The County Line, Steve Weddle
The County Line, Steve Weddle
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The County Line
A Novel

Author: Steve Weddle

Narrator: Brian Troxell

Unabridged: 9 hr 19 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/01/2024

Synopsis

From Steve Weddle, the author who the New York Times calls “downright dazzling,” comes the story of a prodigal son returning home to hard times and harder choices during the Great Depression.Life has never been easy for Cottonmouth Tomlin. Raised by an uncle in a hardscrabble Arkansas town, Cottonmouth couldn’t leave fast enough. As a young man, he set out to seek his fortune but was soon caught up in a life of low-level misdeeds, taking him from New Orleans all the way to Honduras. Now he’s back in Columbia County, mourning his uncle and worrying on what to do with the broken-down outlaw camp that represents the sum of his family legacy.And legacy is no small matter in a county like his. The townsfolk remember Cottonmouth and his kin, just like they remember everyone who ever put down roots in the area. Folks do like the way the outlaw camp helps out the local economy: so long as criminals undertake their troublemaking across county lines, they’re more than welcome to stay and spend some of that money in county establishments. But when Cottonmouth gets embroiled in some ill-conceived ransom plans with a few of those visiting scofflaws, he pushes the boundaries of the community’s forgiving nature.Set against the unyielding backdrop of the Great Depression and with an unforgettable cast of ornery characters, The County Line is a lyrical and loving celebration of community and opportunity in 1933 America.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ryan on August 01, 2023

The novel was just okay. I feel like Weddle's narrative voice is a bit trite. I didn't find myself very invested in the characters - the narrator especially. I think there's a seed of a great novel here, but it hasn't quite flourished yet.......more

Goodreads review by Mark on January 17, 2024

Cottonmouth Tomlin—a character you won’t forget for a long, long time—is disoriented and confused. He’s been away from Arkansas for three years and now there are cars where there used to be horses. Now you can’t stand in the middle of the street without looking like a “goddamn moron.” It feels good......more

Goodreads review by MM Suarez on February 04, 2024

"Don’t really matter what’s wrong; what matters is the getting on with it. Hell, everybody’s got something.” If I would have gone by the Goodreads reviews of this novel (which I don't do), I would have missed out on a great story, set in Depression Era Columbia County, Arkansas, Cottonmouth Tomlin an......more

Goodreads review by Jeffrey on January 27, 2024

I love novels like The County Line. The hard-boiled but often hapless characters set to the backdrop of the Great Depression drew me in early. The book shines as a period piece, capturing the automobiles, homemade liquor and the political climate of the day. The overall tension of the times is captu......more

Goodreads review by Rob on September 15, 2023

You would think coming back home from Honduras after doing some questionable work for some questionable men would be safer for Cottonmouth Tomlin. A place to gather his wits and spirits in Arkansas during the summer of 1933. But in Columbia County, he would find very little respite. After three year......more

Quotes

“With nostalgic reminiscences, some local dialect and wry humour, Weddle writes of hardscrabble times and ordinary people who are just trying to get by. A rollicking good tale about the meaning of community and little-people power, set in Depression-era Louisiana.” —Historical Novel Society“At once wry, thrilling, and full of heart, The County Line evokes the Coen brothers at their period best, while staking out a voice and milieu all its own.” —Chris Holm, author of Child Zero “A book both wistful for the past but also brutally honest about it. Steve Weddle has crafted a bluegrass hymn with the notes written in blood.” —S.A. Cosby, author of All the Sinners Bleed

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