Book Review: The Healer of Fox Hollow

The Healer of Fox Hollow by Joann Rose Leonard
Publisher: Vantage Point
Paperback Release Date: July 15, 2012
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Publisher’s Description:

Right from the start, Layla Tompkin’s way forward is full of detours after her mother dies in breech birth, leaving only her and her devoted, sorrowful father, Ed. Then, at the age of five, Layla is rendered mute after a horrible accident. “God is leading Layla to speak in new tongues,” proclaims Pastor Simpson at the local serpent handling church. Soon after, Layla is found to possess the gift of healing and her reputation spreads. Even Doc Fredericks, the area’s skeptical physician, is forced to re-examine scientific tenets when Layla’s healing touch is the only treatment that brings relief to his son Brian, whose legs were blown off by a landmine in Vietnam. Doubt and the miraculous, loss and survival, hurt and forgiveness collide when a secret challenges what everyone holds true, leaving Layla, her family and the community profoundly changed in a story about what it means to be truly healed.

The Healer of Fox Hollow takes place in the Smokey Mountains during the 1950s through the 1970s. It’s a heartwarming story about people being there for each other in the face of tragedy. The story moves at a slow pace, sometimes too slow. I was very anxious to find out what really happened to make Layla mute and my impatience made the story drag in the middle for me. Also, I expected a love triangle to form between Brian, Damian and Layla. That would have added a little drama to the story in the middle I think and spiced things up a bit.

I liked that this book is one of those Southern novels where the people of a small town band together to help each other in times of need. When Layla has her accident, the townspeople are mostly supportive. (Some people are selfish and only care about Layla healing them – those people made really angry for Layla.) I loved how hard Layla’s dad Ed tried to be a good dad. Her aunt Avis was also a wonderful and wise character.

Come back tomorrow – I’ll be giving away a copy of The Healer of Fox Hollow to one lucky reader!

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book. Check out the other tour stops:

Monday, July 16th: Savvy Verse and Wit
Monday, July 23rd: Indie Reader Houston
Wednesday, July 25th: Broken Teepee
Thursday, July 26th: Just Joanna
Wednesday, August 1st: Mom in Love with Fiction
Thursday, August 2nd: Silver and Grace
Monday, August 6th: Chaotic Compendiums
Tuesday, August 7th: Deco My Heart
Wednesday, August 8th: WV Stitcher
Thursday, August 9th: So Simply Sara
Monday, August 13th: The Book Bag
Tuesday, August 14th: When Life Gets You Down…Read a Book
Thursday, August 16th: HopefulLeigh
Monday, August 20th: The Lost Entwife
Tuesday, August 28th: A Novel Source
Date TBD: A Fair Substitute for Heaven

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