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The Coal Tattoo
Life isn’t easy for twenty-two year old Easter and her teenage sister Anneth, who were left parentless as young children. While Easter, a devout Pentecostal, finds solace in the powerful music of her church, Anneth seeks comfort in the rougher edges of life found in dancing, drinking, and fast living. Easter believes in tradition and is intent on rearing her wild young sister properly, but it’s only a matter of time before a wedge is driven between them–and threatens to undo their bond forever. . . .
341 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
179 people are currently reading
3194 people want to read
About the author
Silas House
38 books1,572 followersSilas House is the nationally bestselling author of six novels--Clay's Quilt, 2001; A Parchment of Leaves, 2003; The Coal Tattoo, 2005; Eli the Good, 2009; Same Sun Here (co-authored with Neela Vaswani) 2012; Southernmost (2018), as well as a book of creative nonfiction, Something's Rising, co-authored with Jason Howard, 2009; and three plays.
His work frequently appears in The Atlantic, The New York Times, and Salon. He is former commentator for NPR's "All Things Considered". His writing has appeared in recently in Time, Ecotone, Oxford American, Garden and Gun, and many other publications.
House serves on the fiction faculty at the Spalding School of Writing and as the National Endowment for the Humanities Chair at Berea College.
As a music writer House has worked with artists such as Kacey Musgraves, Jason Isbell, Lee Ann Womack, Kris Kristofferson, Lucinda Williams, The Judds, Jim James, and many others.
House is the recipient of three honorary doctorates and is the winner of the Nautilus Award, an EB White Award, the Storylines Prize from the New York Public Library/NAV Foundation, the Appalachian Book of the Year, and many other honors.
His work frequently appears in The Atlantic, The New York Times, and Salon. He is former commentator for NPR's "All Things Considered". His writing has appeared in recently in Time, Ecotone, Oxford American, Garden and Gun, and many other publications.
House serves on the fiction faculty at the Spalding School of Writing and as the National Endowment for the Humanities Chair at Berea College.
As a music writer House has worked with artists such as Kacey Musgraves, Jason Isbell, Lee Ann Womack, Kris Kristofferson, Lucinda Williams, The Judds, Jim James, and many others.
House is the recipient of three honorary doctorates and is the winner of the Nautilus Award, an EB White Award, the Storylines Prize from the New York Public Library/NAV Foundation, the Appalachian Book of the Year, and many other honors.
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June 22, 2020
4.5 stars
“And then, one by one, the redbirds rose from the streaming ground and sailed away on quiet wings. When they were gone, the valley seemed impossibly silent, a silence only rocks knew.”
Silas House has written three novels about multiple generations of one family living in the coal mined mountains of Kentucky. The quote above is just one small example of his amazing writing. Before my thoughts on this novel, I thought it was important to say a little about the series as a whole. The books were not written in chronological order of the time portrayed and I read them out of order. It didn’t matter to me, because they are all beautifully written, with characters that will stay with me. While I believe that they can be read as standalone titles, each with its own merit, I definitely recommend all three. If you are inclined to read them, I would recommend starting with A Parchment of Leaves, my favorite of the three. If you are inclined to listen to audiobooks, this is one to listen to. The beautiful and impeccable narration by Kate Forbes is stunning. She took me to the heart of a Kentucky mountain and brought these characters to my heart. Clay's Quilt is the other title.
The Coal Tattoo, while at its core is the story of a family, trying to save each other and their land, their mountain, it’s also a reflection of the place and time - Kentucky mountains and coal mining in the 1960’s. Two sisters who are so very different, are so very much alike in how much they loved each other. Easter, the stalwart, responsible one , raising her younger sister, Anneth, the free spirited, if not wild one . Anneth has her “blue” times between her drinking and her men. Easter suffers a loss and becomes torn between her Pentecostal beliefs, her belief in God, feeling deserted by him. There are rifts between them, sometimes resentment, but their bond is strong. “Sisters don’t make up, El. They just go back to the way things were.” For these sisters “the way things were” is what it will always be for them, a way filled with love for each other no matter what, a way where the love they have for each other helps them save each other. I highly recommend all three novels, stories of the south, and land, and of family.
(I received a volume with excerpts from all three novels through Edelweiss, but this novel is one that I purchased and it is well worth it .)
“And then, one by one, the redbirds rose from the streaming ground and sailed away on quiet wings. When they were gone, the valley seemed impossibly silent, a silence only rocks knew.”
Silas House has written three novels about multiple generations of one family living in the coal mined mountains of Kentucky. The quote above is just one small example of his amazing writing. Before my thoughts on this novel, I thought it was important to say a little about the series as a whole. The books were not written in chronological order of the time portrayed and I read them out of order. It didn’t matter to me, because they are all beautifully written, with characters that will stay with me. While I believe that they can be read as standalone titles, each with its own merit, I definitely recommend all three. If you are inclined to read them, I would recommend starting with A Parchment of Leaves, my favorite of the three. If you are inclined to listen to audiobooks, this is one to listen to. The beautiful and impeccable narration by Kate Forbes is stunning. She took me to the heart of a Kentucky mountain and brought these characters to my heart. Clay's Quilt is the other title.
