Gentle's Holler

Maggie Valley #1

by Kerry Madden

The sixties may have come to other parts of North Carolina, but with Mama pregnant again, Daddy struggling to find work, and nine siblings underfoot, nobody in the holler has much time for modern-day notions. Especially not twelve-year-old Livy Two, aspiring songwriter and self-appointed guardian of little sister Gentle, whose eyes "don't work so good yet." Even after a doctor confirms her fears, Livy Two is determined to make the best of Gentle's situation and sets out to transform the family's scrappy dachshund into a genuine Seeing-Eye dog. But when tragedy strikes, can Livy Two continue to stay strong for her family?

Genres: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Juvenile, Childrens, Young Adult, Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published March 3, 2005

About the author

Kerry Madden writes under both Kerry Madden and Kerry Madden-Lunsford. She has written plays, screenplays, journalism (Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Birmingham News, Salon, Southern Women's Review, Shenandoah, Carve Magazine, and Sierra Club Magazine), and published seven books including OFFSIDES, a New York Library Pick for 1997, and now just out as an ebook with FOREVERLAND PRESS.

Her book, WRITING SMARTS, was inspired by the writing workshops she's led with young writers for years and is a guide to sparking stories for kids ( American Girl Company.)

In 2005 she turned her hand to children's fiction with GENTLE'S HOLLER, the first installment in what became the award-winning Maggie Valley Trilogy set in the Smoky Mountains of Appalachia. It earned starred reviews in both Kirkus and Publisher's Weekly, was included in the New York and the Chicago Public Libraries' best books for 2005, and was the featured children's book of North Carolina at the National Book Festival in 2008.

"It is the genuine article," wrote Rosemary Wells of GENTLE'S HOLLER. "Its heroine is as bone-real and endearing as Opal in Because of Winn Dixie."

The next book in the trilogy, LOUISIANA'S SONG (2007) was equally well received, being named a Bank Street College Book of the Year and a finalist for several other awards.

The third book, JESSIE'S MOUNTAIN, was published in 2008 to strong reviews.

Her biography of Harper Lee, published in Viking's UpClose Series, was a Booklist and Kirkus Pick of 2009.

Her picture book, NOTHING FANCY ABOUT KATHRYN & CHARLIE, illustrated by her daughter, Lucy Madden-Lunsford was published by Mockingbird Publishers, and in the summer of 2013, Kerry and Lucy went on a book tour to rural Alabama libraries to do art and writing workshops with children across the state.

Kerry received B.A. and M.F.A. degrees from the University of Tennessee and has been honored as a Tennessee Williams Scholar and a Walter E. Dakin Fellow at the Sewanee Writers' Conference. She has taught creative writing at Ningbo University in China, UCLA, and has visited schools across the country as a guest author doing writing workshops for young authors. She is an associate professor of creative writing at the University of Alabama in Birmingham and editor of PMS, Poem Memoir Short Story, at UAB.

Her new book, FIFTH GRADE, WEREWOLVES, HAMLET & ME is out with publishers for consideration, and she is at work on a new novel, HOP THE POND, drawing from her time in Manchester, England as an exchange student.

Reviews

[Abigail McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I told you that blue meant indigo,
if I told you that yellow meant gold,
if I told you that red meant crimson,
would you see the colors that I know?

This story was so soothing. I know that's a weird way to describe a story, but it's something I love. It was calming and comfortable, even when a lot of stuff was going down, it was a family-driven story with a musical theme and I loved it. It had been so long since I'd just sat down and read a whole book in a day, and this one was perfect for that and the perfect reintroduction to it. It occupied a Saturday for me. I'm very glad it did.

Livy Two was such a great main character. She was so realistic in the way she related to the world around her. Her relationship with Gentle was adorable, and her relationships with the rest of her family was great too.

So yeah, this was just a wonderful story. I can't wait to see the next chapter of their story.

5 stars from me.

[Joyce]

Gentle’s Holler Kerry Madden

Livy Two and her 8 siblings live with Mama and Daddy in Gentle’s Holler in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. The family lives a hardscrabble, yet gentle, existence. It’s gentle, because they enjoy all the tranquil riches of mountain living and the love of family. But hard, because Daddy doesn’t work a regular job. He is a musician with a song in his pocket and a plan to make it big one day. Since Livy Two writes lyrics also, she believes in her daddy’s dreams. After all, she has dreams of her own.

One day, I’d like to stroll along the Great Wall of China, ride me a camel in Egypt, swim in the Ganges River way over in India, and sip a cup of tea with the queen of England.

Livy Two also dreams of helping her sister Gentle (whose eyes don’t work right) to learn Braille because talk of sending Gentle to the state school for the blind over in Raleigh worries her. So with the help of the lady from the lending library truck she gets a Braille book and begins to teach herself.

