Publication Date: May 1, 2023
Spitfire, Petunia Hollings was born in 1935 in the deep South. She spends her childhood working the cotton fields and longing for her daddy to love her as he does her siblings.
Spending time with her best friend Opal is one distraction Petunia looks forward to. Opal’s skin color was never a problem. Or so Petunia thought.
After young love sweeps Petunia to a new life in Chicago, she learns to accept love as it’s offered instead of expecting more than one can give.
When circumstances force her to return home, her friendship with Opal helps Petunia’s fractured heart start to heal.
Then a new, even more dangerous threat surfaces. Will Petunia find the strength to overcome the hatred surrounding her?
Carol Louise Hollings, more commonly known as Petunia, knows the path out of her family shack in Arkansas is to get hitched.
Author Leah Brewer gives readers a dose of country living with Petunia 1949. Forced to leave school in second grade to pick cotton and perform family duties, Petunia loves church gatherings and spending time with her friend, Opal.
The author creates a realistic image of Arkansas during this time period. Her family has suffered a number of challenges—especially financially. While there is no indication that Petunia understands why her dark-skinned friend is treated differently, readers will immediately understand the racial implications.
Petunia’s story takes her to Chicago as a young bride, where she sees her husband go off to fight in the war. She ends up back in Arkansas, where she faces a true test of character that will define her future.
Petunia 1949Â is a sweeping tale of a young country girl searching for a way out of the cotton fields. She finds happiness in the arms of a young man, but can they go the distance together?
Leah Brewer is a multi-genre author who writes clean novels. Even though she was the youngest of six and the only girl, she had a lot of time on her hands. She was born to her parents in a small town in Central Arkansas later in life. Growing up, you could find Leah playing make-believe near the White River or as she waded through water deep in the woods.
Leah is a Writers Ink of Northeast Arkansas member and is currently working on her third installment in her Seeds of Faith series.
Before she started writing, you could find Leah behind a computer working her telecommunications job that she’s had for over twenty-five years.
Leah spends her spare time with her husband, Mark, their grown children, and her brand-new granddaughter, Charlotte.
Monday, May 1
Excerpt at Passages to the Past
Tuesday, May 2
Review at Tammy Reads
Wednesday, May 3
Review & Excerpt at Connie’s History Classroom
Wednesday, May 10
Review at Older & Smarter
Thursday, May 11
Review at Rajiv’s Reviews
Friday, May 12
Review at Novels Alive
Review at Girl Who Reads
Review at Reading is My Remedy
