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Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite
The setting is the 1930s in Pope County, Kentucky.
Olivia Harker Cross lives on a mountain in Pope County, Kentucky. She is a hard worker with a lot of responsibility. She is raising her grandson Will'm, and taking care of her mentally ill mother. Her father reintroduced wolves into the area and she bravely protects them. Hunters are killing the wolves for sport. Olivia is a friend to blacks during a time when racial tension was high.
Ida, Olivia’s mother is mean. The cruel woman berates and mistreats her daughter continually. She blames Olivia for her father’s death. The man died when Livvy was young. They were in a car together and Livvy believes she distracted him. The accident left her scared and she considers herself ugly.
The family lives in poverty. They are hungry and cold. I was so involved in this book I was cold.
Sweeping Up Glass is both character study and thriller. The major of this book is character study. The reader comes to know Olivia and her life. My sympathy and respect grew for her with each page. However, the other characters lacked depth. The introspect was a bit deep at times and a little out of place. The last few chapters are action packed and borderline thriller. All in all this is a great read.
