Roanoke Rock Muddle

by Lucia Peel Powe

Williamston is the kind of sleepy Southern town everyone knows. It is filled with people you could never forget, even if you’d like to do so. People like Tiny Monroe, the six-foot matron with the acid tongue. And people like Bransom Jenkins, the deacon whose dalliances with young girls would go unnoticed if not for others, like Beulah Bazemore, the heart of the church. Set along the banks of the Roanoke River in eastern North Carolina, "Roanoke Rock Muddle" tells the story of a town immersed in secrets that everyone knows and no one will talk about. As their lives weave together, "Roanoke Rock Muddle" chronicles their story with uncommon southern detail and charm. In the end, all roads lead to an extraordinary event after which Williamston will never be the same.

273 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2003

Reviews

[Empress5150 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book because 1) my husband and I stayed in the B&B run by the author's daughter just prior to our marriage and 2) I met the author at a charity event (and subsequently got to know her a bit while I was on the Board for the Durham Symphony). These are not good reasons to read a book!

I didn't much care for the tale and the "Southernisms" grated on my nerves. There were frequent typos and mistakes (e.g., references to the wrong character). Also, each chapter began with a snippet from the children's poem "Who Killed Cock Robin?"; something that made absolutely no sense and was never explained.

The author is a very rich Southern lady; I got the sense she wanted to simply write a book about her hometown and the times she grew up in, perhaps styling herself after Harper Lee. In her dreams!

BTW, you are probably not at risk for even finding this book; I think it's only sold at the daughter's B&B or auctioned off at DSO's silent auctions!