But then her older brother Emmett gets fed up with daddy’s dreams and takes off for Ghost Town in the Sky to earn some money. And tragedy strikes at another level, rearranging the family’s future even more dramatically. And also leaving room for a sequel.

Gentle’s Holler is the first in a Trilogy. Louisiana’s Song (2007) and Jessie’s Mountain (2008) continue the Weem’s family story. These books are populated with distinctive and quirky characters, unforgettable names, and much warmth. Author Kerry Madden infuses her stories with humor, love of family, and that at home feeling of the Smoky Mountains.

[Kimberly Hirsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can't feed a family of ten or eleven with just love and music, but they sure do make life more bearable.

In Kerry Madden's Maggie Valley Trilogy, Olivia "Livy Two" Weems narrates the ups and downs of her mountain family life. The first book in the trilogy is Gentle's Holler. Livy Two's Daddy is a songwriter and traveling salesman, waiting for that big banjo hit. Mama has two babies (Cyrus and Caroline) sleeping in the dresser drawer and one in the cradle (Appelonia). Emmett, Livy Two's elder brother, has dreams of running off to work at Ghost Town in the Sky, a new amusement park with an Old West theme. (The book is set in the 1960s.) Becksie, Livy Two's older sister, is bossy as can be, and Jitters, one of Livy Two's younger sisters, idolizes her, copying her every move. Louise, another sister, is a talented visual artist. And Livy Two herself is a songwriter like her Daddy, composing on the theme of family life, with titles like "Daddy's Roasted Peanuts" and "Grandma's Glass Eye."

Livy Two's three year old sister, Gentle, doesn't seem to see very well, but the whole family is in denial of it. Until the appearance of the fearsome Grandma Horace, that is. Grandma Horace comes to Maggie Valley from her home in "Enka-Stinka" (the town of Enka, NC, a town previously known to me only for its top-notch Latin students) and starts setting things to rights. Soon, Livy Two is teaching Gentle how to read Braille and training Uncle Hazard, the family dog, to work as a seeing eye dog.

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Livy Two lives with her family in the Appalachian mountains during the early sixties. The Weems family is large and there's never a dull moment. Livy Two, an aspiring musician, is the caretaker of her little sister, Gentle. The story follows the ups and downs of growing up in a large family when times are tough. But when Livy Two finds out that Gentle is blind and Daddy is injured, the Weems family must find a way to stay strong together.
I found this book randomly at the library and I've loved it ever since. The setting is interesting and Livy Two`s perspective on life is honest and real. Livy Two, Gentle, Louise and all the other Weems kids make a lively bunch; I would love to hang out with them. What I really liked about this book was how important family is to the Weems`. It's definitely a book worth reading.

[hellcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

While her first novel, Offsides was very good in many ways, Kerry Madden's Gentle's Holler has more heart and more things to just be plain happy about than any novel I've read in awhile. The rhythm of the character's Southern speech and it's many particular turns of phrase is spot on and I know where to turn if I ever need a reminder of the South. Oddly enough, while the story is set in the mountains of Tennessee in the 1960s, the story did not feel old-fashioned... nor did it feel modern, it just felt right. I would highly recommend this to anyone who has spent time in the South, especially if they grew up here. I would also recommend it to anyone who has ever loved an animal. Hooray for Uncle Hazard! I worried about him so!

[Lonna Pierce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kerry Madden writes a sweetly sad story of growing up impoverished in the "hollers" of the Great Smoky Mountains. Amid the strains of down-home banjo and folk guitar music, subsistence living is made bearable by a loving family. Livy Two Weems, age 12, narrates the bleak story that collapses under the weight of too many struggles. Daddy rarely has a paycheck, then has a car accident, Mama is pregnant with child #11, and sweet baby, Gentle, has more than a small problem with her eyesight. Madden's husband, Kiffen, grew up one of 13 children in Tennessee & North Carolina, and the novel rings true because of his experience.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all three books in the series: Gentle's Holler, Louisiana's Song, and I just finished Jessie's Mountain (12/7/08).
The books were very well written. I was able to visit Maggie Valley and Ghost Town in the Sky during the summer of 2008, which is the setting of the stories. It's not far from Ashville, NC. Beautiful country! The stories tell about a family working together to earn a living and stay in their home. Very powerful. I highly recommend them! I thought they should be for sale in the gift shop at Ghost Town in the Sky.

[Sarah Picchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read Kerry Madden's Gentle's Holler for my mother-daughter bookclub this summer. The book is about the Weems family, who are a very poor but artistically rich family who live in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. The main character Livy Two is enchanting. The family deals with a lot of heartache and yet they seem happy. Takes place in the 60s. Hard not to be nostalgic for that time. Kerry has a wonderful voice and is a great storyteller. My daughter has re-read this book about 5 times.

