What readers think of A Land More Kind Than Home, plus links to write your own review.

Loved this book- loved the author's writing style, loved the haunting story. I could barely put it down - just had to see what would happen next. Would highly recommend this for lovers of Southern fiction - it is deep, dark, and haunting.

I rather enjoyed this book. The depth of the characters was revealed as the book continued on. The book appealed to me because I grew up in a very small town where everyone knew everyone. And everyone's business!

The language of this book is evocative and the setting and characterizations felt authentic but I found the character development slow and the narrative difficult to follow. Dividing the story telling between different narrators is not an unusual literary tool, but in this instance the transitions derailed the progress of the story and made it difficult for me to follow the narrative and develope any affinity for the characters.
I really wanted to like this book but in the end I could not get past the mechanics of the telling to just enjoy the story.

For those familiar with Thomas Wolfe's writings will recognize this title as part of the lines from iYou Can't Go Home Again/i. As I read this novel, I kept wondering why anyone would want to go home to what young Jess Hall must face. His older brother is autistic, his parents are estranged, his mother is under the influence of a dubious faith healer, and his mountain home community seems to be lost in time. The story of Jess's brother "Stump" and his misfortune is revealed through the voices of several lead characters in the novel, each giving you a perspective of their take on life in a remote North Carolina town and the events that unfold. It is a book about family, their secrets, their failures and ultimately how hope might come from tragedy.
I also think it aptly reveals small rural Appalachian town life and the social influence of religion on every aspect of life.
The only time I felt some of the story was extraneous was when too much time was spent describing the life of minor characters in the book. I enjoyed the book and would read more from this author since this is a favorite genre of mine.

I enjoyed reading this book a great deal. The characters were well defined and I felt as if I really knew and sympathized with them. The setting added to the plot of the story; stormy, gray and out of control. The pace of the story moved along well and I didn't want to put the book down. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a tale with strong characters in a rural setting with a touch of suspense.

For Wiley Cash's first novel to be compared to author John Hart is quite a compliment. Cash's descriptions of western North Carolina and his character development compare very favorably to Hart. On the surface, you would think that the story, being narrated by the three different characters, may cause it to be a bit uneven, but it does flow nicely. This should become a very popular book club selection in the coming months.

I loved this book peopled with seemingly simple mountain folk whose lives are shredded by a tragedy which opens old wounds and older secrets and ultimately heals the least expected when "fairness is taken out of the equation." This book speaks powerfully and truthfully to the human condition with rich, honest characterizations and dialog.

I feel that a book is good if I continue to think about the characters in it after I have finished reading. The characters in this book continue to come to mind over a week after finishing it. These characters were so well developed that I felt like I knew them and wanted to find out what happened in their lives after the end of the book. Wiley Cash has written a wonderful first novel. The story line is crisp and not overdone and it is told in such a way that I read it in one day. I look forward to this new author's next book!