Tonya Jewel Blessing

Deeply religious Coral Ashby is determined to visit family nemesis, Charlie, in jail where he serves a long sentence for having hurt her family. Coral is adamant God wants her to help Charlie repent. It’s the first time she travels outside Big Creek, and the trip changes her life forever.
The Melody of the Mulberries is the second installment in the Big Creek Series by Tonya Jewel Blessing. It is set in Appalachian Mountains 1920s and focuses on Coral Ashby as she travels to Charleston to visit murderer and rapist Charlie in jail. She has prayed a lot and is adamant God wants her to help Charlie repent. She navigates her new life while praying for guidance, but has limited experience with judging the characters of someone she meets and finds herself in a dangerous situation.
Main character Carol Ashby seems a sweet but stubborn sixteen years old girl who knows little about the world outside Big Creek. I admire the way she puts her faith in God to guide her on the difficult mission.

Supporting character Ernest Ashby is Coral’s brother and the teacher for children of the negro hill people near Big Creek. He seems to juggle his relationship issues by relying on his faith.. I feel he is a well developed and relatable character, which is why he is my favorite of this story.

The Melody of the Mulberries consists of two distinct entertaining storylines which follow Carol and brother Ernest’s lives as they struggle with their unique hardships. This story stood out as it was set in the relatively poor mountain area of 1920s Vest Virginia. The vibe reminded me a bit of Little House on the Prairie, with descriptions of how people lived a deeply religious, frugal life close to nature. I particularly enjoyed the part describing Charlotte Ashby’s bow and arrow skills during reenactment of Bible stories. The dialogue was well written in a charming, yet easy to read, local dialect. I loved that the quotations of Appalachian Folk Beliefs at the beginning of each chapter were so surprisingly similar to Norwegian Folk Beliefs I heard when I was a kid. I read the story as a standalone which worked perfectly.

My favorite and most amusing part of the story was when the children found a talking parrot in the woods. It had very foul language reminiscent of a bar-keep or a sailor and made very precise voice imitations. The least favorite part was descriptions of evil spirits. There seemed to be short distance from religious beliefs to mountain mysticism, and I was pleased to see the teachers were conscious that education was the best remedy against it.

Anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction of Christian lifestyle in the 1920s would enjoy this story of two siblings who stay close to God while trying to find a way through their struggles.

Similar authors to explore might be Laura Ingalls Wilder or Misty M. Beller.
Thank you to author Tonya Jewel Blessing for this pdf, which gave me the opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

Conclusion: This is the charming and entertaining story about two siblings who navigate through hardships while making sure to stay close to God.

Rating: 4 stars / 5
Main reasons: charming unique plot and dialogue, relatable characters… (más)

This is a story about a group of people residing in the Appalachian Mountains. Although lacking in proper education and language skills, the adults do all they can to instill in the children's minds the importance of education. Earnest and Lottie are presently the teachers.
​ Coral feels a call from the Lord is sending her into the city to try and forgive and "save" a rapist. Since a major complication between Ernest and Lottie arose, Lottie accompanied her and the Reverend to spend some week in Charleston.
The Characters were interesting and well-defined. The scenes were easy to visualize. I did not feel a connection to the story. I felt the wording was simplistic, resembling the early school books I read in elementary. The story-line was good but the story was very predictable.
It is an intriguing conversational text, similar to the text of Huckleberry Finn. It is a great book for relaxed reading.

This Book was gifted me with no pressure for a positive review. This is my honest review.… (más)

The Melody of the Mulberries is the second book in the Big Creek Series and takes place in the 1920’s. It is a perfect book for anyone who loves and appreciates Appalachia lore along with West Virginia history.
Having spent time in West Virginia because my sister lived there for a while and having friends from the state, I recognize the unique qualities and traits of the people who live there. This story examines traditional Christianity along with inter-racial relationships. The book includes themes of family, faith, friendship, and the need to forgive. It is a book I enjoyed reading.
One of the things I enjoyed about this book was reading the excerpts of Appalachia Folk Beliefs at the beginning of each chapter. These excerpts add insight into the culture and ideas of the people who live in this area. So check out this book for yourself.
I received a copy of this book for my fair and honest review.… (más)

The story is an intriguing look at Appalachian people and their culture. They sure do have some very interesting folk lores. I enjoyed reading them and appreciate the author including one at the top of each chapter. At first I was a bit lost in the story but was able to quickly pick up what was going on. It would be helpful to read the first book in the series, but you can still enjoy this one without reading the first.

I thought the author did a good job of showing the struggle that Coral had about seeing someone in prison. She wanted to share God with this person and knew God had called her to do this. This was a great example of showing forgiveness to someone who had hurt her and her family. Coral was a great character and I admired her determination to follow God.

Ernest has his hands full with being in love with one woman while another one wants him to help raise her baby. The birth of the child was written very well and you could feel a sense of love as a new life was brought into the world. The people sure did have opinions about what Ernest should do since he helped deliver the baby. There were some tense moments when Ernest was confronted by a man who demanded he marry Mercy, the mother of the child he delivered.

The author gives us a look into history during the 1920's and I loved reading about the Hatfields and McCoys. Who can forget these two families and their feud that started so long ago? Now Ernest is in a similar situation and needs to figure a way out. I loved that he was a teacher and how much he enjoyed being around children watching them absorb information.

The character named Granny was interesting and also a little scary at times. She sees things that others can't understand and she is a little deceitful at times. I don't think I would want to meet her at all. The story follows an outbreak of influenza that take many lives. I remember reading about this and how helpless doctors felt as they saw patients succumb to the illness. A few key characters will face this illness and I liked how realistic the author wrote about their fight to overcome something that was dangerous to many.

The story is well written and I enjoyed reading about Coral and Ernest. Their journey is filled with danger, secrets, hope and forgiveness. It has a good faith element throughout the story with scriptures and characters that weren't afraid to share their love of God. I loved the ending and with the authors help was able to feel part of the story of two people searching for love and hope.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.… (más)