect to deliver the main character’s thoughts and descriptions. I purchased the book so my husband can read it and maybe even my dad! He’s not a reader, really but I’m imagining he would love this one.
Comparisons: This Tender Land (except this one has humor), Steele Magnolias is a very good comparison, maybe Where the Heart Is but I haven’t read that one in a very long time.
See below for some quotes. I can’t believe I didn’t write down more. I will do better on the reread😊
You don’t know what the right thing is. What feels right isn’t the same thing as the right thing, Dad. You understand that?
You can’t think your way into the right action, but you can act your way into the right thinking.
“If you don’t drink no more how come you got beer in your refrigerator?”
“Well sometimes it’s hard to say goodbye.”
“And you got a lot of whiskey underneath your sink too.”
“What are you the Southern Baptist Convention?”
“Quitting smoking is easy. I’ve done it thousands of times.”
She ignored him and walked to her Buick. She tossed open the door and threw her bags in the backseat. She was a bag person. Wherever she went she carried bags, not just purses, but canvas bags with lots of stuff. Loretta was the same way. They carried bags containing half the contents of the known universe. God help the man who asked for a stick of bubble gum from Emily or Loretta. It usually tasted like old perfume and purse dirt.
He told her charisma was like having a cleft lip. You were either born with it or you weren’t.
It’s been so long since I’ve laughed throughout a book. And with this one I laughed out loud, turned the page, and cried at a different part. It got me right in the heart!!
I didn’t read the synopsis and I really don’t think you should either. It’s a southern story— southern Alabama— and the date is 1970s. The characters and setting are so relatable to me, since I grew up in south Arkansas. I felt like I knew these people before the story even began.
This is one of the best audiobooks I’ve ever listened to. The author’s voice is perfect to deliver the main character’s thoughts and descriptions. I purchased the book so my husband can read it and maybe even my dad! He’s not a reader, really but I’m imagining he would love this one.
Comparisons: This Tender Land (except this one has humor), Steele Magnolias is a very good comparison, maybe Where the Heart Is but I haven’t read that one in a very long time.
See below for some quotes. I can’t believe I didn’t write down more. I will do better on the reread😊
You don’t know what the right thing is. What feels right isn’t the same thing as the right thing, Dad. You understand that?
You can’t think your way into the right action, but you can act your way into the right thinking.
“If you don’t drink no more how come you got beer in your refrigerator?”
“Well sometimes it’s hard to say goodbye.”
“And you got a lot of whiskey underneath your sink too.”
“What are you the Southern Baptist Convention?”
“Quitting smoking is easy. I’ve done it thousands of times.”
She ignored him and walked to her Buick. She tossed open the door and threw her bags in the backseat. She was a bag person. Wherever she went she carried bags, not just purses, but canvas bags with lots of stuff. Loretta was the same way. They carried bags containing half the contents of the known universe. God help the man who asked for a stick of bubble gum from Emily or Loretta. It usually tasted like old perfume and purse dirt.
He told her charisma was like having a cleft lip. You were either born with it or you weren’t.
November 14, 2024
This book was written with heart. It’s author dedicates it to his little self, who would sit out in the garage with his dad listening to the grand ole opry until his dad ended his life with a shot gun when he was 11. Taking pieces of his own experiences and weaving it together with wishes he’s created a tale with humor and hope in a small town in Alabama.
August 1, 2025
A definite 4.5 for me. I'm glad this was a bookclub book, I may have not picked it up. It was a very heartwarming story and I didn't want to put it down. This author does a great job bringing his characters to life with moments of sadness, humor, and the reality of never judge a person on what's on the outside.
October 27, 2023
Kinfolk is the fifth novel by American author Sean Dietrich. The first time that Jeremiah (Nub) Taylor encounters Minnie Bass, it’s just after Thanksgiving 1972 and, from the hospital bed opposite his, she’s disturbing his sleep as she comforts herself with a song her mama used to sing to her. Nub is there recovering from his drunken crash into the town’s water tower.
Not long after, he learns that Minnie, 6’5” but only fifteen, is a middle school dropout who works as a cook at the Waffle House. How, then, does a sixty-two-year-old divorced alcoholic whom many in the town of Park, in the tiny county of Ash, Alabama, see as white trash, decide to apply to foster this unfortunate teen?
Before she sank into alcoholism and took her own life on that fateful Thanksgiving, Celia Bass always told Minnie that the father she never knew died a hero in the Korean war when, in fact, Clarence (Sugar) Bass is just then being released after serving a fifteen-year sentence for manslaughter at the Draper Correctional Facility some miles to the south.
An accidental shooting during a robbery gone wrong isn’t going to help “the Organization” forget that Sugar Bass has $813,000 of their money, so he has a tail the moment he hits town. And the Organization’s wrath might be directed at family members if Sugar remains reticent about the location of the money.
High school biology teacher, widow and mother of teenaged Charlie Jr, Emily Ives has just been given an adverse diagnosis by her inept GP, and is trying to come to terms with her own mortality before she shares the news. But she is distracted, and a little chagrined, by the news that the father who abandoned her as a girl for his love affair with alcohol is planning to foster a fifteen-year-old girl.
