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Lum
Lum has always been on the outside. At eight, she was diagnosed with what we now call an intersex condition and is told she can't expect to marry. Now, at thirty-three, she has no home of her own but is shuttled from one relative's house to another—valued for her skills, but never treated like a true member of the family. Everything is turned upside down, however, when the Blue Ridge Parkway is slated to come through her family’s farmland. As people take sides in the fight, the community begins to tear apart—culminating in an act of violence and subsequent betrayal by opponents of the new road. However, the Parkway brings opportunities as well as loss.
224 pages, Paperback
First published October 20, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
September 25, 2015
This goes against my nature, but I've seen other authors give themselves five stars.
July 25, 2016
I very much liked the main character, and was familiar with the times in which she lived. Now, I want to know Lum as an older woman. I want to know more about her life. I felt perhaps a little rushed, and then was left unfinished. There is so much more to this character than we're given, and I would love to see a sequel.
Want to read
December 6, 2015The story takes place mainly in 1933, in an area of the Appalachians which is beginning to experience changes wrought by the construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Lum (short for Columbia) is the main character. She presents as a woman in her 30s who is shuttled back and forth among the families of her siblings because she is 'different' (intersex, in fact) and not expected ever to marry. What sounds like a set-up for tragedy is instead a moving account of Lum's entry into selfhood. Lum is a wonderful character. Libby has written a terrific book.
September 21, 2017
Fantastic book! Libby Ware did an excellent job setting up the time period and creating a glimpse of life in the rural Blue Ridge Mountains area. The character of Lum was incredibly interesting, and the storyline moved forward at a balanced pace. This one's staying on my shelf so I can re-read it again and again.
August 27, 2015
Lum is a very thoughtful and provocative book about an unmarried woman dealing issues that are still relevant today. However, back in the 1930s, those “issues” will ostracize you from friends, family and your community. Further, Lum tells the story of a woman completely dependent who longs for a worthy and independent life. Plus, she is dealing with who she is.
The main emotion of this book is frustration. It seems character is feeling frustrated with their lot in life which is very appropriate for that time. Lum’s frustration, of course, rises above the rest. It was common during that time for unmarried women to remain with their families and be considered a “burden.” Lum is basically unpaid laborer for her family. She is at the very bottom of her family hierarchy even though she is hardworking and bright. In the end, it was Lum’s frustration that was able to free her.
Another emotion I felt was sadness. There was a prevailing layer of sadness throughout the book. Every time Lum played with her postcards of carnival performers (refuse to call them freaks), I felt a pang of sadness for her. Those postcards portrayed her only friends and their stories she created – her only escape. She seemed to be young and child-like when she played with her cards and not the grown woman she should be.
Finally, I felt strength. Lum’s evolution was amazing to see. Her strength to stand by people she respected no matter what they looked like was admirable and put her above others in her community. Her friendship with Mr. Shay, also, helped her evolve. He was such a surprise and made her life more her own and not her family’s. He let her me herself no matter what that meant. To me his character was a pure joy.
Lum is a wonderful story full of frustration, sadness and strength. It is a story that you will not be able to put down and you will be left wondering “what is Lum doing now?”
The main emotion of this book is frustration. It seems character is feeling frustrated with their lot in life which is very appropriate for that time. Lum’s frustration, of course, rises above the rest. It was common during that time for unmarried women to remain with their families and be considered a “burden.” Lum is basically unpaid laborer for her family. She is at the very bottom of her family hierarchy even though she is hardworking and bright. In the end, it was Lum’s frustration that was able to free her.
Another emotion I felt was sadness. There was a prevailing layer of sadness throughout the book. Every time Lum played with her postcards of carnival performers (refuse to call them freaks), I felt a pang of sadness for her. Those postcards portrayed her only friends and their stories she created – her only escape. She seemed to be young and child-like when she played with her cards and not the grown woman she should be.
Finally, I felt strength. Lum’s evolution was amazing to see. Her strength to stand by people she respected no matter what they looked like was admirable and put her above others in her community. Her friendship with Mr. Shay, also, helped her evolve. He was such a surprise and made her life more her own and not her family’s. He let her me herself no matter what that meant. To me his character was a pure joy.
Lum is a wonderful story full of frustration, sadness and strength. It is a story that you will not be able to put down and you will be left wondering “what is Lum doing now?”
