Peculiar Savage Beauty

By: Jessica McCann

Narrated by: Rebecca Roberts

The black blizzard is a formidable enemy. The furious storm blots out the sun and chokes the life from both man and beast. When RJ Evans finds herself engulfed in inky blackness and holed up beneath her Model AA Ford on an isolated plains road - dirt caked beneath her fingernails, skin flecked with blood drawn by the biting dust - she has no idea this trial won’t be her toughest.

What awaits her in the small farming town of Vanham, when she begins her job as a geologist for the US Soil Conservation Service, is even more daunting. Drought and overplowing by men determined to conquer the land have turned the once-lush plains into a brutal twin of the Sahara. Headstrong and intent on healing the earth through conservation farming, RJ must somehow find her place in a tight-knit community that welcomes neither women in authority nor changes to their way of life.

She befriends Woody, an autistic savant born in an era long before any medical diagnosis would explain his peculiar ways and unique talents. The locals label the young man an idiot and RJ an armchair farmer. Yet in each other, they see so much more.

Beating back the dust is a daily battle in a war for the land. It is a clash that creates unlikely alliances. As RJ learns she must rely on her adversaries if she is to survive the dangers of the Dust Bowl, she also grows to realize that she - like the land itself - is in desperate need of love and healing.

©2018 Jessica McCann (P)2019 Jessica McCann

Historical fiction

I liked the book more than I thought I would. I loved how the author brought the history to life. I could imagine it has I listened to it.
My only problem is that I found it slow to begin with, I would have liked it to be more fast paced but other than this it is an excellent book and I would recommend it.

Brilliant Educational story!

Wow!

This story was absolutely brilliant. I have gone and purchased Jessica’s other novel.

I was totally hooked from the very first chapter or so. RJ and Stormy had me not wanting to put the book down.

The story was also very educational. I learned a lot about what people were going through during the depression and with all the dust storms etc.
It was also very inspirational. I can’t imagine people living through everything, those people in the novel went through and still some of them fought on.

RJ had spirit and pluck, but also was moved to great compassion. I totally loved her character and was totally invested in wanting to know what was going to happen to her.

I also loved Woody of course. I totally agree with RJ. He was Brilliant and funny in a wonderful kind of way. I have many dear friends and family on the autism spectrum and i thought he was very well portrayed.

The story was also very sad, and moving in places, with a few lovely surprises i didn’t see coming.

I would highly recommend this book.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

A delightful surprise and a wonderful performance

This book was better than I had expected. The plot that revolves around a highly educated woman in a great plains wilderness in the '30s was appealing to me. Gender roles from that time were pretty cast in stone and this pioneer geologist was an unusual person in a terrible setting of poverty, starvation and death of the souls of the land and the people on it. Sometimes I thought I knew what was coming and then was happily steered in another direction. The performance was brilliant and I will not lie. I was in tears by the end. Cried like an idiot. A worthy read.

Beautifully written and refreshingly different

I found this story to be well-written, and touchingly engaging. Stories set amidst the Great Depression and American Dustbowl are heart wrenching. Yet, the sheer will and determination of that generation are awe inspiring.

Ms. McCann is a fantastic storyteller and I look forward to her next tale.

Rebecca Roberts’ narration was very well done.

All in all, a favorite!

Great historical fiction

This is the first book I’ve read/listened to by this author and I would hop at the chance to listen to another.
This is a wonderful story that really brings to light the plight of people during this era. Not only the farmers dealing with the lack of water for their crops, but everyone. The hardships they endured are phenomenal.
I love the historical information she managed to weave seamlessly into this story- ncluding insight into the accepted status of women and people with different mental capabilities.

This is the first book I’ve listened to by this narrator ( Rebecca Roberts ). She did a great job voice acting. The characters all had distinct voices. She used cadence and accents to impart their personalities and really drew me into the story.
My only negative was the wind sounds at the beginning of each chapter. Personally, I feel effects are unnecessary- especially when there is a great narrator like this one- it is distracting and would pull me out of the book.

There are no explicit sex scenes, excessive violence or swearing.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.