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Dogwood Blues
DOGWOOD BLUES is a work of sassy southern fiction. Told through the voices of its eccentric characters, DOGWOOD BLUES depicts life in Dogwood, Georgia, a small town near the Alapaha River that is struggling with change.
When Kevin Kilmer, award-winning New York author, moves back to Dogwood's historic district to write his memoir, he crashes headfirst into his heartbreaking past.
Boone Marshall, a farmer and blues pianist, stirs gossip when, mere months after the suicide of his first wife, he brings home a new bride, a nightclub singer from New Orleans.
Every week, the women of the Honeysuckle Bridge Club gather to play cards, share gossip, and argue about local issues. Lines are drawn in Dogwood over the upcoming liquor referendum, a vote that threatens to turn dry Creek County wet. And Nell Sauls creates gossip and drops it like bird poop over the town.
Brimming with opinionated and irreverent characters, and told with the mournful sound of the blues, DOGWOOD BLUES is a story of betrayal, forgiveness, and redemption.
When Kevin Kilmer, award-winning New York author, moves back to Dogwood's historic district to write his memoir, he crashes headfirst into his heartbreaking past.
Boone Marshall, a farmer and blues pianist, stirs gossip when, mere months after the suicide of his first wife, he brings home a new bride, a nightclub singer from New Orleans.
Every week, the women of the Honeysuckle Bridge Club gather to play cards, share gossip, and argue about local issues. Lines are drawn in Dogwood over the upcoming liquor referendum, a vote that threatens to turn dry Creek County wet. And Nell Sauls creates gossip and drops it like bird poop over the town.
Brimming with opinionated and irreverent characters, and told with the mournful sound of the blues, DOGWOOD BLUES is a story of betrayal, forgiveness, and redemption.
273 pages, Paperback
First published February 26, 2015
141 people are currently reading
499 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 24, 2015
This book is pure southern fiction. Dogwood Blues tells the story of a small town in the modern South and how the community deals with change. The narrative is seductive and poetic, but it is also brutal, sassy, and downright mean at times. In Trampus Pitts, Rose creates an extraordinary secondary character that comes to life as flawed, daring, and heroic. And by the way, he is gay. In Kevin Kilmer, we see a damaged spirit in search of healing, a writer who has returned to his hometown to write his memoir. He, too, is gay. And Boone Marshall is a man who has lived most of his adult life feeling chained to a woman he doesn’t love and a farm he doesn’t want to maintain. He is weighted down with guilt. After his father’s death, Boone wants nothing more than to return to New Orleans and play the blues, yet he believes he must remain on the family farm, and every decision he makes seems to tighten the shackles around his heart. Dogwood Blues is a powerful, disturbing story that deals with themes of homosexuality, domestic violence, and betrayal. It will make you laugh and make you cry. It will make you walk alone as you try to understand the emotions growing inside you. It will make you fall in love with the southern landscape. And somehow, Rose manages to tell the story with rhythm, humor, and intense pain. It needs a sequel! I can't let go of the characters!
May 5, 2015
Dogwood Blues is a novel with a ton of characters, plotlines, and themes packed into it. This is astounding because the novel itself is not that long. It’s a relatively quick read, but only because you fall in love with the characters, even the ones you should hate. I dare you to put it down.
Every character has their own arc, but the characters that I found to be the most interesting was Kevin Kilmer and Boone Marshall. Both show a man trying to come to terms with their own past.
Kilmer, a renowned author and local football legend, moves back to Dogwood to open up the scars of his past in the form of a memoir. His treatment of his former best friend and others in the town shows just how vulnerable the human soul can be, while also showing that a good person can create walls just to keep people out.
Boone Marshall, a blues musician who almost made it big time until he had to take over the family farm, has to cope with his own feelings of guilt towards his past, present, and future. The small town of Dogwood, while ever growing, has people in it that cling to the past, holding on to their prejudices, phobias, and traditions. Boone has to deal with all of those things when he moves back to Dogwood with a new wife, Jasmine, a multiracial nightclub singer.
Kevin Kilmer’s lover, Trampus, is a definite highlight in the novel and my personal favorite character. Trampus is a tattooed bad boy from New York City, but that just as with all the characters, he is a very deep character. His passion is renovating historic homes, he has a deep love for music, and he just so happens to play a mean game of bridge.
