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

In A land More Kind than Home, Wiley Cash tells the story of a church community in the mountains of North Carolina in the grip of a self-styled pastor who appears to fancy himself a god. The story is told through the voices of three people - an old woman from the church, the sheriff who is outside the community of the church that covers its windows with old newspapers to keep people from seeing what is happening inside, and a 9 year old boy whose family is the most affected by the religious fanatic. The writing is exceptional; the descriptions evocative of time and place; the voices pitch perfect. From the first sentences, this was a book I couldn't put down. It is an amazing first novel.

A gripping well told story with memorable characters that you won't be able to put down. Some of these characters will haunt you.

Although this turned out not to be the kind of book I ordinarily would read, it is an interesting read and characters are well-developed. For me, there's a lack of riveting events to hold my attention, so I wouldn't label it a "can't put it down" book but it's a good one to have along on a long plane ride, especially if you have a couple of hours layover in an airport!

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!

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 read this book (A Land More Kind Than Home) in an afternoon. Well written, entertaining, and thought provoking. Definitely describes small mountain town North Carolina.

The title alone tugs at the heartstrings! Personally, it was difficult to get past the subject matter of this book. Some of the images were very disturbing. Although this book may have been an unwise choice for me to review, it's also clear that Wiley Cash has written a powerful first novel.

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.