The Widows: A Novel
Jan 2019 · The Kinship Series Book 1 · Minotaur Books
4.5star
2 reviewsreport
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320
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About this ebook
“The Widows kept me on the edge of my seat. Montgomery is a masterful storyteller.” —Lee Martin, author of Pulitzer Prize-Finalist The Bright Forever
Inspired by the true story of Ohio’s first female sheriff, Jess Montgomery’s powerful, lyrical debut is the story of two women who take on murder and corruption at the heart of their community.
Kinship, Ohio, 1924: When Lily Ross learns that her husband, Daniel, the town’s widely respected sheriff, has been killed while transporting a prisoner in an apparent accident, she vows to seek the truth about his death.
Hours after his funeral, a stranger appears at her door. Marvena Whitcomb, a coal miner’s widow, is unaware that Daniel has died and begs to speak with him about her missing daughter.
From miles away but worlds apart, Lily’s and Marvena’s lives collide as they realize that Daniel was perhaps not the man that either of them believed him to be.
*BONUS CONTENT: This edition of The Widows includes a new introduction from the author and a discussion guide
"The Widows is a gripping, beautifully written novel about two women avenging the murder of the man they both loved."—Hallie Ephron, New York Times bestselling author of You'll Never Know, Dear
"Jess Montgomery's gorgeous writing can be just as dark and terrifying as a subterranean cave when the candle is snuffed out, but her prose can just as easily lead you to the surface for a gasp of air and a glimpse of blinding, beautiful sunlight. This is a powerful novel: a tale of loss, greed, and violence, and the story of two powerful women who refuse to stand down."—Wiley Cash, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Ballad, A Land More Kind than Home, and This Dark Road to Mercy
"[A] flinty, heartfelt mystery that sings of hawks and history, of coal mines and the urgent fight for social justice."—Julia Keller, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Bone on Bone
Inspired by the true story of Ohio’s first female sheriff, Jess Montgomery’s powerful, lyrical debut is the story of two women who take on murder and corruption at the heart of their community.
Kinship, Ohio, 1924: When Lily Ross learns that her husband, Daniel, the town’s widely respected sheriff, has been killed while transporting a prisoner in an apparent accident, she vows to seek the truth about his death.
Hours after his funeral, a stranger appears at her door. Marvena Whitcomb, a coal miner’s widow, is unaware that Daniel has died and begs to speak with him about her missing daughter.
From miles away but worlds apart, Lily’s and Marvena’s lives collide as they realize that Daniel was perhaps not the man that either of them believed him to be.
*BONUS CONTENT: This edition of The Widows includes a new introduction from the author and a discussion guide
"The Widows is a gripping, beautifully written novel about two women avenging the murder of the man they both loved."—Hallie Ephron, New York Times bestselling author of You'll Never Know, Dear
"Jess Montgomery's gorgeous writing can be just as dark and terrifying as a subterranean cave when the candle is snuffed out, but her prose can just as easily lead you to the surface for a gasp of air and a glimpse of blinding, beautiful sunlight. This is a powerful novel: a tale of loss, greed, and violence, and the story of two powerful women who refuse to stand down."—Wiley Cash, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Ballad, A Land More Kind than Home, and This Dark Road to Mercy
"[A] flinty, heartfelt mystery that sings of hawks and history, of coal mines and the urgent fight for social justice."—Julia Keller, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Bone on Bone
Ratings and reviews
4.5
2 reviews
Cathy Geha
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January 2, 2019
The Widows by Jess Montgomery Kinship #1 Lapsang Souchong – not Jasmine Tea – One thought I had while reading this book. Now, my mother loved a smokey tea and...others no doubt love it too...not my favorite flavor but I do have to say this book grew on me as I continued to read. That thought happened at the beginning of the book and as I read I kept thinking that neither of the main characters were people I could really relate to and I wondered why. It wasn’t the era of the early 1900’s or the location in the Appalachian coal country or even the fact that the number of widows was huge within the area because...post war there would be widows. I think perhaps that Lily and Marvena took time to really know and didn’t seem the warmest women I have ever met in a book. As the story unfolded I saw a bit more of who they were and why they made the choices they did but even at the end of the story I didn’t feel I knew them well. Perhaps as this series continues the characters and their back stories and thoughts and reasoning will be exposed a bit at a time and I will come to know them better and warm to them, too. I did think about not finishing the book but in the end am glad I did finish it and can say that I am interested in finding out what happens in Kinship when book two comes out. This book deals with a great deal of loss and is filled with the darkness of a mining town with the oppression of miners in that period. There is more than one murder so a mystery to solve. There are evil men with agendas of their own. There is the slow unveiling of who Lily’s husband Daniel was besides being the Sheriff and her husband. This is the story of two women that may forge a friendship as the series continues and it is a story that though dark does have a bit of hope toward the end. Did I like the story? More at the end than in the beginning Would I read more in this series? Yes, to see where the author plans to go with the characters What did I like? That it made me think and wonder even though it was not an easy read Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press-Minotaur for the ARC – This is my honest review 3-4 Stars
About the author
JESS MONTGOMERY writes a Writer's Digest magazine column, "Level Up Your Writing (Life)" and was formerly the “Literary Life” columnist for the Dayton Daily News. Based on early chapters of the first book in the Kinship Series, The Widows, Jess was awarded an Ohio Arts Council individual artist’s grant for literary arts and named the John E. Nance Writer-in-Residence at Thurber House in Columbus. Jess lives in her native state of Ohio.
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