Destined to be a classic, Sweeping Up Glass is a tough and tender novel of love, race, and justice, and a ferocious, unflinching look at the power of family.Olivia Harker Cross owns a strip of mountain in Pope County, Kentucky, a land where whites and blacks eke out a living in separate, tattered kingdoms and where silver-faced wolves howl in the night. But someone is killing the wolves of Big … killing the wolves of Big Foley Mountain–and Olivia is beginning to realize how much of her own bitter history she’s never understood: Her mother’s madness, building toward a fiery crescendo. Her daughter’s flight to California, leaving her to raise Will’m, her beloved grandson. And most of all, her town’s fear, for Olivia has real and dangerous enemies.
Now this proud, lonely woman will face her mother and daughter, her neighbors and the wolf hunters of Big Foley Mountain. And when she does, she’ll ignite a conflict that will embroil an entire community–and change her own life in the most astonishing of ways.
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The story had a lot of twists and turns that I enjoyed. If I had not lived in lived iin Appalachia for almost a year in 1970, I would have probably not found the story and characters believable.
Ok read
An unusual story with good characterization and an unexpected plot twist.
I found this book to be well written, but “gritty”. You know from history the social and economical conditions in the early to mid 1900’s in the South, but to be immersed in it via this novel was quite eye-opening. The author weaves a great story of the characters and events to make it all real for you. But it also makes you realize how good your …
Sweeping Up Glass by Carolyn Wall is a depression era novel of rural Kentucky. It describes the struggles of good hardworking people and some very evil people who manipulate the town in the background. There is unconditional love between most of the characters, but some of the characters are truly vile. I loved the descriptions of the life the …
Loved this book!!! Incredible ending, I never saw that coming! And the whole story line just drew me in and captivated me to another place and time. When you find a book you keep wanting to go back to, you miss the place and characters, and you feel it become a part of you- know that’s a GOOD book!!!!!! I can’t recommend it enough!!!!
Enjoyed it, but took a few chapters to really get into it.
Glad it had a happy ending. Well written
Love this book!
Not what I expected.
The characters fit into the settings perfectly. Unvelievably difficult living circumstances, mental illness, racial bigotry and worse, were intertwined in small-town Kentucky. The main character overcame odds during her hard-lived life, which made me happy.
I enjoyed reading this book. There were some disturbing characters/events but it was also thought provoking.
Interminable with reprehensible characters, but i read most of it by skipping pages and not missing a thing.
I haven’t read a book that kept me up until all hours of the night for many years. This was that book. Olivia is such a strong woman who doesn’t whine about being poor; she simply does what she must to survive. Sweeping Up Glass was a vivid portrait of Depression era “anywhere”,
Loved it!
I really enjoyed reading this book. It reminded me of “To Kill a Mocking Bird”. This story is set up during the depression, in the mountains of kentucky, set in a brutally segregated area. The town people who have kept a deep secret for many years from the main charactor that finally festers to the top. I will definitely be following this author …
I recommend this book wholeheartedly. The writing is superb, the characters amazing, and the story so compelling I had a hard time putting it down. I cannot wait to read more by this author. Warning: do not start this book late at night or you will up all night reading.
I just finished reading this book, and I loved it. The story is very well written and the characters very well developed. There are many twists and turns. This book is disturbing as it unfolds to reveal the ugliness of hatred, discrimination, and violence against people of color. Sadly, this ugliness continues in many forms to this very day. …