The Coal Tattoo, while at its core is the story of a family, trying to save each other and their land, their mountain, it’s also a reflection of the place and time - Kentucky mountains and coal mining in the 1960’s. Two sisters who are so very different, are so very much alike in how much they loved each other. Easter, the stalwart, responsible one , raising her younger sister, Anneth, the free spirited, if not wild one . Anneth has her “blue” times between her drinking and her men. Easter suffers a loss and becomes torn between her Pentecostal beliefs, her belief in God, feeling deserted by him. There are rifts between them, sometimes resentment, but their bond is strong. “Sisters don’t make up, El. They just go back to the way things were.” For these sisters “the way things were” is what it will always be for them, a way filled with love for each other no matter what, a way where the love they have for each other helps them save each other. I highly recommend all three novels, stories of the south, and land, and of family.
(I received a volume with excerpts from all three novels through Edelweiss, but this novel is one that I purchased and it is well worth it .)
October 19, 2018
”The old wood murmured as it settled into the night. Sometimes she thought the lumber of the house held ghosts. She imagined those creaks and moans were the whispers and sighs of the dead, even though she knew better.”
This is one of three books by Silas House about this multi-generational family. I began by reading his debut, Clay’s Quilt, and takes place in the 1970’s – 1990’s time frame. This story, The Coal Tattoo takes places in the 1950’s-1960’s. In between, House wrote A Parchment of Leaves which takes place during WWI, which I haven’t read yet, but am planning on reading it soon. Each story is linked to the other books, but can be read and enjoyed independent of reading the others.
Easter and Anneth, as well as their brother Gabe, become orphaned as this story begins, their father lost in a cave-in at the mines, and losing their mother to a suicide that cave-in, overcome by grief. Their two grandmothers, Serena and Vine end up raising them following their parents’ deaths. Serena’s family have been a part of this land for generations, and Vine, a Cherokee whose family land is now a mine. And then Vine dies when Anneth is only eleven, and Serena seems to fade away with Vine gone, and it isn’t long before Serena follows, leaving Easter to be the closest thing to a parent that Anneth had.
”The day Vine died, Anneth had decided to be as wild as possible; when Serena died, Easter had decided to walk through life like a whisper.”
Easter lives a fairly quiet and devout Pentecostal life as time passes, whereas Anneth is a bit of a wild child, whose passion for life extends first to a life that is anything but devout, unless a devotion to alcohol and men can be considered a religious pursuit.
”On New Year’s morning, the sky turned gray as the back of a tarnished spoon, gathered itself low and moaning over the mountains, and stayed that way for three months.”
A child lost, and eventually another child is added to this family, and life continues on, despite the heartbreaks, trials and tribulations of life in this coal mining community, a community filled with wonderfully flawed people who have a desperate need to save their community from being strip mined into oblivion.
February 7, 2021
This was a 3.5 star read for me, rounded up to 4. I thought Parchment of Leaves was a much better book, but then I thought Vine and Serena were better characters than the two sisters in this novel. Anneth was one of those women always making poor choices because she wanted fun and excitement, and her sister Easter was the settled, responsible one who just wanted home and family. The author portrayed the men in the story fairly, without making any of them all bad, but let us see what they were dealing with as well as the women. His nature descriptions were wonderful, and you could really feel the grief and desperation of the community when faced with the results of strip mining. Silas House knows and loves the area of Kentucky he writes about.
March 26, 2021
4.5 💃💃💃💃
More Appalachian rhapsody from Silas House.
I went back and revisited the characters and stories from A Parchment of Leaves and Clay's Quilt after finishing this one and appreciate the stories even more as a combined whole. They come together like those three strands of rope which create a stronger bond than when separate. They each work on their own but as a whole are braided together with beauty and complexity.
There is striking contrast here between two sisters struggling to hold onto their bonds of love for each other and their ancestral land and history.
The writing, as expected mirrored a luscious landscape painting throughout. The sadness in the pages is balanced with life affirming family values and devotion as they struggle through hard times and life’s often unfair circumstances. I appreciate a good story with tie-ins to environmental concerns (think Ron Rash) and I super appreciate stories that inspire me to turn to music that evokes the feelings I’m left with upon completion.
Although Parchment remains my favorite, this one was a very close second place in my affections.
More Appalachian rhapsody from Silas House.
I went back and revisited the characters and stories from A Parchment of Leaves and Clay's Quilt after finishing this one and appreciate the stories even more as a combined whole. They come together like those three strands of rope which create a stronger bond than when separate. They each work on their own but as a whole are braided together with beauty and complexity.
There is striking contrast here between two sisters struggling to hold onto their bonds of love for each other and their ancestral land and history.
The writing, as expected mirrored a luscious landscape painting throughout. The sadness in the pages is balanced with life affirming family values and devotion as they struggle through hard times and life’s often unfair circumstances. I appreciate a good story with tie-ins to environmental concerns (think Ron Rash) and I super appreciate stories that inspire me to turn to music that evokes the feelings I’m left with upon completion.
