Did you root for Sadie Blue from the start? What were her key moments of growth? Who were her mentors and supporters? What did they do that helped her grow a stronger backbone?

Sadie Blue was the principal character in the book, with her story told in three chapters. Did you root for her from the start? What were her key moments of growth? Who were her mentors and supporters? What did they do that helped her grow a stronger backbone?

I did root for Sadie from the first page. She was a girl who was in way over her head. She had several moments of growth. First, she understood her mistake in marrying Roy. Second, she sought to educate herself and keep it from him. Third, she decided to stand up for herself and her baby by exacting justice for her baby's death. She was helped by Marris, Birdie and Kate. They gave her strength to stand up for herself and find a better life. They also helped her get that life when Birdie gave her poison. Kate taught her to read to expand her knowledge and opportunities. Marris gave her family and support. She pulled her out of her house to care for neighbors to show her that the world still needed her. It was their support that gave her the strength to get free from her situation and seek a new life for herself.

How could you NOT root for Sadie? She seemed doomed to repeat the life of her grandmother but with help and her own courage she found a way out. I agree with everything Scribbling Scribe wrote above.

I knew from the first page that this was Sadie's story and rooted for her all the way. I was hoping that she would find the strength to just leave Roy, but that was not to be. Her friendship with Kate was a key factor in her growth, as was her relationship with Birdie.

I did root for Sadie from the very start - but I also was fearful - from the very start - that Sadie's story might end just as we have been programmed to believe all mountain people's stories end. That it didn't is a most redeeming quality of the novel and what makes this a good read. Sadie was not a quitter - she knew she was in a bad space after a few days of marriage and decided immediately to make a change. She took her time figuring out what to do rather than simply bolt, and while that make for more difficult times in the interim, she also learned enough in that time to ensure her freedom and happiness in the end. Marris, Birdie, and Kate were her most obvious mentors, but Gladys, in exhibiting such negative and unkind behavior taught her what not to do. Some key moments of growth, I believe, occurr when she stayed with Marris and saw Marris help others in need. In addition, she took an immense step when she admitted to Kate that she could not read and asks Kate for lessons. Birdie's help comes primarily when Roy beats her. After Birdie nurses her through a difficult time, Sadie realizes what Birdie has done for her and admits she does not need "two babies." She is done with Roy.

I kept hoping that Sadie would find her way and eventually she did. Kate and Marris were her mentors and Birdie and the voice of her father supported her. Kate was her teacher and a strong female role model. Marris showed her that happiness is possible and helping others makes you a better person.

In the beginning I didn’t root for Sadie. I couldn’t fathom anyone accepting the abuse as she had from the start of her relationship with Roy. When in the last paragraph of the first chapter her decision to begin planning her exit from Roy, I knew there would be a change in her life.

The people living in Baines Creek had faith and realized that Sadie Blue was worth all the help they could give her.

I’m glad lynnw mentioned the voice of Sadie’s father as part of Sadie’s support system. I think Sadie needed someone from her past, someone biologically connected to her, to help kick-start her growth. Roy, hateful and horrible as he was, also forced her to grow. Without that abusive relationship, Sadie might have been left with an unfulfilled desire to break the bonds of her Appalachian prison. Often our mistakes lead to successes we could never have foreseen, and Sadie’s marriage to Roy was certainly a mistake.

I did root for Sadie from the start. She was an innocent that got herself in way over her head. She realized this almost immediately. She was not in a part of the country where you can just up and leave, but she knew she had to find a way out of this marriage. Her mentors were Marris, who kept her from falling into a depression and showed her how in helping others you help yourself. Birdie, cared for her and her wounds and taught her some of the natural remedies that were available and Kate showed her a women can be strong and be by herself. I think for Sadie, the voice of her father was very important in showing her that she did have family that cared. The music was very important to her. Listening to the words was almost like reading especially since the songs were often about a life similar to her own. A great step in her growth was when she walked over to the school house and offered Kate help and Kate offered to teach her to read. From that moment on she was growing as an independent woman and moving toward the final step of ridding herself of Roy.

I struggled with Sadie Blue's actions - especially when she kept returning to Roy - but I guess I never gave up on her. I think Sadie's growth came when she met Kate and realized that she could have a life out of the holler. She was always somewhat independent but without much hope until she met Kate. I agree with the others that Marris and Birdie had influence on Sadie but I think Kate is the one that offered her greatest means for growth.

Sadie had some strong role models - Kate, Eli, Marris and Birdie. Sadie was the underdog - the abused one - the innocent one in the story. Hoping she found a better life was just instinctual.

Key moments of growth were her marriage to Roy - not a good experience, but definitely a period of growth for her. She also gained strength when she lost the baby. Befriending Kate also helped her grow.