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Promise
Promise: A Novel | Minrose Gwin
In the aftermath of a devastating tornado that rips through the town of Tupelo, Mississippi, at the height of the Great Depression, two women worlds apartone black, one white; one a great-grandmother, the other a teenagerfight for their families survival in this lyrical and powerful novel with the emotional impact of the works of Jesmyn Ward, Christina Baker Kline, Jayne Anne Phillips, and Sue Monk Kidd. A few minutes after 9 p.m. on Palm Sunday, April 5, 1936, a massive funnel cloud flashing a giant fireball and roaring like a runaway train careened into the thriving cotton-mill town of Tupelo, in northeastern Mississippi. Measured as an F-5the highest on the Fujita scalethe tornado killed more than 200 people, not counting an unknown number of black citizens, one-third of Tupelos population, who were not included in the official casualty figures. When the tornado hits, Dovey, a local laundress, is flung by the terrifying winds into a nearby lake. Bruised and nearly drowned, she makes her way across Tupelo to find her small familyher hardworking husband, Virgil, her clever sixteen-year-old granddaughter, Dreama, and Promise, Dreamas beautiful light-skinned three-month-old son. Slowly navigating the broken streets of Tupelo, Dovey stops at the house of the despised McNabb family. Dovey hates Judge Mort McNabb, a powerful man who cannot control his eldest son, a violent and sadistic youth who has left his mark on Doveys family, linking their fates. Inside, she discovers that the tornado has spared no one. The mother, Alice, a schoolteacher, is severely injured. The shell-shocked judge has gone to look for baby Tommy, blown from Alices arms. And Jo, the McNabbs dutiful teenage daughter, has suffered a terrible head wound. When Jo later discovers a baby in the wreckage, she is certain that shes found her baby brother, Tommy, and vows to protect him. During the harrowing hours and days of the chaos that follows, Jo and Dovey will struggle to navigate a landscape of disaster and to battle both the demons and the history that link and haunt them. Drawing on historical events, Minrose Gwin beautifully imagines natural and human destruction in the deep South of the 1930s through the experiences of two remarkable women whose lives are indelibly connected by forces beyond their control. A story of loss, hope, despair, grit, courage, and race, Promise reminds us of the transformative power and promise that come from confronting our most troubled relations with one another.
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Promise: A Novel | Minrose Gwin
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#Nature based on a devastating tornado that killed over 450 people in 1936. It‘s set in the town of Tupelo where I work.

#ConflictedWorlds

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1936_Tupelo%E2%80%93Gainesville_tornado_outbreak

ChasingOm Oh wow, that sounds like a great book. 3y
KatieB Stunning roses! 3y
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @KatieB 🌹 thank you!! 3y
Eggs Stacked❣️ Beautiful pic 🌹🌹🌹 3y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs thank you 🌹❤️😘 3y
73 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Promise: A Novel | Minrose Gwin
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1) Do authors count?! I think so!! Greg Iles, Beatriz Williams, and Tayari Jones...
2) I will be thankful when all the violence, hate, and deaths end 😓

#ThankfulThursday

@aperi @Jari-chan @viirastus

Cosmos_Moon Yes! Authors count! 😊 I went to a Chuck Palahniuk book signing on my bday one year, and he signed “happy birthday Emily” in my copy of Invisible Monsters. I loved it! But I lent the book to someone and didn‘t get it back 😔 so if you know anyone with an old copy of that 🙋‍♀️😂 I hope we can over come # 2 as well! Hugs to that! 4y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Cosmos_Moon oh no!!! I‘m sorry!!! That‘s happened to me too! 😫😫 4y
74 likes2 comments
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Promise: A Novel | Minrose Gwin
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#Hometown #LetsTravelJuly

A devastating tornado ripped through Tupelo, MS in 1936 killing over 200 people. I have relatives who survived this storm... so sad!!

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I‘m a day ahead!!! 🤦🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️ 5y
OriginalCyn620 😂😂😂 5y
79 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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BethFishReads
Promise: A Novel | Minrose Gwin
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Bottom to top: twisty thriller set in the political world of Phoenix, a novel of family secrets set in the 1800s in England & Caribbean, and historical fiction set in 1936 Tupelo, MIssissippi, in the aftermath of a devastating tornado. Great #summerreading ahead thanks to @WilliamMorrowBooks

WilliamMorrowBooks Ooh we can‘t even pick our favorite! 5y
32 likes1 comment
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Promise: A Novel | Minrose Gwin
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#MyTown
#ANewChapter

No time for reading today! Cardiologist appointment and then I tried to do some yard work before the cold weather gets here tonight!! I‘m not complaining because I know some of you guys are having it rough!! MS weather is crazy! It‘s 63 now, but will be 24 when I get up in the morning!

