Night Bloom

by Virginia Redfield

Night Bloom is a memoir that presents the coming-of-age story of Virginia Redfield, 88 years old. She gives an unforgettable account of her own struggles against the fundamentalist faith of her mother, and her own victory through "the words of great writers who helped me free myself from bondage." She explains, "I wrote this memoir for my self. I needed to see clearly where I had come from, where I stand now. I trust and hope that some readers may recognize certain twists in the path of my life and "Oh, I know how that feels!"

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 5, 2012

Reviews

[Maryjoamani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Night Bloom is a delightful memoir, surprisingly so, given it’s heavy subject of childhood oppression. The author writes of being raised by an extremely religious mother in a strict church where books other than the Bible, friends of any sort, privacy, dance, and movies were all denied while iniquity, fire and brimstone, were constant conversation. She was ostracized or ignored in elementary school due to her dress and her mother’s refusal to allow children to visit and play, even children of her own church. Her only potential reprieve is an older and distant father who allows her zealous mother to run the house and their lives. School becomes her only escape and it is through contact with professors at a local college and literature that she begins to see that her life was not the only possible way to live. Wolfe’s Look Homeward Angel was an early influence in her life. Finding someone who felt as she did and understood her separation helped her realize that a larger world was available to her, and that it was possible to have a relationship based on mutual respect rather than control, repression, and denial. This is a memoir about love and forgiveness—Redfield does not sound like a victim and is compassionate toward her parents. That she ultimately manages to escape the repression speaks to her mother’s complexity and decency, who for all her fears of her daughter falling into perdition, allows her love for her daughter (or is it self-deceit when she realizes she can no longer control her?) to become a thin string of rescue, easily broken if Redfield herself had not possessed the same determination. That the book is just now being published, when Redfield is 88 years old, is an inspiration to all of us who want to look upon our lives with clarity and compassion and to realize that we sometimes influence other’s lives in ways that are not easily seen. I came away from the book wanting so much to read about the next phase of this remarkable woman’s life, a woman determined to be true to herself.

[David J. Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Night Bloom" by Virginia Redfield is a wonderful "coming of age" story of a young girl trapped in a fundamentalist religious family. Her story is both inspiring and entertaining as she travels from childhood to her young adult years with an independence of spirit and a will to free herself from ignorance and dogma. It is a wonderful ebook available on Amazon...the best value for money spent I've ever experienced in a book!!!

See my full review on Amazon.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this novel, as it is everything dear to my heart and knowledge; southern tradition, the pervasive presence of Christianity, literature, and Asheville, NC. It's by a woman who published this, her first novel at 80 years of age. She's an inspiration, and her writing is seasoned with wisdom. If I could describe the book in one word, it would be "comforting".

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this little memoir. More detailed review to come.