This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite
Talmadge Farm by Leo Daughtry immerses readers in rural Southern life in the mid-20th century, offering a vivid portrait of its settings and characters. The Talmadge family is a fixture in the Eastern North Carolina community, and the story opens with their annual dove hunt. Beginning in September 1957, the narrative unfolds against the backdrop of Talmadge Farm—a sprawling estate encompassing hundreds of acres of tobacco fields and the imposing Talmadge mansion. Gordon Talmadge is a typical Southern patriarch obsessed with maintaining his family's legacy and fortune through the bank he controls. He cares very little about the welfare of the sharecroppers on his farm, especially the Sanders family, highlighting the stark contrasts between their privileged existence and the struggles of those bound to the land. The tension grows at different levels and escalates between Gordon and the Sanders family when Junior, Gordon’s son, attacks Ella Sanders. The fallout has dire ramifications.
Leo Daughtry has crafted a character-driven narrative with a solid historical setting. The characters are finely drawn, and watching them evolve through multiple conflicts is interesting. Gordon Talmadge is an ambitious man with domestic issues and hints at an underlying strain in his marriage with Claire, creating suspense. The dynamics between the Talmadges and the Sanders family, notably when sharecropping is at play, highlight the social and racial tensions and the disparity in their social standings, exacerbating misunderstandings and conflicts. Daughtry deftly illustrates the South's racial and class tensions, revealing how the social fabric frays when underlying injustices surface. The characters are not black-and-white caricatures but flawed individuals who react to their circumstances with varying degrees of morality. Talmadge Farm is an engaging tale that transports readers into an intriguing historical moment and place.
