Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night

By: Barbara J. Taylor

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

Almost everyone in town blames eight-year-old Violet Morgan for the death of her nine-year-old sister Daisy. Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night opens on September 4, 1913, two months after the Fourth of July tragedy. Owen, the girls' father, "turns to drink" and abandons his family. Their mother Grace falls victim to the seductive powers of Grief, an imagined figure who has seduced her off-and-on since childhood. Violet forms an unlikely friendship with Stanley Adamski, a motherless outcast who works in the mines as a breaker boy. During an unexpected blizzard, Grace goes into premature labor at home and is forced to rely on Violet, while Owen is "off being saved" at a Billy Sunday Revival.

Inspired by a haunting family story, Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night blends real-life incidents with fiction to show how grace can be found in the midst of tragedy.

©2014 Barbara J. Taylor (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Characters Pull You In

These people and their lives in turn- of-20th century coal- mining town, show privations and courage required to face them.

1913 PA Mining Town, Lives Marked by Tragedy

Grace and Owen Morgan live a hard scrabble life in the mining town of Scranton, Pennsylvania in the early 1900s . . . having already lost children to miscarriage and another daughter, Rose, the death of Daisy pushes Grace to the brink of madness . . . and alienates her from her husband, Owen and remaining daughter, Violet . . . whom she secretly blames for Daisy's death . . . I had a very hard time with the fact that the "church going" ladies of the town, all bent toward gossip, also blamed Violet, an innocent girl of eight for the accidental death of her sister . . . and my heart just broke, when Owen, Violet's daddy moved out of the house, and fell into his own desperate grief over the loss of Daisy . . . Grace's strange, yet oddly understandable and familiar relationship with Grief, weighed heavy on my heart . . . she had known him since childhood, coming and going with every tragedy, and Grace lacking the faith and strength to oust him . . . overshadowing all that was good . . .telling her lies . . . and I was so angry that no adult had the faith and conviction to come alongside her and pull her up, instead of tearing her down . . . the unlikely friendship between Violet and Stanley was a lifesaver for them both . . . a sad, sweet story, with an ending well worth the wait . . .

Great Storytelling

Captures life as it was; yet, tells a timeless story of love, loss, and life.

A favorite book of mine

I love Scranton, I love my family and I love this story that my cousin wrote. I will never tire of it . it makes me laugh and cry. the narration was fantastic!

Great Characterization!

Any additional comments?

Beautifully written and performed! Tavia's portrayal of each character is right on, adding a new dimension to a great storyline.