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    Bloodroot
    Bloodroot
    Bloodroot
    Audiobook13 hours

    Bloodroot

    Written by Amy Greene

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Named for a flower whose blood-red sap possesses the power both to heal and poison, Bloodroot is a stunning fiction debut about the legacies—of magic and madness, faith and secrets, passion and loss—that haunt one family across the generations, from the Great Depression to today.

    The novel is told in a kaleidoscope of seamlessly woven voices and centers around an incendiary romance that consumes everyone in its path: Myra Lamb, a wild young girl with mysterious, haint blue eyes who grows up on remote Bloodroot Mountain; her grandmother Byrdie Lamb, who protects Myra fiercely and passes down “the touch” that bewitches people and animals alike; the neighbor boy who longs for Myra yet is destined never to have her; the twin children Myra is forced to abandon but who never forget their mother’s deep love; and John Odom, the man who tries to tame Myra and meets with shocking, violent disaster. Against the backdrop of a beautiful but often unforgiving country, these lives come together—only to be torn apart—as a dark, riveting mystery unfolds.

    With grace and unflinching verisimilitude, Amy Greene brings her native Appalachia—and the faith and fury of its people—to rich and vivid life. Here is a spellbinding tour de force that announces a dazzlingly fresh, natural-born storyteller in our midst.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
    Release dateJan 12, 2010
    ISBN9780307713247

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    Reviews for Bloodroot

    4/5

    289 ratings42 reviews

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    • 4/5

      Oct 12, 2024

      This is a multi-generational story of a family in Appalachia. Though I found the beginning a little hard to get into initially, it didn't take me long to get swept up into the lives of these characters. I felt like there were a lot of sad undertones in this story, with underlying themes of poverty and hard luck, as well as some mental illness and even magical realism, but there was also a lot of grit as well. But what really brought this one to life was the dialect and voices of the various characters. The audiobook was excellent, read by a full cast of voices which really made this a stellar production. I feel like this book went under-the-radar, as it didn't get as much hype as it probably deserved.
    • 5/5

      Jan 7, 2023

      I love books that take place in Appalachia. This book was so well written and follows the family for three generations.
    • 3/5

      Feb 8, 2022

      When I heard this book is Southern Gothic with a psychic twist, I knew I had to read it! I hope this is as good as THE FANG FAMILY.
    • 1/5

      Nov 2, 2020

      Well done those readers who persisted with this. Not me unfortunately so I've missed out on what riches it offers. I wouldn't normally put a rating on a book that I've read so little of - the narration and content were so disappointing.
    • 4/5

      Aug 1, 2018

      The first few pages are a bit confusing, then this turns into a great gothic novel that I could not put down. A pleasant surprise!
    • 4/5

      Nov 7, 2016

      I started out not liking this book at all--I couldn't stand the dialect in the early pages--but it really grew on me. I thought it was very moving and that the characters were well-drawn. I've read that some people felt there was not enough payoff, but I thought the ending was very poignant. So thumbs up, even if four stars does feel a tiny bit generous.
    • 4/5

      Jan 19, 2016

      Myra Lamb was born on Bloodroot Mountain within the Smoky Mountains with "haint blue" eyes, a sign to her grandmother that the family curse had been broken. Her grandmother raised her to love the flora and fauna on Bloodroot Mt. Myra's grandmother sisters were all gifted as healers and diviners. Myra's life as a child on Bloodroot Mt. and off as an adult is told from the perspective of several narrators: Myra's grandmother, a neighbor boy who possessed an unrequited love, her twin children, her abusive husband who loved and hated her, and Myra herself.

      This debut historical novel describes well the nature of this region. Although beautifully written novel, it's not a pretty one. I fell in love with the writing even if is not a feel good book.
    • 2/5

      Jan 14, 2016


      Greene examines several generations of a family living in the Smoky Mountains of Eastern Tennessee. I wanted to like this book. It has been on my TBR list for a while and I typically like books that focus on family dynamics and the individual's need to experience the world beyond their childhood framework. I was intrigued by the publisher's blurb – a story that explored family legacies of madness and magic (a healing “touch” that soothes both people and animals). The central character – Myra Lamb – is a woman with “haint-blue” eyes, who seems to bewitch everyone around her just by the force of her being. The plot whirls around Myra but never really settles.

