3.5 stars. There are a number of things I enjoyed about this story. The tender portrayal of the characters and the central mystery of why Cleo began as outgoing and adventurous, then became reclusive. The setting of Cumberland island was like a character in itself - it was fascinating reading about it both visually and historically, the book made me want to know more about it. Cleo was an interesting if somewhat gruff character who stayed true to herself. The 1932 timeline was more engaging than the one in 1959 because it was atmospheric and evocative of a more innocent time, yet one that had darker undercurrents of racism and misogyny. I found some of the other characters less interesting than Cleo and there were a lot of subplots to keep track of that slowed the momentum. There were times when I found the story too slow, especially in the last half. I was hoping for more drama before the narrative wound up. But overall, an enjoyable read with lovely visuals conveying the importance storytelling and place. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins Focus for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
This story is written beautifully, it has a musical feel to it.
The story is told in two timelines, 1932 and 1959. The three main characters are women, Audrey Howell who runs the local inn, recently married and newly widowed. Frances Flood has studied folklore, she is a visitor staying at the inn, her mother has recently died and she is searching for information about her mother’s past. Then there is Cleo, the recluse, she is also an artist. All three women are strong interesting characters and they keep the story alive.
For me it was a slow read but I am so glad I persevered. The story is filled with intrigue and mystery, it also include race, class and prejudice.
A interesting and different read well deserving of 4 stars.

1932. Cumberland Island off the coast of Southern Georgia is a strange place to encounter the opulence of the Gilded Age, but the last vestiges of the famed philanthropic Carnegie family still take up brief seasonal residence in their grand mansions there.

1959. Reclusive painter Cleo Woodbine has lived alone for decades on Kingdom Come, a tiny strip of land once occupied by the servants for the great houses on nearby Cumberland. When she is visited by the man who saved her life nearly thirty years earlier, a tempest is unleashed as the stories of the past gather and begin to regain their strength.

I enjoyed Cleo. She is talented, stubborn and eccentric. Cleo is a force to be reckoned with!

This story has some very pretty prose. It is just very slow and a bit wordy in places. I loved the setting of Cumberland Island. I learned a great deal about its history. I had no idea about Carnegie mansions there.

I also enjoyed some of the folklore. But, to me, and I am in the minority, this story could have some more action and less description. As I always say, read it for yourself and form your own opinion.

Need a historical fiction tale on Cumberland Island…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

This is a story about people of privilege in the 1930's and how their actions affect members of the community well into the future. It is a well-written book and an excellent story. The writing presents imagery for me that is unforgettable.

"...but she'd forgotten about that, about how glory could eat a man up..."

I was excited to finally get to this one! I got to attend a workshop with a folklorist and folk art curriculum over my Fall Break, so the nod to folklore seemed like something I would be into. However, I think maybe this one just wasn't for me.

There are very few books where I read a line - and read it again, and read it again - just to think and absorb the words. Kimberly Brock is an author of these type of books, and I was swept away to Cumberland Island and the adjacent sliver of land Kingdom Come in her latest book The Fabled Earth. With a dual timeline, the story begins in 1932. Cumberland Island is the playground for the rich of the Gilded age - the Carnegies built their mansion Plum Orchard there and others followed suit. Cleo Woodbine is hoping to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps there and become a painter, and is thrilled when she’s offered a position as a ladies’s companion to Joanna Burton, who will be there for a few weeks as a guest. However, Cleo quickly realizes she is nothing like the young people there; the young men are interested solely in hunting and drinking, and her companion Joanna is a free spirit who seems to only want to tease the young men. When a late night gathering turns tragic, Cleo retreats to Woodbine Cottage, at nearby Kingdom Come. She becomes a recluse, and her paintings and the figures from therm - her “tagalongs” - are her only friends.

But everything changes in 1959 when Frances Flood, the daughter of Joanna Burton, shows up at Cleo’s doorstep, wanting answers to things her mother said on her deathbed. Woven around the present day is the story of the town of Revery, which seems to be on its last legs, but townspeople are hoping for a rebirth. Set during the segregation era, this story explores race relations, family we have and family we gain by friendships. At its heart, it’s a story of friendship, secrets kept, secrets told, and while the past shapes our future, it doesn’t have to define it. Highly recommend this one - I will be reading it again! Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Muse for an ARC of this book; all opinions are my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I found this book to be overly descriptive and rather confusing. It was difficult to follow and ultimately, exhausting. I love southern fiction, yet this one just did not engage.

I had really high hopes for this one, and I think the overall set up was great. However, the timelines and POVs got jumbled together and it was really difficult for me to keep track of what was going on for the first half. By the second half, I better understood the POVs/timelines, but I didn’t feel like the story was cohesive and just didn’t keep me interested.
Overall, while I didn’t completely mesh with this one, it was beautifully written and I’d definitely pick up another from this author.

The writing and setting for this novel are absolutely beautiful. I felt completely transported to Cumberland Island. I did, however, find the actual story to drag a bit. The flashbacks were usually my favorite part, but the many differing POVs made it difficult to truly connect with the characters and I felt myself wanting to know so much more about almost every character. Overall, a beautiful work of lyrical writing but with a slow middle that drags a bit and characters that need a bit more development. Thanks you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the digital ARC.

Kimberly Brock’s THE FABLED EARTH is a beautiful, dual timeline story, weaving together two different timelines around Cumberland Island tied together by myths, folklore, and interesting characters. In 1932, a house party ended after the events of a bonfire. Cleo Woodbine exiles herself to a cottage on an eroding island and has no plans to leave until Frances arrives in 1959 looking for answers after her mother’s death leaves her with questions. Audrey is newly widowed with a secret; she’s taken over the bed & breakfast that was her mother’s childhood home. The women’s lives become intertwined as their friendship grows and the past shapes their future and the futures of those they touch. Full of stories and mysteries to uncover, Brock has created a novel that will wrap itself around you from the beginning until you read the last word.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.

