When successful New York editor Jen Gibbs discovers a decaying slush-pile manuscript on her desk, she has no idea that the story of Sarra, a young mixed-race woman trapped in Appalachia at the turn of the twentieth century, will both take her on a journey and change her forever. Happy with her life in the city, and at the top of her career with a new job at Vida House Publishing, Jen has left her … her Appalachian past and twisted family ties far behind. But the search for the rest of the manuscript, and Jen’s suspicions about the identity of its unnamed author, will draw her into a mystery that leads back to the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains… and quite possibly through the doors she thought she had closed forever.
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Wow. Wow. Wow. Sometimes I *feel* a story deep down inside. This was one of those stories. The characters, particularly Jen (Jennia Beth) wrapped themselves around my heart, not letting go. The Story Keeper is always intriguing, but sometimes heartbreaking, too. Most of all, it is memorable.
A magnetic story. As the mysterious manuscript compels Jen Gibbs to face her past, so this novel pulls me in as a reader and speaks to my deep heart convicton that stories are about connections.
While the book stands alone and is my favorite, all entries to the Carolina Heirlooms series are just as beautiful. Highly recommended.
When Jen Gibbs begins a job with a publishing company, she is almost irresistibly drawn to the forbidden slush pile. Not wanting to get off to a bad start with her new boss, she manages to avoid the temptation but then days later she finds an old, yellowed manuscript laying on her desk. How did it get there? And what should she do with it? Choosing to read the manuscript draws her into the tumultuous life of young Sarra, a melungeon girl in Appalachia. But the story is incomplete and the author isn’t named. Drawn to pursue the conclusion of the fascinating story takes Jen home to the poverty of her own Appalachian roots and to heartaches she thought she had left behind.
The Story Keeper is a beautiful story. Although it’s the second installment of the Carolina series by Lisa Wingate, it can be read following The Prayer Box or as a stand alone. 5 stars!
I really don’t give many 5 stars but this is one book that deserves 6.
This is another wonderful and u inquest story from Lisa Wingate! It is a story within a story – both filled with mystery, family drama and trauma, and interesting history.
When publishing editor Jen is mysteriously given an old manuscript, she becomes enthralled and determined to find the author and the rest of the story. The search takes her back home to the mountains of North Carolina. While there she must also face the family she left behind.
The search for the story and author forces Jen to confront past hurts and develop new friendships along the way. This is a story of hope, redemption, acceptance, and love. It emphasizes the power of a story. A story worth reading!
Lisa Wingate has a gift for capturing the music of the mountain language.
The history is fascinating in itself but how it’s presented is a page Turner. Talks about little known Appalachia.
Absolutely wonderful!
Lisa Wingate with her awesome God-given talent has produced another winner! In her new book, The Story Keeper, she transports her readers from Appalachia at the turn of the century to Appalachia today through the life of Jen Gibbs. Jen, in her job as an editor for Vida House Publishing, is pursuing the author of a twenty year old manuscript that has mysteriously appeared on her desk. Her quest plunges her back into the Blue Ridge Mountains, a place from which she thought she had escaped. She is forced to deal with family issues as she confronts a reluctant writer that she suspects is the author of her manuscript. It is a story of great courage and hope. Lisa has the ability to make her readers feel like they are living the story along with her characters. You won’t be able to put this story down once you have started reading! You won’t want the book to end!