      Basically, the book just didn't do it for me. I thought the storyline was too choppy and confusing. The multiple narrators and shifting time frames were at first intriguing but eventually resulted in my losing focus. I kept waiting for the “story” to really take off, and it never did – at least not for me. I was never riveted by the novel and found it too easy to put it aside to do other things.
    • 3/5

      Oct 23, 2015

      Hard to believe that people lived like that in the not so distant past. Best part of the book was the last quarter when she brought all the story together. When you learn why people did what they did. It really was just normal people trying to make their way through life.
    • 5/5

      Aug 22, 2014

      I lost a lot of sleep reading this book.
    • 5/5

      Aug 10, 2014

      Amy has a way with the written word, and I wouldn't have it any other way. She took me back, and in some ways taught me many things I hadn't thought were so KEY to people's personalities, but they are. At first, I was a little confused, but the second section filled in all the puzzle pieces. Amy tied everything so well together at the end, I'll have to read it again to find anything that may or may not make sense, and it would have to be based on my personal knowledge of that era, the environment in that area, and my own family. That's just it. The Odoms make me think of my own family. That, in itself, is very creepy.
    • 5/5

      Aug 4, 2013

      Myra Lamb, a wild young girl with haunting blue eyes and a mysterious, almost fey-like disposition, grows up on remote Bloodroot Mountain raised by her grandmother Byrdie. Named for a flower whose blood-red sap possesses the power to heal or to poison; Bloodroot Mountain is part of the Blue Ridge Mountain Range in Tennessee.

      Byrdie Lamb is fiercely protective of her granddaughter and passes down to her "the touch" that bewitches people and animals alike. However, she can not protect Myra from living her life and falling in love. This novel centers around an incendiary romance which consumes everyone in its path: from Myra's childhood friend Doug - who is secretly in love with Myra, but is destined never to have her - to the twins Myra is forced to abandon, but who never forget their mother's deep and abiding love for them.

      John Odom is the man who captures Myra Lamb's heart. He is the man who tries to tame her; and he is the man who ultimately meets with shocking, violent disaster. Against the backdrop of a beautiful but often unforgiving country, these lives come together - only to be torn apart - as a dark, riveting mystery unfolds.

      I absolutely fell in love with this book! Amy Greene is such a fantastic writer whose characters come vividly alive and capture the reader's heart and mind. I give Bloodroot by Amy Greene a definite A+! I'm eagerly awaiting the chance to read her next book Long Man at some point in the future.
    • 3/5

      Jul 25, 2013

      The first time I picked this book up, I put it back down. It just didn't appeal to me at first. Later, I picked it up and tried again. I liked it, but not as well as some other Appalachian novels. This is a tough, gritty, no-holds-barred novel. You can't have a weak stomach with this one. It is what it is. I'd have liked it better if it had played more upon the supernatural qualities brought forth in the beginning, but that's just my personal preference. There is a great deal of sadness and abuse here. I realize this can mimic real life in some cases. It's just a grittier story than I normally care for. Still, it was ok. Will I read her next one? Yes, probably. Will this be on my favorites list? No, but I didn't hate it either.

      Read this book if...
      *you love novels set in Appalachia
      *you love southern fiction
    • 5/5