Speaking of bridge, the local bridge club has some great character and every bridge scene is a classic. Nell is a character that you should greatly dislike, but even then you can’t help but fall in love with her character! It astounds me that Rose is able to make so many different, deep, and unique characters.
Overall, the book is an amazing read that you will be coming back to over and over again. The characters have enormous depth, the plot has many twists and turns, and Brenda Sutton Rose’s voice is just perfect, intertwining the characters hopes, dreams, and fears with the beauty of the Alapaha River, the magic of music, and the torment and relief of facing one’s past. This is not one to be missed.
Every character has their own arc, but the characters that I found to be the most interesting was Kevin Kilmer and Boone Marshall. Both show a man trying to come to terms with their own past.
Kilmer, a renowned author and local football legend, moves back to Dogwood to open up the scars of his past in the form of a memoir. His treatment of his former best friend and others in the town shows just how vulnerable the human soul can be, while also showing that a good person can create walls just to keep people out.
Boone Marshall, a blues musician who almost made it big time until he had to take over the family farm, has to cope with his own feelings of guilt towards his past, present, and future. The small town of Dogwood, while ever growing, has people in it that cling to the past, holding on to their prejudices, phobias, and traditions. Boone has to deal with all of those things when he moves back to Dogwood with a new wife, Jasmine, a multiracial nightclub singer.
Kevin Kilmer’s lover, Trampus, is a definite highlight in the novel and my personal favorite character. Trampus is a tattooed bad boy from New York City, but that just as with all the characters, he is a very deep character. His passion is renovating historic homes, he has a deep love for music, and he just so happens to play a mean game of bridge.
Speaking of bridge, the local bridge club has some great character and every bridge scene is a classic. Nell is a character that you should greatly dislike, but even then you can’t help but fall in love with her character! It astounds me that Rose is able to make so many different, deep, and unique characters.
Overall, the book is an amazing read that you will be coming back to over and over again. The characters have enormous depth, the plot has many twists and turns, and Brenda Sutton Rose’s voice is just perfect, intertwining the characters hopes, dreams, and fears with the beauty of the Alapaha River, the magic of music, and the torment and relief of facing one’s past. This is not one to be missed.
April 27, 2015
Brenda Sutton Rose's first novel Dogwood Blues, won through Goodreads Firstreads.
Words to describe how much I loved this book are hard to come by, it's the kind of novel I could read everyday.
Small town problems. Gossiping women. High school days. Abuse. All kinds of marriages. Music. Cooking.
There are humorous moments, distressful moments mixed with music, the river and the land they love.
The characters of the Honeysuckle Bridge Club are so real with their gossiping news of what is going on from the political to the people that make up the small town.
Poor Nell with secrets about her dead husband, keeping it bottled in unleash meanness towards others. Of all the troubled and unhappy issues of the people we meet, her's has to be the saddest.
Returning football star and writer, Kevin Kilmer returns home to write his memoir with his same sex married partner. He has to face Damon, the man he thought was his best friend until he was betrayed. Kevin with his partner Trampus are restoring their historical house and help a abused boy, Jake.
Then there is Boone, he works the land but his dream is going back to New Orleans and playing the blues on the piano. His personal demons are holding him back from true happiness with his second wife Jasmine.
It takes place in the South and has a touch of pray and the wishing for miracles. It makes you laugh with the upcoming vote and the lawn signs. Another oh so human story about Nell and Boone's dogs.
A favorite line is "Sometimes finding home is a long time coming."
I want to read more about these beautiful people. I want to know the old historical homes being refurbished. I want to smell the flowers and the river.
Words to describe how much I loved this book are hard to come by, it's the kind of novel I could read everyday.
Small town problems. Gossiping women. High school days. Abuse. All kinds of marriages. Music. Cooking.
There are humorous moments, distressful moments mixed with music, the river and the land they love.
The characters of the Honeysuckle Bridge Club are so real with their gossiping news of what is going on from the political to the people that make up the small town.
Poor Nell with secrets about her dead husband, keeping it bottled in unleash meanness towards others. Of all the troubled and unhappy issues of the people we meet, her's has to be the saddest.
