This book started out a bit slow and I almost stopped reading. I did finish the story but it wasn’t really my taste. It felt kind of unreal and out of place at times.
There were no big moments. Just a sad story that left me feeling also sad and unconnected to any of the characters.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this book.

Told in three voices, in a southern setting, with intricate details and beautiful writing, A Land More Kind than Home is a story about a family wrapped up in a mystery. I loved it.

A LAND MORE KIND THAN HOME is a stunning debut novel by Wiley Cash. This is a book that I can see reading a second time in the near future. The story takes place in a small town with a preacher Carson Chamberliss who I IMMEDIATELY disliked. There are three narrators and this reader really enjoyed hearing from them. Nine-year-old Jess Hall gives his view of life in the town as he looks out for his older mute brother, Stump. Adelaide Lyle is the Seventy-year-old town midwife, town expert, and definitely necessary to the story. The third narrator is Sheriff Clem Barefield who has had some sorrow in his past. The author has written a riveting story of a small southern town that definitely held my attention and a story that I will be thinking about for some time! I think my book club might really like this one!.

I recieved this book in exchange for an honest review. It was a nice coming of age story a bit slow for me but over all I enjoyed the character development and was invested in this story.

Children see things that adults want to be kept secret. When the adults find out the consequences can often be harsh. How far will adults go to hide their secrets? How far will people go in the name of religion?

Set in North Carolina this debut novel is beautifully written and captures the people, the place, and the events. You won't be able to put this one down.

This is a stunning debut by this author. I’m not sure how I missed this book, but glad to read it now through Book Club Girls and Net Galley. The author paints vivid characters who come to life as their difficult story unfolds. I’ll be curious to see what this author does next.

This is a slow paced coming of age story. It deals with some strange things that were very much a part of life in some areas at one time. I think the book is well written, but it wasn't necessarily my mind of book. Thank you #NetGalley for allowing me to give my honest and voluntary opinion of #ALandMoreKindThanHome.

I received a free copy of A Land More Kind Than Home in exchange for an honest review.

This was a well-written/captivating book but I was unable to connect with it. I don't want to deter others from reading it but I just don't think it was for me. I have read other books by Wiley Cash and for that reason, I feel this is more about my preferences than this actual book.

The backdrop of the story includes a ruthless minister full of fiery rhetoric/evilness and has no issues with incorporating copperhead snakes into his sermons and for healing. We learn about the preacher's unconventional methods through three main narrators - Jess Hall, Adelaide Lyle and Clem Barefield.

Jess is a 9 year old boy with an older mute brother. Jess' world is changed significantly when he is exposed to very adult concepts and a significant tragedy that strikes too close to home.

Adelaide Lyle is a woman in her 80s who has served as the town's midwife and protector of the children - especially the evils of the town's preacher.

Clem Barefield is the town's sheriff. He has some skeletons in his closet that are brought to light as the story progresses and eventually link him back to the Hall family.

This book contains strong elements of evil, and how individuals can quickly end up down the wrong path.

What a interesting read.
Each character has a huge part of the story that all came together in this beautifully written tale.
A story about family, religion, community and brotherly that is so gripping I didn't want it to end.
Thank you to Netgalley, William Morrow and Custom house, and the Author Wiley cash for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book isn’t for the faint of heart or squeamish. But it is one of those books you want to sit and read in one go, great Southern fiction. It’s an intense story and filled with grief and sadness for nine year old boy, Jess.

Jess is a caring young boy. He watches out for his older brother, Stump, who has disabilities. His father, a hard scrabble farmer, works hard. His mother, a homemaker, is hyper-religious. She attends the River Road Church of Christ in Signs, and worships it’s minister Carson Chambliss. Chambliss is nefarious, a human serpent, and he believes in using snakes, poison, and fire to test people’s faith, or make examples of them. I’ll be honest, I detest snakes, but the writing of this book is so compelling that I could overlook the serpents used in it.

The writing is magnificent and powerful. It’s rich in detail and authentic language. It’s so well written that you can hear the accents, the slower pace of life in the writing, without the author being obvious about it. The characters could step off the page and meld into real life, they’re that beautifully delineated.

I didn’t know what to expect from this book, but I’m so happy I read it. It’s not a happy read, but it engulfed me in its pages and wouldn’t let me go until I finished. I highly recommend it.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. I thank all involved for their generosity in sharing this book with me, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

This is one of those stories that sticks with you long after close the book. The evil contained in this story I know exist in places this story writes about. It is what makes this novel that much more haunting. This debut is marvelous writing and surely for telling of what to expect from Wiley Cash.