      Apr 4, 2013

      Excellent!
    • 5/5

      Dec 17, 2012

      Events in Amy Greene’s captivating, soulful Bloodroot swirl around Myra Lamb, a pretty girl from the hills of Appalachia. This is yet another stunning debut piece from an author with superior gifts. You will get a full, rich read here, as each of a selected handful of characters narrates a first-person segment of this saga. And “saga” captures the tone perfectly – the harrowing detail of these hard-luck stories of abuse, neglect, and dissipation, and the depth of emotion call the word “epic” to mind.
      Myra, very much a free-spirited girl, loses her parents when but a tot, and Byrdie, her Granny, rears her. Byrdie in her turn was also raised by her grandmother and great aunts, all of whom were blessed with some version of “the sight,” an occult ability to perceive, predict, or influence forces beyond the natural. Byrdie pursues a fairly relaxed regimen with Myra’s upbringing, having hated restrictions when she was young. She also believes Myra has the gift, but frets over the girl’s wild and willful ways.
      Myra’s strong will does indeed get her into trouble. She meets the physically beautiful John Odom and must have him for herself. She even casts a spell to ensnare him, patterned after one her great-great grandmother used decades before. John turns out abusive, oppressive, and shockingly violent, the same as the rest of his creepy family. Myra and John say they are bad for each other, but it’s hard to see what Myra might have done to deserve such suffering at the hands of her husband.
      The author uses a very elegant structure to capture all of this story’s threads. I’ve seen it said that writers make their readers want to go to a certain place, but shouldn’t take them there. Ms. Greene does one better. She takes her entire novel to lead her readers to a certain conclusion, only to place a very oblique, almost wistful, version of it in the very last voice we expect. The diction and speech patterns come from Appalachian hill country, and strike the perfect note, with subtle differences from character to character.
      Bloodroot is such exceptional storytelling – it’s organic, it flows as the blood-red sap of the plant of the title. Its force derives not only from the harrowing and inexcusable weaknesses of its characters, but also from the subtle and inexorable pull of family and kin, for better or for worse. Be prepared to accompany and suffer with Myra, a very memorable fiction in herself, and honor and acclaim the amazing arrival of a terrific new author.
    • 5/5

      Sep 11, 2011

      Bloodroot, set in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennesse, follows the life of Myra Lamb, a girl as wild and untamable as the mountains. This epic story is told by several different characters, all with a unique voice, from Byrdie, Myra's grandmother to Myra herself, in such a believable way that readers will swear that they know them years from now. Bloodroot is part heart, part hate, part mystery, and a whole lot of the ties-that-bind. I won't forget this debut anytime soon.
    • 4/5

      Aug 15, 2011

      A good novel set in Appalachia, crossing several generations of a family steeped in mountain magic, family secrets and hidden longings. I read it a month ago and have pretty much lost the plot, except that there was a satisfying ending that resolved the explosion of violence that came about when a long-suffering wife finally had to escape her husband's torments. It was a good and well-written story, but there are books I can read once and recall everything decades later. This wasn't one of them.
    • 3/5

      Jul 15, 2011

      wasn't into it very much at first. too backcountry hick. but managed to listen to the entire bk. overall ok I guess. not sure I'd recommend it to anybody.
    • 3/5

      Jun 13, 2011

      This is Greene's debut novel. I saw it recommended on a list as one of the Best Top 10 Debut Novels, so I decided it try it. It was also rated as one of Amazon's Best Books of the Month for January 2010.

      It is a sad, touching story. The book is unique in the way that Greene uses six voices to tell the story through four generations, and it is set in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Tennessee. Greene did a great job in developing the characters, and I felt myself feeling their happiness and sorrow throughout the book.

      I intended to give a higher rating of 4 stars to the book, but there was an animal abuse scene in the last quarter of the book that disturbed me so much that it almost ruined the book for me. I could have done without that. I am glad that I pushed on and continued the book because the ending is very satisfying.

      I actually give this book 3.5 stars and not the 3 stars that are shown. I wish we could award half stars to our reviews.

      The audiobook narrators were superb!
    • 5/5

      Apr 28, 2011

      Bloodroot is a family saga taking place on Bloodroot Mountain in the Appalachia region of East Tennessee. It centers around Byrdie and Myra Lamb, a grandmother-grandaughter duo. This novel tells their stories, which are stories of love and loss, life and death, tragedy and redemption. There is a subtle touch of magic and folklore in this novel that interestingly ties it all together.

