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There are currently 53 member reviews
for Sweeping Up Glass
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Gwendolyn D. (Houston, TX)
A compelling protagonist but a flawed plot
In the backwoods of Kentucky, Olivia Harker Cross struggles to raise her grandson while living with her cantankerous mother and maintaining the family grocery business. Everything’s fine in this unconventional family until poachers start killing the Alaskan silver wolves brought to Kentucky by Olivia’s grandfather. As Olivia investigates the poachers, she uncovers decades-old secrets and must protect her family from the resulting dangers.
The story unfolds from the first-person point of view as Olivia narrates current events and mixes in memories from her childhood. Olivia’s unique voice is the center of gravity for this novel; it’s a constant and compelling force:
"All in all, I have a crazy ma'am who owns a hundred dusty Bibles, a leggy boy with a too-soft heart, and no man to bed down with. And an Alaskan silver dying on my kitchen floor."
As engaging as it is, Olivia’s voice cannot compensate for this novel’s awkward plotting. The action in the final third of the book feels contrived, loaded with convenient coincidences and overly dramatic scenes. This final section, which reads like a thriller, is out of character with the pacing and style of the first two-thirds of the book. As I mentioned in a prior post, Sweeping Up Glass has the best first chapter I’ve read recently. Although the rest of the book didn’t live up to the initial promise of the first chapter, Sweeping Up Glass is an enjoyable and worthwhile read, particularly for those who like reading mysteries.
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Priscilla B. (Marietta, GA)
It began so well!
I enjoyed reading this book and meeting the rural Kentuckians. The novel was going along so well and then it wasn't. The story took off in too many directions, plots and sub-plots, and never came together. I reread the book and still found much of it implausible. Truth may be stranger than fiction, but this is fiction! An implausible ending tacked on to a story of poverty, racism, hardship.
That said, you would not be wasting your time if you read this book. Nuggets of simple truths and wisdom are there. The gritty character of Olivia is memorable.
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Marie (Warner, NH)
Sweeping Up Glass
Carolyn Wall's novel would present itself well at a women's group book club. The discussion could be spirited in exploring the following aspects presented in the novel: love, hate; honesty, deception; good, evil; sanity, insanity; courage, cowardice; benevolence, animosity; murder, mystery, and prejudice. All of this in 319 pages--an ambitious undertaking, indeed.
There are characters to be admired as well as those to be abhorred but nevertheless unforgettable since they could well exist anywhere. The dysfunctional relationship between Olivia and her mother Ida, between Olivia and daughter Pauline are sad and remain unresolved.Then there are characters to be protected--the wolves and their offspring, Will'm, Olivia's grandson, the "coloreds" and Olivia's father Tate.
In the novel, Wall hints at "the mystery"and gives subtle clues; however, by the time the mystery is solved for us, the novel ends--almost too quickly.
Overall, an interesting read with characters to analyze, incidents to marvel at, and hard times to ponder. I recommend this debut novel.
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Ann S. (Shenandoah, Iowa)
Sweeping Up Glass
The voice of Olivia Harker Cross draws the reader in the struggles of the depression as well as the horrors of prejudice and segregation. The plot line is certainly broad and wide in scope as life is. I felt that the conclusion was somewhat forced and rushed. Even so, the book is an excellent read and provides a plethora of themes for thought and discussion. I would heartily recommend it to others adults as well as teens.
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Shirley S. (Batavia, IL)
Sweeping Up Glass
A well written look at life and poverty in the south. the beauty of place and thankfulness for small things make the writing lovely. The story, especially the first part, of how everyday life unfolds for these people and their neighbors and with the pleasure found if ordinary small daily occurrences.
A shift occurs when the mystery unfurls, and the book becomes littered with implausible coincidences that try a realistic reader. One wishes the story could have been told without the mystery, or the mystery written in more believable terms.
Not overwritten, with good character development as well as a descriptive quality of landscape make it a good read.
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Beth M. (Scarsdale, NY)
A griping story with unforgettable characters and a surprising end
Carolyn Wall's debut novel is told in the simple, rural language of a poor mountain town in Depression-era Kentucky. The beginning of the book started slow but soon I was sucked in to the powerful narrative. It 's a heartfelt story filled with quirky, unforgettable characters and their loves, family secrets, and transformations.
Olivia Harker Cross is the center of this suspenseful story. She is proud, head strong and a survivor. the title refers to the shattered lives that need cleaning up. Olivia lives with her beloved grandson, Will'm in the small grocery store they run. When her daughter returns to reclaim Will'm, trouble intensifies and Olivia fights to save the life she's built. I grew to care about the unusual cast of characters. I kept reading anxious to know how their lives unfolded.
Themes of love, loss, betrayal, bigotry, death, and forgiveness give this book surprising depth and intensity. The ending was not what I expected which made me all the more impressed.
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Denise (Fairfax VA)
Entertaining and Comfortable Read
Sweeping Up Glass by Carolyn D. Wall is an entertaining novel and a comfortable read. The beginning of the novel is quite enjoyable and filled with vivid imagery to aid in reconstructing the visual setting where the characters interact. The characters themselves are fleshed out to varying degrees but are overall well rounded. The sweet melancholy of the plot grabs the reader’s attention with its rural allure and small town idiosyncrasies. Unfortunately, the ending seems forced and somehow does not fit with its vaguely cliché denouement. But overall it is a good read and worth the time spent to read it.
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