xxjenadanxx's reviews
2616 reviews

A few weeks ago I was sent a copy of Porch Music and was surprised to find how much I have in common with the author. Turns out that not only did she used to live here in Pensacola, she also lived pretty close to where I'm from in Texas. It's a small world after all!

The familiarity didn't stop there though, as there were echoes of my childhood written into these pages; sticky southern nights spent watching the adults dance to the picking of banjos and guitars at our local music barn. Afternoons spent with cousins, running wild down dirt roads and learning to drive old trucks in the neighboring fields. The uncertainty and upheaval of moving to yet another new place and once again being the new kid in school. For me the book was very nostalgic, our stories separated by a few decades and at times, the Florida/Georgia line. 

I found the writing to be atmospheric and, along with the integration of music and indigenous culture, very evocative of the slow, meandering spirit of Old Florida and the deep South. 

Music takes on a character of its own in Porch Music and throughout the book you'll find nearly 50 folk-country, gospel and bluegrass standards, a soundtrack of the south, which I turned into a playlist, search Porch Music on Spotify. 

I will say for me I found the Christianity and religious fervour to be a bit heavy handed at times, and would have loved to have even more of the Seminole culture and language woven into the story to balance it out. However I thought the inclusion of Kathy's family photos at the end of the book were a thoughtful and meaningful touch that helped put a face to the characters