Returning football star and writer, Kevin Kilmer returns home to write his memoir with his same sex married partner. He has to face Damon, the man he thought was his best friend until he was betrayed. Kevin with his partner Trampus are restoring their historical house and help a abused boy, Jake.
Then there is Boone, he works the land but his dream is going back to New Orleans and playing the blues on the piano. His personal demons are holding him back from true happiness with his second wife Jasmine.
It takes place in the South and has a touch of pray and the wishing for miracles. It makes you laugh with the upcoming vote and the lawn signs. Another oh so human story about Nell and Boone's dogs.
A favorite line is "Sometimes finding home is a long time coming."
I want to read more about these beautiful people. I want to know the old historical homes being refurbished. I want to smell the flowers and the river.
April 25, 2015
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads. I won a GR giveaway!
It was an easy and enjoyable read with an intriguing plot...about the people in a small Southern town and how they adapt to changes in their town and ultimately learn that change takes place within themselves.
It is a story of humanness--about how we are often blind to the truth--because things are not as they always seem.
Rose was able to develop the characters with dialogue and reflections from the characters between the past and present...I liked the way each of the characters narrated events of their lives. The author was able to neatly reveal how the relationships (between the characters) were connected. She used the different devices of humor, sadness, self-realization, pain...all very well.
TAKEAWAY FROM THIS BOOK: You will see how we are often unreliable narrators in our own lives. Read the book and you will understand exactly what I mean by that last sentence.
The only thing I did not like about this book was the font it was printed in.
I do recommend this book and will be interested in reading other books by Brenda Sutton Rose.
It was an easy and enjoyable read with an intriguing plot...about the people in a small Southern town and how they adapt to changes in their town and ultimately learn that change takes place within themselves.
It is a story of humanness--about how we are often blind to the truth--because things are not as they always seem.
Rose was able to develop the characters with dialogue and reflections from the characters between the past and present...I liked the way each of the characters narrated events of their lives. The author was able to neatly reveal how the relationships (between the characters) were connected. She used the different devices of humor, sadness, self-realization, pain...all very well.
TAKEAWAY FROM THIS BOOK: You will see how we are often unreliable narrators in our own lives. Read the book and you will understand exactly what I mean by that last sentence.
The only thing I did not like about this book was the font it was printed in.
I do recommend this book and will be interested in reading other books by Brenda Sutton Rose.
September 27, 2022
Southern charm and drama
It starts off a bit slow and campy but don't let that fool you. It soon turns into everything you could hope for in a southern gothic novel. It has humor, sorrow, drama, sex, joy and agony all rolled up in one excellent book!
It starts off a bit slow and campy but don't let that fool you. It soon turns into everything you could hope for in a southern gothic novel. It has humor, sorrow, drama, sex, joy and agony all rolled up in one excellent book!
April 21, 2015
The only book I have ever reviewed. a great read with great characters. Can't wait for the next book. An easy read and a pleasure to read.
May 29, 2023
Dogwood Blues by Brendon Sutton Rose is an atmospheric, character-driven novel set in the fictional (I assume) town of Dogwood, Georgia. The narrative perspective follows a number of different characters and offers up vignettes of feistiness, charm, and cruelty. The way the story dips into other peoples’ lives mimics the nature of a small town with its intimacies, hidden wounds, and nosy concerns. Although the novel juggles a number of stories and introduces romance, crime, and architectural history, our main concern is Kevin Kilmer, a gay writer newly returned to Dogwood to trace the source of his own painful “epiphany.” For the most part, we see the town through Kevin’s careful observations. Brenda Sutton Rose wonderfully captures the mood of the American South in a prose that is laced with music, food, and card games.
I loved this novel. I grew fond of her characters and was sorry to let them go when I turned the last page.
I loved this novel. I grew fond of her characters and was sorry to let them go when I turned the last page.
March 11, 2021
Well written book!!!
I love finding an author who writes about a region of Georgia that I identify with. Brenda Sutton Rose 's characterization of the people who lived in the small town of Dogwood is exactly the way I remember. Gossip, entitled people, and town drunks. While I enjoyed the author's use of words to create a picture in the reader's mind, this wasn't a book filled with fluff. She covered topics such as spousal and child abuse, alcoholism, homosexuality, and harmful effects of gossip. This was a wonderfully written book, and I will be looking for more books by this author!
