What do you think?
Rate this book
Holding On to Nothing
Lucy Kilgore has her bags packed for her escape from her rural Tennessee upbringing, but a drunken mistake forever tethers her to the town and one of its least-admired residents, Jeptha Taylor, who becomes the father of her child. Together, these two young people work to form a family, though neither has any idea how to accomplish that, and the odds are against them in a place with little to offer other than tobacco fields, a bluegrass bar, and a Walmart full of beer and firearms for the hunting season. Their path is harrowing, but Lucy and Jeptha are characters to love, and readers will root for their success in a novel so riveting that no one will want to turn out the light until they know whether this family will survive.
In luminous prose, debut novelist Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne brings us a present-day Appalachian story in the tradition of Lee Smith, Silas House, and Wiley Cash, cast without sentiment or cliché, but with a genuine and profound understanding of the place and its people.
In luminous prose, debut novelist Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne brings us a present-day Appalachian story in the tradition of Lee Smith, Silas House, and Wiley Cash, cast without sentiment or cliché, but with a genuine and profound understanding of the place and its people.
262 pages, Hardcover
First published October 22, 2019
151 people are currently reading
7531 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne
3 books118 followersElizabeth Chiles Shelburne grew up reading, writing, and shooting in East Tennessee, with two brothers and one sister, and a wide assortment of animals who ran away often. After graduating from Amherst College, she worked as an editor at The Atlantic Monthly, fact-checking stories on topics such as rocket science, the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, and autism. After The Atlantic, she worked as a journalist, writing stories about public health, patient-led disease research organizations, drug-resistant tuberculosis in South Africa, and U.S. efforts at HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention in Uganda and Kenya. Her journalism has appeared in The Atlantic, Boston Globe, Boston Magazine and Globalpost, among others. Her essay, “Killing In The Name Of...,” about how deer hunting made her a feminist, was published in Click!: When We Knew We Were Feminists, edited by J. Courtney Sullivan and Courtney E. Martin. She is a graduate of Grub Street’s MFA-level Novel Incubator program, under Michelle Hoover and Lisa Borders, where Holding On To Nothing was workshopped. Her short fiction has appeared on the Highly Commended List for the Manchester Fiction Prize and was a finalist for the Rash Award at the Broad River Review, where her story, “Any Other Kind” appears in the spring 2019 issue. She lives in Cambridge, MA with her husband and four kids aged eight and under, any one of whom will be the death of her, depending on the day.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 185 reviews
September 21, 2019
Small Appalachian Town Setting ✔️
Dog named Crystal Gayle ✔️✔️
Doomed Love Story ✔️
More Dolly Parton references than you can shake a stick at ✔️✔️
Pour yourself a Jack and coke, dust off your Jolene and Little Sparrow albums and curl up with a hound dog to set the mood for this incredible debut. If you like southern fiction, you need this book. Right. Now. Go ahead. Press that order button. I'll wait.
I devoured this story in one sitting and experienced every emotion under the sun while reading it. I could hear the haunting sound of Jeptha’s mandolin and smell the liquor and the smoke while Lucy worked herself to the bone at the local bar - saving everything she made with the hopes of eventually getting out of that small town. I could see the heartache on Jeptha's face as he struggled to overcome a reputation he didn't deserve and I just ached for both he and Lucy as their lives played out on the pages. I went in to this book blind and was completely blown away by this author's talent, her complex and flawed characters, and her authentic and compassionate look at living with someone who is trying to overcome addiction. This author has my full attention and I am going to need more stories from her ASAP, please and thank you. Huge thanks to Blair Publishing for sending an arc to me in exchange for my honest review. It was heart crushingly beautiful.
Dog named Crystal Gayle ✔️✔️
Doomed Love Story ✔️
More Dolly Parton references than you can shake a stick at ✔️✔️
Pour yourself a Jack and coke, dust off your Jolene and Little Sparrow albums and curl up with a hound dog to set the mood for this incredible debut. If you like southern fiction, you need this book. Right. Now. Go ahead. Press that order button. I'll wait.
