Monarchs Under the Sassafras Tree by Lillah Lawson

Monarchs Under the Sassafras Tree by Lillah Lawson

Publication Date: September 20, 2019

Regal House Publishing

eBook & Paperback; 384 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction/Southern

It's an unusually warm autumn, 1929, and O.T. Lawrence is about as content as a cotton farmer can be in Five Forks, Georgia. Nothing—not poverty, drought, or even the boll weevil —can spoil the idyllic life he shares with his doting wife and children and his beloved twin brother Walt. Until illness and Black Tuesday take everything O.T. ever held dear in one fell swoop. Grieving, drinking, and careening toward homelessness, O.T. is on the brink of ending it all when he receives an odd letter from a teenage acquaintance, the enigmatic Sivvy Hargrove, who is locked away in Milledgeville’s asylum for the insane. Traveling through desperate antebellum towns, O.T. and his daughter Ginny are determined to find Sivvy and discover her story. Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, Monarchs Under the Sassafras Tree is a love story to Georgia and the spirit of its people—a story of family, unconditional love, poverty, injustice, and finding the strength inside to keep on going when all is lost.

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Praise

“Lillah Lawson spins a yarn that’s wonderful in its knottiness. Monarchs Under the Sassafras Tree is a historical Southern fable about butterflies, biscuits and the healing power of family, both biological and chosen. The images are evocative, the dialogue rough and realistic, the emotions achingly real. A must-read.” —Lauren Emily Whalen, author of Satellite

"A hauntingly beautiful story, full of twists and tragedy, rich in detail and told with gorgeous lyrical flair… A deeply moving, unforgettable read.” —Alice Hayes, author of The Thread that Binds

“An exquisite read, with the tender yet gritty undertones of Steinback, Monarchs Under the Sassafras Tree is a solemn walk through the deep south during one of the most difficult eras in American history: the early twentieth century. Lawson captures the southern gothic through the often fragile, yet always hopeful hearts of her characters as they try to cope with the hard knocks of life. This book will touch your heart in the beautifully tragic way that only southern gothic can, slowly at first, and then all at once.” —Melanie Cossey, author of A Peculiar Curiosity

THOUGHTS/REVIEW:

Lillah Lawson's Monarchs Under the Sassafras Tree is a beautifully written southern fiction set in the early twentieth century and one of my favorite historical fiction era reads. I love reading about the south and this story setting is in Five Forks Georgia with amazingly complex characters I really loved reading about. The grit and the rich detail of the story that highlights the depression era, poverty, friendships and mental illness. I was transformed into their lives and just cannot stop turning those pages. I was deeply moved by the story, the characters and the hardships. Story is well told and for those that want to pick up an unforgettable read, please pick this one up.

I really enjoyed this amazing read. What a beautiful story.

About the Author

Lillah Lawson has been writing since she was 8 years old, when she won a short story contest at her elementary school. The story was about a Princess who gets tired of waiting for the Prince to show up and saves herself. Once she saw her words printed in the local newspaper, she knew she wanted to be a writer.

Having written professionally as well as dabbling in poetry, children's books and blogging, Lillah finally completed her first novel, Aroha, as part of a NaNoWriMo challenge in 2012.

She lives in Georgia, in the United States, with her partner and son and three rambunctious animals. She is currently working on another novel.

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Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, May 18
Review at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, May 19
Interview at Jorie Loves A Story
Feature at Books in their Natural Habitat

Wednesday, May 20
Interview at The Book Junkie Reads

Thursday, May 21
Review & Excerpt at Bookworlder

Friday, May 22
Review at Nursebookie
Feature at View from the Birdhouse

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a paperback copy of Monarchs Under the Sassafras Tree! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on May 22nd. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Paperback giveaway is open to the US only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud will be decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner is chosen.

Sassafras Tree