In 1959, Frances Flood arrives on Georgia’s Cumberland Island at the behest of her recently deceased mother, Joanna Burton. She has lived her life in the shadow of family secrets, and by fulfilling her mother’s dying wish to commission a painting from the reclusive artist, Cleo Woodbine, she hopes to put to rest questions about her own origins, and discover why Cleo has kept Joanna’s heirloom pearl necklace since the terrible events at Plum Orchard in 1932. As a folklore researcher, Frances is fascinated by the mystery of the siren-sighting in the East River, and how that connects to the two boys who drowned that fateful night.

Seen from the point of view of three women, Frances, Cleo and Audrey, a young widow who runs the local inn, Brock weaves her saga through the myths and legends of the 1930s, the rapidly changing times, and the chancy randomness of life. On the eve of a predicted mega-storm, the island is ushering out old ways to make way for a new world, one which Cleo has shunned for thirty years. Her patronage from the Carnegie family in 1932, to reside permanently at Kingdom Come studio to pursue her art, means she must now face her culpability in Joanna’s fate, as it was Cleo who was tasked with chaperoning the young ingenue to ensure her safety at Plum Orchard. This poignant tale is wonderfully redolent of a bygone era, with its timeless setting in which the waves of history come crashing upon Cleo’s quiet shore, in the wake of Joanna’s death. As Cumberland past and present comes alive for Frances, she begins to rewrite her own story about who she really is. This engaging novel sent me searching for more information about the Carnegies, Cumberland, and its historic houses and stately ruins; always a good sign of a fulfilling read.

I don’t read a lot of southern fiction, but I really enjoyed this book. I connected with the female main characters right away. I enjoyed the multiple POVs. We get the past tense during the Fable chapters, but the majority of the story is told in the ‘present’ (the late 1950’s) with Cleo, Audrey and Frances’ POVs. From the minute Frances comes to Cumberland Island you can get the feeling she belongs there. Audrey and Frances’ friendship is my favorite part of the story. I love how they bond so easily and Frances is ready to have Audrey’s back after such a short time.

Thank you Harper Collins Focus for my digital copy of this book.

The Fabled Earth
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I LOVED the book so much that I listened to the Audio also. I didn't want either one to end. It was absolutely 💯 Fantastic!! You will cheer on & totally fall for Cleo, Francis and Audrey. You do not want to miss out on this GREAT BOOK! Kimberly is the Queen of the Marsh and a great storyteller. The Marsh will come to life right in front of your eyes.
Thank U NetGalley for letting me do both. I could start all over again. I LOVED BOTH!

The Fabled Earth is a beautifully written story filled with Southern charm, ghosts, family, and forgiveness. I love the dual time lines, the richly drawn characters, and the fully immersive story line. This is an author I will definitely be watching out for!

I read, The Fabled Earth by Kimberly Brock. I had difficulty following the characters and storylines in this story. I believe there were multiple story lines throughout the book, but I could not keep track.

I rated the book ⭐️⭐️

3.5 stars. A historical fiction set on the very real Cumberland Island, a place with a history so fascinating it’s worth its own read. The atmosphere and sense of place is the best part of this book, I would read a whole history about the Carnegie homes built on this island and everyone who inhabited it before then. The characters were a bit one dimensional, it took me awhile to be able to tell them apart.

Kimberly Brock is a master story teller! I've been there since the beginning with The River Witch and then The Lost Book Of Eleanor Dare. She writes place like few others do or can. The Fabled Earth takes us on another unforgettable journey,

I adored THE LOST BOOK OF ELEANOR DARE so when I heard that Kimberly Brock had a new book coming out, I couldn't wait. It's safe to say, she didn't disappoint. THE FABLED EARTH is one of the best books I've read this year.

This intricate, multi-textured book touches on so many themes: Death and Rebirth, Forgiveness, Mothers and Daughters, Change, Letting go the Past, Racism, and of course, the Power of Story. Brock weaves them together like a spider web and the result is an atmospheric, gothic tale.

In 1932, tragedy struck Cumberland Island, Georgia. Two men died and a young woman was sent home in shame. Now, twenty-seven years later, that past comes roaring back to upset the lives of three women: Cleo Woodbine, a reclusive artist; Frances Flood, a folklore scholar with ties to the island; and Audrey Howell, a twenty-year-old widow who runs the local in. The women's lives intersect as little by little, they uncover the true story behind what happened in 1932. In doing so, not only do they learn who they are, but they discover that the stories we tell ourselves aren't always the truth.

Brock has a true gift for language. Like in her previous work, THE FABLED EARTH is chock full of imagery and subtext. It's a book you should savor as you read it. The only problem is, the plot has enough twists to keep you reading all night.

Can you tell I adored it? Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for this honest review.

Brock’s novel is a lush dream like book with poetic prose. The novel jumps back and forth from the 30s to the 50s as the characters reckon with their histories and pasts. The atmosphere and setting are richly drawn and realized and Brock seemlessly weaves multiple points of view and settings into a cohesive narrative.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an finest review.

With her talent as an author, Kimberly Brock has created a story whose words paint visuals of people and places that take the reader into the characters’ world. The readers of Fabled Earth will see and feel the South of the 30’s and of 1959. How does history and culture impact the lives of individuals? The answers to this question is what each reader will learn and feel when they read The Fabled Earth by Kimberly Brock.