When the Jessamine Grows Audiobook By Donna Everhart cover art

When the Jessamine Grows

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When the Jessamine Grows

By: Donna Everhart
Narrated by: Tiffany Morgan
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Talk of impending war is a steady drumbeat throughout North Carolina, though Joetta McBride pays it little heed. She and her husband, Ennis, have built a modest but happy life for themselves, raising two sons, fifteen-year-old Henry, and eleven-year-old Robert, on their small subsistence farm. They do not support the Confederacy's position on slavery, but Joetta considers her family to be neutral, believing this is simply not their fight.

Her opinion is not favored by many in their community, including Joetta's own father-in-law, Rudean. A staunch Confederate supporter, he fills his grandsons' heads with stories about the glory of battle and the Southern cause until one night Henry runs off to join the war. At Joetta's frantic insistence, Ennis leaves to find their son and bring him home.

But soon weeks pass with no word from father or son and Joetta is battered by the strain of running a farm with so little help. As the country becomes further entangled in the ramifications of war, Joetta finds herself increasingly at odds with those around her—until one act of kindness brings her family to the edge of even greater disaster.

©2024 Donna Everhart (P)2024 Tantor Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Southern United States World Literature Heartfelt War
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First, the performance. I often like hearing the regional accent of a setting, and this story is no exception. I liked how Mr. McBride and Joetta’s voices brought them to life. Second, the story. We rarely hear the story of a person in the civil war south who was a dissenter but not involved in the Underground Railroad. The main character, Joetta, wishes to remain neutral, but the sympathies of her friends, family, and community cause them to turn on her. Joetta is stoic in the face of their criticism and initially tries to placate them. Initially I couldn’t relate to her, and I wanted her to be either more honest or more conniving. I really liked when she decided to care for the boy. It showed her kindness. My one wish is that Joetta expressed more emotions, but overall her strength of character comes through in her actions. A good story, the kind where you hope the character lives happily ever after.

The story of a southern American Civil War era woman who wishes to remain neutral during the war.

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The narrator's cadence and inflections are so weird that this is very difficult to listen to. It is very disappointing since I am liking the story - but I am only a quarter of the way through and I just cannot listen to it anymore. I will have to get the book from the library and read it to find out what happens.

Poor narration

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I enjoyed it all but the ending fell flat. I would’ve liked to see if Henry came back or they knew he had passes.

Mr. McBride

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I love all of Donna Everhart’s books of women overcoming adversity, set in different times of American history, this one included.
Unfortunately, the narrator was one of the worst I’ve ever heard, and I’ve listened to hundreds of Audible titles. It’s still worth the listen, but it was painful at times.

Fabulous Civil War era story

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This excellently written account of what folks endured during the Civil War. The characters reveal the agonies and atrocities suffered by those who fought and the families left behind.

Inspiring historical novel

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The story was intriguing, as it offered a perspective that is rarely heard about this time period. However, the narration was distracting and made the main character less likable, as her voice sounded mechanical.

Good story, terrible narration.

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This book gave a very good accounting of what took place during the Civil War. I enjoyed that aspect very much.
The ending left me wanting more however. I thought we would find out more about Henry.

Good Account of Details of Civil War

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Beautifully told story of a woman's strength during the Civil War in NC. This book totally transported me into that time and place. I swear, I could smell the earth, the smoke and even death. I wish there was a second book to follow it. I loved it!

The price of staying neutral in South

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The narration for this is extremely irritating. I finished the book as I used a credit to purchase, but this would have been so much better with a different narrator.

Maybe it’s just me, but narration is horrible.

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This story could probably be true of so many who struggled through the Civil war, during and after. The author did an outstanding research. I recommend this.

Great Read

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