Title: Glory Lands
Author: Vastine Bondurant
Publisher: DreamspinnerPress <--publisher buy link
Rating: 5 out of 5 Smooches
Blurb:
A
Texas Piney Woods Story
Rural East Texas, 1931. Preacher’s son Emory Joe Logan and a fiddler from Shreveport, Glory Lands, meet and form a tender bond. When they are caught and arrested for homosexual acts by Sheriff Elihu Bishop, the lawman’s sanctimonious bigotry threatens to rip the young men from their families.
Emory Joe’s father, Pastor Charles Logan, is brought to his knees in terror, confusion, and anger. He still regrets not standing up against Bishop when the lawman murdered a youth in cold blood nine years ago.
Now there’s no longer a choice for the preacher to stand up to the lawman. Cold-blooded justice, bigotry-disguised-as-religion, and hatred take on a whole new meaning when they’re standing on his doorstep, ready to take the son he loves.
Rural East Texas, 1931. Preacher’s son Emory Joe Logan and a fiddler from Shreveport, Glory Lands, meet and form a tender bond. When they are caught and arrested for homosexual acts by Sheriff Elihu Bishop, the lawman’s sanctimonious bigotry threatens to rip the young men from their families.
Emory Joe’s father, Pastor Charles Logan, is brought to his knees in terror, confusion, and anger. He still regrets not standing up against Bishop when the lawman murdered a youth in cold blood nine years ago.
Now there’s no longer a choice for the preacher to stand up to the lawman. Cold-blooded justice, bigotry-disguised-as-religion, and hatred take on a whole new meaning when they’re standing on his doorstep, ready to take the son he loves.
Review:
(This
review contains some heartfelt sighs, a gasp or two, and absolutely
zero spoilers)
Now
and again one stumbles upon a true wordsmith. The art and artistry
inherent in Glory Lands makes an irrefutable case for Vastine
Bondurant being one of those rare and precious beings. From the
gut-clenching, edge of your seat, hair at the nape of your neck
standing on end first page through the gentle spring breezes and
winsome yet disconsolate strains of a fiddle player’s hapless
yearning, right up to the shiver inducing moments when you, the
reader, stand face to face with an indescribable evil and feel the
indisputable, awe inducing touch of a higher power—yes, I do mean
you, gentle reader. Vastine Bondurant’s words are so well crafted
as to hook into the tender, secret flesh of your heart. She reels
you, gasping and choking for air like a landed fish, right into the
bone and marrow of her characters, and once there you can only
journey through their interwoven stories from inside their trembling,
beating hearts.
If
you are in the mood for a light a fluffy read that stirs nothing of
your soul… well, then Glory Lands is not the book for you.
You
may have heard that Glory Lands is scary, or terrifying… and yes
there is some truth to these suppositions. This story is not for the
faint of heart. It is a stark, plainly beautiful story of the
fragility of first loves, the endurance and valor that the great
among us find in their darkest hours, and—oh, I’ve goosebumps
rising between my shoulder blades still—the triumphs possible when
one holds fast to the truths which pure hearts have always seen.
I
will tell you though, do not be dismayed, nor should you give up
before attempting this story. Yes, Glory Lands is filled with beauty,
evil, love, and terror. Yet… easy and gentle as the ripples of a
quiet creek against smooth stones, Glory Lands will hold a mirror to
your soul and bid you look. No, no, this story is not for the faint
of heart, but rather for those brave enough to at least stare into
that speckled mirror, squinting one eye nearly shut and covering the
other with a trembling hand… for those able to hold their breath
and jump in, Glory Lands will allow you to... ah, William Blake said
it best: To see a world in a grain of sand. And a heaven in a wild
flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an
hour…
Oh,
be brave, sweet reader. Find this story. Dive in headfirst. You will
find not only that impossible soul mirror I’ve spoken of throughout
this review… you will also find a map to becoming great. One of the
ones able to stand fast in the face of evil, even while on your
knees.
Go
on. Do it. You may shed a tear or two along the way. But you’ll end
by inspiring others around you to be just as brave as you… and all
from a handful of flawlessly crafted words.
Buy Links:
Nikki, what beautiful words! Boy, is this humbling. Thank you so much for---as you say---taking the plunge to read. And for your lovely words.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I can only say the same about your beautiful book. Sorry it took so long for me to respond. I've been wildly busy with the stuff and nonsense of life.
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