      Bloodroot captivated my attention. The writing was rich and lovely. It felt more like I was sitting at the feet of these characters listening to their reflections rather than reading words on a page. There were a couple of loose strings that left me wondering, but I was able to set aside those questions and simply enjoy the novel. The storyline is haunting, and the psychological complexity is spellbinding. This was Amy Greene's first work of fiction, and I cannot wait to what she releases next!
    • 5/5

      Apr 7, 2011

      Wonderful creative masterpiece! Different narrators provide circuitous path to the story. Completely believable and complicated characters. The feel of the south comes through in every sentence.
      A real marvel of a novel about the families that make their homes on and around Bloodroot Mountain. Generations are represented in understandable ways. Relationships are complex, but easy to keep straight.
      Can't wait for book two!
    • 4/5

      Feb 25, 2011

      A rich and evocative tale of a family through several generations set in remote Appalachia. Bloodroot is told from multiple points of view and focuses on Myra, who falls in love with the wrong man with disastrous consequences that effect the fates of her children. Amy Greene has skillfully recreated the atmosphere and given depth to the region as well as showing the hardships - both physical and emotional - faced by the characters.
    • 5/5

      Feb 20, 2011

      Bloodroot is a book that stays with you as it traces the life of a family through numerous voices. Bloodroot mountain holds them together and the story has at its heart a woman named Myra Lamb who changes all those who meet her. There are no true villains or heroes in this book, which is a rare thing to have done well. Instead the author shows how we all have points of weakness in our lives and if we are lucky then we are given second chances to make our lives better. This would be an amazing book for an adult or high school book club as it looks as how our family and where we grow up effects the people that we become and how we can change it.
    • 5/5

      Feb 9, 2011

      This is quite possibly the best book I have ever read. It is haunting and memorable on many levels.My family comes from Tennessee, so perhaps this book means that much more to me. In it, I heard the voices of my own speaking to me. But, I know this novel is far more special.
      It is hard to believe this is a novel. The layers of this book are thick and tangible, with generations, people, lore and history. Ms. Greene is a very rare and gifted writer. I don't know how she can possibly exceed such writing...but I will be there to read it.
    • 3/5

      Jan 13, 2011

      Bloodroot was a stretch for me. I was apprehensive when I started and it took me a few weeks to finish. Although in the end I'm glad I pushed through, it still wasn't the epic novel that it was built up to be.

      The narration was through the eyes of Birdie (Myra's, the main character, grandmother), Doug (Myra's childhood neighbor), Johnny and Laura (Myra's twin children), and Myra. Oh and the epilogue was told by John, Myra's husband. Of course, with all these different characters' view points and different generations, I got confused easily (not really a surprise though - I get confused a lot). It was also difficult for me to stay interested when the writing had some sort of "southern/mountain" accent that I would have to read two to three times just so I understood correctly. Although I thought the characters where well developed with interesting histories/stories and their stories where well intertwined.
      The plot was great though, in spite of the accent issue.

      So basically I had two issues. The first was the accent some characters had. The second, there were no chapters, just a change in narrator. I can't tell you why the chapter thing bugged me, all I know it that it did. I started reading and though "hey I'll just read the first couple of chapters for now." And then it just never ended!! For goodness sake! That's how I know its time to put the book down for bed or to do some other task, but then again I'm overly weird about stuff like this sometimes.

      And let's face it . . . I'm not cut out for the novels that "stand the test of time" like this one supposedly will. I'm more of a frivolous, happy-ending, sappy crier, book lover. And maybe that's the issue with these types of books.
    • 4/5

      Dec 31, 2010

      This was a very different story and kind of hard to review without giving the story away. It has a beautiful magical quality to it. The characters are all very flawed and the story jumps between time periods and narrators. It’s a family saga that spans 3 generations in the Appalachian Mountains.

      The main focus is Myra Lamb whose parents died in a car accident when she is small and her grandma Byrdie then raises her, we hear the story of Myra’s parents and Myra’s life and the life of her children. Myra is a tomboy who loves the mountains and is always looking for her next adventure. She has a pretty good life until she meets and marries John Odom then things go downhill for her. The main part of the story is about her children Laura & John who do not have a very good life.

      The story does keep you guessing about a few a things until the end and there are some storylines that didn’t seem to needed but then there are these coincidences you find out as the story progresses that lend to the magical realism of this book.

      I did enjoy this book the whole feel of it is good although I must warn you it is not a happy story its sad and I wasn’t totally satisfied with the ending and kind of wished the characters had known what I knew about the coincidences. But all in all I would recommend this book if you like southern fiction with magical realism and family saga’s.

