WV Stitcher: My Sweet Vidalia ~ Deborah Mantella ~ TLC Blog tour with review

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Turner (October 6, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 163026959X
ISBN-13: 978-1630269593

Purchase a copy of My Sweet Vidalia here.

On July 4, 1955, in rural Georgia, an act of violence threatens the life of Vidalia Lee Kandal Jackson’s pre-born daughter. Despite the direst of circumstances, the spirit of the lost child refuses to leave her ill-equipped young mother's side.

For as long as she is needed―through troubled pregnancies, through poverty, through spousal abuse and agonizing betrayals―Cieli Mae, the determined spirit child, narrates their journey. Serving as a safe place and sounding board for Vidalia's innermost thoughts and confusions, lending a strength to her momma's emerging voice, Cieli Mae provides her own special brand of comfort and encouragement, all the while honoring the restrictions imposed by her otherworldly status.

Vidalia finds further support in such unlikely townsfolk and relations as Doc Feldman, Gamma Gert and her Wild Women of God, and, most particularly, in Ruby Pearl Banks, the kind, courageous church lady, who has suffered her own share of heartache in their small Southern town of yesteryear's prejudices and presumptions.

My Sweet Vidalia is wise and witty, outstanding for its use of vibrant, poetic language and understated Southern dialect, as well as Mantella's clear-eyed observations of race relations as human relations, a cast of unforgettable characters, an in-depth exploration of the ties that bind, and its creative perspective. My Sweet Vidalia is a rare, wonderful, and complex look at hope, strength, the unparalleled power of unconditional love, and a young mother's refusal to give up.

My take on this book:

My Sweet Vidalia is a story that begs to be read! From the beginning pages the southern dialect breathes life into these unique characters allowing them to jump from the pages, while also bringing the setting to life with descriptions that made it so easy for me to feel like I was watching the story unfold instead of just reading it! This story takes place during the 1950's in the south were some people still believe that all men are not created equal, but our main character Vidalia tends to see the good in all. The way the story is told was quite unique in that we often see the events unfold through the eyes of spirit child Cieli Mae who loved her mother so much that she stayed around to protect her! This perspective allows greater insight into what is taking place, and the hardships that her beloved mother Vidalia faces. My heart breaks on so many occasions for Vida Lee (Vidalia), but there were bright spots in her life as well. This is a story that is far from predictable and really kept me wondering what the final outcome might be.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided for review.

Purchase My Sweet Vidalia at these book stores:

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

About Deborah Mantella:

A transplant to the South, Deborah Mantella has lived and taught in various cities in the Northeast and the Midwest. Now a resident of Georgia she lives outside Atlanta with her husband. Mantella is a member of the Atlanta Writers Club, the Authors Guild, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. This is her first novel.