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THE ROAD TO BITTERSWEET by Donna Everhart
“It takes courage to find your way …”
Set in the Carolinas in the 1940s, The Road to Bittersweet is a beautifully written, evocative account of a young woman reckoning not just with the unforgiving landscape, but with the rocky emotional terrain that leads from innocence to wisdom.
For fourteen-year-old Wallis Ann Stamper and her family, life in the Appalachian Mountains is simple and satisfying, though not for the tenderhearted. While her older sister, Laci—a mute, musically gifted savant—is constantly watched over and protected, Wallis Ann is as practical and sturdy as her name. When the Tuckasegee River bursts its banks, forcing them to flee in the middle of the night, those qualities save her life. But though her family is eventually reunited, the tragedy opens Wallis Ann’s eyes to a world beyond the creek that’s borne their name for generations.
Carrying what’s left of their possessions, the Stampers begin another perilous journey from their ruined home to the hill country of South Carolina. Wallis Ann’s blossoming friendship with Clayton, a high diving performer for a traveling show, sparks a new opportunity, and the family joins as a singing group. But Clayton’s attention to Laci drives a wedge between the two sisters. As jealousy and betrayal threaten to accomplish what hardship never could—divide the family for good—Wallis Ann makes a decision that will transform them all in unforeseeable ways . . .
Praise for THE ROAD TO BITTERSWEET
“Readers will find The Road to Bittersweet to be a lovingly crafted coming-of-age novel set in the unforgiving Carolina hills. Everhart understands the mindset of a young girl on the cusp of womanhood as her world fills with hardship, betrayal, and the wonderment of growing up. Readers will be struck by how beautifully Everhart captures the dialect of her well-drawn characters and the landscape – both harsh and beautiful. Here is a story that tugs at the heartstrings with its believability and evocative prose, leaving readers believing there is always hope when a family stands together.”– RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars
The book is Southern fiction at its finest and will likely appeal to those who like books with a mix of heart and adventure. Historical Novel Society Reviews
Everhart (The Education of Dixie Dupree, 2016) is a good storyteller and makes her characters and their experiences come alive. Booklist
You will fall in love with Wallis Ann Stamper as she meets the bitter challenges of her hardscrabble life, inspired by her sweet love for her family Her grit and unfailing faith in herself will melt your heart, as it did mine. ~Sandra Dallas, New York Times best-selling author
Donna Everhart has created a heroine with real girl power. The teen-aged Wallis Ann is persistent and tough and above all competent in the face of catastrophe, steering her bedraggled family through a series of crises. In the end, the biggest challenge she has to contend with is her own human weakness and her willingness to forgive herself. Donna Everhart has written such an engagingly fast-paced story that the plot pulled me in from the first pages. ~Julia Franks, author of Over the Plain Houses (Hub City Press)
Recognition for THE ROAD TO BITTERSWEET
- Featured in Deep South Magazine’s Fall Winter Reading List
- SIBA Trio Pick for 2018
- RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars
- Southern Lady Magazine, first selection, new book club, March/April issue
- SIBA OKRA 2018 Winter Pick
- Donna Everhart is the Southeastern Library Association’s (SELA) 2018 Author of the Year in fiction for THE ROAD TO BITTERSWEET