I devoured this story in one sitting and experienced every emotion under the sun while reading it. I could hear the haunting sound of Jeptha’s mandolin and smell the liquor and the smoke while Lucy worked herself to the bone at the local bar - saving everything she made with the hopes of eventually getting out of that small town. I could see the heartache on Jeptha's face as he struggled to overcome a reputation he didn't deserve and I just ached for both he and Lucy as their lives played out on the pages. I went in to this book blind and was completely blown away by this author's talent, her complex and flawed characters, and her authentic and compassionate look at living with someone who is trying to overcome addiction. This author has my full attention and I am going to need more stories from her ASAP, please and thank you. Huge thanks to Blair Publishing for sending an arc to me in exchange for my honest review. It was heart crushingly beautiful.
September 25, 2019
| #partner|
.
Ok, I have given myself some time to Digest. Reflect. Process. Now let's review my favorite book of 2019 shall we?
.
You know me, I have to preface this by saying. This review will not do this novel justice. I wish, I could invite everyone into my brain (scary thought I know) and my heart to feel the effects of this novel...since that is not possible, let's try to do this thing justice. Grab your glass of Tennessee Whiskey put on your Dolly Parton and settle in friends.
.
"I am a man of constant sorrow
I've seen trouble all my day.
I bid farewell to old Kentucky
The place where I was born and raised.
(The place where he was born and raised)
For six long years I've been in trouble
No pleasures here on earth I found
For in this world I'm bound to ramble
I have no friends to help me now."
The lyrics roll over you like the fog coming off the Tennessee mountains. It's sorrowful and mournful. Holding on to Nothing evokes that image for me. A gritty love story if you will...but really a picture into the life of an ill-fated couple. Like the mountains, you watch the characters rise and fall. I became so engrossed in Lucy & Jeptha's story, I would look up from reading and have to remind myself where I was. I was no longer in North Carolina. I was in this world that Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne brought to paper.
.
I'm not going to go into too much detail about the story itself. I want you to know, this story broke my heart. I literally held my little baby dog while I sobbed...for hours. Even now, I want to cry again. (you have been warned) Elizabeth has a way with words to be sure. The characters are sadly too real to these small southern towns. The cycler nature is so very heartbreaking. However, Elizabeth wrote in a way where I had hope. I wanted this story to end well. Along the way she introduces you to memorable characters that will make you laugh, make you cuss, make you reflect on all the "what ifs". Pretty much like real life. The background of bluegrass music and smoky bars gives way to a very atmospheric read. Y'all know that is my jam.
.
Alright, at the end of the day. If you enjoy southern fiction. Buy this book. Request this book from the library. Pre-order it now....and it will be ready for you to read on October 22nd. I'm going to say something...this is one of the best debuts I have EVER read. Ever. Remember my love for Crawdad's? This is better. Crawdad's will reach a wider audience...but this story will live in my heart forever.
.
Elizabeth, thank you for sharing this book with me. I can't wait to see what you put out next my friend. You are an auto buy author for me.
.
Ok, I have given myself some time to Digest. Reflect. Process. Now let's review my favorite book of 2019 shall we?
.
You know me, I have to preface this by saying. This review will not do this novel justice. I wish, I could invite everyone into my brain (scary thought I know) and my heart to feel the effects of this novel...since that is not possible, let's try to do this thing justice. Grab your glass of Tennessee Whiskey put on your Dolly Parton and settle in friends.
.
"I am a man of constant sorrow
I've seen trouble all my day.
I bid farewell to old Kentucky
The place where I was born and raised.
(The place where he was born and raised)
For six long years I've been in trouble
No pleasures here on earth I found
For in this world I'm bound to ramble
I have no friends to help me now."