I love finding an author who writes about a region of Georgia that I identify with. Brenda Sutton Rose 's characterization of the people who lived in the small town of Dogwood is exactly the way I remember. Gossip, entitled people, and town drunks. While I enjoyed the author's use of words to create a picture in the reader's mind, this wasn't a book filled with fluff. She covered topics such as spousal and child abuse, alcoholism, homosexuality, and harmful effects of gossip. This was a wonderfully written book, and I will be looking for more books by this author!
December 20, 2020
Poignant and uplifting, powerful and gentle, heartwarming and heartrending, Dogwood Blues by Brenda Sutton Rose moves readers to outrage, compassion, hope, and tears. The author ensures that readers truly experience the community of Dogwood, Georgia, through the eyes, ears, noses, and memories of several characters. A beautiful story unfolds about a town and individuals, and the relationships, secrets, and pain that shapes their lives. And the truths and forgiveness that changes everything.
February 3, 2021
Gave a four Star
I did not like the first 10 pages.Then I was hooked and could not put it down
Brenda Rose has captured the small town in the south.I will look forward to
Her next book.
I did not like the first 10 pages.Then I was hooked and could not put it down
Brenda Rose has captured the small town in the south.I will look forward to
Her next book.
February 17, 2022
Beautiful
I absolutely loved this book. Every emotion you can have comes spilling out. The characters all have flaws like all of us do. Showing us that the past is exactly what it is, past. I could read Brenda’s book’s everyday & reread then again & again!
I absolutely loved this book. Every emotion you can have comes spilling out. The characters all have flaws like all of us do. Showing us that the past is exactly what it is, past. I could read Brenda’s book’s everyday & reread then again & again!
June 30, 2022
I absolutely love southern novels that have a bit of a smile in there ( thank you miserable Nell) as well as what we all know are held over prejudices. This wasn’t exactly a gentle book but it was full of people the reader wants to love. This was a great read.
October 6, 2022
my Thoughts
Being from the South it felt like I was revisiting my youth. The story rang true about the things I remember and the things that made me a man. Most of all I enjoy every page of it.
Being from the South it felt like I was revisiting my youth. The story rang true about the things I remember and the things that made me a man. Most of all I enjoy every page of it.
March 10, 2020
An easy slow read
It was good, I liked it.Enjoyed the southern setting. Makes a person think about how perspectives are different for each person at the same time.
It was good, I liked it.Enjoyed the southern setting. Makes a person think about how perspectives are different for each person at the same time.
March 30, 2022
Ahhh...nice story?
Nice story, easy read, but nothing special. I'd like to say better about it but just didn't find it so.
Nice story, easy read, but nothing special. I'd like to say better about it but just didn't find it so.
April 11, 2022
Awesome read
Heart felt pain and hope
Past and present running to the future
100 % recommended read for all people who need hope
Heart felt pain and hope
Past and present running to the future
100 % recommended read for all people who need hope
January 25, 2025
Loves to read
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the characters are very interesting, and some were funny!!
I hope Brenda Sutton Rose has a follow up book for this one!!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the characters are very interesting, and some were funny!!
I hope Brenda Sutton Rose has a follow up book for this one!!
August 23, 2025
Having grown up in South Georgia myself, (Tifton actually!) I really enjoyed this book.
August 4, 2022
I don't know if you need to be a Southerner to enjoy this book but it probably helps. I don't know if you need to have lived in a small town either although I have lived in rural & urban areas. All of the social problems of big cities also exist in small towns but they are easier to hide. This book deals with them all; marital abuse, mental illness, racial bigotry, homophobia, and alcoholism. But through it all shines the joy that is southern food, culture, the blues, and a river. For many of us, these are the very things that our souls need to be happy. I may not have lived in Dogwood, Georgia but I know these people. I loved this one.
June 15, 2015
When I began reading, I immediately thought of Steel Magnolias as the character Nell could have passed for Weezer’s long lost cousin. One of the first scenes happened in Lottie’s beauty parlor, also reminiscent to Truvey’s salon in the same movie. I was pleasantly surprised when the similarities ended there.
The story followed several main characters, some quirky and others a bit less believable, but their differences made up the backbone of a typical small town in the south.
