Set on and around Cumberland Island, The Fabled Earth starts off with a mysterious recluse in 1959. Cleo Woodbine has lived for decades and has kept mostly to herself during that time. One day, Cleo is surprised when a man she first met in 1932 has returned, after being gone for years. Then a folklorist, Frances Flood, comes to the island with a request for Cleo from her recently deceased mother to paint her portrait. Frances's visit brings back a wave of memories that Cleo has tried to forget all these years. Told in a dual timeline of 1959 and 1932, The Fabled Earth beautifully tells how much the past can impact the present and how we can never really leave the past behind.

I was completely immersed in this rich and glorious novel. The Fabled Earth is so rich, with numerous layers that reveal the complexity of its characters and the tales that weave them all together. This is true southern fiction, with its folklores and legends, history and suspense, secrets and betrayals. The story switches between two timelines, both historical, which come together in a way that is breathtaking in its honesty. We are introduced to a wide range of characters, each one of them an important cog in this revolving story that explores the changing world and its repercussions on this small community. Readers will be captivated by the legends of Cumberland Island, and enthralled by the folks who have lived, loved, and survived all of its storms.

I love this story and the way it weaves history into the lines. Cleo is amazing. I want a prequel to get to know Joanne better. Frances is perfection. Audrey is so fierce. Jimmy is loveable.

The Fabled Earth is a compelling novel that intertwines themes of family, memory, and redemption. Brock, known for her rich, lyrical prose and deep character development, weaves a narrative that captures the complexities of human relationships and the haunting power of the past.

The story centers around a woman who returns to her childhood home after the death of her estranged mother. As she delves into the remnants of her mother's life and the secrets buried within, she uncovers truths that challenge her understanding of her family and herself. The novel spans multiple generations, revealing how the past continuously shapes the present.

Kimberly Brock's writing is evocative and immersive. Her ability to create a strong sense of place and time draws readers into the world of the novel. The writing is heartfelt and poetic, capturing the beauty and pain of the characters' experiences.

The Fabled Earth is a beautifully written novel that offers a profound look at the bonds that tie us to our families and the land. It’s a story of healing and hope, perfect for readers who enjoy deep, emotional narratives with richly developed characters and settings. This book is a memorable and impactful read that I recommend for everyone.

This book had Where the Crawdad Sings elements to it in the way it described the setting. I thought the back in forth in characters and timelines was not very clear or smooth. It always took me a bit to understand what time period it was when it changed.

A few years ago our family went camping on Cumberland Island, so when I saw that this book was set on Cumberland I was so excited to read it! I loved the setting and I believe the author did a fantastic job of describing the mystery and magical feel of the island. Reading about places I have been and know well is so fun to me, and this book brought back memories of our explorations on the island.

The story itself fell short for me though. I found it to be confusing and I didn’t connect with the characters well. The climactic event and revealing of the mystery was a bit flat as well, so I ended feeling disappointed. While some parts were really intriguing, by the end I just felt that it was okay. This may be a case of ‘it’s not you it’s me’ though, because I do think I’ve had trouble focusing through some of the summer busyness.


Adult historical fiction. Mild language. Romance was clean with 2-3 non-descriptive closed door/fade to black scenes. Prejudice against American Indians by one character, racism (set in the 1950s), use of a drug from morning glories, cigarettes, a character prays to a “force that makes the waters rise,” ghosts.

If you’re a fan of historical fiction, The Fabled Earth should be your next read. This was a story of three generations interwoven by a folklore. Great read.

Dual timeline where an incident from 1932 greatly impacts the happenings in 1959. The effects on the characters' lives
are revealed and will affect their actions. The community is also dealing segregation and what it means for the future.
The chapters alternate between three women, Cleo, Audrey and Frances with parts labled as Fable. What happened
that mysterious night in 1932 will be revealed. Choices will be made - what will the future hold? Strong female characters.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own
#TheFabledEarth #HarperCollinsFocus #HarperMuse #NetGalley

interesting history of a Georgia island and rural community. It follows folks between the 1930's and 1950's, illustrating daily life and race/class problems,

This book has an interesting story. However, there are a lot of characters to keep track of. It is also long winded and drawn out. I wanted to like the book but couldn't really get into it.

In this dual-time line story, Cleo Woodbine is banished from Cumberland and sent to live a solitary life in penance for her part in the summer of 1932 when a young woman was injured and her chances ruined and 2 young men drowned and as time passed, shame keeps her there. Tate Walker is also sent away, after saving Cleo's life. History, loss, pain and keeping alive bind these two together. Author Kimberly Brock writes-

'Everyone of us has a library we're carrying around right inside us. All those stories are just waiting... Did you know that's why all stories are ghost stories? They're our ghosts and we give them life...'