I just reviewed A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash. #ALandMoreKindThanHome #NetGalley
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A Land More Kind Than Home, a novel by Wiley Cash, is set in a small southern town. It was a good read with no real ah-ha moments. For me, having been raised in the area, Cash's story roused more reflective opportunities to my past than it intrigued my interest.

Thank you to Custom House/William Morrow for gifting me an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley in anticipation of Wiley Cash's newest novel coming out later this month. A Land More Kind Than Home was phenomenal - I would classify it as a literary thriller, although don't expect it to be fast-paced. It reminded me a bit of the show Mare of Easttown, but with a setting in a small Appalachian town in Western North Carolina. The character development and the setting were so vivid, and the story absolutely ripped my heart out. I also loved the choice to use three narrators: a young boy, the town midwife who looks after everyone, and the local sheriff who isn't originally from the area. After finishing this novel, I am determined to read EVERYTHING Wiley Cash writes. This e-copy included the first chapter of Cash's newest book, When Ghosts Come Home, which will be out on September 21st, and after only one chapter, I am completely hooked and must get my hands on a copy of that novel ASAP!

When I was a teenager, we lived in a small community. One of the churches was heavily Pentecostal.
Always there were rumors.
This story invites you to see the action through the eyes of three different characters. The author’s wording is descriptive and the reader can imagine himself as one of those characters, or is familiar with the characteristics of any or all of the characters.
I thought the story was sad. I would recommend A Land More Kind Than Home for the dialogue and atmosphere.
Thank you #netgalley and #bookclubgirlsfreefriday for a copy of #ALandMoreKindThanHome.

A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash is a down South kind of book, told through three narrators, some of it by memory, some of it current. It tells a very sad story of the kind of hold a crazy religion can have over a group of people. I had trouble getting into it and it got more difficult when the young boy was telling the story. It was almost stream-of-consciousness, a method I am not a fan of. Most of the reviews are good, so feel free to ignore mine as out-of-the-mainstream. I just didn't like it.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of A Land More Kind Than Home by William Morrow, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #williammorrow #alandmorekindthanhome

A Land More Kind Than Home started out a little slow, and I almost stopped reading after we met the snake charming preacher. But I persevered, and I did get wrapped up in trying to see if that preacher was ever brought to justice.

I did enjoy the story being told from the point of view of 3 different people, but the chapters that covered some of their backstories seemed out of place, and a little unnecessary,

An interesting story, uncovered a little at a time, but with no big surprises. Mostly it just left me feeling sad.

Thank you to William Morrow and the Book Club Girls for making this available on NetGalley, in advance of Wiley Cash's September release, When Ghosts Come Home.

I read this book to get ready for the author's newest book. This book has incredible characters and I loved the bond between Jess and his brother Stump. I am certainly looking forward to the new book!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I wasn’t sure when I started it, if it would be for me, but the story unfolded and it was easy to become engaged in the lives of the characters. The story is told in three different viewpoints. Sometimes that makes for a confusing story but not here. Thank you for the chance to read this early, even though I didn’t get done before publication.

What an amazing book Love the characters in this book especially the young boys And how they've dealt with a lot of issues especially the preacher who a preacher who had a different agendas and how and how the sheriff and how it was all tied in together it in together you'll figure this out later in the book but it dealt with a lot of but it dealt with a lot of stuff like the religion afflict the religion and how this man memorized and memorizes this whole town And how this woman was taken in by this preacher because she could not preacher because she could not love her husband because of her boy or boy who had problems and her other son who was so quisitive And you can see how rural towns like that have problems because they have really no albums because they have really no jobs and how the grandfather came back to and how the grandfather came back too he had a story to tell too This other woman Louisa had other had other issues as well and how she dealt with her own losses as well now she dealt with her own losses as well I lent this Southern book because it talked because it tied everything together up in a rural area up in a rural area North Carolina you can see how family and the town a family and the town really needed each other

A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash. This story takes place in a small NC town. This is a story about brothers and an evil pastor disguised as a man of the cloth. It's told through 3 different points of view. The story has a nice progression with each viewpoint. I liked the fact that there was more than one chapter which allowed for better story telling and background information. The ending was sad, but how else was it supposed to end. I'm not sure. But glad there was healing at the church. I would recommend. Thank you for letting me review this book.