A young woman's journey: A Captivating coming of age story

Oreads
John F. Lavelle
Roundfire Books
c/o John Hunt Publishing, Ltd.
Laurel House, Station Approach, Alresford, Hants, SO24 9JH, UK
www.johnhuntpublishing.com
9781785351839

At fourteen, Cassie Wolphe's way of life in Appalachia is being changed by the influx of modernity/postmodernity. She is in love with Jake McCollum, believes she will marry him and constructs her life around this central act, but like her brother, Ben, Jake rejects a life he believes offers nothing but hard work and poverty. Forced to make a decision between her love of Jake and her love of the mountains, Cassie finds she can't leave, a choice which may define her life forever. At once lyrical, emotionally charged, moving and heartbreaking, Oreads is a literary treat that will keep you compelled right to the very last page and beyond. Author John F. Lavelle's "Oreads" is a compelling, creative, and original novel that is certain to be an enduringly popular and very highly recommended addition to community library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Oreads" is also available in a Kindle edition.

Midwest Book Review—The Fiction Shelf

Oreads is an excellent story and an important one. This novel does for the Vietnam War era Appalachia what Thomas Hardy did for Victorian England with Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Lavelle’s first novel explores gender roles, sexuality, and Appalachian regional influences, from setting to socioeconomic determinism. In Greek mythology an Oread is a mountain nymph, so Lavelle’s title, Oreads, emphasizes the powerful connection between the protagonist, Cassie Wolphe, and her mountainous environment. . . . Oreads guides readers through a treacherous path of inevitable heartbreak and willful resilience in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia.

Appalachian Journal

Wow! This is a beautifully written book about a difficult subject - the lives of the poor in the mountains of West Virginia. It is the story of Cassie, a young girl trying to survive in the land she loves. The story begins when she is just 14 years old and continues into her early 20s. She strives to have a better life than her parents provided her. She wants the perfect life with the perfect man, but that would require her leave the comfort of the mountains and she's not ready to do that. What struggles must she face? What price must she pay? All because she doesn't want to leave her home town to try and find a better life, away from the poverty of the Appalachians.

I honestly don't know how this book hasn't received more praise and publicity. Hopefully it finds its way into the right hands for it to then skyrocket in popularity (maybe even be made into a movie, because it would be great). Lucky for me, the author found my blog and asked if I would read and review it. I'm so grateful that he did. It is a story that will stay with me for a long time.

And by the way.....it's pronounced Or-e-ads :)

Amazon Review

John Lavelle's first novel is a delight in every sense. Cassie Wolphe reminds all Baby Boomers of what it was like to come of age in the sixties and specifically, what life was like for a fourteen year old daughter of Appalachia. We understand the need to escape this life through the actions of Cassie's brother Ben and boyfriend Jake, but Cassie stays and it is her story which captivates us. Lavelle is a master of both dialogue and dialect and with these tools he deftly crafts Cassie's character as she grows up on the pages in front of us. There is some Cassie in us all as we see her struggle against forces of the present and the past that are bent on destroying her dreams. In true heroic fashion, she vanquishes all of these forces and in the end, we are left with an odd sense of hope.

Goodreads Review

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26716947-oreads?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=1jd1yBrVsE&rank=1

Oreads:

J.F. Lavelle