Set in Revery, Kingdom Come, Cumberland, Dungeness, and Plum Orchard , we meet the whole community: Jimmy Walker ingenue. Son of Glenn, grandson of Tate. Mimi, mother of Audrey, Aunt of Rosey Devane. Henry Devane father of Rosey Shirley sister of Mimi. Audrey (lives Gilbreath House) daughter of Mimi, widow of Freddie. The Buies- Archie, daughter Amanda who is aunt to children Nan and Harl. Lumas adopted son, cousin of Amanda and part of 1932 events. Morrie Johnston son of Dr.Johnston, of the Carnegie family, Frances Flood (from Asheville ) daughter of Joanna Burton who was sent away in 1932. Cleo Woodbine (artist and recluse, lives in Dr. Johnston's Woodbine cottage) granddaughter of Dooley Woodbine. Will Tremmons, Cherokee from Oklahoma , friend of Rosey from Korean war, co owner of the Marvel cinema. Mrs O'Dowd housekeeper at Plum Orchard in 1930s. Ellis Piedmont fiancée of Joanna Burton before drowning in 1932.

It's a lot trying to remember everyone and to piece together and map the different places. It was frustrating at the start and got in the way of my enjoyment of the story and the main characters. I felt that a more concise edit, which brought more focus to the main characters narrative would have made this a much stronger book. It was helpful having 'Fable' indicate the chapters relating to 1932, where we meet the gilded, spoiled children of the Old Guard, later referred to as the 'Old Gods'. Present day, there is the promise of integration the resulting racial tension and hatred with an old community shifting and being asked to change. And there is a parallel nature, writhing, abundant and changeable yet eternal are twined into magical fables and legends in this atmospheric river book.

In 1959, three women connect on Cumberland Island offthe coast of Georgia.
Cleo, a reclusive middle-aged artist, has lived as a hermit for nearly thirty years in the cottage her grandfather inhabited long before she was born. She plans to kill herself by consuming a lethal dose of morning glory seeds until she finds a pocket watch that belonged to a man she knew when her life fell apart.
Audrey is a twenty-year-old widow who left her parents and in-laws behind to run a bed and breakfast on the island where her mother grew up.
Frances is a twenty-six-year-old folklorist who travels to Cumberland to commission a painting from Cleo in honor of her recently deceased mother.
Thirty years before, something terrible happened. Lives were lost and destroyed. Cleo, who had been hired as a companion for the girl who would become Frances' mother, blames herself for the tragic events.
The events of this book shift between 1932 and 1959. Alternate chapters have either the name of one of the women or the word Fable as a heading. (Since my Kindle copy lacked pagination, this made it very difficult to find my place if I lost it.)
I wanted to like this book but I found myself wanting it to be over so I could write a review and be done with it.
So many descriptions of the river, the woods, the wild animals and the men who either catch the fish or shoot the animals began to get on my nerves. I really disliked Cleo, which is a problem because she is the main character. Audrey and Frances are more appealing, but they seem to exist in the story only because of the people to whom they are related. My favorite character is Tommy, a charming young boy with a rare condition and a nasty racist father. Without advancing the plot in any significant way, he manages to become important to almost everyone else. He is the grandson of Cleo's old friend and is taken under the wing of Audrey's cousin, Rosey (Ambrose), a tattooed fisheman and Korean War vet who gives tours of the island and runs the local movie theater with his Army buddy, Will, a Native American. Will is involved with a subplot about racism. (The local high school is about to be integrated.) The climactic event is a severe storm that brings together people who hated or were indifferent to each other previously. For me, these disparate events did not hang together and they left me feeling disatisfied.
The Fabled Earth is not a terrible book, but I can't call it a good one.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I loved this enchanting book set on Cumberland Island. I felt the setting and characters blended seamlessly to create a hauntingly beautiful novel
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review the book

Wow. Kimberly Brock has such a lyrical, beautiful voice - she created shimmering threads and wove them together into a gorgeous story. It reminds me of many things: ghost stories and The Great Gatsby, and fairy tales and epic Southern Fiction.

There are a lot of characters, and skips back and forth in time, but hang in with it - you'll be as entranced as I was!