[Tim Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be required reading in junior high schools across the nation. If you mash-up 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' with 'Coal Miner's Daughter', you get this heartfelt, heartwarming, heartbreaking tale of a prismatic and melodic Smoky Mountain family in the early 1960s. Madden brings every word to bursting life.

[Hilary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyrical and full of Appalachian heart. The main character, Livy Two is Number One with me. The ending is a tad abrupt--but perhaps because there is a sequel (which I look forward to reading) There is much to enjoy for middle grade readers and older lovers of Southern fiction.

[Jane]

This is my daughter's favorite book!!!!!

[Stephanie A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and featuring a likable girl you desperately want to rise above her circumstances.

[Kat G · Rating 5 out of 5]

**These are my opinions and don't reflect on the writer's character as a person rather the writing and book itself.**

Rating: PG

Spoilers: Some

Pros of Reading: Such a touching and poignant story of growing up in a loving but chaotic family. I'm happy to be able to read into things a little deeper as an adult; every part of the plot is handled with grace and honesty, from a realistic tween POV; it's not overdone, or too adult for Livy Two--the narration is perfect for a girl who is growing up but has big dreams, but is stuck being too mature for her age in a poor family with tons of kids. I love how even with so many characters, each is given thier own voice and space. I felt for Emmett, being the oldest and feeling helpless to do anything, and then being blamed by Livy Two for the car wreck. The ending is so sad but for the medical knowledge at the time, what else could they do with a man who is in a coma after a car wreck? It all leads up to the ending: all the people, the setting, the way Tom drives fast, the way Emmett and Livy itch to leave the Smokies. I also love Miss Attickson and how a traveling library is represented. Gentle is by far one of the sweetest characters, and her blindness is represented so well. I could picture the green hills, the dusty roads, the sun in the car, and so much more. Beautiful. <3 The way music is tied into the story, bith using olde artists and using Livy's music, works well and adds a layer to the story. Ghost Town in the Sky reminds me of a kind of Branson or Silver Dollar City thing.
Also...the language, slang, and accents are so spot-on; and I had no idea Mennonites lived in the Smokies at that time. It really does feel like a space out of time; the 60s, but yet...not.


Cons: I have no huge issues, but realistically, WHY would you have NINE kids if you cannot even afford the others? While each child born is important, I agree with Grandma Horace: they need to maybe chill on having more kids until Tom gets an actual job. Which is another thing: he's basically unemployed, and waiting on a song hit isn't responsible. I definitely side with Jessie on this. Also, it says a lot that they move instead of paying the landlords. He may love his family, but he's not the best provider. And Livy Two did at one point wear me out with all her chatter. I also wanted more development from Becksie; she just seems like Lucy from Peanuts instead of having layers. Anyways, my issues aren't with the writing but just thinking more deeply on motives of certain people.

Books it Reminded Of: The Underneath by Kathi Appelt; Precious Bones by Mika Ashley-Hollinger; The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate; Ida B by Katherine Hannigan; and for ONLY the language, "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor

Book in 5 Words: Empathetic, Lyrical, Musical, Historic, Senses

Age Range: Teen

Movie Material?: Absolutely! This would make a good movie.

Did I like It: Yes! Second time reading.

[Serena Keene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book so close to my own family. I am the oldest of eleven children. Grew up on a dairy farm and had to move a lot. Being the oldest I was responsible for all my siblings and mother was always pregnant or sick with azma.

[Ramona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will become a children's classic, as it portrays real family life in a difficult time period. The story shows the importance of family, love, kindness, and the strength you can derive, from all that.

[Hannah Rueff · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS WAS MY FAVORITE BOOK AS A CHILD. Read it like every other month there was just something about it. I think partially because I wanted to live out in the holler at times like little house on the prairie vibes

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Engaging but sad with a somewhat unresolved ending. Evidrntly there are 2 more books in the series. The themes seem more YA than juvenile fiction.

[Henry Tennant · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you read the first page you want to keep on reading.

[Kimberlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good YA read

[Madison Meek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread this bc it was my favorite book as a kid and it was still a very comforting read!

[Bryn Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book as a young child. It was a nice to be read about another girl's large family.

[Scott Volz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though it features a strong setting (Appalachian North Carolina), powerful themes of family, faith, and perseverance, and a very engaging narrator (twelve-year-old Livy Two), Gentle's Holler--while a book I'm sure many middle graders will enjoy--suffers from having too many plot obstacles. Granted, much of the novel's emotional power comes from the way its characters hold on to optimism, hope, and good humor amid a very difficult living situation--an unemployed musician father whose wife is caring for too many kids on too few resources and is continually pregnant, to make matter worse. Though there is a great deal of poetry and joy that author Madden extracts from this hand-to-mouth country life, the final tragedy that befalls the family seems to me to be one too many, at least in its degree. Even if tragedy doesn't crush the Weems family, it's a lot for a reader to process. Ultimately, I think the novel had enough family tension and conflict to satisfy the reader without resorting to such a dire dramatic situation.