The lyrics roll over you like the fog coming off the Tennessee mountains. It's sorrowful and mournful. Holding on to Nothing evokes that image for me. A gritty love story if you will...but really a picture into the life of an ill-fated couple. Like the mountains, you watch the characters rise and fall. I became so engrossed in Lucy & Jeptha's story, I would look up from reading and have to remind myself where I was. I was no longer in North Carolina. I was in this world that Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne brought to paper.
.
I'm not going to go into too much detail about the story itself. I want you to know, this story broke my heart. I literally held my little baby dog while I sobbed...for hours. Even now, I want to cry again. (you have been warned) Elizabeth has a way with words to be sure. The characters are sadly too real to these small southern towns. The cycler nature is so very heartbreaking. However, Elizabeth wrote in a way where I had hope. I wanted this story to end well. Along the way she introduces you to memorable characters that will make you laugh, make you cuss, make you reflect on all the "what ifs". Pretty much like real life. The background of bluegrass music and smoky bars gives way to a very atmospheric read. Y'all know that is my jam.
.
Alright, at the end of the day. If you enjoy southern fiction. Buy this book. Request this book from the library. Pre-order it now....and it will be ready for you to read on October 22nd. I'm going to say something...this is one of the best debuts I have EVER read. Ever. Remember my love for Crawdad's? This is better. Crawdad's will reach a wider audience...but this story will live in my heart forever.
.
Elizabeth, thank you for sharing this book with me. I can't wait to see what you put out next my friend. You are an auto buy author for me.
June 17, 2019
Holding On To Nothing shines a light on being human. Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne's flawed yet irresistible characters make mistakes -- for both good and bad reasons, and when they know better -- and also when they don't. She knows the South about which she writes: guns and alcohol, loyal friends and dogs, poverty, religion, and tobacco farming. This is a completely immersive read. The author's compassion and humor will make readers fall in love with the characters and root for them in their darkest moments, as well as the difficult moments in which they find salvation.
June 29, 2019
I’m so dang thrilled that this book is gonna hit the shelves of bookstores. I could talk forever about how much I love this book, but here’s my official endorsement.
"In this gritty debut, Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne deftly captures the blue-collar ache and darkly comic sensibility of what it means to exist in a world of disappointment and generational trauma, where one is both cussed and cursed. It's impossible to turn away as these hardscrabble characters embark on a long shot at love despite voices real and imagined that shout in dissent. A stunning debut by a fierce new voice in southern fiction."
"In this gritty debut, Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne deftly captures the blue-collar ache and darkly comic sensibility of what it means to exist in a world of disappointment and generational trauma, where one is both cussed and cursed. It's impossible to turn away as these hardscrabble characters embark on a long shot at love despite voices real and imagined that shout in dissent. A stunning debut by a fierce new voice in southern fiction."
October 25, 2019
Well friends. I just met one of my favorite books for the year!! Oh my heart. This book packed such a punch, and surprised me in such a good way. My book friends have grabbed my attention right away with needing to read this doomed love story. Southern fiction at its best!
Holding On To Nothing by @ecshelburneauthor is such a slow burn, hits-you-in-all-the-feels kind of book. To say I loved it doesn’t do it justice. It gave me such Where the Heart Is vibes, based on a pregnant girl in a dead end town, and I just wanted to reach into the story and give a heartfelt hug to Jeptha and Lucy. It’s such a beautiful story of forgiveness and I can’t stop thinking about these characters.
*Thank you to the publisher for this free copy!
Holding On To Nothing by @ecshelburneauthor is such a slow burn, hits-you-in-all-the-feels kind of book. To say I loved it doesn’t do it justice. It gave me such Where the Heart Is vibes, based on a pregnant girl in a dead end town, and I just wanted to reach into the story and give a heartfelt hug to Jeptha and Lucy. It’s such a beautiful story of forgiveness and I can’t stop thinking about these characters.
*Thank you to the publisher for this free copy!