June 4, 2016
This well-written novel tells the story of Lum (short for Columbia), an intersex woman born into a farm family in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the early part of the 20th century. A lot of research must’ve gone into this book, with its details about daily farm life, and yet it all feels very natural. The dialogue flows effortlessly, the unique syntax presented clearly and comfortably.
Most of the novel occurs in the 30s, at the time that the Blue Ridge Parkway is being built. This project has a dramatic effect on the community, pushing many farmers (including Lum’s family) off land that their families have farmed for generations. The novel does a good job of delineating the interactions between various parts of the community: the African Americans, the Melungeons, the road workers, the rich men who “own” the town, the church ladies. They’re all handled with a sense of authenticity.
There are also a lot of flashbacks to earlier parts of Lum’s life, in which she comes to terms with herself as different, neither male nor female. This is something she works hard to disguise. In her childhood, her brothers (and other neighborhood boys) persecute her, and her grandmother does as much as she can to protect her.
As an unmarried woman, Lum has no standing in her family, and none of her father’s land is bequeathed to her. Instead, in her thirties, she functions as an unpaid servant, following an assigned schedule of living with different relatives. In one of the most harrowing chapters, her niece gets angry at her and puts her out, and even in a community where she’s lived her whole life, she has nowhere to go.
Lum is mostly very humble and hard-working, but she is also smart and observant. Eventually, she finds some allies that help her improve her life. The ending, like the rest of the book, is gentle, well-paced and entirely believable.
Most of the novel occurs in the 30s, at the time that the Blue Ridge Parkway is being built. This project has a dramatic effect on the community, pushing many farmers (including Lum’s family) off land that their families have farmed for generations. The novel does a good job of delineating the interactions between various parts of the community: the African Americans, the Melungeons, the road workers, the rich men who “own” the town, the church ladies. They’re all handled with a sense of authenticity.
There are also a lot of flashbacks to earlier parts of Lum’s life, in which she comes to terms with herself as different, neither male nor female. This is something she works hard to disguise. In her childhood, her brothers (and other neighborhood boys) persecute her, and her grandmother does as much as she can to protect her.
As an unmarried woman, Lum has no standing in her family, and none of her father’s land is bequeathed to her. Instead, in her thirties, she functions as an unpaid servant, following an assigned schedule of living with different relatives. In one of the most harrowing chapters, her niece gets angry at her and puts her out, and even in a community where she’s lived her whole life, she has nowhere to go.
Lum is mostly very humble and hard-working, but she is also smart and observant. Eventually, she finds some allies that help her improve her life. The ending, like the rest of the book, is gentle, well-paced and entirely believable.
October 13, 2015
In "Lum" Libby Ware has woven a heartfelt tale to remind us that we are all different, but some are more different than others. Columbia (Lum), growing up during the depression in The Blue Ridge Mountains, is told at an early age she will never marry because she is born of both sexes. Holding the positive qualities of both she is shuttled back and forth between her family members and is a fascinating, courageous and lovable character that I will always remember. The beautiful Appalachian descriptions made me want to stomp on the fall leaves beside her.
July 27, 2017
Libby Ware’s masterful evocation of life in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the early years of the last century is exceeded only by the depth and poignancy with which she reveals the main character of this wonderful debut novel. Lum is different- and talented and wise, though mostly unappreciated by her controlling family. Fortunately for Lum, her life is redeemed in unexpected ways. Fortunately for the reader, Libby Ware has written a very fine novel.
July 4, 2016
Very engaging. The characters are excellent and the plot moves along wonderfully. Lum draws you in and you feel every bit of tension, frustration and exhilaration with her.
Full disclosure, I'm friends with the author, here on GoodReads and also in person! Hi Libby! I remember us chatting about Moby Dick over a holiday meal once... thanks for referencing my two favorite chapters!
Full disclosure, I'm friends with the author, here on GoodReads and also in person! Hi Libby! I remember us chatting about Moby Dick over a holiday meal once... thanks for referencing my two favorite chapters!
April 17, 2016
Actually almost a 4. Nicely written story of a young intersex woman in the Virginia Blue Ridge. The story alternates between Lum's childhood (starting in 1908) and her adulthood (1933) as she is shuttled between siblings and searching for her place in the world.
February 6, 2016
Lum, (Columbia), is intersex and finds her way in this West Virginia community, with a family that uses her and dumps work on her. She was different, but finds strength and becomes the one rational person with strength. Especially as she allows herself to dress as a man.
