The Saints of Swallow Hill

Written by Donna Everhart

Narrated by Amy Melissa Bentley

During the Great Depression, labor camps crop up in remote areas throughout the American South. Destitute workers live under terrible conditions. Trapped in these isolated locations, workers are entirely dependent on the often greedy, abusive camp owners who provide food and housing at grossly inflated prices. But for the most desperate among America's vast unemployed, these camps are often the last and only option.

This much is true for three individuals whose lives intersect in the deep woods of Georgia at the Swallow Hill turpentine camp in 1932. For Rae Lynn Cobb, a young woman disguised as a man, Swallow Hill offers distance and anonymity from those who would wrongly imprison her for killing her husband. For a charming bachelor named Del Reese, it's a place where backbreaking work might drown out memories of a recent trauma.

But Swallow Hill is no easy haven. The camp is ruled by a sadistic boss named Crow and the greedy commissary owner Otis Riddle, a man who takes out his frustrations on his wife, Cornelia. Del and "Ray Cobb" are tested as they struggle to survive harsh, brutal conditions. As Rae Lynn forges a deeper friendship with Del and Cornelia, she begins to envision a path out of the camp. But she will have to come to terms with her past before she can open herself to a new life and seize the chance to begin again . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jan 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781666186321

Donna Everhart

Donna Everhart is the USA Today bestselling author of Southern fiction with authenticity and grit, including the Indie Next List selection The Education of Dixie Dupree, The Forgiving Kind, The Moonshiner's Daughter, and the Southeastern Library Association Award-winning novel The Road to Bittersweet. Born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, she now lives just an hour away along with her husband. Please visit her online at DonnaEverhart.com.  

Reviews for The Saints of Swallow Hill

[gmgoytia · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

A hard read. I learned about the turpentine that was good.

[Becki Basley · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Essentially a story set in the depression when three individuals meet in a turpentine camp . One a man changing occupations after almost dying in a grain silo. Another a woman dressing as a man to escape a terrible circumstance and the other an abused wife who finally has enough. This is how they come together and become a family.

[Amy Hagberg · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So here’s the thing about historical fiction… you learn stuff! How else would a woman from Minnesota find out about the turpentine camps of the American South during the Great Depression? Before I read The Saints of Swallow Hill, I didn’t know how turpentine was made or why North Carolina is called the Tar Heel State. Now I do, and I had the pleasure of following some fascinating characters along the way.

Rae Lynn Cobb and her husband, Warren, run a small turpentine farm together during the Great Depression. Though the work is hard and often dangerous, Rae Lynn, who spent her childhood in an orphanage, is thankful for it. When Warren is seriously injured, Rae Lynn undertakes a desperate act of mercy. To keep herself from jail and support herself, she disguises herself as a man and heads to the only place she can think of that might offer anonymity—a turpentine camp in Georgia named Swallow Hill.

Swallow Hill is isolated and squalid, and although Rae Lynn works tirelessly, she becomes a target for Crow, the ever-watchful woods rider who checks each laborer’s tally and inflicts horrific punishments when they aren’t met. Delwood Reese, who’s come to Swallow Hill hoping for his own redemption, offers “Ray” a small measure of protection. As Rae Lynn forges a deeper friendship with both Del and the woman who operates the commissary, she envisions a path out of the camp.

Author Donna Everhart does a wonderful job showing man’s inhumanity to man, and the innate pull we possess to overcome adversity through pluck and determination. Her characterization is especially good. Whether villain or hero, they are all complex and interesting. Sometimes dual storylines falter, but in this case, they were well written and easy to follow. I also loved her well-honed dialogue and use of dialect, not so over the top that it was irritating. The Saints of Swallow Hill was a powerful story of courage, survival, and friendship. From the opening sentence to the last, this beautiful novel kept my attention, although the ending was anticlimactic. A great read. 4.5 stars. For more reviews visit amyhagberg.com