Although Parchment remains my favorite, this one was a very close second place in my affections.
January 31, 2021
"Their land was the most important thing they had besides one another. That loving the land was a given, not something one could choose, the same way you love your sister or brother even when you don't want to."
"The Coal Tattoo" is set in the hill country of Kentucky where the mining company helps put food on the table, but sacrifices the land and the men who fall victims to mining accidents. The Sizemore children were raised by their grandmothers after the death of their father in a mining accident and the suicide of their mother. When the grandmothers died, Easter took care of her younger teenage sister, Anneth.
Although they were very close, the temperaments of the two sisters were totally different. Easter was a deeply religious Pentecostal who lived a simple life, and desperately wanted to be a mother. Anneth was a wild beauty who loved dancing, smoking, drinking in bars, and flirting with men. She also had to cope with manic and depressive feelings. "The Coal Tattoo" shows the love between the two sisters which is strong, but often strained. Their shared love of the family land is a strong bond between them.
In addition to the characters, I enjoyed the sense of time and place in this story. Many of the characters were talented singers or musicians, and author Silas House often used music to set a 1960s vibe or show personality traits. A scene with Anneth wildly dancing to "Maybellene" in a tight red dress with all the men's eyes on her was an effective opening to the story. Although this book is part of a trilogy, it can be read as a stand-alone novel. Chronologically, it is a prequel to "Clay's Quilt."
"The Coal Tattoo" is set in the hill country of Kentucky where the mining company helps put food on the table, but sacrifices the land and the men who fall victims to mining accidents. The Sizemore children were raised by their grandmothers after the death of their father in a mining accident and the suicide of their mother. When the grandmothers died, Easter took care of her younger teenage sister, Anneth.
Although they were very close, the temperaments of the two sisters were totally different. Easter was a deeply religious Pentecostal who lived a simple life, and desperately wanted to be a mother. Anneth was a wild beauty who loved dancing, smoking, drinking in bars, and flirting with men. She also had to cope with manic and depressive feelings. "The Coal Tattoo" shows the love between the two sisters which is strong, but often strained. Their shared love of the family land is a strong bond between them.
In addition to the characters, I enjoyed the sense of time and place in this story. Many of the characters were talented singers or musicians, and author Silas House often used music to set a 1960s vibe or show personality traits. A scene with Anneth wildly dancing to "Maybellene" in a tight red dress with all the men's eyes on her was an effective opening to the story. Although this book is part of a trilogy, it can be read as a stand-alone novel. Chronologically, it is a prequel to "Clay's Quilt."
June 23, 2020
I have read three books by Silas House. Each is a stand-alone, but all three are about one family. If you wish to read them chronologically, read them in this order:
1. A Parchment of Leaves 5 stars
2. The Coal Tattoo 3 stars
3. Clay's Quilt 3 stars
My personal ratings are indicated beside each.
The first book is set at the time of the First World War and is about the maternal grandmother of the two sisters about whom this, the second book, is written. The time span between the first and the second book is large. The second and the third book follow closely one after the other, the second in the 1950s and 1960s and the third in the 1970s and 1980s. With the latter two I think it is important to read them in chronological order, which I did not do.
They are stand-alones in that each has a different theme, even if all are about life in the South. The landscape, the hollers, creeks and valleys, how people talk, communicate and relate to one another, a common life-style, shared beliefs, traditions and religious leanings. In all three the writing sparkles. It is how the author expresses himself that keeps pulling me back to read more of his books. My advice? Start with A Parchment of Leaves, and if the writing there does little for you, you need go no further. That is by far my favorite. Except…… some people love series and love learning more and more about a particular group of people. I don’t. I get bored. Maybe others will love all three equally.
This book is about two sisters, Anneth and Easter. Anneth is seventeen and Easter twenty-two when the book starts. They are orphans, but they do have each other. Only five years separate them in years, but in temperament they are opposites. It is their bond and who they are that is the central theme of the book. What is so superbly drawn is this very bond, as well as the emotional struggle it entails. They are both reacting to shared family circumstances and yet each chooses a completely different path. The reader understands and empathizes with both. There are not that many authors that can pull such a feat off, getting readers to emotionally connect to completely different characters. Well, I did.
And the rest of the story? Well, as it is set in the 60s and in the South, honky-tonks, country and rock ’n’ roll music, clairvoyance, the hippy movement, the Vietnam War and Pentecostal traditions are all part of the picture. Coal mining and the shift to and evils of strip mining play in too. The story is set in the coal-rich lands of eastern Kentucky where they live. But tell me, how many books are about the 60s? Yeah, many! The theme of the 60s is tried and done and worn out. What we are given here is not bad, but neither is it new. It’s less imaginative, less creative than the one-of-a-kind relationship between the two sisters. That is special and drawn with depth.
The audiobook narration of the first two books is read by Kate Forbes. I adore her Southern dialect. Capturing the feeling of the South is central. Don’t even for a minute consider another reader. The author’s lines deserve such a narrator.
