That Pinson Girl

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Genre: Historical Fiction The story focuses on Leona Pinson, a young woman of seventeen years of age who, in 1918, gives birth to an illegitimate son in a desolate farmhouse in the state of Mississippi. Leona is adamant that she will not reveal the identity of the man who is the father o......more

I loved this book for so many reasons. Complex characters, gorgeous prose, dark twists and turns, and a thread of hope for our protagonist. If you love historical fiction, this book is for you! Also, this book is written by my brilliant, talented grandmother who continually inspires me to dream big.......more

This is a twisty family saga set around the time of World War I which compelled me from beginning to end. Exploring themes such as class, racism, disability and female agency this historical fiction illuminated attitudes of the era in Deep South America well. The protagonist Leona is strong and well......more

Gerry Wilson takes readers to rural north Mississippi in the World War I era—William Faulkner’s precise pick for his human epics—and, through the experience of Leona Pinson and those around her, mesmerizes with a propulsive story of human need, goodness and failure. I was captivated. The events Leon......more

As I read "That Pinson Girl" I kept remembering Jane Austen's characterization of her writing as being done with a fine brush on a "little bit (not two inches wide) of ivory". "That Pinson Girl" is no comedy of manners, but its hyper-focused setting is surely no more than two inches wide. World War......more