The Well and the Mine

Not Very good :/

I thought that this was an OK book. Not really that great. The ending was pretty lame, and the book kept straying off-topic. Also, the switching from character to character got a little confusing from time to time.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The What and the Who?

I did not care for this book. After I finished reading it, I thought Ok, that was lame.
It was not thrilling, or dramatic or even really interesting. I was hoping it would get better but it stayed slow and dry.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Terrific Debut Novel

Gin Phillips deserves every ounce of attention she receives for The Well and the Mine. This is a breathtaking first novel. Phillips paces the story in perfect rhythm with the lives of these deceivingly simple characters. Her research into the everyday details of 1931 rural Alabama is matched only by her deft craftsmanship and pitch-perfect voices. The plot here (which is very compelling) moves at the pace of the river, slowly unraveling each member of this vividly rendered family into fully realized human beings, wrought with their own loves and hopes and worries and fears. We face heightened racism, poverty, and suspicion in Carbon Hill, Alabama, but we also witness the irresistible goodness of a devoted family holding each day to a standard long lost in modern culture. Late in the novel, the youngest child in the Moore family says, â¿¿Iâ¿¿d listened to Pop good enough to make his story mine.â¿ Phillips has listened well, very well, and while her story navigates a gulf of southern traditions, this gorgeously complicated novel is entirely her own.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Superb Debut Southern Novel

It's no wonder this book is getting huge buzz--it's a fantastic read that would appeal to anyone who loves Southern literature from the work of Fannie Flagg to Flannery O'Connor's from Anne Rivers Siddon's books to William Faulkner novels. Really, this book appeals to anyone who loves a good story, rendered well. Phillips writing is somehow simultaneously fluid and hard-edged, and she knows her characters well enough to make their lives feel real to readers. This is one of the best books I've read in 2008. Highly recommended.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

WOW.

Most amazing book Ive ever read! Ive probably read this around 15 times now, honestly. Favorite book growing up, too. The charecters are so REALISTIC AND LURING.
WORD OF ADVICE: GET THE BOOK.

Excellent!

Very well written. Sentences so beautiful, it could move you to tears.

It drags!

My bookclub picked this book. It sounded interesting, but it was pretty boring. I did not like how the author split up the characters and the ending was very dissapointing! There was no ending... I was not pleased! She also kept going back and forth to the future... she should have kept everything in order.

Touching and Insightful. A story that stays with you long after you close the book.

Although written about a mining town during the Great Depression, this book is very appropriate for today. It weaves the story of a family's struggles during difficult economic times...of going without the "wants" in life simply to have the "needs", of sharing what little you have with those who have even less, of providing kindness and assistance in a way that preserves the recipient's dignity and of realizing that gossip is not truth. The story begins with a mystery of a dead baby being placed into the family's well. The children try to solve the mystery and, while doing so, learn lessons of generosity that will last a lifetime.

I cared about these characters!

A good story - great point of vew. Loved the writing style, first person from all characters.

Well done....

I'de just like to say that Gin Phillips has written a very good book. I read a lot fokes and this book flat out was outstanding. From start to finish her pace of the story was top notich. After finishing the book I have to admit that I was thinking about the story for day's and weeks after, it was that good. I'de have to say it was the best book I have read this year. And as I said before I read a lot. There are a lot of good books out there fokes but this one will stay in your hart along with making you find space for in your book shelf. The book is well worth your time to read.

Good read

This book was off the beaten path from what I normally read, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn't want it to end. Will look for more of Gin's books in the future.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Sad, warm & hopeful

A story with a twist ...although I had a sense the last pages were rushed as if the author had a last date to meet...it touches on humanity; how each family member has a different story to tell about the same memory.....poignant, funny, sad. The author has a marvelous turn of phrase and the words could evoke the imagery of a poor mine town - one could smell the smoke and here the clang of the bell....

Tough kids!

Its amazing how one traumatic event can affect the lives of so many people! I devoured the book in anticipation of a resolution!

Apparently I'm the lone curmudgeon

Let me start off by saying I liked this book. That said, there were a few things that kept me from loving it.

I thought the premise that kicked off the whole story was terrific -- a young girl witnesses a woman dropping a baby down a well. There's an immediate promise of conflict that never really seems to materialize. It's a very gentle book, perhaps too gentle for the deep and emotional topics it tries to take on. This is that rare family without conflict.

The writing is good enough; there are lots of evocative details and the author seems to capture the period and the place well enough. But the characters seem lackluster. One of the problems is that when the author switches from one "voice" to another, there's not enough difference to tell them apart. The entire story might as well have been told in one voice. I would also say that the author does not succeed in capturing the thoughts, psychology, or conversation of her male characters.

The climactic scenes of the book (Tess and Virgie's confrontation of the Well Woman, and Papa's defiance of interracial restrictions) come too late and are too weak to be more than lukewarm and marginally satisfying. This reader, having stuck with it to the end, hoped for just a little more.

Recommended for genteel readers and maybe even young readers of the "Little House on the Prairie" ilk. Most other readers will find the whole thing a little too tame and a little too sweet.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Beautiful period writing that takes you back

Gin Phillips crafts a story which unfolds in Depression era Alabama that stays with its readers long after the book is finished. It is an exceptional first novel which leaves you anticipating Phillips' next release date like a child waiting on Christmas morning. Her characterizations are solid and ensure that readers know each of THE WELL AND THE MINE's main characters as well as they know their own neighbors. The prose is clean and somewhat sparse, but it is lyrical when least expected. I consistently tell students, "To write better, read better." THE WELL AND THE MINE is a must read for anyone who wants to write well.

This is Literature

The best written book I have read in years. The stunning story is told from several perspectives and touches on social issues in unexpected ways. A truly great read.

Great character description.

I liked this book..however it did move a bit slow.
Gin Phillips' descriptions of the characters, the era, and the area were great! You could feel the love and closeness of this hard working family.
The anticlimactic ending was a bit disappointing.

Very good book.

I really liked. The book is serious and entertaining at the same time.

Fascinating portrayal of the life and times of a community in an interesting place and time in American History.

I loved the book. It moves slowly as it reveals so much about the people living in a small coal mining town near Birmingham, Alabama during the Great Depression. How they live, what they value, what is meaningful, and how it came to be that way. Their everyday struggle and the poverty that governs their lives becomes all too real. Great story line- kept me in it until the very end!

Awesome story

I purchased this book off the recommendation of Barnes and Noble, glad I did. This was an anwesome story with vibrant characters. Really looking forward to the next novel. I love stories from the great depression era, really makes you appreciate all you have.