This book is set in the town where I work. A devastating tornado came through Tupelo in 1936 killing 216 people. I remember my 👇🏻

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Grandmother telling me about this when I was a little girl. 203 people were also killed in Georgia by this same tornado... I‘ve got to read this! I‘m adding it to my #LitsyAtoZ challenge #G I‘ve already completed P... (edited) 5y
Bookladylinda I need to add this one too. 5y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Bookladylinda it sounds really good! 5y
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Mimi28 I hope your appointment goes well!! Stay warm!! I had to cancel all 3 of my appointments this week because the transportation service I use is bad in weather like this. So now I have the whole week off. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ 5y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Mimi28 oh no!!!! Everything went well! Thank you!! I hope you are feeling better ❤️❤️❤️ 5y
tracey38 Sounds like our weather, too. 5y
TNbookworm Our weather is the same here in Tennessee! 5y
111 likes1 stack add8 comments
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Promise: A Novel | Minrose Gwin
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Another one I hope to get to someday!! This one is set in Tupelo, Mississippi where I actually work. It‘s based on a tornado that ripped through the town in 1936 killing hundreds of people at the height of the Great Depression...

#setinyourcitystateorcountry

#riotgrams

Melissa_J I don‘t live in an area known for Tornados, but I have an irrational fear of them based on childhood experience. Books generally don‘t scare me, but any book about tornados would give me nightmares 😬 (edited) 6y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Melissa_J they scare me too!! We have so many here 😫 I moved out of a house 2 years ago that had a basement where I felt relatively safe when the sirens go off... Now I just pray 🙏🏻💗 6y
intothehallofbooks I loved this book so much! So much. 6y
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @intothehallofbooks yay!! I‘m looking forward to it!! 6y
TheFunkyBookworm You must have an endless supply of beautiful flowers and plants! I love seeing your pics! 🌺🌸🌼 6y
tammysue Gorgeous pic 💚 I‘ve had this on my tbr.. it sounds great doesn‘t it. (edited) 6y
ReadZenRites Had a sweet old lady tell me about that tornado one day. She also lived next door to John Gotti. Not at the same time, mind you. 😁 6y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @whatshesreadingnow thank you!! It does!! ❤️ 6y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @TheFunkyBookworm I do!! Not as many this summer due to a storm, but plenty!!! Thank you!!! 💗😘😘 6y
BookBabe Elvis Presley‘s hometown!!! 😍 I actually heard about this tornado in the new Elvis film, Elvis Presley: The Searcher! I‘ve got to read this! 6y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @BookBabe yes!! You and @MrBook should come and see me!! ❤️❤️ 6y
BookBabe @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Yes we should!! 😃👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 6y
MrBook 😁👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 6y
116 likes4 stack adds14 comments
review
HotCocoaReads
Promise: A Novel | Minrose Gwin
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Pickpick

Promise is historical fiction based on a devastating tornado that tears through Mississippi during the Great Depression. We follow two families--one white, one black--who are intertwined in several ways. I felt the characterization was good and enjoyed the story. I also LOVED the photos included.
My only complaint is that I felt the "big twist" was a little too obvious.

Suet624 Beautiful photo! 6y
HotCocoaReads @Suet624 Thank you so much! If you like historical fiction, I recommend it! 6y
17 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Promise: A Novel | Minrose Gwin
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#Hometownglory
#AdelesMayMashup

Set in Tupelo, MS 20 minutes from my hometown...

CouronneDhiver I‘ve got this on hold at the library right now... how was it? 6y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @CouronneDhiver I haven‘t gotten to it yet, but I‘ve heard it‘s really good!!! 6y
vkois88 Neat! 6y
rustoryhuf I stacked this just because it‘s set in Mississippi. Of the places we‘ve lived, Mississippi is in my soul. 6y
105 likes1 stack add5 comments
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MrBook
Promise: A Novel | Minrose Gwin
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#TBRtemptation post 4! On April 5, 1936, in Tupelo, Mississppi, a thriving cotton-mill town, 200+ people died. This is the story of two women, one a great-grandmother and one a teenager, one white and one block, as they fight for their families' survivals in the aftermath. Dovey and Jo will rely on incredible strength and determination to put their shattered lives back together again. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I can‘t say go read this!!! This is where I live!! 6y
72 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Promise: A Novel | Minrose Gwin
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#Promises
I promise these will soon be beautiful lilies 🌷

#HopIntoSpring

I have so many books to read, but I really want to get to the tagged one based in my hometown!!

