All the Good Little Girls Keep Quiet

⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

K. Kibbee

Literary Fiction | Women's Fiction

375 pages

Publishing October 13, 2020 by Incorgnito Publishing Press

 

Olive Abernathy is a spitfire of girl who just turned 13 in the summer of 1979.  She’s feisty, cantankerous, and not afraid to speak what’s on her mind.  The one thing she longs for most is to get away from her hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana where to be an Abernathy means to be shunned, spit upon, and avoided at all costs.

When Olive’s mother punches out the mother of Olive’s best and only friend, Henry, Olive feels she’ll never survive the embarrassment of her “redneck” mother’s actions.  When the call comes late that same night that Olive's beloved grandfather has died, she decides it's time to leave Louisiana and the Abernathy name behind for good.  Olive stops by Henry's to say goodbye and, like any best friend would, he immediately packs up his suitcase and joins her... wherever they may be going. However, Olive and Henry may have gotten more than they bargained for as they traverse the country in a "Trains, Planes, and Automobiles"-like adventure.

My thoughts:

Joyfully drenched in colorful language (Olive's Mama has a saying for everything!), Kibbee richly portrays both place and time.  I couldn’t wait to turn the page to see what Olive or her Mama were going to say next – or what crazy turn Olive’s adventures were going to take.  And, a very heartwarming, coming-of-age story as well, as Olive comes to find out that the life she thought she knew may not be all that it seemed.

On the flip side: As a child of the '70's myself, like Olive, I did notice some anachronisms, however, I can say that Kibbee's knowledge of the cultural references of the era was fairly astounding.  I did bristle a bit, as well, at the classic Northerner's prejudicial views of Southerners, yet it wasn't bad enough to make me put the book down.  Parental note: While there is nothing graphic depicted, there are multiple references to young women being taken advantage of sexually.

In summary: I can say I did quite enjoy the novel.  The atmosphere of the South – both in cultural language and that hot weather that just doesn’t exist anywhere else in the States – was captivating.  Being taken back to my memories of the Carter years (that’s President Carter, if you don’t get my meaning) was also a rare pleasure.  Pull out your ViewFinders, GenX-er's - it's time for solid wallop of nostalgia!

A big thank you to #KKibbee, #IncorgnitoPublishingPress, and #NetGalley for providing a free Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for this honest review.

Recommended by Desiree, All The Little Girls Keep Quiet, available in both Hardcover and Kindle editions, goes on sale today, October 13, 2020.  Please consider purchasing through BookShop.org – the online bookstore that gives away 75% of its profit to support local indie bookstores.  (Note: Desiree does receive a small commission should you purchase through this link, however, she shares this out of love and care for her local, corner bookstores everywhere.)

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