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Weedmonkey is not a fairytale but a glimpse of life during the Depression. It’s not a pretty story but it is the story of a girl growing up in Appalachia. Some of the reviews on Amazon have commented on the writing style and sentence structure, I found the writing to be very true to the voice of the story. Reading it was like listening to my Mamaw tell me stories. I am happy that Ms. Proulx did this story justice by leaving it in the voice of Virgie and not trying to change it. Too often we are looked down on as uneducated because of our pattern of speech but that is what makes us unique and if you do some research you will see that the Appalachian dialect is closest to the old Elizabethan English … but now I am getting off topic.
Virgie’s tale is one of self-reliance and fortitude, overcoming obstacles, and making a life out of nothing. Born to parents who had their own demons to deal with, Virgie had to survive abuse, starvation, and foster care as well as the issues of the day poverty, racism, and segregation. Weedmonkey is a true story about an Appalachian girl who survived and I am so glad to have read her story.
Special note about Weedmonkey from the author: “My mother Victoria started writing this book when I was a little girl. In 2006, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given three months to live. On her deathbed, she asked me to finish writing it for her. I said yes.”
Hi and thank you so much for this awesome review! You get it! I have often had to explain why they book is in Virgie’s voice and I am grateful you understand.
My mother began writing the book when I was a child and to honor my mother, who passed away 10 years ago April 30, I wanted to keep the story as authentic as I could. In other words, I didn’t want to let her down.
Thank you again! ♥
Thank you for giving the world your mother’s story. I enjoyed reading it so much that I wanted it to be the first book I reviewed on my blog. So many people outside of Appalachia don’t get it when a story is written in an Appalachian voice. Often people want to edit out the authentic voice but for those of us who live in Appalachia, we appreciate when an author does not let that happen.
I enjoyed reading your articles … thanks for sharing.
Very uplifting article.
Appreciated reading your thoughts on this book! Thanks for sharing this at Booknificent Thursday at Mommynificent.com!
Tina
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!