In the heart of Appalachia......Iona, a young mother on the run.....Sam Langham, a rough-hewn married man......An affair that changes their lives. Years later, in his search for Iona, Sam comes face-to-face with their two daughters.... Nell, the headstrong shot-gun wielding mountain girl and Justine, who takes drastic measures to keep her father with them on the mountain.
Dance of the Misbegotten is being re-edited and revised. It will be available sometime in September.
Professional Reviews
Myshelf.com
Dance of the Misbegotten
By Allison Pollack Alexander
1st Books Library
August 15,2002
ISBN: 1-4033-4962-2
Mainstream Fiction
Reviewed by Susan Johnson, MyShelf.Com
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This book takes place in Emittsville, North Carolina in 1946, soon after the end of World War II. Times are hard and work is scarce, especially for a single mother with two small boys. Iona is a young mother, traveling, looking for work and running from something.
Fate leads Iona to the farmhouse door of Sam Langham, a rough-spoken farmer who reluctantly hires her to take care of his stock. His wife is extremely disapproving.
The story that follows is one of ill-fated love; Iona knows that she cannot accept the advances of Sam, a married man with a houseful of children, but she eventually succumbs to his charms.
After their affair becomes common knowledge, Iona is forced to leave. Many years later Sam goes in search of Iona, only to discover two daughters he never even knew he had. One is headstrong and stubborn like her mother. The younger is sweet and gentle and misses the love of the father she never knew. The youngest, Justine, takes horrible steps to keep her father there with them.
Truly a fated love story set in the beautiful Appalachian mountains of North Carolina. The scenery and the speech patterns are very well conveyed and the story moves along at a breakneck speed
You got me again. Return to Suicide is one of my alltime favorite books and I am looking forward to reading your new one.
Reviewed by W. melvin
6/17/2002
Loved the first chapter! Interesting writing style. Who is the girl on the cover??
Reviewed by Kay
6/17/2002
Ally, I spent the last 2 weks with my mom and dad. As I got older I realized just how back woods my dad really is. Wish you could meet him. He is about 3 degrees shy of "Sam". But a real good man who absolutely loves his daughter and would do anything for her. Can't wait to read the rest. Kay
A homonymless man writes shows what it's like to look up the laid he skirts when you’re lying prone(d) to the sidewalk, beer / joint / needle dangling from your hand /lips / arm.
The deep-dive literary meditations presented as stories, poems, and essays in The American Poet Who Went Home Again, A Mosaic of My Soul at Work, have captivated and inspired readers ever since its first paperback publication in 2008.