June 4, 2020
Holy hell! This one wrecked me 💔
November 6, 2019
Could not put this book down!! A great debut for this author.
July 30, 2019
Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne writes with a chafe and charm that makes you give a damn about these flawed characters, Lucy and Jeptha, makes you root for them when what little they have is at risk. This novel has all the makings of a true ballad—heartache and dead ends, booze and bad decisions, double-crossing relatives, a hand-me-down mandolin, and a loyal dog named Crystal Gayle. It also has a deep humming heart that knows sorrow. Like Lucy’s beloved Dolly Parton, Holding On To Nothing is not just country, it’s mountain. Shelburne is a literary force to be reckoned with.
October 25, 2019
I read this based on reading some other reviewers recommendations and I am so glad I did. The hype is real with this one!! (At least for me.) I’ve been needing a five star read and this was it!
Lucy and Jeptha’s story was heartbreaking and real. I’ve seen others call it a love story, but I can’t quite call it that. It’s more of a growing up/coming into your own story. Yes, Jeptha has loved Lucy for many years, but it was never returned. After a night of alcohol and a backseat of a car, Lucy finds out she is pregnant. Together, Jeptha and Lucy have to become a family when neither have had the greatest history with it. I truly loved this story and will definitely be looking for more from this author!
Thank you to Edelweiss and Blair Publishers for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
Lucy and Jeptha’s story was heartbreaking and real. I’ve seen others call it a love story, but I can’t quite call it that. It’s more of a growing up/coming into your own story. Yes, Jeptha has loved Lucy for many years, but it was never returned. After a night of alcohol and a backseat of a car, Lucy finds out she is pregnant. Together, Jeptha and Lucy have to become a family when neither have had the greatest history with it. I truly loved this story and will definitely be looking for more from this author!
Thank you to Edelweiss and Blair Publishers for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
November 10, 2019
I was lost in this today and read it in one sitting. Holding On To Nothing by Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne. Watching someone self destruct is painful. Watching someone think they can change someone is even worse. Seeing the combination create a tragedy is just heartbreaking.
Lucy & Jeptha have a rough upbringing in rural Tennessee. Now together by a mistake that binds them, you can’t help but wish their circumstances different. It’s not a romance - life is hard when you have nothing. But this author gets the grit of the human condition and she won’t let you leave without feeling the pain of it.
And here I am later...still thinking about these characters.
Lucy & Jeptha have a rough upbringing in rural Tennessee. Now together by a mistake that binds them, you can’t help but wish their circumstances different. It’s not a romance - life is hard when you have nothing. But this author gets the grit of the human condition and she won’t let you leave without feeling the pain of it.
And here I am later...still thinking about these characters.
October 12, 2019
Y'all!!!! I finished reading HOLDING ON TO NOTHING by Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne a little over a week ago. I do not say this often, but, YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK!
It is simply beautiful. It will make you cry. It will make you laugh. It will make you so angry you won't know what to do with yourself. You will want to hug your loved ones after reading this book. And you will want to forgive them for any petty grievances you have had in the past.
This is the story of Jeptha and Lucy. It is not your typical love story. They are living in a small town in Tennessee. Jeptha has loved Lucy since he was 16. But he has not done much about it, or his life for that matter. I guess you could call him a settler. As long as he is able to get by, he is happy. But he does not deserve the negative "legacy" attributed to him. Lucy on the other hand is destined for better days. She is working two jobs to get out of this small town and on to Knoxville so she can go to college. One night with Jeptha changes everything. Some may say for the worse, some may say for the better. I will let you know my thoughts after you read it and DM me to talk about it. 😉
In line with @prose_and_palate, put on your favorite Dolly Parton record, pour yourself some Tennessee whiskey, sit back in your most comfortable chair, and dig into this wonderful book.
I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.
I can't wait to talk with y'all about this book after you read it. xoxo, Mel.
Thank you to Blair Publisher for this gifted copy.