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October 9, 2015Libby Ware (B.A. '76)
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October 2, 2016I really enjoyed this book. I actually had trouble putting it down. Hope you enjoy it, too!
September 30, 2018
story of personal experience of woman to be displaced by devp of Blue Ridge Parkway. Intersex, poverty
January 17, 2022
The title of the book is the main character's name- Lum, short for Columbia. She is an intersex woman born in the early 1900's to a poor family in rural Virginia. At an early age Lum is examined by a doctor who tells her Granny (in front of Lum) that she should never marry due to her condition. Later, she is held down by a group of boys who pull down her underwear and mock her. As an adult she is often whispered about or taunted by the boys in her town. She is large, stocky, masculine, and has facial hair which she shaves regularly. She also has breasts and a menstrual cycle.
Lum, by her early thirties, has lived a life of servitude to her family after the death of her parents and her beloved Granny. She spends half the year helping her brother and his wife at the family farm, which only her two brothers inherited. The other half she lives at the home of close family friends, helping tend to the children, the cooking, and the cleaning.
It is 1933, and the government intends to build the Blue ridge Highway which will necessitate selling of the farms where Lum's brothers, and friends live.
As Lum's character unfolds in the story the reader gets to know her strength, and her loneliness. Kenny, a local man from a community of outcasts called Melungeons, is newly released from prison. He befriends Lum and ends up sleeping in a chair beside her bed one night. Lum awakens to the feeling of his foot lightly resting beneath her body. Human touch of that sort is not something Lum has ever known.
I expected this book to be more about Lum's sexuality, But Lum is more than the sum of her parts, as are all of us. Lum is a complex character, a woman who is trying to find her place in the world at large, and in the community in which she lives.
Lum is close friends with a black man, Smiley, whom she has known since childhood. Smiley is a dealer in used goods. He collects cards depicting circus sideshow freaks. Lum buys these cards from Smiley, and uses them in her private fantasy life.
When Smiley is accused of harming a local businessman there is real danger of his being lynched. Lum remembers seeing a man hanging after a lynching when she was a child. There is graphic detail of that man's mutilation by the white crowd. It was hard to read, but it is important the truth be told about the horrors whites have inflicted upon Blacks.
I appreciated the research the author did regarding medicinal herbs, which Lum uses regularly for various ailments, both hers, and the baby she helps tend. I also appreciated learning about the group of people called the Melungeons, and about the beginning of the Blue Ridge Highway.
What I most loved about this book was Lum herself. She exudes strength in her ability to live as an outcast yet still be kind and compassionate to others. Her loneliness and other-ness helped shape her. She does not indulge in self pity but works at finding her way to a life which works for her.
Lum, by her early thirties, has lived a life of servitude to her family after the death of her parents and her beloved Granny. She spends half the year helping her brother and his wife at the family farm, which only her two brothers inherited. The other half she lives at the home of close family friends, helping tend to the children, the cooking, and the cleaning.
It is 1933, and the government intends to build the Blue ridge Highway which will necessitate selling of the farms where Lum's brothers, and friends live.
As Lum's character unfolds in the story the reader gets to know her strength, and her loneliness. Kenny, a local man from a community of outcasts called Melungeons, is newly released from prison. He befriends Lum and ends up sleeping in a chair beside her bed one night. Lum awakens to the feeling of his foot lightly resting beneath her body. Human touch of that sort is not something Lum has ever known.
I expected this book to be more about Lum's sexuality, But Lum is more than the sum of her parts, as are all of us. Lum is a complex character, a woman who is trying to find her place in the world at large, and in the community in which she lives.
Lum is close friends with a black man, Smiley, whom she has known since childhood. Smiley is a dealer in used goods. He collects cards depicting circus sideshow freaks. Lum buys these cards from Smiley, and uses them in her private fantasy life.
When Smiley is accused of harming a local businessman there is real danger of his being lynched. Lum remembers seeing a man hanging after a lynching when she was a child. There is graphic detail of that man's mutilation by the white crowd. It was hard to read, but it is important the truth be told about the horrors whites have inflicted upon Blacks.
I appreciated the research the author did regarding medicinal herbs, which Lum uses regularly for various ailments, both hers, and the baby she helps tend. I also appreciated learning about the group of people called the Melungeons, and about the beginning of the Blue Ridge Highway.
