You can probably guess a theme with my reviews lately. I love stories based in a small town. The Kiminee Dream is a charming book based in a small town, and I can’t wait to share with you.
First up, about the book:
A deeply poetic, riveting debut novel, The Kiminee Dream is a tale of Midwest charm and quirky characters, but with twists and turns that reveal a dark side you don’t see coming.
It’s true that odd things happen in Kiminee, Illinois. Lilacs bloom in winter. Gravel glows golden on occasion. The river sings as it wends through town. But this is normal for the tight-knit folks who call Kiminee home. So when auburn-tufted Carly Mae Foley learns to read at age two and masters multiplication at age three, the denizens take it in stride and embrace her with pride.
But all is not well in Carly Mae’s family. And when a twister roars though, it decimates their home, along with their emotional bonds, as her mother’s affair is exposed and her father goes missing. A determined grandmother, one-eared dog and generous benefactor come to the gifted child’s aid, but not everyone is rooting for her, and when an appalling crime occurs, long-held animosities boil over. No one can say whether the good folks of Kiminee will pull closer together—or be torn apart.
Influenced by folklore and magical realism, The Kiminee Dream is both hypnotic and endearing. If you like depth as well as whimsy, arresting twists, and details that stir your heart, you’ll love what is ultimately an eloquent exploration of acceptance and a tender tribute to the people of Illinois. Don’t delay. Experience this literary gem today.
What I Thought
The Kiminee Dream immediately swept me away! I love the setting of historical fiction and the author’s strong love of small towns and all of their eccentricities. You start out learning about a young girl who is a child prodigy, and the entire town gets swept up in her gift. When a storm hits, and the young prodigy is severely hurt, everyone in town feels the impact. Along with everything else going on, her mother takes off too, devastated by a recently revealed family secret. Grudges rise to the surface, and a crime threatens the small town’s peacefulness and closeness they long to hang onto.
The author has a wonderful way of capturing character and scene. It was a book I couldn’t wait to return to because each time I felt like I was going somewhere. These days I love stories with a strong sense of place, and the town was almost as much of a character as the others.
I absolutely recommend this book and can’t wait to see what the author comes out with next!
Purchase your copy of The Kiminee Dream on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Make sure you add it to your reading list too!
Make sure you enter the giveaway below – you can win a copy of The Kiminee Dream and a copy of her other book Aunt Truly’s Tales along with a $25 Amazon Gift Card.
Laura McHale Holland’s THE KIMINEE DREAM Book Tour Giveaway
As a child, Laura McHale Holland loved the musicality of language and often recalled, verbatim, conversations she heard. A lost soul in her teens and early twenties, she righted herself in her mid-twenties and discovered a deep love of the creative process. In her work, she often finds hope in unlikely places.
Laura writes stories true and untrue in multiple forms from flash fiction to novels, memoirs to short plays. Her coming of age memoir, Resilient Ruin, won a National Indie Excellence Award for new adult nonfiction. Prior award-winning books include Reversible Skirt, a childhood memoir, and Sisters Born, Sisters Found, an anthology on sisterhood. Her stories have appeared in several anthologies, including The Best of Every Day Fiction Three and Wisdom Has a Voice. Two of her short plays were produced recently in Northern California; two others received staged readings. The Kiminee Dream is Laura’s first novel. To connect with her, please visit her website. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
I’m thrilled that The Kiminee Dream swept you away and kept you engaged, Nicole, and I appreciate that you’ve shared your unique views on the novel with your readers. You are helping connect people to books they are likely to enjoy at a time when there are so many choices it can be overwhelming. Thank you so much.
Sounds good. I like the cover.
Thank you, Nicole, for taking time to read and review The Kiminee Dream, as well as invite me to do a guest post. I am so glad you enjoyed the book! I’m working on a second novel. It’s not set in a small town. It’s set on a city lane that’s two to three blocks long, and the people living there are involved in one another’s lives in similar ways to folks in small towns.