It is simply beautiful. It will make you cry. It will make you laugh. It will make you so angry you won't know what to do with yourself. You will want to hug your loved ones after reading this book. And you will want to forgive them for any petty grievances you have had in the past.
This is the story of Jeptha and Lucy. It is not your typical love story. They are living in a small town in Tennessee. Jeptha has loved Lucy since he was 16. But he has not done much about it, or his life for that matter. I guess you could call him a settler. As long as he is able to get by, he is happy. But he does not deserve the negative "legacy" attributed to him. Lucy on the other hand is destined for better days. She is working two jobs to get out of this small town and on to Knoxville so she can go to college. One night with Jeptha changes everything. Some may say for the worse, some may say for the better. I will let you know my thoughts after you read it and DM me to talk about it. 😉
In line with @prose_and_palate, put on your favorite Dolly Parton record, pour yourself some Tennessee whiskey, sit back in your most comfortable chair, and dig into this wonderful book.
I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.
I can't wait to talk with y'all about this book after you read it. xoxo, Mel.
Thank you to Blair Publisher for this gifted copy.
October 26, 2019
This is a tough one for me to review because I SO wanted to love it. And, this is proof that hype can mess you up. Did I hate this book? No. Did I love this book? NO. But I did have some very strong reactions to the characters and their behavior.
I’ve talked to other readers who felt the plot was very predictable, and I would absolutely agree. With about 1/4 left to read I guessed where it was going and then raced to the end for validation.
I also have friends who were wrecked (in a good way) with this story. I was actually mad at the two main characters. Both of them make terrible, self destructive decisions, even when faced with other choices. And don’t even get me started on Jeptha...a man who claims to want one thing- gets it and destroys it. I understand this is a story of addiction and poverty, so I guess I did not mesh with that narrative. There were many chances and different paths for both Jeptha and Lucy (she also made no sense to me- nor did her treatment of LouEllen).
Was this readable? Yes. The writing isn’t gorgeous but the story moves along at a decent clip and I did keep turning pages. Would I recommend it? I’ve learned we are all such different readers that is too difficult a question, especially after having such high hopes for this book.
I’ve talked to other readers who felt the plot was very predictable, and I would absolutely agree. With about 1/4 left to read I guessed where it was going and then raced to the end for validation.
I also have friends who were wrecked (in a good way) with this story. I was actually mad at the two main characters. Both of them make terrible, self destructive decisions, even when faced with other choices. And don’t even get me started on Jeptha...a man who claims to want one thing- gets it and destroys it. I understand this is a story of addiction and poverty, so I guess I did not mesh with that narrative. There were many chances and different paths for both Jeptha and Lucy (she also made no sense to me- nor did her treatment of LouEllen).
Was this readable? Yes. The writing isn’t gorgeous but the story moves along at a decent clip and I did keep turning pages. Would I recommend it? I’ve learned we are all such different readers that is too difficult a question, especially after having such high hopes for this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2020
I'm typically a plot-driven girl, so a character-driven book has to be excellent to sweep me away. This one is excellent. I read the book in two days (before the quarantine!) because every time I put it down, I resented my time away from it.
The two main characters are twenty-somethings in a dead end town in the American South. Can they find a way to get out and build a better life for themselves? And can they do it together? I loved these flawed, but perfectly drawn characters. Even when they made bad decisions, I wanted to forgive them over and over again.
Yes, there's romance. Yes, there's drama. Yes, there's tension. Yes, there are consequences for the characters' actions. And even when it is sad, it is beautiful.
This is Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne's debut novel. I will anxiously await anything else she cares to write!
Follow me on Instagram @BookishBytes for more reviews and bookish conversation.
The two main characters are twenty-somethings in a dead end town in the American South. Can they find a way to get out and build a better life for themselves? And can they do it together? I loved these flawed, but perfectly drawn characters. Even when they made bad decisions, I wanted to forgive them over and over again.