Go check out my other reviews to see the prizes this author has won for his gorgeous prose.
1. A Parchment of Leaves 5 stars
2. The Coal Tattoo 3 stars
3. Clay's Quilt 3 stars
My personal ratings are indicated beside each.
The first book is set at the time of the First World War and is about the maternal grandmother of the two sisters about whom this, the second book, is written. The time span between the first and the second book is large. The second and the third book follow closely one after the other, the second in the 1950s and 1960s and the third in the 1970s and 1980s. With the latter two I think it is important to read them in chronological order, which I did not do.
They are stand-alones in that each has a different theme, even if all are about life in the South. The landscape, the hollers, creeks and valleys, how people talk, communicate and relate to one another, a common life-style, shared beliefs, traditions and religious leanings. In all three the writing sparkles. It is how the author expresses himself that keeps pulling me back to read more of his books. My advice? Start with A Parchment of Leaves, and if the writing there does little for you, you need go no further. That is by far my favorite. Except…… some people love series and love learning more and more about a particular group of people. I don’t. I get bored. Maybe others will love all three equally.
This book is about two sisters, Anneth and Easter. Anneth is seventeen and Easter twenty-two when the book starts. They are orphans, but they do have each other. Only five years separate them in years, but in temperament they are opposites. It is their bond and who they are that is the central theme of the book. What is so superbly drawn is this very bond, as well as the emotional struggle it entails. They are both reacting to shared family circumstances and yet each chooses a completely different path. The reader understands and empathizes with both. There are not that many authors that can pull such a feat off, getting readers to emotionally connect to completely different characters. Well, I did.
And the rest of the story? Well, as it is set in the 60s and in the South, honky-tonks, country and rock ’n’ roll music, clairvoyance, the hippy movement, the Vietnam War and Pentecostal traditions are all part of the picture. Coal mining and the shift to and evils of strip mining play in too. The story is set in the coal-rich lands of eastern Kentucky where they live. But tell me, how many books are about the 60s? Yeah, many! The theme of the 60s is tried and done and worn out. What we are given here is not bad, but neither is it new. It’s less imaginative, less creative than the one-of-a-kind relationship between the two sisters. That is special and drawn with depth.
The audiobook narration of the first two books is read by Kate Forbes. I adore her Southern dialect. Capturing the feeling of the South is central. Don’t even for a minute consider another reader. The author’s lines deserve such a narrator.
Go check out my other reviews to see the prizes this author has won for his gorgeous prose.
January 23, 2013
Easter and Anneth are sisters who are different from one another. Easter is a very proper and God fearing young lady. Anneth is the opposite, she loves to go out drinking and dancing and generally getting into trouble. Easter being the older of the two tries her best to keep Anneth under control, but it ain't easy.
The two lose their parents as young children and are raised by their grandparents. But the two end up alone while still very young after losing their last surviving grandmother. Yet they stay on their ancestral land alone despite their young age.
The Coal Tattoo is set in the 1960's and covers all that time period has to offer, from the Vietnam war to Eastern Kentucky's battle with strip mining, and how Easter and Anneth fight this issue personally with their own land.
This was a 3.5 star book for me and I enjoyed it. If you like this time period, and location you will enjoy it too.
The two lose their parents as young children and are raised by their grandparents. But the two end up alone while still very young after losing their last surviving grandmother. Yet they stay on their ancestral land alone despite their young age.
The Coal Tattoo is set in the 1960's and covers all that time period has to offer, from the Vietnam war to Eastern Kentucky's battle with strip mining, and how Easter and Anneth fight this issue personally with their own land.
This was a 3.5 star book for me and I enjoyed it. If you like this time period, and location you will enjoy it too.
July 11, 2021
3.5 rounded down.
The second of three Silas House novels set in the coal mining hills of Kentucky, following a multi-generational family. Having read A Parchment of Leaves, which I enjoyed, I was curious about what would follow.
This was an audio book, and the narration added to the sense of being immersed in the south with its unique manner of speaking, accent, and descriptions of nature and way of life. House creates a strong sense of atmosphere in the sparsely populated hollers, the local honky-tonks, the charismatic churches that are fixtures in small towns, and the humble homes inhabited by locals eking out a living.
The story focuses on two sisters, polar opposites in temperament and character, as they find their way in the adult world. It's a story about love, loss, misunderstandings, struggles with self-worth and mental health, struggles with faith, and the shifting sands of changing relationships. Woven through the background of this sisterly bond is a strip mining threat to the land they love.
Silas House is a skilled writer, and I appreciate his knack for nailing a setting and a tone. I think I found this one less enjoyable than A Parchment of Leaves because Parchment seemed more multi-faceted and layered to me, with characters that seemed more nuanced. Still, a decent story and a good listen, just didn't offer some of what I most enjoy in a story to receive more stars. For me, 3.5 stars is still a positive rating.
The second of three Silas House novels set in the coal mining hills of Kentucky, following a multi-generational family. Having read A Parchment of Leaves, which I enjoyed, I was curious about what would follow.
