Peevish Pen

Ruminations on reading, writing, genealogy and family history, rural living, retirement, aging—and sometimes cats.

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Location: Rural Virginia, United States

I'm an elderly retired teacher who writes. Among my books are Ferradiddledumday (Appalachian version of the Rumpelstiltskin story), Stuck (middle grade paranormal novel), Patches on the Same Quilt (novel set in Franklin County, VA), Them That Go (an Appalachian novel), Miracle of the Concrete Jesus & Other Stories, and several Kindle ebooks.

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Seeking Ayita Review

 Seeking Ayita is author Lin Stepp's latest book in her Mountain Home series. I've blogged about the three others in this stand-alone series: Happy Valley, Downsizing, and Eight at the Lake.


Like the others in the series, Seeking Ayita is strong on family values and a sense of place—and it involves a woman returning to her roots and finding herself. 

The novel begins when Yoni—a full-blooded Cherokee married to a Welshman and living in Hawaii—is dying from complications following a stroke, she makes her daughter Annalise promise to to take her ashes for burial in Cherokee, NC,  and also for Annalise to stay a few months and reconnect with her grandmother and her heritage. (Annaliese's middle name is Ayita, a Cherokee name.) Annalise, a widow with a young daughter, doesn't want to go. She's visited Cherokee a few times when she was younger, but Hawaii is her home. Plus she thinks her father will need her after he returns from his visit Wales. But she made a promise. . . . 

From the back of the book:


Of course, there are complications and obstacles to be overcome as well as decisions to be made. And therein lies an interesting tale. (FYI—I was so caught up in the story that I finished the book in two days.)

Like Stepp does in her other Mountain Home books, she includes a map in Seeking Ayita  and has her main characters visit places and hike the trails in the area. Having the map added to my enjoyment of the book.

I particularly enjoyed the book's themes—besides the strong sense of place and the importance of family, there was a lot of emphasis on the importance of heritage, particularly Cherokee heritage. I learned a lot about Cherokee customs from reading Seeking Ayita.

Seeking Ayita would be a good selection for a book club to study and discuss, and Stepp includes a study guide.

I thoroughly enjoyed Seeking Ayita, and I think the cats—who keep me company while I read it—enjoyed it too.

CHARLOTTE: I liked that there was a cat named Stella in the book.

ARLO: I liked that Stella didn't want to be petted by strangers.

OTIS: I got scared when Stella went missing.

RUFUS: I was happy when Stella got rescued.

OTIS: I was too, Rufus! It was a purrfect rescue—and a good book.

If you're seeking a good read with interesting characters, some twists and turns, and a satisfying resolution, you'll likely enjoy Seeking Ayita.

Seeking Ayita will release on April 1, 2023, but it's available to pre-order from Amazon nowhttps://www.amazon.com/Seeking-Ayita-Lin-Stepp/dp/B0BTRYN721/      

                             

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