Yes, there's romance. Yes, there's drama. Yes, there's tension. Yes, there are consequences for the characters' actions. And even when it is sad, it is beautiful.
This is Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne's debut novel. I will anxiously await anything else she cares to write!
Follow me on Instagram @BookishBytes for more reviews and bookish conversation.
November 14, 2019
This book was a gem! What a story! My heart beat every step of the way with Lucy and I loved and hated Jeptha. The turn of events in this book I never saw coming- what a shocker! Still unsure how I feel about the ending but I’m certainly glad everything wasn’t happy to lucky- sometimes it makes for the perfect book and that’s just what this was.
July 22, 2020
This book is incredibly sad. It reminded me a Jocelyn Jackson for much of it. Definitely a huge trigger warning for anyone was a non-functional alcoholic in their lives. I think I had this too hyped up in my mind for it to live up to it.
October 21, 2019
4.5 stars.
Holding On To Nothing by Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne is a raw and gritty novel about life in a small town in East Tennessee.
Lucy Kilgore has suffered the heartrending loss of her parents but her mom's best friend LouEllen Moss stepped in to raise her. The town is also very supportive of their golden girl as her plans to go to college are on the verge of coming to fruition. Lucy works two jobs in order to save up enough money to leave but an ill-advised, impulsive decision alters her future. Pregnant after drunken one-night stand with Jeptha Taylor, Lucy's dream of creating a family is within reach, but can she trust Jeptha to take care of her and their unborn baby?
Jeptha is a talented musician but he lives up to his reputation as a aimless drunk. His feelings for Lucy are well-known and he is hopeful their one-night stand will lead to a relationship. At first rebuffed by Lucy, Jeptha is surprised when she suggests they date. However, his low self-esteem and dysfunctional siblings cause self-doubts that sabotage his chance with Lucy.
After discovering Lucy's pregnancy, Jeptha leaps at the opportunity to stop drinking and prove to her that he is up to the challenge of providing a stable home for her and their baby. But Jeptha's sobriety is precarious and his reputation makes it virtually impossible to find a steady job. Nonetheless, Jeptha wins Lucy's heart but is their fragile relationship up to the challenges that await them?
Holding On To Nothing is a truly captivating novel that is heartbreaking yet hopeful. Jeptha and Lucy are beautifully rendered characters who breathtakingly life-like. Life in a small town is realistically portrayed and the residents are vividly drawn. A thought-provoking, poignant and sorrowful debut by Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne that will linger in readers' minds long after the last page is turned.
Holding On To Nothing by Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne is a raw and gritty novel about life in a small town in East Tennessee.
Lucy Kilgore has suffered the heartrending loss of her parents but her mom's best friend LouEllen Moss stepped in to raise her. The town is also very supportive of their golden girl as her plans to go to college are on the verge of coming to fruition. Lucy works two jobs in order to save up enough money to leave but an ill-advised, impulsive decision alters her future. Pregnant after drunken one-night stand with Jeptha Taylor, Lucy's dream of creating a family is within reach, but can she trust Jeptha to take care of her and their unborn baby?
Jeptha is a talented musician but he lives up to his reputation as a aimless drunk. His feelings for Lucy are well-known and he is hopeful their one-night stand will lead to a relationship. At first rebuffed by Lucy, Jeptha is surprised when she suggests they date. However, his low self-esteem and dysfunctional siblings cause self-doubts that sabotage his chance with Lucy.
After discovering Lucy's pregnancy, Jeptha leaps at the opportunity to stop drinking and prove to her that he is up to the challenge of providing a stable home for her and their baby. But Jeptha's sobriety is precarious and his reputation makes it virtually impossible to find a steady job. Nonetheless, Jeptha wins Lucy's heart but is their fragile relationship up to the challenges that await them?
Holding On To Nothing is a truly captivating novel that is heartbreaking yet hopeful. Jeptha and Lucy are beautifully rendered characters who breathtakingly life-like. Life in a small town is realistically portrayed and the residents are vividly drawn. A thought-provoking, poignant and sorrowful debut by Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne that will linger in readers' minds long after the last page is turned.
