A Melungeon Winter

Rating:
Summary: A Modern Day Tom Sawyer !
Review: "Melungeon" is an appropriate description of the varied tapestry of plot, setting, and characters in this modern day Tom Sawyer. Robert and Jubalee face a melungeon-mix of plot twists, as they struggle to maturity in a melungeon-mix setting of a pre-civil rights, rural southern town. Their journey to friendship is strained, torn and solidified in their struggle to solve a murder. As story for young adults, it is especially effective in presenting the frequently painful, and sometimes brutal emotional turmoil that takes youth to adulthood. Its usefullness as a chapter book for classroom reading is a rich melungeon-mix as well. It is a springboard for: Social Studies *the earliest settlement of the Americas by the little known "Melungeon" settlers; *pre-civil rights south; *prohibition's impact on the economically depressed south; Literature: *character, plot, setting analysis and development

Rating:
Summary: Mystery News review by Lisa Lundquist
Review: ...A Melungeon Winter is a story of a friendship between two boys, one white and one black. It is told from the perspective of Jubalee Duffy, a seventeen-year-old young man
growing up in rural Appalachia of the 1950's. Jubalee and his best friend, Robert, are exploring in the woods, looking for adventure, when they meet Denny Mullins, the most fearsome Melungeon of them all. The boys had heard about Mullins their whole lives: a crusty hermit,rumored to have eaten his eleven children,Mullins is the personification of the bogey man to the local children. Jubal and Robert discover that the recluse is anything but a monster; instead, Mullins is a wise man who becomes the boys' friend and ally. When a bully takes exception to the boys' friendship and Jubal is nearly beaten to death for being a "... lover," Jubal and Robert turn to Mullins to make sense of the incident. And when murder is committed, and an innocent man is convicted of the crime, the three band together to trap the real killer.

A Melungeon Winter is a wonderful story, more a coming-of-age than a true mystery, but that certainly doesn't lessen its appeal. Bone is an elegant writer with a true gift for language and dialect. Appalachia of fifty years ago comes alive with Bone's deft descriptions of the mountains, of the poverty endured by both Jubal's and Robert's families, and of the prejudice of the times. Bone presents his story as a montage of the present, flashbacks,and the cautionary tales Mullins tells the boys, thus building suspense while giving the reader a story
that satisfies at all levels.

Bone is a master at characterization.
When we first meet Jubal, he is a young man who still has some growing-up ahead of him; he is trying to make sense of the world and the upheavel around him. Robert is the opposite; perceptive and wise beyond his years, he is the perfect foil to Jubal. We come to understand Denny Mullins and why he chooses to live removed from society. There are a few oddball characters too--among them is Uncle Dudley, an obese scofflaw who impersonates a lawyer and drives an eighteen-wheeler named The
Yellow Rose of Texas, not to mention to cave-dwelling one-hundred-year-old witch whose vision provdes the solution to the murder.

I'll remember this touching story for a long time. When I'd finished it, I sat holding the book, wishing it wasn't over and--I'll admit it--shiffling a little bit. There is a short statement at the back of the book concerning the author.
Patrick Bone began taking his writing seriously after retiring from his work as a parole officer. I'm certainly glad he did, and I think you'll be pleased, too. Definitely try A Melungeon Winter.

Rating:
Summary: Exceeded expectations
Review: I was expecting this book to be strictly a young adult read, but was attracted to the theme of an obscure ethnic group in Appalachia. The description of setting and the dialogue were the highlights. I really enjoyed the craftsmanship of the prose, and I think it also rewards a more mature reader. It was the kind of read that just allowed me to get lost in another place and time. The plot took somewhat of a backseat, but it was fast-paced enough to keep me moving through the book.