Search

Browse By Author

Author List

Share This Title

Send this product to a friend

MUP Catalogs

Home  >  Literary  >  All Literary

The Mountains Remember: A Novel

The Mountains Remember: A Novel
By author: Renea Winchester
Product Code: P752
ISBN: 9798897360413
Availability:Not currently available.
(Backorder policy)
Price: $22.00

Qty:
Sadie Bird lives in Shaconage, North Carolina, with Lazarus, a mixed-breed dog she rescued from the forest. Sadie supports herself by harvesting medicinal plants which she uses in her tonics and salves. Having recently buried her husband and children, Sadie is more worried about surviving the winter than the federal government's plan to create the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. When Bowman Marks, a government agent tasked with acquiring thousands of acres of land, arrives at Sadie's place, their initial meeting does not go well. Bowman secretly vows to acquire her land by any means necessary and soon presents an unacceptable offer to purchase. Sadie believes that being asked to sell the graves of her family to the government is "the evilest thing I've ever heard," and decides to fight for her land. In 1929, a woman without a husband is a woman without a voice. Forced to swallow her pride, Sadie asks for help from church members who had cast her out. She soon realizes that to help herself and her neighbors, she must take an active role in a lawsuit against the government filed by Pinkney Rucker, the timber baron who employed Sadie's husband, Elkin, who was killed in a logging accident. Just as it seems Shaconage residents will be forced to leave their land, Elizabeth Marks finds a loophole in some hidden official correspondence while performing clerical work for her father. Lifetime leases, which allowed landowners to remain, were offered to some residents but not others. Will Elizabeth's discovery be enough to save Sadie's land?
Bookmark and Share

Reviews

Review by: Ron Rash, author of THE CARETAKER - June 11, 2026
"In this exceptional novel, Renea Winchester brings to life a too-often neglected chapter in the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Sadie Bird is an unforgettable character, and her courage, intelligence, and endurance show a side of Appalachia’s people rarely acknowledged by the media and popular culture. With its vivid rendering of history and landscape, as well as profound insights into human nature, THE MOUNTAINS REMEMBER is worthy of a wide and appreciative audience."
Review by: Kimberly Brock, award-winning author of THE FABLED EARTH - June 11, 2026
"Told in the authentic voice of the Appalachian Mountains, and reminiscent of Terry Kay and Donna Everhart, THE MOUNTAINS REMEMBER is a story of love, land, and perseverance on both a grand scale and an achingly personal one for the families finding themselves displaced during the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The writing is vivid in its contrasts of the verdant landscape and the hardship faced by those who long to call it home. Informed by Winchester’s own expertise in medicinal plants, heirloom seeds, and her family lore, this female-centric, multi-generational family saga will be beloved by readers of Southern literature and stories of resilience and a heartfelt connection to place."
Review by: Heather Bell Adams, author of MARANATHA ROAD - June 11, 2026
"THE MOUNTAINS REMEMBER is a heartfelt and heart-wrenching testament to the enduring importance of ancestral land and the power of community. Sadie and Elizabeth are two strong women trying to make their way in a world destined for change. Winchester lovingly renders both the landscape and the period with an eye for touching and memorable details, making this tumultuous chapter of history come alive and reminding us what it means to hold firm to our convictions even in the face of greed, temptation, and other adversity. THE MOUNTAINS REMEMBER is a lovely addition to a long tradition of Appalachian storytelling."
Review by: Peter Golden, author of A GIRL FROM OHIO - June 11, 2026
"Once again, Renea Winchester has returned to the North Carolina land she knows so well and brought us back a powerful, exquisitely written novel, THE MOUNTAINS REMEMBER. The time is 1929, the place, Shaconage--the Cherokee name for the Great Smoky Mountains. Sadie Bird learns the federal government is going to take her land as part of its plan to establish the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which will require her to sell the graves of her family. With every ounce of her will and her strength, Sadie does her best to fight back, and at the end of this moving tale, a spirit whispers, 'Child you done good. . . [the mountains] will remember you.' And the same can be said for all those who read about the courage and determination of Sadie Bird."
Review by: Robert Gwaltney, award-winning author of SING DOWN THE MOON and THE CICADA TREE - June 11, 2026
"Renea Winchester's THE MOUNTAINS REMEMBER is a testament to the courage it takes to fight against injustice, to hold onto land and memory, and to find hope where there seems to be none. This is historical fiction at its most intimate and powerful--where every tree, stone, and grave tells a story worth fighting for."

Goodreads reviews