What I most loved about this book was Lum herself. She exudes strength in her ability to live as an outcast yet still be kind and compassionate to others. Her loneliness and other-ness helped shape her. She does not indulge in self pity but works at finding her way to a life which works for her.
September 15, 2024
Lum isn't like the others in her mountain town in Virginia. She was born with a different body, one that could be male or female. Her mother told her she could never marry and the boys who knew bullied and teased her. As she grew up, she became the one in the family who cooked and cleaned. Now in her thirties, she spends her time moving from one relative's house to another, no place to call her own and always at someone else's beck and call.
But changes are about to come to the small town. The President is planning a scenic mountain route, the Blue Ridge Parkway. It will bring tourists with their money to the area and new jobs for the tourist trade. But to make the road, the government needs to buy land and it's coming through Lum and her brothers' family farm. The town splits into those supporting the plan and those opposing. Soon there is violence in the air and neighbor is set against neighbor.
Changes are coming to Lum as well. She is offered a job after spending time taking care of the town's banker when he is home sick for an extended time. That leads to him offering her a job in the tourist trade that would give her a home of her own and money she can count on. Can she leave the life she has always known for one with more freedom?
I loved this book. I grew up near the Blue Ridge Parkway and my family was one of the tourists who went there on Sunday drives for picnics and to see the leaves turn and the stunning mountain views. There were curvy mountain roads where you couldn't go over twenty or thirty and Mabry Mill with its buckwheat pancakes and chocolate milk. Ware has captured that mountain magic and created a character in Lum that the reader will fall in love with. This book is recommended for women's fiction readers.
But changes are about to come to the small town. The President is planning a scenic mountain route, the Blue Ridge Parkway. It will bring tourists with their money to the area and new jobs for the tourist trade. But to make the road, the government needs to buy land and it's coming through Lum and her brothers' family farm. The town splits into those supporting the plan and those opposing. Soon there is violence in the air and neighbor is set against neighbor.
Changes are coming to Lum as well. She is offered a job after spending time taking care of the town's banker when he is home sick for an extended time. That leads to him offering her a job in the tourist trade that would give her a home of her own and money she can count on. Can she leave the life she has always known for one with more freedom?
I loved this book. I grew up near the Blue Ridge Parkway and my family was one of the tourists who went there on Sunday drives for picnics and to see the leaves turn and the stunning mountain views. There were curvy mountain roads where you couldn't go over twenty or thirty and Mabry Mill with its buckwheat pancakes and chocolate milk. Ware has captured that mountain magic and created a character in Lum that the reader will fall in love with. This book is recommended for women's fiction readers.
February 7, 2018
Chapters are clearly marked as to the time the narrative takes place. We encounter Lum as an adult, as a child, follow her family though their assorted relationships, conflicts, suspicions and learn about their values and losses. Lum has both obligations and dreams, and her thoughts and affections introduce the social and racial prejudices in her Appalachian community. Despite its isolation, the area is home to people who are stratified and whose lives and appearances are described. Lum is discouraged from interacting with people outside her own social group. Poor white farm owners, a few business and professional people, isolated Melungeons and blacks, and eventually outsiders associated with a government project that will upend all their lives struggle to live in proximity to one another struggle with changes that, though likely to improve the situation for many, are treated with suspicion and resentment. The book is short, a compelling read, informative and both amusing and poignant.
July 6, 2024
For the first half of this novel, I thought I'd like this book. For most of the last half, I realized I loved it. There's emphasis on the importance of women's work and caregiving within a family and a community. Lum also provides a unique lens with which to view the time and place and goings-on, as she is intersex, occupying multiple roles at once. Yet, Lum does all of this with a smile and a loveable attitude. I also appreciated the nod to black and melungeon people in Central Appalachia, and the role each group played in forming the cultural landscape. From banjos to folk medicine to half our hillbilly jargon and accent, we owe much of it to poc influence.
Overall, I really liked this book. I loved Lum, the character, very much. My only gripe is I wish it had nailed the landing a little more neatly. Ultimately, I would give this book 4.5 stars if possible. It's a great read!
Overall, I really liked this book. I loved Lum, the character, very much. My only gripe is I wish it had nailed the landing a little more neatly. Ultimately, I would give this book 4.5 stars if possible. It's a great read!
