Set in Appalachia and the Midwest at the turn of the twentieth century, this exquisite debut novel paints an intimately rendered portrait of one resilient farm family’s challenges and hard-won triumphs—helmed by an unforgettable heroine. Growing up on their hardscrabble farm in rural Kentucky, fifteen-year-old Albertina “Bertie” Winslow has learned a lot from her mama, Polly. She knows how to … her mama, Polly. She knows how to lance a boil, make a pie crust, butcher a pig, and tend to every chore that needs doing. What she doesn’t know, but is forced to reckon with all too soon, is how to look after children as a mother should …
When Polly succumbs to a long illness, Bertie takes on responsibility for her four younger siblings and their dissolute, unreliable daddy. Yet no matter how hard she tries to hold the family together, the task is overwhelming. Nine-year-old Dacia, especially, is resentful and stubborn, hinting at secrets in their mama’s life. Finally, Bertie makes the only choice she can—breaking up the family for its own survival, keeping the girls with her, sending the boys off to their grown brothers, long gone from home.
Ever pragmatic, Bertie marries young, grateful to find a husband willing to take on the care of her sisters, and eventually moves to the oil fields of Kansas. But marriage alone cannot resolve the grief and guilt she carries over a long-ago tragedy, or prepare her for the heartaches still to come. Only by confronting wrenching truths can she open herself to joy—and learn how to not only give, but receive, unfettered love.
Inspired by stories told by the author’s mother and aunts, All the Forgivenesses is as authentic as it is lyrical—a captivating novel of family loyalty, redemption, and resilience.
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All The Forgiveness is a stunning debut novel by author Elizabeth Hardinger.
This story follows Bertie, a young girl born in Appalachia in early 1900’s, through the trials of growing up poor and with minimal education, the trauma of losing siblings and parents, alcoholism and it’s effects on the family.
Thrust into an impossible position of responsibility at a terribly young age, Bertie makes decisions that leave her haunted with guilt for years to come. As the years pass, learning to trust in the strong woman she has become, forgiving herself for things that were never in her control, and believing herself worthy of love and happiness may be the hardest challenge of all.
This is one of those stories that although I know is just fiction, touched me deeply. Imagining a child faced with the responsibilities and sorrows most adults would find difficult at best, I couldn’t help but feel for and root for Bertie.
I enjoyed everything about this book. It is written in the speech patterns appropriate for the times, locations, and educational levels of the characters. It took a page or two to get used to, but soon became charming in its own simple way.
The characters are diverse and believable, the movement through time flowed seamlessly. I appreciated that there was no one major climactic event in this story, rather a slow build of events that brings relief with a final realization and satisfying conclusion.
My typical expectation of historical fiction is a fictional story woven around a person, place, or event of historical significance. I’m not sure this meets that description. Maybe more accurate to be classified as Fiction?
Regardless, it’s a lovely story I highly recommend. I look forward to reading more from this author
Composed with unassuming wisdom and grace, All the Forgivenesses is an exhilarating testament to the human spirit. You’ll fall in love with the remarkable Bertie, whose unwavering loyalty to family delivers her a life rich with meaning and hard‑won transcendence. A captivating debut by an exciting new voice in fiction.
It won’t take a page to know this is an abiding story told in an utterly captivating voice. I fell into this novel in a way I’ve only experienced when reading Kaye Gibbons, Louise Erdrich, Dorothy Allison, and Alice Walker. The sense of place and time, of family, guilt, grief, and love are so richly layered, reading All the Forgivenesses is mesmerizing. No one writes like Hardinger. Thank goodness she does.
Elizabeth Hardinger has given us a heroine for the ages. In the face of unimaginable hardship, where survival is the only thing that matters, she learns strength and courage, and discovers joy in unexpected places. Her voice is strong and authentic and unforgettable. Equal parts tender and brutal, All the Forgivenesses is a rich, exquisite novel.
Not since Daniel Woodrell’s Winter’s Bone and Bonnie Jo Campbell’s Once Upon a River have I met such an original, strong young woman, full of resourcefulness, passion, and courage, dedicated to saving her family no matter the personal sacrifice. This is an extraordinary, unforgettable novel, with a haunting voice that follows you into your dreams at night. Elizabeth Hardinger carves the geography of the human heart and teaches us the lessons of the forgiveness and the redemption that is possible for those of us strong enough to bear the burden and gift of love.