November 21, 2019
A hell of a southern novel. Wow.
September 24, 2019
Southern fiction is not a genre I've spent much time with, but this book has me looking for more. Holding On To Nothing is absolutely gripping, and even a month later my husband and I keep randomly bringing it up as we are reminded of various elements. Not having spent any time in the South, much less Appalachia, the rich descriptions let me slip into the scenery, sounds, and culture of a small town full of people who have (mostly) given up on trying to get out. For a book that ultimately left me gutted, there is a lot of humor here, and such strongly-drawn characters that it's hard to believe they aren't real people. This is truly a great yarn, but it's also a thought-provoking meditation on addiction, second chances, unearned reputations, and how far hope can take you. Highly, highly recommend.
October 9, 2019
That was... something special. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐+
October 22, 2019
This goddamn book is so goddamn good. Read it right now!!!
November 20, 2019
Goodness, this was an utterly depressing book. And I’ve read depressing books, but this one takes the cake! Geez! From the get go, you feel so sorry for the main character, Jeptha Taylor. He and his family are known as the town’s drunk and good for nothing men. Jeptha figures himself to be what the town thinks of him even though he wishes to be something else, something more. Jeptha has been in love with Lucy Kilgore ever since he laid eyes on her. Lucy has no family left as her parents died in a car accident. She is focused on leaving her current life for a fresh start in Knoxville. Problem is, she finds comfort in Jeptha one drunken night and becomes pregnant. Her plans of making something of her life outside of this town becomes a memory.
The whole storyline is just so depressing. I felt so sorry for all of the characters. It was almost painful at times to read. It is eye opening to see the strength and desperation of alcohol addiction. Harsh reality but not a world I wanted to read about each day.
The whole storyline is just so depressing. I felt so sorry for all of the characters. It was almost painful at times to read. It is eye opening to see the strength and desperation of alcohol addiction. Harsh reality but not a world I wanted to read about each day.
September 8, 2020
The writing itself is beautiful prose. This is the work of a skilled wordsmith. However, you should NOT read Holding onto Nothing unless you want to be brought down to a deep dark pit of misery. Such. A. Downer. I can’t remember the last time I read anything so irredeemably bleak. Sometimes horribly sad stories are still meaningful, but this one was needlessly depressing. What meaning there was felt precious and cliche. The story was stocked with stereotypes and seemed rather predictable. And yet, despite all of that, I will maintain that the author is a still a good writer—at least insofar as stringing together gorgeous sentences goes—so I hope she writes something else. I’d gladly give her work another try. I can’t recommend this particular book, however.
November 7, 2019
2/5⭐️— Well, y’all. I’m not a fan. And I really wanted to like this book! I never really got into it, but I kept reading because it’s gotten great reviews, and then the more I read the more depressing it got. I know the South can be depressing, but to me, this one had little to no redeeming qualities.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 4, 2019
Heartbreaking and so real I couldn't put it down. Lucy and Jeptha's story stayed with me long after the story ended. This is a gorgeous debut.
October 3, 2019
This book. So many feelings. It was very honest about the ability of people to change and make the best or worst of their situations. I might read it again and that's not something I do very often.
November 24, 2019
Wow, this was bad. Cliched, depressing, totally pointless.
October 23, 2019
For the love of all things bookish and holy there are not enough stars in the world to give this book. I am wrecked.
Maybe a couple of weeks ago @prose_and_palate was raving about Holding Onto Nothing in her stories with her fabulous parking lots PSA’s. I usually lean heavily on a recommendation from Stacey because we have similar reading tastes. I am SO thankful that I listened and got my hands on a copy of this book, which released today.
