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    The Road to Bittersweet
    The Road to Bittersweet
    The Road to Bittersweet
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Road to Bittersweet

    Written by Donna Everhart

    Narrated by Amy Melissa Bentley

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    For fourteen-year-old Wallis Ann Stamper and her family, life in the Appalachian Mountains is simple and satisfying, though not for the tenderhearted. While her older sister, Laci-a mute, musically gifted savant-is constantly watched over and protected, Wallis Ann is as practical and sturdy as her name. When the Tuckasegee River bursts its banks, forcing them to flee in the middle of the night, those qualities save her life. But though her family is eventually reunited, the tragedy opens Wallis Ann's eyes to a world beyond the creek that's borne their name for generations.

    Carrying what's left of their possessions, the Stampers begin another perilous journey from their ruined home to the hill country of South Carolina. Wallis Ann's blossoming friendship with Clayton, a high diving performer for a traveling show, sparks a new opportunity, and the family joins as a singing group. But Clayton's attention to Laci drives a wedge between the two sisters. As jealousy and betrayal threaten to accomplish what hardship never could-divide the family for good-Wallis Ann makes a decision that will transform them all in unforeseeable ways . . .
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateDec 26, 2017
    ISBN9781541477704
    Author

    Donna Everhart

    Donna Everhart is the USA Today bestselling author of Southern fiction with authenticity and grit, including the Indie Next List selection The Education of Dixie Dupree, The Forgiving Kind, The Moonshiner's Daughter, and the Southeastern Library Association Award-winning novel The Road to Bittersweet. Born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, she now lives just an hour away along with her husband. Please visit her online at DonnaEverhart.com.  

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    Reviews for The Road to Bittersweet

    4/5

    40 ratings6 reviews

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    • 5/5
      When I read the description "Set in the Carolinas in the 1940s" and "life in the Appalachian Mountains" , I knew that I wanted to read The Road To Bittersweet by Donna Everhart! I requested the book at my library! I finally got the book and I wasn't disappointed in reading this book!The Stamper family were forced to flee their mountain cabin in the middle of the night when the Tuckasegee River overflows it's banks and floods their home and many others! After being separated from her family, fourteen year old Wallis Ann Stamper fights for her life in the river is swept many miles away and then heads back to her mountain cabin! The astounding descriptions and the trials and tribulations of Wallis Ann during this trying time kept me rivited!Reuniting with her family, Wallis Ann, her parents and her older sister, Laci, a mute and a musical genius, begins a journey with a traveling show as singers! Clayton, a high diving performer, is instrumental in introducing the family to the traveling show owner. Clayton's attention to the sisters caused jealousy and betrayal which divides the family. This will keep you entertained in reading The Road To Bittersweet. Donna Everhart captures the life of the characters with the Hardship of the 1940s with an enduring , heartwarming story of one family's life.I'm looking forward to reading The Forgiving Kind, The Education of Dixie Dupree, and especially The Moonshiner's Daughter, her next book to be released on December 31, 2019!
    • 5/5
      Road to bittersweet by Donna Everheart
      (Scribd audiobook )
      Location: Carolinas in the 1940s. Wallis Stamper is 14. she lives with her mama, papa, her older sister Laci (who is mute but can play any song she hears twice on her violin)and her little brother near the Tuckasegee River. When the River floods , Wallis is separated from her family but being her dads constant helper helps her get by until her family is together again.

      The story that follows Wallis and her family as they try to get by after the flood, they face some truly heart breaking moments but ultimately they remain a strong family. Highly recommend for anyone who likes to read about a families triumph over hardship.

      Incidently if you look on the official Goodreads description of the book, people have posted actual pictures of the actual flood.
    • 4/5
      Good story. Parts were so interesting, I couldn't stop reading and Everhart's descriptions were wonderful - you could hear the river in the opening pages - it really was terrifying.
      I don't want to give things away - it just wrapped up a bit too easily.
    • 4/5
      Categorized as Southern fiction. Such a miserable story. Girls family (1940) is washed out in flood, but able to rejoin one another but no food is left nor housing. Early on I was engaged in the story thru the flood, but I feel it was unrealistic overall. There were some very good insights into behavior, though. Still not my cuppa tea.
    • 5/5
      IMG_1660My Review of “The Road to Bittersweet” by Donna EverhartWOW! Kudos to Donna Earhart, Author of “The Road to Bittersweet” for such an incredible, heartwarming and emotional journey. It was really difficult for me to put “The Road to Bittersweet” down, because I just had to see what happened. I love the author’s description and sounds and scenery of nature, the land, the water, and both the beauty and devastation that can occur. It is just amazing the way Donna Earhart weaves her story and descriptions together. The timeline of the story is 1940, and the story starts in Stampers Creek, North Carolina.In this story the water seems to be symbolic. The creek rises, and storms and a hurricane destroy what little home is left for 14-year-old Wallis Ann Stamper and her family. The horrific storm causes deaths, and loss of livestock, homes, and almost separates the Stamper family, who luckily find each other. Having only themselves, and very little possessions, they seek to survive by leaving their destroyed homestead and travel on.The author describes her characters facing and enduring crisis after crisis and emotional and physical hardship. Wallis Ann is my favorite character. Although she is young she is strong-willed, and physically determined to do what has to be done. Wallis Ann is left in charge of her younger baby brother, and her older sister Laci. Laci has never spoken any words, but is intellectually musically gifted. Laci can listen to any sound of music, and reproduce it.The author describes this as an emotional journey as well as a physical one. It is a journey to finding oneself. I appreciate that the author stresses the importance of family, friends, emotional support, hard work, love, faith and hope. I would highly recommend this bittersweet , captivating, and intriguing story. Happy Reading !
    • 5/5
      "...it was like all we'd been doing was traveling down a road towards this bittersweet ending. Nothing could change what we'd been through." These are thoughts from Wallis Ann Stamper, the 14 year old main character in The Road to Bittersweet. And what a road she and her family had been down. Living in a rural area in the Appalachian mountains in 1940 with her parents, sister Lacy and baby brother, they lived a hard scrabble life but always had food on the table and love within the family as well as their love of singing. Until the night that the Tuckasegee river overflowed its banks and forced them out of the house that had been in their family for generations. The family's flight during the flood was one of the scariest things that I've read in a long time. Wallis Ann survives the flood and starts looking for her family. Miles away from her home, she learns a lot about herself and the world that she had never been part of. The family gets reunited at the site of their home but they continue to struggle as they try to re-build. As the family tries to survive, they have to leave their mountain home and go out into the world where family loyalties are tested and decisions are made that cause horrible repercussions to them all.Wallis Ann is a fantastic main character. She is strong and can work like a man but she still has the feelings of a young girl. We see the land and the family problems through her watchful eyes and we see her change from innocence to wisdom about life and her family. This is a wonderful novel and I think it will be one of the most read books this winter. The is the second fantastic book by this author and if you haven't read her first book The Education of Dixie Dupree, you need to read it too.Warning: Be sure to clear your calendar before you start reading The Road to Bittersweet because once you start, you won't want to put it down until you finish. Trust me, there were no meals cooked or cleaning done at my house once I opened this book.Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.