This was an audio book, and the narration added to the sense of being immersed in the south with its unique manner of speaking, accent, and descriptions of nature and way of life. House creates a strong sense of atmosphere in the sparsely populated hollers, the local honky-tonks, the charismatic churches that are fixtures in small towns, and the humble homes inhabited by locals eking out a living.
The story focuses on two sisters, polar opposites in temperament and character, as they find their way in the adult world. It's a story about love, loss, misunderstandings, struggles with self-worth and mental health, struggles with faith, and the shifting sands of changing relationships. Woven through the background of this sisterly bond is a strip mining threat to the land they love.
Silas House is a skilled writer, and I appreciate his knack for nailing a setting and a tone. I think I found this one less enjoyable than A Parchment of Leaves because Parchment seemed more multi-faceted and layered to me, with characters that seemed more nuanced. Still, a decent story and a good listen, just didn't offer some of what I most enjoy in a story to receive more stars. For me, 3.5 stars is still a positive rating.
February 23, 2021
I absolutely loved A Parchment of Leaves, so I went into this novel with great expectations. I was disappointed. It was not a bad novel, but there were flaws and I had some difficulty connecting with the two main characters. I have sisters, five of them, and I have had just about every kind of sisterly relationship you can have, I did not find theirs believable.
The end of the novel saved it to some extent, because it became about something more than this strange relationship between these women. But, that was quite late in coming. I did not, right up to the last page, understand what drove Anneth. Little that she did made a bit of sense to me.
I had really looked forward to this novel and will still read his third, Clay's Quilt. I hope it will at least fall between this one and the 5-star novel I began this series with.
For those who loved this novel, and many did, I am happy it worked for you in ways it did not work for me. I gave a lot of thought to how I was left feeling at the end and realized a large portion of the novel was almost DNF material for me and it was only saved by the last quarter. Can’t win them all.
The end of the novel saved it to some extent, because it became about something more than this strange relationship between these women. But, that was quite late in coming. I did not, right up to the last page, understand what drove Anneth. Little that she did made a bit of sense to me.
I had really looked forward to this novel and will still read his third, Clay's Quilt. I hope it will at least fall between this one and the 5-star novel I began this series with.
For those who loved this novel, and many did, I am happy it worked for you in ways it did not work for me. I gave a lot of thought to how I was left feeling at the end and realized a large portion of the novel was almost DNF material for me and it was only saved by the last quarter. Can’t win them all.
May 20, 2012
Definitely not as strong as A Parchment of Leaves. I just could not get into this book. I couldn't stand the two main characters, Easter and Anneth. They lacked the strength and depth of Vine and Esme in the previous story. Both of them were just so flat and frustrating. I guess I'm a little biased because I can't stand reading books set in the 60's, but I thought I would still give this one a chance hoping it would be as good as A Parchment of Leaves. Definitely not though. By the end, I was incredibly bored with the story and just wanted to get through it.
The one thing that was really good about the book was the description of Easter's grief and loss of faith. In fact, that emotional depiction kind of jolted me through the remainder of the novel, but one beautifully written scene does not a novel make, and my will to read quickly sputtered out again. I barely finished this.
The one thing that was really good about the book was the description of Easter's grief and loss of faith. In fact, that emotional depiction kind of jolted me through the remainder of the novel, but one beautifully written scene does not a novel make, and my will to read quickly sputtered out again. I barely finished this.
October 19, 2020
Silas House is a gifted storyteller. He is especially talented in writing the female voice. Easter and Anneth were sisters bonded through their love of each other and the land they grew up on. It was a pleasure to read.
February 8, 2021
Silas House’s trio of novels set in the mountains of Kentucky where coal mining is the way of life and family and faith drive people’s opinions paint a beautiful picture of the place he knows so well. He has created a portrait of a family connecting their stories across three different eras. In The Coal Tattoo sisters, Easter and Anneth Sizemore couldn’t have been more different but they shared a bond of sisterly love that transcended any hardship or difficulty and there were many. Responsible, sensible Easter did all she could to keep her wild, spontaneous sister in check. But, Anneth did what she wanted without a thought to the consequences. Easter was rooted in her Pentecostal church and music and valued the idea of having a family of her own. Anneth was too focused on going dancing and drinking in the honky-tonks and finding her own love.
While the sisters’ paths diverge throughout, the one thing that keeps them grounded to each other is the land and the place they call home. When the mining company threatens their beloved family land, they come together as a force to be reckoned with.
The meaning of a coal tattoo is a “faint little hint of blue” often left beneath the skin of a miner who has survived a mine collapse. Some people see it as a sign of survival but some believe it is a mark of sacrifice.
Silas House wrote this as a stand alone novel but the other two, A Parchment of Leavesand Clay's Quilt, provide even more depth to the story of this family. I didn’t read them in order, which isn’t necessary but I do wish I had. Parchment of Leaves remains my favorite.