It’s true that he is a good man: “He was whip-smart, for starters. And he was heart-stoppingly sincere. His greatest quality, however, was that he had the audacity to be himself, for better or worse”, but what qualifies her alcoholic parent to do this?
Nub understands he will have to be sober “He knew it meant that he would have to face the jaggedness of life without alcohol to round its edges” and he realises, after some weeks that way “It had been a long time since he’d felt the hotness of his own anger without alcohol to dull its spiked edges.”
Dietrich really does have a talent for creating a wonderful cast of characters who easily find their way into readers’ hearts. They are a flawed bunch but he gives them wise words and insightful observations: when Nub eventually shares with Minnie the one thing they have in common, a parent ending their own life, she tells him “When someone shoots themself, they kill a lot more than just them.”
Dietrich has a marvellous turn of phrase: “Benny crept down the hall toward the cabinet. He opened the door so slowly that Nub celebrated four birthdays.” Childbirth, concerts, a housefire, an exploding mobile home, a hospital shooter and at least three near-death moments all feature and, even though the plot is at times heart-breaking, there’s plenty of humour, especially in the dialogue: “Benny,” said Nub. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re kind of embarrassing me.”
“Thanks. That means a lot coming from a professional.”
A feel-good ending is always welcome: “Minnie had come to believe that life was not about finding miracles, or happiness, or success, or purpose, or about avoiding disappointment. It was about finding people. People are what make life worth it. People are the buried treasure. People who understand you. People who will bleed with you. People who make your life richer. Your people. Your kinfolk.”
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harper Muse.
Not long after, he learns that Minnie, 6’5” but only fifteen, is a middle school dropout who works as a cook at the Waffle House. How, then, does a sixty-two-year-old divorced alcoholic whom many in the town of Park, in the tiny county of Ash, Alabama, see as white trash, decide to apply to foster this unfortunate teen?
Before she sank into alcoholism and took her own life on that fateful Thanksgiving, Celia Bass always told Minnie that the father she never knew died a hero in the Korean war when, in fact, Clarence (Sugar) Bass is just then being released after serving a fifteen-year sentence for manslaughter at the Draper Correctional Facility some miles to the south.
An accidental shooting during a robbery gone wrong isn’t going to help “the Organization” forget that Sugar Bass has $813,000 of their money, so he has a tail the moment he hits town. And the Organization’s wrath might be directed at family members if Sugar remains reticent about the location of the money.
High school biology teacher, widow and mother of teenaged Charlie Jr, Emily Ives has just been given an adverse diagnosis by her inept GP, and is trying to come to terms with her own mortality before she shares the news. But she is distracted, and a little chagrined, by the news that the father who abandoned her as a girl for his love affair with alcohol is planning to foster a fifteen-year-old girl.
It’s true that he is a good man: “He was whip-smart, for starters. And he was heart-stoppingly sincere. His greatest quality, however, was that he had the audacity to be himself, for better or worse”, but what qualifies her alcoholic parent to do this?
Nub understands he will have to be sober “He knew it meant that he would have to face the jaggedness of life without alcohol to round its edges” and he realises, after some weeks that way “It had been a long time since he’d felt the hotness of his own anger without alcohol to dull its spiked edges.”
Dietrich really does have a talent for creating a wonderful cast of characters who easily find their way into readers’ hearts. They are a flawed bunch but he gives them wise words and insightful observations: when Nub eventually shares with Minnie the one thing they have in common, a parent ending their own life, she tells him “When someone shoots themself, they kill a lot more than just them.”
Dietrich has a marvellous turn of phrase: “Benny crept down the hall toward the cabinet. He opened the door so slowly that Nub celebrated four birthdays.” Childbirth, concerts, a housefire, an exploding mobile home, a hospital shooter and at least three near-death moments all feature and, even though the plot is at times heart-breaking, there’s plenty of humour, especially in the dialogue: “Benny,” said Nub. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re kind of embarrassing me.”
“Thanks. That means a lot coming from a professional.”
A feel-good ending is always welcome: “Minnie had come to believe that life was not about finding miracles, or happiness, or success, or purpose, or about avoiding disappointment. It was about finding people. People are what make life worth it. People are the buried treasure. People who understand you. People who will bleed with you. People who make your life richer. Your people. Your kinfolk.”
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harper Muse.
July 10, 2024
How have I never heard of Sean Dietrich until now? This book was everything I love in a book...
Clean. Heartfelt characters. Witty writing.
Here's the thing. It is not easy to find deep themes that are difficult (ie suicide, alcoholism, messy family situations, teen pregnancy, etc), have the characters find redemption, and have it not be cheesy. This was an INCREDIBLE read for me. And it was a total roller coaster (no spoilers, but I was crying and laughing a lot).
Read this if you love quirky characters, the deep, messy love of family and found family, and aren't afraid to read about some heavy topics.
Clean. Heartfelt characters. Witty writing.
Here's the thing. It is not easy to find deep themes that are difficult (ie suicide, alcoholism, messy family situations, teen pregnancy, etc), have the characters find redemption, and have it not be cheesy. This was an INCREDIBLE read for me. And it was a total roller coaster (no spoilers, but I was crying and laughing a lot).
Read this if you love quirky characters, the deep, messy love of family and found family, and aren't afraid to read about some heavy topics.
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