What readers think of Sweeping Up Glass, plus links to write your own review.

Carolyn Wall does a fabulous job with her debut novel, Sweeping Up Glass. I could not put this book down and couldn't wait to get out of work to read more. The characters were so clearly described that I wish we could have learned some of their stories as well. This book could have been far longer because there are so many side stories that remain a mystery. Carolyn could write an entire new novel from Ida's prospective, there are so many questions to answer about her past. It would be a great book for book groups because there are so many different angles and points of view to discuss.

From the very first page the language created such clear pictures that I was immediately drawn into each scene. The setting is the 1930s in Kentucky, and I could feel what the times were like.

Olivia is the appealing main character, and the surrounding characters add great dimension. The book has such an honest feel to it that one can't help but get attached to all of them.

It was a great read.

"Sweeping Up Glass" is a wonderful story exploring family relationships and the damage done by hate and deception. As the reader follows Olivia from childhood into adulthood, we can see the poor choices she makes but also the circumstances that are beyond her control. It is easy to sympathize with her and I found myself pulling for her throughout the book. This novel would be a great book group selection.

Christine Wall's Sweeping Up Glass has to be one of the finest novels that I've read this year. This is a story filled with heart, most of it generated by its wonderful narrator Olivia Harker Cross, an honest hard-working Kentuckian. Olivia's grit and determination reminded me of another Kentuckian Gertie Nevells, Harriette Arnow's main character in The Dollmaker.

From its opening pages I knew that Sweeping Up Glass was going to be a special story. The reader finds Olivia distraught at the heartless killings of wolves on her land. The carcasses are left with one ear cut off. Olivia's determination to find the guilty party amidst the continuing sacrifices she makes for her family set up what is to follow.

I think the novel's most memorable relationship is the one between Olivia and her young grandson Will'm. She's raised Will'm like a son ever since her daughter abandoned him for better things in Hollywood. Olivia's love for Will'm knows no bounds. Thanks to Olivia's vigilance we see him growing into a kind, sensitive, compassionate young man.

Sweeping Up Glass is an absorbing story of grief, hardship. love and hate with characters that ring out with the resonance of truth. I loved it! A perfect selection for reading groups.

When Poisoned Pen published this last year I looked forward to an interesting, offbeat mystery. So I was surprised that this is not a mystery in the conventional sense at all. Sure, there are (very) bad guys and good guys, but no actual detectives, amateur or otherwise. We don't know until late in the book not just who done it, but what they did. Perhaps that's why Poisoned Press sold the book to Delta.

Still, this is a wonderful story. It's got interesting characters that are easy to care about, and the plot is about things that matter. This is a tasty and nourishing meat-and-potatoes book, not just a fluffy confection.

Starting literally with breaking glass, Carolyn Wall, continues the metaphor throughout her haunting and compelling novel, Sweeping up Glass. Olivia Cross is figuratively sweeping up the glass of her confusing past and struggling present as the novel builds to a shattering climax. This story of tragedies, many types of love, and final triumph is one of the best I have read in a long time. Haunted by the wolves' howl, I was sorry to see it end, and I intend to recommend it for my book club after it comes out in August.

Carolyn Wall can be compared to an artist only her medium is words. With very few words she has the ability of painting vibrant pictures that set the stage for a beautiful, multi-layered novel that is not only well written, but easy to follow. The characters are well developed and the plot is compelling and moves along flawlessly. From cover to cover, this was a difficult book to put down. Not only do I highly recommend this book, I look forward to future works by this author. I would rate this book a 5 plus.

It has a powerfully, sometimes uncomfortably, realized setting; characters who seem drawn from life; and a wide-ranging plot, bursting with complications. The title captures the book’s theme: a heroine forced to clean up the shards of her own and other people’s messes. I thoroughly enjoyed this read!!