Wilma Dykeman. The Tall Woman. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1962.
Wilma Dykeman tells the story of a tight-knit mountain family living in Appalachia as the Civil War ends and Reconstruction begins. Lydia McQueen moves to a mountain clearing when her husband, Mark, returns from fighting for the Union during the Civil War and has a difficult time readjusting to their predominately Confederate town in the valley. On the mountain they raise six children, just a few hours away from Lydia’s parents and siblings who live in the valley below. The family survives the hardships of mountain life and other trials during a time of political and economic difficulty. Lydia is a woman of action who works hard to rebuild her community and leave the next generation with something better – a school.
The Tall Woman features well-developed characters and relationships without neglecting the character of the Appalachian environment. Lydia is no less tied to her family than she is the land she farms and the livestock she raises.
Check this title’s availability in the UNC-Chapel Hill Library catalog.
Posted: August 5th, 2009 under 1960-1969, 1962, Dykeman, Wilma, Graham, Historical, Mountains.
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