Search This Blog








2023 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California (1)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (2)
- North Carolina (1)
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (1)
- Ireland (1)





2023 Build Your Library Reading Challenge







Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Pennsylvania Coal Fires Make Vivid Backdrop For Poignant Coming-of-Age Novel
10:35 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
At eleven years old, Brigid Howley already knows the truth about the coal she breathes in every day—it creeps inside, infects every part of you, and never, ever leaves. Two generations of her Irish immigrant family have crawled through the mines in Pennsylvania's Anthracite Coal Region, squinting in the darkness, hacking at the earth in an effort to make ends meet. After a mining accident which crushed his arm and left his brother dead, Brigid's father has given up. Her shrewd, sharp-tongued mother isn't much better. As fire burns beneath them all, hollowing out not just the ground but also their hearts, the Howleys blame an old family curse for their poverty and misfortune. The grimness of her hardscrabble life makes a believer out of Brigid, even if her beloved great-aunt, with whom the Howleys are living, thinks it has more to do with choices than chance.
When Auntie is swallowed by a sinkhole in her yard, a grieving Brigid is forced to relocate with her family to a slightly safer town. Moving in with her father's parents is hardly an improvement. Plagued by Black Lung, Gramp is a terrifying, angry presence. Bitter Gram, whose flagrant dislike of Brigid's mother makes her even more caustic, is worse. As Brigid tries—unsuccessfully—to keep the peace, she makes a gruesome discovery in an old mine. Her find brings up long-buried secrets that threaten to ruin the Howleys just as surely as the coal coating their lungs. Can Brigid defy the family curse and bring some healing to her scarred family? Or will she, too, be drowned by the sad desperation that defines nearly everything and everyone she's ever known?
As you can probably tell, The Hollow Ground, a debut novel by Natalie S. Harnett, is not a cheery tale. In fact, it's downright depressing. It's also a tense, highly atmospheric story inspired by the effects of real-life underground fires burning in Pennsylvania towns like Carbondale and Centralia. Through Harnett's vivid portrayal of the Howley Family, it's easy to see the devastation that often comes about because of unemployment, poverty, and hopelessness. Brigid is an entirely sympathetic character, an old soul trapped by her deplorable circumstances. It's easy to root for her as she tries to keep her family together. Although the novel does feature a mystery, its most compelling aspect is the family drama at its center. At its heart, The Hollow Ground is a poignant coming-of-age story set against a stark backdrop. It's bleak and disheartening, true, but it's also vivid and enlightening. Overall, I found this gloomy read compelling. I couldn't look away from the Howleys troubles, even though I really, really wanted to. Like I said, it's not a happy story. It is, however, a memorable one.
(Readalikes: Reminds me a bit of Baker Towers by Jennifer Haigh and Whiter Than Snow by Sandra Dallas)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (1 F-bomb, plus milder invectives), sexual content, violence, and depictions of underage drinking
To the FTC, with love: I bought a finished copy of The Hollow Ground with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.
6 comments:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)




Reading
All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham

Listening
The War Librarian by Addison Armstrong



Followin' with Bloglovin'



-
The Sunday Post #323 | January 29, 202323 minutes ago
-
-
The Hacienda53 minutes ago
-
-
The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin10 hours ago
-
Guilty Minds by Joseph Finder12 hours ago
-
Stacking The Shelves19 hours ago
-
-
Sloth Goes Places – “A” States21 hours ago
-
-
Stacking the Shelves #74!22 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
Sunday Post #4891 day ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
Review of Matilda2 days ago
-
-
-
-
The Jeweller of Stolen Dreams by M J Rose2 days ago
-
-
-
-
-
Just finished and currently reading.4 days ago
-
-
Authors I First Read in 20225 days ago
-
-
2023 Goals (and 2022 in Review)5 days ago
-
-
-
My Bookish Goals for 20231 week ago
-
Top Ten Books of 20222 weeks ago
-
Books Read in 20233 weeks ago
-
December Monthly Wrap-up3 weeks ago
-
-
-
Thinking Out Loud: Our Wives Under the Sea2 months ago
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?3 months ago
-
-
HEARTS OF BRIARWALL by Krista Jensen5 months ago
-
-
-
-

Grab my Button!



Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ▼ 2015 (188)
Hmmm...I liked White Than Snow. Have not read Baker Towers. I find the idea of fires burning below ground really horrifying and scary. As you say, a depressing book, but it appeals to me. Why is that? LOL
ReplyDeleteI know! I didn't know anything about the PA coal fires until I read this book. They're real and completely terrifying. I found the idea of the novel intriguing, too, I just didn't realize it was so depressing. It's similar in setting to WHITER THAN SNOW, but much more grim.
DeleteYeah, this one sounds so dang depressing. I'm not sure I could handle it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's pretty grim.
DeleteYes, it does sound depressing but the author must be talented to weave such a compelling tale that makes one not want to stop reading.
ReplyDeleteThe book is definitely well-written. It's a very atmospheric novel, vivid and affecting. It's just really sad.
Delete