December 7, 2025
Lum is a quiet, tender story that pulled me in more than I expected. Lum herself is such a memorable character someone who’s been pushed to the margins her whole life because of an intersex condition she didn’t choose. Ware writes her with so much compassion that I found myself rooting for her on every page.
What struck me most was how the coming of the Blue Ridge Parkway shakes up not just the land, but the people. Families turn against each other, loyalties crack, and the tension builds in a way that feels painfully real.
This isn’t a loud book, but it’s a meaningful one. It’s about belonging, resilience, and finding a place in a world that doesn’t always make room for you. I’m really glad I picked it up.
What struck me most was how the coming of the Blue Ridge Parkway shakes up not just the land, but the people. Families turn against each other, loyalties crack, and the tension builds in a way that feels painfully real.
This isn’t a loud book, but it’s a meaningful one. It’s about belonging, resilience, and finding a place in a world that doesn’t always make room for you. I’m really glad I picked it up.
July 6, 2017
Appalachian novel about an intersex child, Columbia, called Lum by her family. Treated as an outsider, even by her family who use her as a servant for the most part. Lum finds her own way when the events surrounding the development of the Blueridge Scenic Highway is begun and affects her community.
Well written and with great character development. I wanted more of Lum's fascination with and stories about the pictures from the "freak" shows of the time. I did find the ending a little to abrupt.
Well written and with great character development. I wanted more of Lum's fascination with and stories about the pictures from the "freak" shows of the time. I did find the ending a little to abrupt.
August 8, 2018
A heart-wrenching tale of a girl named Lum. She is moved from family member to family member but never treated like family, more like a burden that is barely tolerated. Used as free labor but always the outcast. It is a poignant tale of life in 1933 with prejudice.
I won an autographed copy of this book during a Goodreads giveaway. I am under no obligation to leave a review or rating and do so voluntarily. So that others may also enjoy this book, I am paying it forward by donating it to my local library.
I won an autographed copy of this book during a Goodreads giveaway. I am under no obligation to leave a review or rating and do so voluntarily. So that others may also enjoy this book, I am paying it forward by donating it to my local library.
March 12, 2019
Listened to this the whole way through on a drive from Tennessee to Ohio. An overall pleasant experience, but didn’t quite meet my high expectations. For being primarily about Lum, the book spends much of its time dwelling on the happenings/thoughts of others. It becomes clear that this deflection is intentional; it helps to fully tell the story of a marginal person who doesn’t quite know how to be or where she fits unless she uses her family as a reference point. Still, I wish I got as much of Lum’s interiority throughout as I did in the all-too-brief final act.
January 6, 2017
This book is a wonderful read, which gives an unusual and worthwhile slant on the lives of single women in a time and place we often don't read about in mainstream literature. Beautifully written and full of the language and imagery of the low-income southern mountains, Ware evokes her setting and the heartbreaking predicament of the "extra woman" with compassion and respect. No wonder it won a major award. Read it now.
May 5, 2024
This book was pretty good. It was a very interesting topic. However, I felt like there was unfulfilled potential. The main character grew and discovered her identity, but I was expecting something more. The book was still enjoyable, though! The development of the Blue Ridge Highway and following the themes of an intersex woman, racial discrimination, and freak shows in the 30s was a nice picture to paint. Read this book if any of that interests you.
June 2, 2019
Ware paints a vivid and compassionate portrait of Lum, who is an Other because of her differences. The Appalachian setting and Lum's complex, colorful family keep the reader rooting for Ware's big-hearted protagonist. The story is subtle and keeps reverberating long after the last page.
October 7, 2024
Beautifully written.
Lum is a beautifully written tale that quite a few people can relate to. Being different is hard but steeping out from under your family's thumb can seem impossible. I cheered for Lum the entire time.
Lum is a beautifully written tale that quite a few people can relate to. Being different is hard but steeping out from under your family's thumb can seem impossible. I cheered for Lum the entire time.
December 3, 2018
Three stars might be on the generous side. Just ok.
September 13, 2019
I really liked the book, but not so much the ending. It was one of those that did not end, but just stopped.
April 20, 2024
I enjoyed reading this (audiobook) but it felt unfinished or like the ending was written in a rush.
January 17, 2025
3.5 stars
Read this for a reading challenge, book with an intersex character. Really enjoyed this book. I just wish more of the characters were likeable.
Read this for a reading challenge, book with an intersex character. Really enjoyed this book. I just wish more of the characters were likeable.
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