Whistling Past the Graveyard

By: Susan Crandall

Narrated by: Amy Rubinate

Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

In the summer of 1963, nine-year-old spitfire Starla Claudelle runs away from her strict grandmother's Mississippi home. Starla hasn't seen her momma since she was three - that's when Lulu left for Nashville to become a famous singer. Starla's daddy works on an oil rig in the Gulf, so Mamie, with her tsk-tsk sounds and her bitter refrain of "Lord, give me strength," is the nearest thing to family Starla has. After being put on restriction yet again for her sassy mouth, Starla is caught sneaking out for the Fourth of July parade. She fears Mamie will make good on her threat to send Starla to reform school, so Starla walks to the outskirts of town, and just keeps walking....

If she can get to Nashville and find her momma, then all that she promised will come true: Lulu will be a star. Daddy will come to live in Nashville, too. And her family will be whole and perfect. Walking a lonely country road, Starla accepts a ride from Eula, a black woman traveling alone with a white baby. The trio embarks on a road trip that will change Starla's life forever. She sees for the first time life as it really is - as she reaches for a dream of how it could one day be.

©2013 Susan Crandall (P)2013 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Critic reviews

"Starla's fiery independence makes her a likable narrator." ( Publishers Weekly)

"It's not easy to keep such a young narrator convincing for more than 300 pages.... Readers will take to Starla and be caught up in her story." ( Booklist)

"A coming-of-age story as well as a luminous portrait of courage and the bonds of friendship.... Susan Crandall tells young Starla's story with pitch-perfect tone, evoking 1963 Mississippi and its struggles with a deft hand. I laughed and cried at Starla's keen observances of life and family and the sometimes blurred edges of justice. Like Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird and Kathryn Stockett's The Help, Whistling Past the Graveyard is destined to become a classic." (Karen White, New York Times best-selling author)

Wonderful Listen!

This story and performance were both so entertaining and engrossing that they even kept my husband enthralled to the point that he would request I play the recording as soon as we got in our car before he even cranked up. We were on a short vacation to Eureka Springs, Arkansas and I believe he was more interested in the audible rendition of this story than he was in the beauty around us that was spectacular! Another winner!

Great reader!

Even though some of the story wasn't totally believable, the reader made it very enjoyable.

Great book!

Very moving story. Makes you think about love, life, disappointments and how far we as a Nation have come. Love the depths of feeling the characters displayed. A must listen!!!!!

"Thank you sweet baby Jesus!"

Finally! I have have found an author who writes a story that pulls you right in. She describes people and places so well that you can picture them in you head and they stay within your heart. This is the second book that I have listened to by Susan Crandall that I have thoroughly enjoyed and I am about to start my third. The narration is perfect and not monotonous like some audio books. I highly recommend this book and author. Thank you Miss Crandall for sharing your talented story telling!

Lessons learned

I loved this book, and the lessons learned and the perspective changes by more than just Starla. It shows you the importance of developing loving relationships, and not being judgemental. Loved the importance of not chasing those that don't show love, and embracing those that do. I love the perspective growth and ability of some characters to re-think what they thought was right and true, and others that couldn't and how that had negative consequences and decrease their empathy and humanity. I look at how my perspective has changed in the last few years...really trying to see, understand, and empathize with others struggles, especially those that are marginalized.

I loved it!

A horse of a different color, for sure. Refreshing to hear something different! I was 4 years old, when all this was going on. I remember Kennedy from tv, because it was on the news as my parents watched. I didn’t understand, but I knew it was a bad thing. The narration was great as well. From Arkansas.

Amazing and touching story

This book was a great listen. I absolutely loved it. The characters and story are so thoughtful, kind, and thought provoking. Truly enjoyable and amazing.

Excellent! Loved it!

This book was chosen as our bookclub read for the month. I must say I really enjoyed the book. The narrator did an excellent job. Loved the characters, especially the relationship between Starla and Eula. Loved the excitement of this journey the two of them had to travel. The faith and hope these two character had, not to give up. I just loved it

A Road Trip You Won't Soon Forget!

I purchased this book as I don't think I could resist the title. It just sounded like it would be good and it really was!

The narrator is a 9-going-on-11-year-old girl, Starla. So anyone who prefers not to listen to child-oriented or YA-like literature, you needn't go any further.

For the rest of you, it could be a very fun and enjoyable listen like it was for me. The narration was perfection and Amy Rubinate did a wonderful job with the different voices and accents. She's a keeper.

So, we have a young, precocious-beyond-her-years young girl living in Mississippi during the 1960's amidst all the racial unrest. The time frame adds tension and credibility to the story and removes it from the realm of chick-lit. Starla's mother abandoned her when she was a baby and her father works on an oil rig, so it has been arranged that she be raised by her grandmother, "Mamie". So far so good--but not really. Mamie and Starla do not get along and it appears Starla is a grave imposition in her grandmother's life. Which is why our precocious, high-maintenance, love-starved girl sets off for Nashville to find her mother, whom she believes is a famous country singer. She is sure she can bring her lost little family happily back together again.

Well, Starla could not make this long journey on her own and this is where Eula comes into the story. Eula is a childless, unhappily married "black" woman whose life is unalterably changed by the little, feisty "white" girl. Actually, most of the characters in the story have their lives dramatically altered by Starla's actions.

This is not a totally perfect story, as it is a tad predictable. But it IS fiction and if I want totally realistic unpredictability, I head over toward non-fiction. I want a degree of credibility in a story, but I also want to enjoy it and perhaps have some FUN. Sorry. I am not sure why I feel the need to digress and defend myself.

Bottom line is, I became immersed in this story and miss the characters a bunch now that it is over. I want to recommend this book which comes flavored with "The Help" but has its very own personality.

Get it and enjoy!

Loved!

Would you consider the audio edition of Whistling Past the Graveyard to be better than the print version?

Yes, because the narrator, Amy Rubinate, was awesome! I love her voice and want to hear more from her!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Whistling Past the Graveyard?

The fireball of a main character was a hoot!

What about Amy Rubinate’s performance did you like?

Her beautiful southern accent made me proud to be a southern girl!

If you could take any character from Whistling Past the Graveyard out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I would love to get to know Starla even better! She will be a fabulous grownup. Let's hear from Starla the teenager!