The Fabled Earth, by Kimberly Brock, is a luxuriant historical novel about Cumberland Island, Georgia, and the relationship between its residents and the landscape. The book moves seamlessly between 1932 and 1959 and explores how the stories we tell impact generations. The characters - including the landscape - are rendered beautifully. What an enchanting novel!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC; all opinions are my own.

THE FABLED EARTH by Kimberly Brock includes a dual timeline. THANK GOODNESS! because what happened one night in 1932 on Cumberland Island in Southern Georgia REALLY needs to be unraveled! I, literally, fell into some sort of trance as I was reading this book. Reality is more complex, but also so much simpler than it appears. Fables carry profound lessons and emotional resonance. The thrill of this book stirred my heart and mind simultaneously. It needs more than just stars as a rating.
 
By 1959, which is 27 years from that mysterious night, the story of the bonfire still lives on through ghost tours, eerie double exposure photos (taken by Audrey Howell who I love love love), who some believe is the ghost of someone who hasn't been seen since that night in 1932, and mischief-makers who keep tormenting those who lived through that fateful night. But worst of all, Cleo Woodbine (my favorite protagonist EVER!) is still living alone on the tiny strip of land called Kingdom Come. She thinks this isolated existence is what she wants, creating beautiful art inspired by her Grandaddy, and gathering produce from heirloom fruit trees and shrubs to barter for necessities. But is she really living her best life?
 
When you live on the banks of a marsh, it's going to erode. Everyone around Cleo is trying to warn her that she needs to move, the foundation of her home is crumbling. They heighten their concern when an impending "sure-to-be-storm-of-the-century" is brewing, but this is a decision that only Cleo can make. And she will make it when her heart is ready. What happened at the bonfire that night changed the course of her life. But now that she has met Frances Flood (another protagonist that I truly love) ....hmmm.... 
 
Triggered by a death of someone who was part of the 1932 crowd, people reunite with each other and have hard conversations. As the tides shift, Cumberland Island reveals what has been hidden all along. And best of all, a beautiful pearl that was created from this era in time finds true love, in the way that fairy tales make dreams come true.
 
This book is meant to be savored. Slow-cooked. I took the time to appreciate all the wisdom of the characters and immersed myself, completely, in the setting of this story. The experience was magnificient. Kimberly Brock, thank you for sharing your gift of story telling. And since this is my first NetGalley, WOWSA did this ever set the bar high!
 
This quote from early in the book is when I left this earth and remained beside Cleo for the rest of the story: She paid attention to the color of the water and the current as she made her way. She knew to be careful of the depth. She's been travelling these waters in her flat-bottomed johnboat almost thirty years now, since the summer of 1932. As with life, the river bottom was always changing.

This story is told from 3 different women from two different timelines.
1932 and 1959 both woven together beautifully.
An interesting read for sure. I've never heard of Cumberland Island until I read this book. I enjoyed the visit.
Pretty cool characters and with twists and turns along the way.
I really enjoyed the mystery part the best! It was what kept my interest. The secrets did as well.
This story will grab at you from the beginning and won't let go until the end.
“Will was just telling us how Einstein proved that time as we understand it is a mere construct of the imagination. "
I thought this was a weird quote but an interesting one so I thought I'd share it.
Here's another one
“A man who loves music is a soulful man." I can definitely agree to this one. Plus, music soothes the soul too.
5 stars for this well written book. I highly recommend!
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

1932, entering the Gilded Age in southern Georgia. After a lively party, lives are lost. Then in 1959, a reclusive painter is visited by a man who saved her life. Another finds a photo from 1932 that opens up the mystery. Pay attention, the twists and turns took me for quite a ride.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was just not for me. I was confused regarding time frame and characters. The main character seemed unpleasant and unlikable. I wish I had better things to say but I was sadly disappointed.

This is the kind of book I am always hoping to discover, an engrossing story with poetic passages I want to write down and remember. There is a large cast of memorable characters to root for, and the setting is painted vividly enough to seem like a character itself. Housing the remains of the once opulent homes of the ultra-wealthy, Cumberland Island is a place where magic, lore, meaning, and memories are layered into the river, woods, and pathways. In addition to beautiful nature writing, The Fabled Earth has so many of the elements I love in a book. These include the use of a character’s art and imagination to enhance the narrative. There are also secrets uncovered from the past, bringing transformation. The narrative moves smoothly between two timelines, connecting the events of the thirties and the fifties in a compelling way that makes you eager to read more. I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy of the book, and I highly recommend immersing yourself in the world of The Fabled Earth.