Winter's Reckoning: A Novel

(Hardback)

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Description

William Faulkner Literary Competition, Honorable Mention

Forty-six-year-old Madeline Fairbanks has no use for ideas like separation of the races or men as the superior sex. There are many in her dying Southern Appalachian town who are upset by her socially progressive views, but for yearspartly due to her late husbands still-powerful influence, and partly due to her skill as a healer in a remote town with no doctor of its ownfolks have been willing to turn a blind eye to her transgressions. Even Maddies decision to take on a Black apprentice, Ren Morgan, goes largely unchallenged by her white neighbors, though its certainly grumbled about.

But when a charismatic and power-hungry new reverend blows into town in 1917 and begins to preach about the importance of racial segregation, the long-idle local KKK chapter fires back into actionand places Maddie and her friends in Jamesvilles Black community squarely in their sights. Maddie had better stop intermingling with Black folks, discontinue her herbalistic witchcraft, and leave town immediately, they threaten, or theyll lynch Rens father, Daniel. Faced with this decision, Maddie is terrified . . . and torn. Will she bow to their demands and walk awayor will she fight to keep the home shes built in Jamesville and protect the future of the people she loves, both Black and white

Reviews

Holmes satisfying conclusion offers a twist to the tale.[and] thenovels explorations of the horrors of misogyny and racism have powerful contemporary resonance. Along the way, Holmes constructs a vivid and believable historical setting and populates her novel with well-developed characters who are flawed and relatable as they seek to triumph over evil. A notable tale that offers the hope that even small actions can lead toward greater good.

Kirkus Reviews

A timeless story of kinships, friendships, and secret legacies born of good and evil. With a keen eye for detail and an intricate plot leading to a satisfying conclusion, this tale is sure to enchant readers.

In Adele Holmess debut novel, a white herbalist and her Black best friend challenge a slick conman and the KKK in 1917 rural America. The strong characters and vivid sense of place lingered in my mind long after the last page. Thats my measure of a darned good book.

Marcia Preston, Mary Higgins Clark Award Winner and author ofThe SpiderlingandThe Butterfly House

Adele HolmessWinters Reckoningis a beautifully written story that reminds America of our unresolved sins against humanity and our struggles to place value where its due. Protagonist Madeline Fairbanks and her protge Ren Morgan represent our hopes of resolving our fears of the other and erasing old hates.

Janis F. Kearney, author, publisher, and personal diarist for President Bill Clinton in the White House

A spellbinding narrative that brilliantly captures both the price of standing against segregation and how bold action paves the way to unexpected healing. Holmess beautifully developed characters allude to our inevitable connection to the past in a story that resonates to the bone. Simply unputdownable.

Cara Brookins, author ofRise: How a House Built a Family

Set in the brooding rural South, and for a good portion of the novel in the challenging and crystalline world of a deep snowstorm,Winters Reckoningis rich in storyline and character with plenty of mystery woven throughout. Simply put, heres a story that takes on issues whose harm remains with us today. With a climactic pulpit scene thats not to be missed - and one novel we can highly recommend!

Chanticleer Reviews

Brimming with all the feelsfriendship, passion, hatred, prejudice. A remarkable debut.

Julia Daily, author ofNo Names to Be Given

Tear out a page ofCold Mountainby Charles Frazier, add in a mix ofDeliveranceandThe Apostle, along with a dash of Nell... and you have yourself a die-hard Appalachian story set so far back in the woods and so backwards in their thinking, that Madeline Fairbanks, the local healer, must find an inner strength to fight the racial and misogynistic prejudice permeating the town.

Historical Fiction Company Review

Author Bio

Adele Holmes graduated from medical school in 1993. After twenty-plus years in private practice pediatrics, her unquenchable desire to wander the world, write, and give back to the community led her to retire from medicine. Her fun-loving family includes a rollicking crew of her husband Chris, two adult children and their spouses, five grandchildren of diverse ages and talents, a horse, and a Bernedoodle.Winters Reckoning,Adeles debut novel, won Honorable Mention in the 2021 William Faulkner Literary Competition and First Place for the 2021 Chanticleer International Book Award-Goethe Award.