My Review of "The Dry Grass of August" by Anna Jean Mayhew

The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book, to me, was just average. As other reviewers have said, most of the story has already been told before, but in better novels.

The book was lent to me, and kept me entertained while I was sick, so I appreciate that, but it just doesn't stand out in this genre as a must-read. I don't regret reading it, but I'm also not disappointed that I have to give it back. It hasn't stuck with me the way other books have.

What I did like about the book is that the author has done a nice job of developing some of the characters. Each character has a distinct personality, with an authentic voice. They are believable, and I think it is easy to decide which are likeable, and which are detestable. The main character, Jubie, is an emotional and passionate teenager who stands up for what she thinks is right, even knowing the consequences might be horrible (like a whipping from her daddy). You can't help but admire her for that, and feel for her as she tries to find her way through the story...her triumphs, her mishaps, her embarassaments, etc. And even though her big sister Estelle is prim & proper and kind of a know-it-all, you'll find a few things about her and a few things to dislike ...probably the way most people feel about their big sister.

The other siblings were peripheral and unnecessary, in my opinion, other than perhaps to make the story more authentic to the era and to increase the readers sympathy for Mama's burden.

Of course, you can't help but love Mary, the hired help, who nannies, cooks, and cleans for this family and who actually nurtures the children, unlike their own mother who is sometimes there for them but mostly not. And you love the relationship she has with the kids, especially Jubie. She does a good job of turning the character of the father into a detestable human being, and creating an ambivalence in the reader towards the character of Mama.

I also think she did a nice job of creating the setting for the book. She developed it in a way that you felt like you had been there and seen the story first hand.

I'm always curious why authors choose a title for the book, and in this case it comes from a piece of scripture referenced in the book that talks about how evil will burn like dry grass. There is plenty of evil in this book, and you do hope for Jubie's sake that the goodness prevails.

Part of the problem for me was there was so much going on, yet it ended in less than 300 pages. In order for this book to have felt fully developed, it needed to be a longer book with all the current themes, or a shorter book with fewer themes. I got to the end of the book and felt like "that's it?". The ending didn't satisfy. And I felt like a lot of drama was created for no apparent reason, since the author chose not to develop it beyond 300 pages.





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