While the sisters’ paths diverge throughout, the one thing that keeps them grounded to each other is the land and the place they call home. When the mining company threatens their beloved family land, they come together as a force to be reckoned with.
The meaning of a coal tattoo is a “faint little hint of blue” often left beneath the skin of a miner who has survived a mine collapse. Some people see it as a sign of survival but some believe it is a mark of sacrifice.
Silas House wrote this as a stand alone novel but the other two, A Parchment of Leavesand Clay's Quilt, provide even more depth to the story of this family. I didn’t read them in order, which isn’t necessary but I do wish I had. Parchment of Leaves remains my favorite.
July 17, 2015
This was another great book by the amazingly talented Silas House. It is the story of two sisters who lived in eastern Kentucky; one was as wild as could be while the other was very sensible and church-going. The story is about the people and culture of the eastern mountains. The bond of sisterhood and love they shared helped them throughout the trials of their lives. I was excited to find characters in this book from two of House's other books, A Parchment of Leaves and Clay's Quilt. I don't think the books were meant to be a series, because they were written at different times and not in the correct order, but they are about the same family. Each book is wonderful and they are all stand-alone novels. You wouldn't know by reading one, that you are missing out on anything. If you intend on reading them all then read A Parchment of Leaves, The Coal Tattoo and then Clay's Quilt in that order.
June 5, 2010
More overwrought Southern Appalachian chick lit from my book discussion group. I plowed through this one in a few days because I didn't want to read it, but as the book group leader I'm compelled to.
While the writing style was evocative and creative, too often the characters and storyline simply left me rolling my eyes. Here we have yet another set of women who are searching for life and fulfillment, which always boils down to a good man and a bayybee. Oh, for Pete's sake.
I'm sure I'm not the only reader who wondered at the ending, which drops off suddenly, almost as if the author was simply tired of writing.
This novel would have been much better had it focused on the families' battle against strip mining in the mountains (a storyline that meandered in the background), rather than the characters' predictable relationship issues.
While the writing style was evocative and creative, too often the characters and storyline simply left me rolling my eyes. Here we have yet another set of women who are searching for life and fulfillment, which always boils down to a good man and a bayybee. Oh, for Pete's sake.
I'm sure I'm not the only reader who wondered at the ending, which drops off suddenly, almost as if the author was simply tired of writing.
This novel would have been much better had it focused on the families' battle against strip mining in the mountains (a storyline that meandered in the background), rather than the characters' predictable relationship issues.
February 9, 2021
I really enjoyed this lyrical story about the special relationship between orphaned sisters Easter and Anneth who live on their beloved inherited Kentucky land. It’s a spare life and many have lost loved ones to the coal mines, but their love of the land and family gives them strength to carry on. I’ve ordered the other two Companion books in this series: A Parchment of Leaves ( House’s most acclaimed book) and Clay’s Quilt.
4.5 stars- read for On The Southern Literary Trail 1/21
4.5 stars- read for On The Southern Literary Trail 1/21
September 28, 2018
I know I’m late in coming to these Silas House novels, but wow are they gorgeous.
January 4, 2010
I will admit I didn't know I was in the middle till i was done, and to make it worse it was the last book written, and apparently the Author didn't know they would work together till this story came about, but now I will read with more than I wanted when I get to the other stories. What is it about me and connect the dots books.
The Coal Tattoo by Silas House was a lovely story. it was a drama with evil corporate being defeated by the little guy (or gals). It was strong women facing life head on, making mistakes etc. I was a little put off by the "female intuition" card which coming from a man just seems a little hackney. I liked the characters that don't seem to feel comfortable in the own skin and keep making mistakes while they try and sort it out. I think it is odd that I read half the book before i got it straight where they were I some how had read the name as Fern Creek when it was Free Creek. I was so very frustrated with Anneth at the end, she betrays the only one she loves as some sort of justification that she was doing for him. She believes fate is more desirous of her being unhappy than reality acting as it does. She makes herself purposefully unhappy to thwart a bad situation. I of course really want to read Clay's Quilt to see if she was right or it worked or however it works out. I just think that it will be sad how ever it works. These stories are not happy ones. they show hard times and pain and how folks grow out of it.
I loved Easter's sense of happiness with her circumstances. She see so many folks who want more, more more and they are pained over it. She is content with her garden and her "small" life. She has made peace with her one true sacrifice and moved on instead of being bitter. She is at times frustrated with her sister, but nothing more than one expects.
I like the family is family and we care for them attitude, even though it is painful.
The Coal Tattoo by Silas House was a lovely story. it was a drama with evil corporate being defeated by the little guy (or gals). It was strong women facing life head on, making mistakes etc. I was a little put off by the "female intuition" card which coming from a man just seems a little hackney. I liked the characters that don't seem to feel comfortable in the own skin and keep making mistakes while they try and sort it out. I think it is odd that I read half the book before i got it straight where they were I some how had read the name as Fern Creek when it was Free Creek. I was so very frustrated with Anneth at the end, she betrays the only one she loves as some sort of justification that she was doing for him. She believes fate is more desirous of her being unhappy than reality acting as it does. She makes herself purposefully unhappy to thwart a bad situation. I of course really want to read Clay's Quilt to see if she was right or it worked or however it works out. I just think that it will be sad how ever it works. These stories are not happy ones. they show hard times and pain and how folks grow out of it.
