By Catherine Marshall
50th Anniversary Edition
Evergreen Farm, 2017
Summary
New edition of Catherine Marshall's inspirational classic!
The train taking nineteen-year-old teacher Christy Huddleston from her home in Asheville, North Carolina, might as well be transporting her to another world. The Smoky Mountain community of Cutter Gap feels suspended in time, trapped by poverty, superstitions, and century-old traditions.
But as Christy struggles to find acceptance in her new home, some see her - and her one-room school - as a threat to their way of life. Her faith is challenged and her heart is torn between two strong men with conflicting views about how to care for the families of the Cove.
Yearning to make a difference, will Christy's determination and devotion be enough?
Learn more, download a free map of Cutter Gap, and purchase a copy.
My thoughts
To say that Christy is a classic is true, but that really doesn’t do it justice. Christy is a masterpiece in which lyrical writing, vivid setting, and complex characters come together in a beautifully fascinating and compelling story that’s worth reading again and again – just as relevant today as when it was first written. The best books are life changing, and that’s the impact it had on me when first reading it as a teen. But now, reading it again through the lens of some 50 years of life experiences, this story resonates even more.
It was Christy that instilled in me a love for the mountains and people of Appalachia, which isn’t surprising because I’m the granddaughter of north Georgia mountain families. The dialect was refreshingly familiar. And the lyrical prose compelled me to read slowly, savoring every word …
There was something different about this wind. It was not a single note, but many notes playing up and down the scale, harmonizing at one moment, discordant the next, retreating, advancing. It caught at my nerves. And through it all, that sobbing sound. I wanted to shut it out, to flee.
This is a coming-of-age story, both physically and spiritually. Feeling God’s calling, 19-year-old Christy Huddleston leaves the comforts of home to teach in Cutters Gap, Tennessee – and it was her decision that made me examine God’s calling on my life all those years ago. Christy is pretty confident in her ability to make a difference, but instead becomes a student herself.
I don’t think anyone could do a better job at vividly conveying the Appalachia of Christy’s world, which included poverty, illiteracy, superstition, feuding clans, moonshine, typhoid fever – but also the rugged beauty of the mountains and friends/ students who live on in my heart, like Fairlight, Opal, Miss Alice, Little Burl and Lundy.
Christy is a story of God’s love for a people isolated from the rest of the world, and for us as well. As Christy learned of sacrifice, how to walk with others through their dark valleys, and the true meaning of faith, she discovered a timeless message that is relevant for all of us – that it is in life’s hardships that the most growth takes place.
Romance takes a secondary place in this story, but there’s a little bit of a love triangle – and I’ll just say that my guy won Christy’s hand. The final scene isn’t long or drawn out, but couldn’t have been more memorable.
Very highly recommended.
I was provided a copy of this book through Litfuse Publicity. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
http://litfusegroup.com/author/cmarshall
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Catherine shared the story of her husband, Dr. Peter Marshall, Chaplain of the United States Senate, in A Man Called Peter. A decade after Dr. Marshall's untimely death, Catherine married Leonard LeSourd, Executive Editor of Guideposts, forging a dynamic writer-editor partnership.
A beloved inspirational writer and speaker, Catherine's enduring career spanned four decades and reached over 30 million readers.
Find out more about Catherine at http://gileadpublishing.com/christy/.
Great review Carole! I've never read Christy, but enjoyed the TV series. I'd like to read it soon, sounds like a beautifully written book.
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