Stay and Fight

A Novel

By: Madeline Ffitch

Narrated by: Sophie Amoss, Bailey Carr

Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's Summary

One of the 2019 Amazon.com Best Books of the Year

Lambda Literary Award - Nominee

New York Magazine Best Books of the Year, 2019

LA Times Book Prize - Finalist, 2019

"The narrators' portrayal of this makeshift family captures the rhythm and tone of lost young people who are trying to survive. These flawed, cantankerous, and fiercely independent characters in search of peace are perfectly delivered by Amoss and Carr." (AudioFile magazine)

A wildly original, piercingly timely addition to the story of the American family 

Helen arrives in Appalachian Ohio full of love and her boyfriend’s ideas for living off the land. Too soon, with winter coming, he calls it quits. Helped by Rudy - her government-questioning, wisdom-spouting, seasonal-affective-disordered boss - and a neighbor couple, Helen makes it to spring. Those neighbors, Karen and Lily, are awaiting the arrival of their first child, a boy, which means their time at the Women’s Land Trust must end. 

So Helen invites the new family to throw in with her - they’ll split the work and the food, build a house, and make a life that sustains them, if barely, for years. Then young Perley decides he wants to go to school. And Rudy sets up a fruit-tree nursery on the pipeline easement edging their land. The outside world is brought clamoring into their makeshift family. 

Set in a region known for its independent spirit, Stay and Fight shakes up what it means to be a family, to live well, to make peace with nature and make deals with the system. It is a protest novel that challenges our notions of effective action. It is a family novel that refuses to limit the term. And it is a marvel of storytelling that both breaks with tradition and celebrates it. Best of all, it is full of flawed, cantankerous, flesh-and-blood characters who remind us that conflict isn't the end of love, but the real beginning. 

Absorbingly spun, perfectly voiced, and disruptively political, Madeline ffitch's Stay and Fight forces us to reimagine an Appalachia - and an America - we think we know. And it takes us, laughing and fighting, into a new understanding of what it means to love and to be free.

©2019 Madeline Ffitch (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

Slow story- no real ending

Slow story, no real ending. I was listening in the car, and then boom it ended.

Slow, no character development, terrible ending

My wife and I listened to this book together after seeing a recommendation online. It was described as a story about building queer community/chosen family. After reading it, we both feel that there was very little character development, it moved slowly, and the ending was disappointing. At times we felt that the book reinforced negative stereotypes about queer women (or at least we, as queer women felt that way). I cannot say that we recommend this book. There may be others that love it though.

Interesting characters - no ending

Why did I just listen to this? The characters were interesting enough, but the story just ends abruptly. There’s no resolution to ANY of the conflicts in the story. I feel like it was a waste of time.

Hopes Dashed

I read this book on a TikTok recommendation. The narrator's bring the text to life. I'm not sure I would have finished had I read from the page. It started so slowly and the unending "s/he said" was initially so painful, but I soldiered on in curiosity about what made it so good. Then, I became absorbed in the story. I work in child welfare and we strive to train concepts of collaborative safety and cultural diversity, so it hit deep. And just when I was fully invested it ended without any resolution, leaving disappointment and resentment.

she said

story was decent, narration was good. but I couldn't get over all the "he said" "she said". it's like the author didn't know any synonyms for said. Then the story just abruptly ends with no real solutions to the main conflicts of the story. Not sure if I would recommend this one but enjoyed it well enough

Ophidiophobics, beware

Overall, I was compelled to keep reading despite my deep fear of snakes. It's a constant throughout. Kind of wish there had been some kind of warning.

Trite

What’s the point of writing from each character’s POV if you’re simply going to keep everyone one-dimensional, unsympathetic stereotypes? Even the seven year old was utterly unlikable (and wildly unbelievable).

Loved it!

The narrators really work for this book. I especially like the tone that is struck for Perley, the young boy that the novel revolves around.
I laughed and cried... that's a good book!

Something big to say, for our generation

This book would have something big to say even if it wasn’t about important issues, land, rights, community, queer issues, family, love. This book is about what happens when you don’t give up, when you decide to stay because something is hard. Here’s a book, that believes in the potential of human beings, their failures, that will lead to success more important than any small concern of the individual. It is well written, it’s characters are believable, but more than that it’s idea is believable, it’s idea, relates to what’s happening here, now, with all of us, inside yourself.

A must listen!

I have enjoyed this audiobook more than any I can remember. I hope the author publishes another! Voice actors were great!