jbronderbookreviews

Hillwilla by Melanie Forde

5 stars

(Excerpt from Goodreads) Beatrice Desmond, 55, lives on a remote farm nestled in a deep hollow in southern West Virginia. A native of Boston and a graduate of an Ivy League college, Beatrice is a fish out of water in Seneca County; although she maintains contact with certain friends and family, too often, Beatrice retreats into her work as a translator and editor, or into the bottle of Jack Daniel’s she maintains nearby. Fate finally intervenes, requiring Beatrice to befriend and shelter Clara, an abused teenager, and accept the job of ghostwriting the memoir of her dashing but enigmatic neighbor, Tanner Fordyce. Gradually, Beatrice finds her resolute independence and crusty reserve soften, her carefully constructed barriers fall, and her guarded and self-protective nature moderates, as she explores the renewed pleasures of emotional involvement. At times sad, at times hilarious, and always quirky, Hillwilla celebrates the glories of nature, the resilience of the human spirit, the healing power derived from genuine connections with others, and the potential for reinventing ourselves—at any age.

Bea has struggled from humble beginnings to an Ivy League graduate. But she has had enough with society and has moved to the mountains of West Virginia. There she is considered an outsider by the locals, but she could care less. She has her home, her animals for companionship, and a job as a translator and editor.

Then her neighbor Tanner Fordyce tries to convince her to ghostwrite his biography. She reluctantly agrees and then finds herself helping Tanner rescue Clara from a troubled home life. Bea sees herself in Clara and although grudgingly, she does help Clara. But along the way Clara helps her in return.

This is a great, heartwarming story. I find a lot of my tendencies in Bea. I grew up on a little farm and have come a long way. Yet I find that I would rather stay at home with my cats than have to go out and deal with other people. I can also relate to Clara and some of how she grew up. But the best part of the story was how Bea realizes that she really does need other people and that they can be a bright part of her life.

I loved the scenes; I could feel myself right there in the pages. You can’t help getting sucked into the story and keep reading into the late hours wanting to know what is going to happen next. This is a stand alone book but I could see other adventures for Bea in the future. I can’t wait to read what Melanie Forde comes up with next.

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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