Although I didn’t feel there was much of a plot consisting of goals, obstacles and conflicts, there was an enjoyable story told between present day and flashbacks. There were a few epiphanies, a few lessons learned and a humbling experience or two, enough diversity to keep me reading. I thought the letters to the editor were a nice touch lending to the small town feel.
The one relationship I thought struggled a bit was the one between Boone and Jasmine. It wasn’t the relationship as much as their dialogue. I understand they are newlyweds, but even at that, often it was too sugary to be realistic.
Another dialogue issue I found was unnatural speech. I didn’t find it through the entire read, only in a few areas (Example: Page 131, Damon tells Kevin detail for detail what happened at their sophomore football game when in real life, there would be no need to go through that kind of detailed account with someone who was also there at the time.)
Another one can be found on page 99… One of the construction workers is telling Trampus that Dogwood isn’t like New York, or Chicago, or Boston… and how they don’t have smog or subways or homeless folks or fast-talking folks. Generally speaking, men are less verbal than women. That paragraph sounded more ‘speechlike’ than normal, believable dialogue. It wasn’t a huge problem with the read, just random scatterings here and there.
Setting and descriptions were good, enough, but not too much. There were several phrases that were original and gave the writing poetic flow (Example: …as clients arrived and departed like carrier pigeons delivering gossip.) Rose ties up the loose ends before the last page leaving the reader satisfied.
There were a few minor mistakes; one that stood out was—in modern fiction, when one speaker continues speaking from one paragraph into the next without pause, quotation marks are not used at the end of the first paragraph or the beginning of the next. This allows the reader to instinctively know that the speaker hasn’t changed even though the paragraph has. I came across a couple of instances where the quotation marks were used, even though the same person was speaking, causing me to break flow to double-check my bearings (One example, page 105, between paragraphs 6 and 7) Minor, but something to keep in mind when writing her next book and I do hope there will be a next book.
I gave the book 4-stars because I did enjoy it and I felt the author succeeded in breathing life into a fictional small town and gave most of her characters a real feel even if they weren’t exactly in ‘all is lost’ situations. Not for the reader looking for complex plots or thought-provoking issues, but if it’s a light contemporary read you’re looking for, it won’t disappoint.
The story followed several main characters, some quirky and others a bit less believable, but their differences made up the backbone of a typical small town in the south.
Although I didn’t feel there was much of a plot consisting of goals, obstacles and conflicts, there was an enjoyable story told between present day and flashbacks. There were a few epiphanies, a few lessons learned and a humbling experience or two, enough diversity to keep me reading. I thought the letters to the editor were a nice touch lending to the small town feel.
The one relationship I thought struggled a bit was the one between Boone and Jasmine. It wasn’t the relationship as much as their dialogue. I understand they are newlyweds, but even at that, often it was too sugary to be realistic.
Another dialogue issue I found was unnatural speech. I didn’t find it through the entire read, only in a few areas (Example: Page 131, Damon tells Kevin detail for detail what happened at their sophomore football game when in real life, there would be no need to go through that kind of detailed account with someone who was also there at the time.)
Another one can be found on page 99… One of the construction workers is telling Trampus that Dogwood isn’t like New York, or Chicago, or Boston… and how they don’t have smog or subways or homeless folks or fast-talking folks. Generally speaking, men are less verbal than women. That paragraph sounded more ‘speechlike’ than normal, believable dialogue. It wasn’t a huge problem with the read, just random scatterings here and there.
Setting and descriptions were good, enough, but not too much. There were several phrases that were original and gave the writing poetic flow (Example: …as clients arrived and departed like carrier pigeons delivering gossip.) Rose ties up the loose ends before the last page leaving the reader satisfied.
There were a few minor mistakes; one that stood out was—in modern fiction, when one speaker continues speaking from one paragraph into the next without pause, quotation marks are not used at the end of the first paragraph or the beginning of the next. This allows the reader to instinctively know that the speaker hasn’t changed even though the paragraph has. I came across a couple of instances where the quotation marks were used, even though the same person was speaking, causing me to break flow to double-check my bearings (One example, page 105, between paragraphs 6 and 7) Minor, but something to keep in mind when writing her next book and I do hope there will be a next book.