That said, I am considering continuing with the series, if only from a great curiosity to find out how in the heck things get better for this family that I have come to know and care something about.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story about a girl named Livy Two Weems who lives in the North Carolina mountains with her family - a sweet story about the love of family. The book includes much about learning to survive without a lot of money, supporting a father's dream of becoming a famous banjo player, taking care of younger siblings (there are eight children including Livy & one on the way), getting books at the lending library truck, grandmother relationships, helping a younger sister who cannot see, and teaching a dog how to be a "guide dog." A well- written story that lends itself to a sequel that I look forward to reading called Louisiana's Song. This story reminded me a little bit of one I just read called Dovey Coe by Frances O'Roark Dowell. I love a good old-fashioned story about a strong character in the mountain or country setting. Has a Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn feel.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though the plot sounds a tad depressing, the story never feels like a downer. The writing is really lovely - a little colloquial, without ever going overboard, and the characters are realistic. I would have eaten this up with a spoon as a child - big family, a lifestyle unlike my own, and a main character who dreams of going places and seeing the world - but is still nervous about getting up on stage to sing. Calling a story "sweet" sounds so schmaltzy, but this one never gets sappy, and it really does deserve the word.

I would definitely recommend this to upper elementary/middle school kids looking for something with a bit of an old-fashioned feel or a country setting. There are a few sequels - and I'm curious to read them and find out what happens to the family.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Weems family a mom a banjo playing daddy, Emmet the oldest boy, Livy Two, Lousis ,Beksie,Jitters, Caroline, Cryuse,Gentle, and last but not least Appolonia. There father is trying to compose sell and maybe earn a little money. You see there family doesn't have much to live on or live off of.Grandma Horace is a wealthy, but not so much of a nice person. Emmet want's to skip town and go live Ghost City.
That is all I will tell you.
I think yo should read this book if you are ready for a sad yet dramatic, scary, and delightful time then this is a good book where you can get all of those.
I think girls and understanding boys are the people that I would recommend to read. People would have to be serious enough to read this.

[Virginia Walter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poor family struggles to survive in their Tennessee mountain home in the 1960s. There isn't enough money for a telephone or a car, and the children -- too many of them, according to Grandma Horace -- are often hungry. There is love and laughter and music and books from the traveling library, but this doesn't pay the bills or keep 14-year-old Frank from running away to work in a nearby theme park or bring eyesight to toddler Gentle, born blind because her mother had German measles while she was pregnant. The setting and the complex family dynamics, both seen through the eyes of 12-year-old Livy, are lovingly and vividly portrayed.

[Miss Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

gr 6-8 237pgs

1960s, Maggie Valley, N Carolina. 12 year old Livy Two Weems has big dreams. She wants to travel the world and then come home to a house all to herself and write songs. Space of her own is hard to find in family of 8 children and another on the way. Livy Two wants to believe that her father is right and then any day now, he's going to write hit song and the family's constant struggle to make ends will be a thing of the past.

Caught up in the daily drama of family life, the rest of the world seems far away. Although there are brief mentions of world events, the family is the focus of the story.

[Jourdan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really amazing. It took me a while to get into it, but once I did, I was addicted. This book can be so sad and I almost caught myself crying a few times (but I couldn't because i was at school lol). I did not know until the middle of the book that it took place in the 60s. This family is struggling with money and trying to keep up with the times all while having a blind sister, 8 kids, and hardly any jobs for the parents. This book has a sequal or two and I'm dying to read it. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a nice read.

[Becky Barrier Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gentle's Holler is charming. I particularly liked the realistic characters/each well rounded with positive and negative characteristics...each a very distinct personality. The setting in the 1960s in Appalachia is a plus for understanding nearby cultures. It did remind me a bit of Little House on the Prarie in terms of the close-knit family with their challenges, including the blind sibling. I was drawn in by the characters and will read the other books in the trilogy. This will be used in my summer Mother/daughter book club.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet story of self-discovery and resilience. At the start of the story, Livy Two Weems is twelve years old, second of eight children, daughter of poverty. In the course of the book, she tries to find her way in life and figure out how she fits into her world. Livy Two is innocent and wholesome and I love that she can discover herself without the sexuality that's so common in the coming of age stories. There's plenty of hardship, sadness, and tragedy, but it's tempered by love, happiness, and hope. I highly recommend this book and I'm anxious to read the sequels.