This book. This book was gritty and heartbreaking. It was tender and rough. It was a hard pill to swallow on many occasions and it made me weep and then weep some more. It was an authentic look into small town struggles and addictions and dreams of wanting more. It was a snapshot of a mother’s love and a wife’s forgiveness.
I had such hope for Lucy and Jeptha, and I just kept believing till the very last words, despite the turmoil they had been through. But as we know love is not perfect. It is flawed and it is ugly and this story displayed that so poignantly and so beautifully.
Every character in this book had the most perfect southern nuances, and each became so real to me as I read. I made connections and invested in their stories. I related things to my own life.
I love southern fiction. Here in my corner of Canada we do not have anything close to a southern culture but I am so drawn to it. Even if southern fiction isn’t in your wheelhouse just read this book for the fact that it is just damn good writing.
I cannot believe this is a debut novel. Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne you have captivated me! I am patiently waiting for what comes next from you, because from this day forward to can just take my money 😂 And thank you for sharing this heart wrenching, glorious story with us 💕
HUGE thanks to Blair Publishing for sending me an advanced copy for review.
Maybe a couple of weeks ago @prose_and_palate was raving about Holding Onto Nothing in her stories with her fabulous parking lots PSA’s. I usually lean heavily on a recommendation from Stacey because we have similar reading tastes. I am SO thankful that I listened and got my hands on a copy of this book, which released today.
This book. This book was gritty and heartbreaking. It was tender and rough. It was a hard pill to swallow on many occasions and it made me weep and then weep some more. It was an authentic look into small town struggles and addictions and dreams of wanting more. It was a snapshot of a mother’s love and a wife’s forgiveness.
I had such hope for Lucy and Jeptha, and I just kept believing till the very last words, despite the turmoil they had been through. But as we know love is not perfect. It is flawed and it is ugly and this story displayed that so poignantly and so beautifully.
Every character in this book had the most perfect southern nuances, and each became so real to me as I read. I made connections and invested in their stories. I related things to my own life.
I love southern fiction. Here in my corner of Canada we do not have anything close to a southern culture but I am so drawn to it. Even if southern fiction isn’t in your wheelhouse just read this book for the fact that it is just damn good writing.
I cannot believe this is a debut novel. Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne you have captivated me! I am patiently waiting for what comes next from you, because from this day forward to can just take my money 😂 And thank you for sharing this heart wrenching, glorious story with us 💕
HUGE thanks to Blair Publishing for sending me an advanced copy for review.
March 8, 2020
It has been a long time since I have rooted so hard for the characters in a book, since I have held my breath worrying what will happen to them on the next page, what decisions they will make for better or for worse. Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne doesn't clutter up the pages with a host of characters. She tells the story of Lucy and Jeftha and their struggle to form a family straight from the heart. Everything I love about Appalachian hill country novels and debut novels and flawed but guardedly sympathetic characters is here. Holding On to Nothing is a story that will make you want to hold your loved ones near and one that will make you shed a tear (or cry a bucketful).
December 2, 2021
Growing up in a rural place myself allowed me to identify with these characters and this place. Perhaps too closely. It reminded me that I was so very lucky to escape my circumstances, although not in the excruciating way Lucy did. I loved this book for that reason and also as a peek into a life that most of my friends in Los Angeles have no idea about: drinking, gun toting and hunting, country music, government suspicions, anti-vaccination sentiments, anti-abortion beliefs, and the granddaddy of all, self-destructive behavior. If you want to understand the other half of America take a chance on this book. It is beautifully written and developed with a story that anyone would fall in love with.
December 22, 2020
Lucy has big plans to leave her small southern town to pursue her dreams of going to college and establishing a better life for herself. Everything changes when she ends up getting pregnant after a one night stand. We follow Lucy and Jeptha as they navigate a life together, thrown together by the pregnancy. There is a shocking twist at the end that I was not expecting and I was happy that the end of the novel was not predictable. However, I was frustrated with Lucy throughout the book and it was frustrating to read about the choices being made by the characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 185 reviews