2018 Arizona Book of the YearThe black blizzard is a formidable enemy. The furious storm blots out the sun, chokes the life from both man and beast. When RJ Evans finds herself engulfed in inky blackness and holed up beneath her Model AA Ford on an isolated plains road – dirt caked beneath her fingernails, skin flecked with blood drawn by the biting dust – she has no idea this trial won’t be her … idea this trial won’t be her toughest.
What awaits her in the small farming town of Vanham, when she begins her job as a geologist for the U.S. Soil Conservation Service, is even more daunting. Drought and over-plowing by men determined to conquer the land have turned the once-lush plains into a brutal twin of the Sahara. Headstrong and intent on healing the earth through conservation farming, RJ must somehow find her place in a tight-knit community that welcomes neither women in authority nor changes to their way of life.
She befriends Woody, an autistic savant born in an era long before any medical diagnosis would explain his peculiar ways and unique talents. The locals label the young man an idiot and RJ an armchair farmer. Yet, in each other, they see so much more.
Beating back the dust is a daily battle in a war for the land. It is a clash that creates unlikely alliances. As RJ learns she must rely on her adversaries if she is to survive the dangers of the Dust Bowl, she also grows to realize that she – like the land itself – is in desperate need of love and healing.
more
A woman’s struggle to survive and thrive during the Great Depression when Men worked and woman stayed home. Fabulous story and loved the character of her friend.
Shortlisted for the Rubery Book Award 2020
An interesting foray into Steinbeck territory from a female perspective. RJ is a soil erosion specialist who sets up a government funded laboratory in Oklahoma during the early thirties. Her struggle to establish herself in the rural community, who find it hard to accept a woman with a Geology degree, is outweighed only by her fight against nature and the dust storms that blight the region. The central character is convincing, as are the scientific details, and the vivid account of the brutal environment. RJ’s relationship with Woody, her autistic handyman, is well handled. Both are outsiders, misunderstood characters. In this way, since, as 21st century readers, we know more about feminism and autism, dramatic irony plays an interesting part. A fast-paced, satisfying novel.
Peculiar Savage Beauty by Jessica McCann
Narrated by Rebecca Roberts
July 9, 2019
5 stars
This was an incredible audiobook about the Dust Bowl era. As a gardener, I can appreciate the in depth storyline of how this scientist seeked to restore her beloved home. I loved the romance in the story, but this historical goes beyond the romance and into the depth of the heartache and despair of this terrible time. I haven’t read or listened to any other books about this sad period of devastation, but this seemed genuine and historically accurate. I loved the inclusion of the remarkable character Woody and how Jessica portrays his Autism in a positive light despite showing how the common public saw him as slow or dimwitted.
The narration was beautiful! I was really pulled in by Rebecca’s cadence and variety of character voices. There were a few spots where two people were talking back and forth and she was out of character just a bit, but she did an incredible job!
It’s a very long book and it’s definitely worth your attention and time to read or listen! If you love learning as well as being entertained I hope you’ll get your hands on this book!
While I do feel this book is clean, there is one section where, after they are engaged, they get a bit too involved. Their clothes are on, but this whole scene could have been sweeter in my opinion instead of so lustful
Did you know there is such a thing as dust pneumonia? Did you know that a cow left out during a severe dust storm can die because it’s insides are full of mud?
This audio book was incredible! The historical fiction takes you back to the time of the Dust Bowl in the 1930’s. Peculiar Savage Beauty is not only entertaining, it is educational, emotional and transports you back in time to feel as though you are witnessing the hardships of these resilient people first hand. These people suffered through so much anguish and despair, to say nothing of the actual physical horrific conditions…and we whine when the cable goes out for a couple of hours!
McCann not only takes the reader back to experience the Dust Bowl, but she has produced beautifully developed characters that help to tell a story that won’t soon be forgotten. The writing by McCann and the performance of the book by Rebecca Roberts were both exceptional! Bravo!!!
A fantastic historical novel set in the Dust Bowl era. The characters were so well developed and the descriptions were so realistic, I almost forgot I was listening to a book.
The writing by Jessica McCann and narration by Rebecca Roberts were so well done. I really enjoyed this book.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.
I really enjoyed this book. The title Peculiar Savage Beauty is a line from Willa Cather in O Pioneers! and it perfectly fits this book. Jessica McCann wrote an engaging read that takes place during 1934-1935 in a soon-to-be-forgotten Kansas city. RJ Evans, the main character, a newly minted geologist and scientist returns to her roots to conduct soil analysis for the government. The reader is transported to the era through a relatable modern character, and the strong-willed people she encounters. There are other subtle themes of feminism, autism, environmental damage from human policies. It was a fast read and one I will recommend to others. I loved McCann’s first book, All Different Kinds of Free. Peculiar Savage Beauty is just as good, if not better.