I gave the book 4-stars because I did enjoy it and I felt the author succeeded in breathing life into a fictional small town and gave most of her characters a real feel even if they weren’t exactly in ‘all is lost’ situations. Not for the reader looking for complex plots or thought-provoking issues, but if it’s a light contemporary read you’re looking for, it won’t disappoint.
July 10, 2018
Dogwood Blues by Brenda Sutton Rose. I’ll begin by saying this: Brenda Sutton Rose can tell one hell of a story. Her first novel is as seductive as her poetry. And if you haven’t searched for her poetry and short stories on the internet, you should.
Rose weaves the tale of Dogwood Blues with a seductive narrative, told with bravado flourishes, faint foreshadowing, sharp humor, and poignant expressions. She uses pure poetry in her descriptions of the Alapaha River and the southern earth, crops, and acreage.
Before I continue with what I liked—loved about the story, I will tell you where I think Rose fell short: I needed to hear more about some of the minor characters. She wrote just enough about them for me to yearn to know these people better. It would have taken no more than another twenty pages or so to have given me more of Lily, Lily’s husband, and Lily’s father-in-law. But this weakness in the story didn’t keep me from reading into the night. It didn’t slow me down. I compare it to wanting a few more pecans in my pecan pie.
Dogwood Blues is a big story, but not a long story. It has 270-something pages; yet it reads so fast it tends to shock. The end arrives too soon, even as you try to slow it down. And like Barbara Kingsolver in The Poisonwood Bible, Rose knows how to effectively write through the eyes and ears of different narrators, many narrators. Dogwood Blues is the story of a homosexual author who comes home to write his memoir. He brings his tattooed lover with calloused hands and a love for historic homes with him. The two men find in Dogwood a small town fighting the sweeping change of a modern South. And there’s the farmer who surrendered a life in New Orleans-- the intoxicating life of a blues musician to rescue the family farm after his father’s death. After a failed marriage, after a wife’s suicide, and after years of loneliness and heartbreak, the farmer brings home a wife. Another scandal. One of Honeysuckle Bridge Club’s members takes a tiny bit of truth, mixes it with damaging lies, and spreads it all over town. A lot of bridge is played in this book. A liquor referendum adds to the tension stretched throughout Dogwood.
As I said, the story is big. It deals with several themes: prejudice, homosexuality, family loyalty, domestic violence. It’s deep. It makes you think. It leaves you thinking. And yet the story is so funny you will cackle out loud. The story is FUNNY! And SERIOUS!
I want to say this is literary fiction. I also want to say this is southern women’s lit, but it could also be southern male literature if there were such a thing. I could say it is contemporary fiction. But I’ll go with southern literature.
I was seduced by Rose’s poetic prose, her passion for the southern countryside and her skill with narrative. I was seduced by the blues. I was seduced by the river. I was seduced by the romance. I was seduced by the cooking. I was seduced by the idea that the South is magical and mean and beautiful and forgiving. I was seduced by this author’s first novel: Dogwood Blues.
Rose weaves the tale of Dogwood Blues with a seductive narrative, told with bravado flourishes, faint foreshadowing, sharp humor, and poignant expressions. She uses pure poetry in her descriptions of the Alapaha River and the southern earth, crops, and acreage.
Before I continue with what I liked—loved about the story, I will tell you where I think Rose fell short: I needed to hear more about some of the minor characters. She wrote just enough about them for me to yearn to know these people better. It would have taken no more than another twenty pages or so to have given me more of Lily, Lily’s husband, and Lily’s father-in-law. But this weakness in the story didn’t keep me from reading into the night. It didn’t slow me down. I compare it to wanting a few more pecans in my pecan pie.
Dogwood Blues is a big story, but not a long story. It has 270-something pages; yet it reads so fast it tends to shock. The end arrives too soon, even as you try to slow it down. And like Barbara Kingsolver in The Poisonwood Bible, Rose knows how to effectively write through the eyes and ears of different narrators, many narrators. Dogwood Blues is the story of a homosexual author who comes home to write his memoir. He brings his tattooed lover with calloused hands and a love for historic homes with him. The two men find in Dogwood a small town fighting the sweeping change of a modern South. And there’s the farmer who surrendered a life in New Orleans-- the intoxicating life of a blues musician to rescue the family farm after his father’s death. After a failed marriage, after a wife’s suicide, and after years of loneliness and heartbreak, the farmer brings home a wife. Another scandal. One of Honeysuckle Bridge Club’s members takes a tiny bit of truth, mixes it with damaging lies, and spreads it all over town. A lot of bridge is played in this book. A liquor referendum adds to the tension stretched throughout Dogwood.
