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Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite
The Story of Briar: Coming of Age in Rural East Texas by Ian Griffin is a heart-warming look at a struggling family in the first half of the twentieth century. When Russell and his fiancee, Cheyenne return to East Texas to attend his grandfather Roy’s funeral, they listen attentively as their grandmother, Joy, known to all as Briar, begins to relate the amazing story of their younger lives growing up in this rural backwater. Joy had got her nickname, Briar, from her father, when she was just a little girl. A true tomboy, Briar was quick to anger and would fight anyone, girl or boy, who threatened her or made fun of her family’s situation. Through the lows of the Great Depression, a world war, and the highs of meeting and falling in love with the man of her dreams, Briar kept her outlook positive and built a life to be proud of. However, Russell will also discover many family secrets and have many of his questions answered by his grandmother’s revelations.
The Story of Briar is one of family, love, and the indomitable spirit of one young girl, with a little bit of mysticism and magic thrown in for good measure. Author Ian Griffin has done an incredible job of illuminating readers not only with a wonderful familial story but also giving readers an insight into life on the margins of rural East Texas. I loved the young Briar, her spirit, her feistiness, and her unwillingness to back down to anyone regardless of their age and size. Her maturity when forced to take over as the “Ma” of the family at such an early age was a testament to her true character and poise. I also greatly enjoyed the gentle introduction of magical happenings related to the stream that ran through the family’s property. No matter what happened to Briar and those she loved, she would always fight back with the courage and strength of a mother bear protecting her cubs. This is a wonderful social history of a period and a place that perhaps sadly has long disappeared from our landscape. This is a thoughtful recounting that wraps readers in a warm blanket and will leave them sighing with contentment. A wonderfully relaxing and refreshing read amidst the chaos and tension of everyday life. I can highly recommend this book for a break from the trials of the day.
