Catbird Winter

by Monté Hill

A battle within and without. When dreams collide with desperation, can a wounded soul find a path to truth, fulfillment, and redemption?

1916. Trevor Middleton is crushed. After a freak accident shatters his leg, the American Great War ambulance driver fears he’ll never be able to climb into the cockpit of a French bi-plane to fight the Germans. Convalescing in Hickory Nut Gorge, North Carolina, the disconsolate veteran can hardly believe it when he catches the eye of a Bible-thumping minister’s daughter.

Moved by the disappearance of the young woman’s brother, Trevor agrees to help her search for him in a nearby cave. But after their efforts turn up only a hidden still, a night of drunken passion may alter his destiny irrevocably.

Still longing to take to the skies, can this would-be pilot outrun a fate that seems determined to ground him?

Digging deep into the forgotten past, Monté Hill renders an eye-opening tale of ordinary people trapped by geography, tradition, and the fickle whims of chance. Her compassionate prose and intimate character development will transport readers to another time and place, immersing them in the fascinating life of early 20th-century Appalachia.

Catbird Winter is a heart-rending work of historical fiction. If you like courageous but imperfect heroes, rich detail, and southern noir settings, then you’ll love Monté Hill’s powerful novel.

Genres: Historical

371 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 25, 2024

About the author

Monté Hill is a native of Western North Carolina where she lived before moving to Denver, Colorado with her partner in 2019. Two years later, they became digital nomads, traversing the Lower Forty-Eight with a side trip to Belgium and France, where they indulged their passion for Belgian ales, chocolate, and frites.

She does her best writing in breweries.

When she’s not conjuring her next story, you will find her and her partner exploring craft breweries, hiking red rocks, gravel grinding on their pedal bikes, photographing Saguaros, or squeezing through slot canyons in waist deep water. If you look close, you might even glimpse her crossing the finish line of the occasional half-marathon.

Monté now makes her home amongst the Saguaros of Arizona and the Vermilion Cliffs of southern Utah, but the Appalachians will always occupy that singular place of heart.

Reviews

[Donna Frelick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Genuine Taste of the Mountains

It’s a well-respected maxim in literature that you should write what you know, and in the case of Catbird Winter, Monte Hill’s debut novel set in 1916 Western North Carolina, it’s clear that Hill knows her subject. The people, the flora and fauna, the folklore, the history and the culture of Hickory Nut Gorge, where the story is set, all come to brilliant life in Hill’s work. She paints a detailed and vibrant picture of the area as it must have been a century ago, before tourism and technology transformed it.

As all of us who live in WNC know, 1916 was the year of the Great Flood here, and Hill times her story of two star-crossed lovers to lead up to the event that scarred every river valley and small town within a hundred-mile radius of Asheville that summer. Two hurricanes hit the area within days of each other, dumping torrential amounts of rain on hillsides denuded by unrestrained logging. Whole villages were swept away, along with roads, railroad tracks, bridges, crops, people and livestock. The scenes describing the impact of the flood on the Gorge are among Hill’s best, drawn from her actual family history.

This read is highly recommended. Four stars.

[Patricia Moffitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a wonderful debut novel and can't wait to read more by this author. This book would be an excellent book club selection because there is so much in it that could lead to stimulating conversations. It's hard to categorize the book because it doesn't really fit any particular boxes. It's historical fiction, being set during WWI, but it's not really about WWI. It's a little bit about a WWI veteran's healing journey, a little bit coming of age, a little romance with an interesting twist, and a tale of mountain culture since it is set in the Appalachian region. I felt so many emotions while reading it that there's too much to fit in one review. Let's just say I highly recommend this novel, especially to readers who are looking for something different from so much that's on today's market. I rarely award 5 stars but would give this one 4 1/2 stars if I could. As I said earlier, this would be a wonderful book club selection, and I hope it gets noticed and receives the publicity it truly deserves.

[Liz Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this story because it is set in Western NC, where I live. The characters and setting were well drawn and it involved the great flood of 1916. Having just lived through hurricane Helene in the area, the scenes around that were particularly moving. The author is originally from this area and is donating the profits to hurricane relief.

[Kathy Lancaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catbird Winter takes you on an amazing journey to Western North Carolina. Having been born and raised in Buncombe County, it took me back to locations I've visited many times. I laughed, gasped, and cried while reading this book. The characters and their life's journeys will keep you on the edge of your seat. This is a must read, and I can't wait for her next book.

[Aparna Kamath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book! Enjoyed it and historical fiction aspect too. Started a little slow for me but quickly got into it!! And couldn’t wait to keep reading.

[Greg Spahn]

I read Carbird Winter as a paperback and was so pleased and happy to have this refreshing book by my bed. I will now be able to pass it on to my girlfriends who are in several book clubs. It is that good. I love historical fiction, but waded into this with just a STRONG recommendation of a friend. It fits me to a T. The character development is one of it’s strengths. But there is nothing predictable about it as it unwinds. Those were tuff times and people pieced their lives together and figured it out as they went. Loved the tie in to the country as it was back then and the local history. This is a good one. Stick with it and be surprised.

[Patrick Mooney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read and I just devoured it over the course of a few days even though I was quite busy at the time. It's a complex and not-always-happy love story, a work set in rural North Carolina during World War I. The author convincingly describes the speech and habits and customs of the locals deftly, letting even those of us who never lived in the area see what their lives were like, and the plot is handled deftly and carefully. It was funny and heart-wrenching and difficult to put down.

I am looking forward to the author's next book.