I loved Easter's sense of happiness with her circumstances. She see so many folks who want more, more more and they are pained over it. She is content with her garden and her "small" life. She has made peace with her one true sacrifice and moved on instead of being bitter. She is at times frustrated with her sister, but nothing more than one expects.
I like the family is family and we care for them attitude, even though it is painful.
April 11, 2020
The love that Silas House has for Kentucky and Tennessee and its people is evident in the care he takes in crafting beautifully written novels about people that can be easily written off as dumb hillbillies by the outside world.
“Sisters don’t make up, El. They just go back to the way things were.”
The Coal Tattoo focused on two sisters in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky beginning at a time when coal was king and the music that made Nashville famous was coming out of the mountains of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia.
“I don’t believe I could live if you didn’t believe, though, Easter. I couldn’t make it without knowing you were always praying for me, always watching over me.”
Creating life-like, authentic characters is a challenge. House ups the ante by focusing on two generations of females with strong family bonds. The relationship between sisters is hard to explain and capture. House does an outstanding job of creating authentic, relatable and believable female relationships
“She could walk around like a whisper and no one would ever know the difference. People walked around dead all the time, going through the motions of life without really being there at all.”
The themes in this novel are love of family, love of the land, the connection to home, depression, corporate greed, conservation and religion. All are presented in a natural flow that fleshes out his fully realized characters and the world around them. House uses his love and knowledge of music to create time markers and create moods throughout the novel.
“- that their land was the most important thing they had besides one another. That loving the land was a given, not something one could choose, the same way you love your sister or brother even when you don’t want to.”
“Sisters don’t make up, El. They just go back to the way things were.”
The Coal Tattoo focused on two sisters in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky beginning at a time when coal was king and the music that made Nashville famous was coming out of the mountains of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia.
“I don’t believe I could live if you didn’t believe, though, Easter. I couldn’t make it without knowing you were always praying for me, always watching over me.”
Creating life-like, authentic characters is a challenge. House ups the ante by focusing on two generations of females with strong family bonds. The relationship between sisters is hard to explain and capture. House does an outstanding job of creating authentic, relatable and believable female relationships
“She could walk around like a whisper and no one would ever know the difference. People walked around dead all the time, going through the motions of life without really being there at all.”
The themes in this novel are love of family, love of the land, the connection to home, depression, corporate greed, conservation and religion. All are presented in a natural flow that fleshes out his fully realized characters and the world around them. House uses his love and knowledge of music to create time markers and create moods throughout the novel.
“- that their land was the most important thing they had besides one another. That loving the land was a given, not something one could choose, the same way you love your sister or brother even when you don’t want to.”
September 7, 2024
“‘We’ll raise him together, Anneth,’ she said. ‘That’s the way we’ve always done things.’”
really beautiful story of sisterhood interwoven with the beauty/power/knowledge/heritage/omnipotence of the Appalachian mountains. Read half of it and listened to the other half while working in said mountains— driving through the land I was listening to stories about really added to this books impact for me.
really beautiful story of sisterhood interwoven with the beauty/power/knowledge/heritage/omnipotence of the Appalachian mountains. Read half of it and listened to the other half while working in said mountains— driving through the land I was listening to stories about really added to this books impact for me.
May 26, 2019
There is no better writer than Silas House. His writing is extraordinary. He can write characters, storylines and settings that are truly masterful. House also adds themes and commentary effortlessly and does it all without being heavy-handed.
I'd read his first three books in the order published.
I'd read his first three books in the order published.
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September 21, 2020I love Silas's fiction. It brings me close to the people of Apalachia. We're grateful to have him at work telling these stories.
February 8, 2021
I enjoyed the book very much, so much that I have already reserved the sequel to this book at my local library and plan to read the third book in the trilogy after the next book. I read the book on Hoopla and was able to highlight several areas I thought were worth remembering. We’ll see if I have access to those highlights after the book is returned.
May 31, 2012
A beautiful story of the bonds that bind us to family and the land we grow up on. Silas House's writing possesses a quality that makes it lyrical and raw, and the story is realistic - My favorite passages are included below:
"She didn't feel an empty place inside herself because she had barely ventured out of these hills. She, did, however, feel funny because she not share these desires that the rest of the world seemed to have. She had never studied movie magazines and wished to be an actress, had never envied people on television. The rest of the world was what was messed up, coveting everything they laid their eyes upon" (192).