Eggs Lovely photo ❣️ Promise looks good !! 6y
erzascarletbookgasm Looking forward to see the lilies 💛 (edited) 6y
Kaye That‘d be great to live where the flowers are coming up that much already. Our flowering bushes and trees are just now starting to come out. 6y
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vkois88 Oh, that sounds good! I'm sure your lilies will be beautiful ❤ 6y
104 likes7 comments
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Promise: A Novel | Minrose Gwin
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#Clouds
The setting of this book is basically my hometown of Tupelo MS! In the aftermath of a devastating tornado at the height of the Great Depression, two women fight for their families‘ survival. I can‘t wait to read this one!!

#HopIntoSpring

AmyG Beautiful picture. 6y
rubyslippersreads 😍😍😍 6y
vkois88 Sounds good! 6y
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erzascarletbookgasm Those flowers ❤️ 6y
BookaholicNatty @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks your roses are perfection!!! I bet your entire yard looks beautiful! 🌹🌷🌺🌸 6y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @BookaholicNatty thank you!!! I can‘t wait to plant my zinnias!!! 6y
118 likes3 stack adds8 comments
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Rhondareads
Promise: A Novel | Minrose Gwin
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Lovely way to start the week my goodreads win arrives.Sounds like wonderful literary fiction.

review
intothehallofbooks
Promise: A Novel | Minrose Gwin
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Pickpick

Fabulous. So good. Slower start than I anticipated. Very character-driven. But SO worth sticking with it after just a couple of chapters. The two POV‘s are such interesting, opposite women at a horrendous place in their lives (post-F5 tornado in 1936), but bound by multiple life-altering circumstances. I was astounded by the history behind this real event. And I was astounded by the humanity/lack of humanity in this story. SO discussable. Bravo!

Tamra Stacked! 6y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I just bought this one too!! It is set in Tupelo, 20 miles from where I live! Can‘t wait to get to it! 6y
intothehallofbooks @Tamra Yay! I hope you enjoy it! 6y
intothehallofbooks @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Yes! I absolutely loved it. I knew about this tornado, but not everything this book touched on re: the relief and aftermath. And this story is fantastic. So much to unpack and discuss in here. I thought it was just, wow. Very cool that you have the nearness to the setting! I hope you love it 😊 6y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks My grandmother lived through it... I should really talk to her about it again and make notes in the book... She is 92... ❤️ 6y
43 likes2 stack adds5 comments
review
Pelican71
Promise: A Novel | Minrose Gwin
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Mehso-so

The story takes place in Tupelo, MS in 1936 after a F5 tornado rips through the city. I liked the premise of the story but I wanted something more from the characters. Also the novel moved very slowly in my opinion. Even still I‘m going to check out her previous novel, The Queen of Palmyra.

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Pelican71
Promise: A Novel | Minrose Gwin
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Librarylady
Promise: A Novel | Minrose Gwin
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Loved spending my Saturday with this historical fiction novel centered around the F5 tornado that hit Tupelo, MS in 1936, and the way Gwin told the stories of both the white and African American communities affected by the disaster. #TLCBookTour #WilliamMorrow

27 likes3 stack adds
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WilliamMorrowBooks
Promise: A Novel | Minrose Gwin
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Looking for a new historical fiction book to dive into? Don‘t miss PROMISE by Minrose Gwin, a story about a white girl and a black woman whose lives are torn apart in 1937 after a tornado rips their Mississippi town to shreds.

Pee This sounds like my kind of book. I must check this out😄❤️ 6y
WilliamMorrowBooks @Deidre-Dee-OfficialBookworm it is so good! Very moving, complex, yet a real page turner. 6y
49 likes9 stack adds2 comments
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emilygatlin
Promise: A Novel | Minrose Gwin
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It's super warm outside and I have no idea what happened to my hammock. DOG AND BIG CHAIR THEN OK

12 likes1 stack add
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emilygatlin
Promise: A Novel | Minrose Gwin
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I remember when I learned this when I first moved to Tupelo, and how horrified I was. Physically sick. The "official" count is 233, which does not include the residents of the Hill.

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emilygatlin
Promise: A Novel | Minrose Gwin
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Tonight's reading (wild Saturday!) is this, which is about the 1936 Tupelo tornado. My old house was destroyed in that tornado, rebuilt in 1952, and narrowly avoided destruction in 2014 by another tornado. WEIRD HUH? To say this book is in my wheelhouse is an understatement.

LeeRHarry Cool pjs! 😊 6y
16 likes1 comment