As I said, the story is big. It deals with several themes: prejudice, homosexuality, family loyalty, domestic violence. It’s deep. It makes you think. It leaves you thinking. And yet the story is so funny you will cackle out loud. The story is FUNNY! And SERIOUS!
I want to say this is literary fiction. I also want to say this is southern women’s lit, but it could also be southern male literature if there were such a thing. I could say it is contemporary fiction. But I’ll go with southern literature.
I was seduced by Rose’s poetic prose, her passion for the southern countryside and her skill with narrative. I was seduced by the blues. I was seduced by the river. I was seduced by the romance. I was seduced by the cooking. I was seduced by the idea that the South is magical and mean and beautiful and forgiving. I was seduced by this author’s first novel: Dogwood Blues.
September 8, 2022
fabulous
I started this book expecting humor and fluff. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Trampus and Kevin are married. Trampus renovates old houses and Kevin has to face his past and his broken friendship with an old high school friend. Boone and Jasmine are a newly married couple and Boone has to come face to face with the mistakes of his past. Nell is the town gossip, making up most of her stories. She also has to accept the past she pretends was perfect. And Jake, a high school athlete, hiding from an abusive father and loving his also abused mother. All these characters will come to terms with their pasts and, in getting to the point of healing, their lives will be intertwined. A book worth your time.
I started this book expecting humor and fluff. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Trampus and Kevin are married. Trampus renovates old houses and Kevin has to face his past and his broken friendship with an old high school friend. Boone and Jasmine are a newly married couple and Boone has to come face to face with the mistakes of his past. Nell is the town gossip, making up most of her stories. She also has to accept the past she pretends was perfect. And Jake, a high school athlete, hiding from an abusive father and loving his also abused mother. All these characters will come to terms with their pasts and, in getting to the point of healing, their lives will be intertwined. A book worth your time.
September 16, 2015
The story moves lickety-split from the first page. The characters are vibrant and reminiscent of people I know, and the plot kept me interested. Yes, I'm from Georgia, and I read it in part because nostalgia is added to the water around here, much like fluoride. I just had to, but I was not disappointed. I was captivated and gratified. Rose even managed to elicit sympathy for Nell--an embittered, widowed gossip who stirred the community up for her own entertainment. But then, Nell's story was also deeply layered in the silence that passes for secrecy in a small Georgia town.
I'd heard the book described as a Steel Magnolias type of story. However, beyond the fact that both narratives are generally Southern and follow the destinies of a close-knit community, I do not agree. Dogwood Blues is its own story, and I felt a closeness to each of the characters.
My only note of discord with the book was tied to personal preferences. There was a little too much emphasis on the Christian allusions, metaphors, similes, and references, which soured my enjoyment of the otherwise stellar plot. However, I grew up with that, and to a large extent, it's an accepted part of the subculture. Overall, I'd give it five stars, in any event. This was a fantastic first offering from Rose, and I look forward to seeing what else she has in store.
I'd heard the book described as a Steel Magnolias type of story. However, beyond the fact that both narratives are generally Southern and follow the destinies of a close-knit community, I do not agree. Dogwood Blues is its own story, and I felt a closeness to each of the characters.
My only note of discord with the book was tied to personal preferences. There was a little too much emphasis on the Christian allusions, metaphors, similes, and references, which soured my enjoyment of the otherwise stellar plot. However, I grew up with that, and to a large extent, it's an accepted part of the subculture. Overall, I'd give it five stars, in any event. This was a fantastic first offering from Rose, and I look forward to seeing what else she has in store.
May 23, 2015
I was honored to be asked to write a blurb for this book's cover. As a fellow Southern girl, I can say she hit the nail on the head. I like the complexity of the characters and their search for meaningful connection.
June 4, 2015
Captivating
Grabbed my attention from page one. The development of the characters was smooth and intriguing. Small town life and it's humor was spot on. I didn't want it to end.
Grabbed my attention from page one. The development of the characters was smooth and intriguing. Small town life and it's humor was spot on. I didn't want it to end.
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