      3 ½ stars
    • 2/5

      Dec 5, 2010

      Of two minds about this book. All was well and good for the first two sections. But then, in the third section, we came to the bunny incident, and I threw the book to the floor and only picked it up again to get rid of it. (I'd already skimmed a bit, so it was clear what was going to happen anyway.)

      Okay already, we get that the hubby is bad and evil and cruel and all else. You don't have to knock the reader over the head with it like that. Really. It was too much for me.

      So if I could edit out that part, which really wouldn't be difficult to do and only takes about two pages anyway, I'd give the book four or five stars. With it there, I'm being generous by giving it two.
    • 4/5

      Aug 24, 2010

      Set in the mountains of Tennessee, this story is told in the voices of 3 generations regarding the main character of the novel, Myra Lamb.

      From Myra's grandmother, Byrdie Lamb, we learn a family history of women who were able to summon signs and spells according to mountain lore, providing the introduction of a thread of magical realism that runs through the novel.

      In this same section we learn about Myra's childhood from Doug Cotter, a neighbor and playmate who is enchanted by Myra from a very young age. Doug's family collects and sells bloodroot, a potent and potentially poisonous herbal remedy used iamong the mountain people. The Cotter family also owns an untamed horse named Wild Rose. The wild and enchanting behavior of Myra and Wild Rose are often compared through the story.

      The second part of the narrative is provided by Myra's twin children, Johnny and Laura. They provide a dimension of Laura as a young mother, raising them alone on the side of the mountain while hiding them from the rest of the world. The one time they venture into public as a young family proves to be the unraveling of Myra and the children are moved into foster care then separated. As they move into adulthood, their lives are shadowed by the absence of Myra and her secrets. For Johnny, the absence of his father is also a looming shadow.

      In the third section of the book, Myra's voice unfolds her story as she experienced it. She tells of a happy childhood bathed in the love of her grandparent guardians and allowed to run freely on the mountain. She moves into adolescence and the captivation of an older, handsome and slightly dangerous John Odom. Myra draws on the story of spells from her ancestors to captivate John, then she sacrifices her love for her grandmother and her love of the mountain to be with John. Both John and Myra have grown up without a mother, and when Myra probes John about his mother, the marriage sours and John becomes a dark, controlling and punishing spouse. As Myra takes the reader through this part of the marriage, many the dark secrets in the earlier part of the book are revealed.

      The novel is well written, with language that poetically conveys the beauty and the darkness in the lives of these mountain people. The writing reminds me a bit of Evidence of Things Unseen by Marianne Wiggins and a little of Alice Hoffman's magical realism.
    • 3/5

      Aug 8, 2010

      Our dear friend McKait read this book sometime ago and gave it one of her patented “mehs” and as usual she nailed it, like a bullet through a mail-box. I heard the author on a pod cast and thought this might be a good one for an audio book. I’m a sucker for that East Tennessee dialect, the kind that flows like warm honey. Unfortunately that wonderful accent only carried this listener so far and this rambling family saga, covering two generations and centered on and around Bloodroot Mountain, fizzled out like flat soda pop. It’s not a bad read and it does contain some decent writing, along with some lovely descriptions of Appalachian life, just not quite enough to recommend it.
    • 5/5

      Jul 31, 2010

      Bloodroot is the well-written story of a family torn apart and reunited through their own desires and misfortunes. The focus of the story is Myra, a beautiful mountain girl content with rural life with her Granny, until John Odom catches her eye. Bewitched by her indescribable magic, John marries Myra and takes her off the mountain. The newlyweds don't enjoy bliss for long however. At the mention of his departed mother, John changes, and becomes something entirely different than Myra had in mind. From this point on, Myra and her kin lead lives of despair and pain, running from the law and keeping secrets they never meant to own. I loved the way author Amy Greene wove pieces of the story together through different characters' voices. She leads the reader just far enough along her plotline to keep them tense with anticipation, and then backtracks and switches to a different viewpoint. In the end, the various voices blend seemlessly together, creating a narration that's seamless and holds true. In my opinion, an altogether accomplished work, capable of drawing forth emotions and moral contemplation.