When the Jessamine Grows

By: Donna Everhart

Narrated by: Tiffany Morgan

Talk of impending war is a steady drumbeat throughout North Carolina, though Joetta McBride pays it little heed. She and her husband, Ennis, have built a modest but happy life for themselves, raising two sons, fifteen-year-old Henry, and eleven-year-old Robert, on their small subsistence farm. They do not support the Confederacy's position on slavery, but Joetta considers her family to be neutral, believing this is simply not their fight.

Her opinion is not favored by many in their community, including Joetta's own father-in-law, Rudean. A staunch Confederate supporter, he fills his grandsons' heads with stories about the glory of battle and the Southern cause until one night Henry runs off to join the war. At Joetta's frantic insistence, Ennis leaves to find their son and bring him home.

But soon weeks pass with no word from father or son and Joetta is battered by the strain of running a farm with so little help. As the country becomes further entangled in the ramifications of war, Joetta finds herself increasingly at odds with those around her—until one act of kindness brings her family to the edge of even greater disaster.

©2024 Donna Everhart (P)2024 Tantor

The story of a southern American Civil War era woman who wishes to remain neutral during the war.

First, the performance. I often like hearing the regional accent of a setting, and this story is no exception. I liked how Mr. McBride and Joetta’s voices brought them to life. Second, the story. We rarely hear the story of a person in the civil war south who was a dissenter but not involved in the Underground Railroad. The main character, Joetta, wishes to remain neutral, but the sympathies of her friends, family, and community cause them to turn on her. Joetta is stoic in the face of their criticism and initially tries to placate them. Initially I couldn’t relate to her, and I wanted her to be either more honest or more conniving. I really liked when she decided to care for the boy. It showed her kindness. My one wish is that Joetta expressed more emotions, but overall her strength of character comes through in her actions. A good story, the kind where you hope the character lives happily ever after.

Poor narration

The narrator's cadence and inflections are so weird that this is very difficult to listen to. It is very disappointing since I am liking the story - but I am only a quarter of the way through and I just cannot listen to it anymore. I will have to get the book from the library and read it to find out what happens.

Mr. McBride

I enjoyed it all but the ending fell flat. I would’ve liked to see if Henry came back or they knew he had passes.

Maybe it’s just me, but narration is horrible.

The narration for this is extremely irritating. I finished the book as I used a credit to purchase, but this would have been so much better with a different narrator.

Great Read

This story could probably be true of so many who struggled through the Civil war, during and after. The author did an outstanding research. I recommend this.