"She thought about the people who drove through Crow County or flew by on the new highway without ever realizing there was a whole town beyond the mountains on either side of them. If they saw this place, if they drove through Free Creek and saw her house with her and El sitting on the porch while she broke beans and he drank his beer, she knew what they would think. They would consider these people on the porch and wonder how they stood living such little lives, stuck in a small town where nothing ever happened. A place where stores closed up at dusk and nobody famous ever came to speak or sing at a concert hall. A place where nobody important in their eyes had ever been born or lived. They would feel sorry for the people on the porch and the smallness of their existences and be thankful that they themselves live in a place where there were fancy restaurants and tall buildings and jobs that you had to get dressed up for. But her life did not feel little at all to her. All she had ever wanted was the peace of a live well lived, a good man, and the knowledge that her family was safe. Those were big things" (192).
"Now, sitting here on the beach she had always wanted to see, she watched the waves roll in and felt nothing but an overwhelming sorrow. Everything made her sad, this vast ocean with its power and glory, the water going on and on until you couldn't even tell where the ocean ended and the sky began. The flight of gulls above her, the relentless wind and the white sand and seashells. She didn't think she could stand living in a world where everyone didn't pay attention to these things. Maybe that was the reason for her grief" (211).
"She didn't feel an empty place inside herself because she had barely ventured out of these hills. She, did, however, feel funny because she not share these desires that the rest of the world seemed to have. She had never studied movie magazines and wished to be an actress, had never envied people on television. The rest of the world was what was messed up, coveting everything they laid their eyes upon" (192).
"She thought about the people who drove through Crow County or flew by on the new highway without ever realizing there was a whole town beyond the mountains on either side of them. If they saw this place, if they drove through Free Creek and saw her house with her and El sitting on the porch while she broke beans and he drank his beer, she knew what they would think. They would consider these people on the porch and wonder how they stood living such little lives, stuck in a small town where nothing ever happened. A place where stores closed up at dusk and nobody famous ever came to speak or sing at a concert hall. A place where nobody important in their eyes had ever been born or lived. They would feel sorry for the people on the porch and the smallness of their existences and be thankful that they themselves live in a place where there were fancy restaurants and tall buildings and jobs that you had to get dressed up for. But her life did not feel little at all to her. All she had ever wanted was the peace of a live well lived, a good man, and the knowledge that her family was safe. Those were big things" (192).
"Now, sitting here on the beach she had always wanted to see, she watched the waves roll in and felt nothing but an overwhelming sorrow. Everything made her sad, this vast ocean with its power and glory, the water going on and on until you couldn't even tell where the ocean ended and the sky began. The flight of gulls above her, the relentless wind and the white sand and seashells. She didn't think she could stand living in a world where everyone didn't pay attention to these things. Maybe that was the reason for her grief" (211).
March 14, 2023
The second book in the trilogy timeline wise. But the third book written by Silas House. I love the writing . As I mentioned in my review of Parchment of Leaves, he really is a writer for the senses- time, Place , smells, emotions. It’s all there. This novel centers on the relationships of two sisters who are total opposites of most everything- except the one thing that binds them- the love of their land and their family. This stArts out in the late 40s or 50s and ends in the late 60s. Music and dancing also plays a part of this book and really makes the story come even more alive. This author is quickly becoming a favorite as he writes with just the right amount of emotion and flaws of the human spirit with love woven in to keep it all together . Can’t wait to read Clay’s Quilt!
April 19, 2013
A poignant, texturally rich, gritty with the feel of Appalachia, humid, real, and just plain great story. I was rooting for the characters from the first scene. "Anneth was dancing . . . and it was like seeing joy made into a human form that could travel across the dance floor." Excellent. Silas House plunges you into the world of wild-girl Easter and her straight-laced big sister Easter, twisting you along a narrative ride that never grows dull and leads to unlikely places. You'll be glad there are two other books in tandem with this story, Clay's Quilt and A Parchment of Leaves. As Silas House unravels the incredible family history of these two sisters, you find yourself drooling for a glimpse of their grandmothers and grandchildren. Wonderful.
January 23, 2014
A fun read, none too serious and not as good as my first Silas House read, Parchment of Leaves. It took about a quarter way in to really pick up for me. There were some poignant parts which got me to thinking and reminiscing about my own family's Appalachian roots in Kentucky. I also got a real hankering for buttermilk biscuits which only occurs when the author brings a southern story to life for me. I enjoyed the chance to think back on my father's stories of his Kentucky upbringing, of coal mining, tobacco farming and his making moonshine when he was a youngster.
May 23, 2011
Silas House is the best author I have ever read. Especially when it comes to Appalachian fiction. His books make me homesick for where I grew up. When reading his books I can picture myself in the story and I get so involved in the lives of the characters that I never want the books to end. I suggest this book to anyone even if they aren't from Appalachia.
February 19, 2013
A must read for Kentuckians-- rich local color, poetic figurative language that captures the heart of a people bound by mountains and hard-scrabble life and their love of land. I first read this book several years ago, along with the others in the series--Clay's Quilt and Parchment of Leaves--- but loved rereading this one for my book club.
July 23, 2018
The more I read Silas House, the more I seem to float into a neverending story. His love for the region and its people is palatable. Depth of characters not unlike the hollows of the mountains; full of shadow and music.
May 21, 2009
The author didn't stretch too much to create the main characters - sisters who are opposites.
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