A Woman in Time - by Bobi Conn (Paperback)

About the Book

The McKenzie women, empowered with a formidable history rooted in the foothills of Appalachia, have passed down their folk-healing wisdom through generations. Rosalee, the last living headstrong daughter in Granny McKenzie's line, soaked up everything she could about the secrets of the forest before a series of tragedies left her alone, without the protection of the women who came before her. The close-knit ties of Rosalee's childhood are long gone. Now, at her eastern Kentucky farm, she bears a marriage with a volatile bootlegger. She struggles with the demands of motherhood. And her independence is relegated to its "proper place". under the thumb of men. Her optimism dimming, Rosalee finds solace in the Kentucky woods, a space that holds secret powers of protection from a life Rosalee can no longer control. To the graves of her female ancestors, beside the waters of an enchanting spring, Rosalee returns time and again to consider her future--and discovers a mysterious connection to her past. As Rosalee wrestles with her isolation, with being a wife in an increasingly dangerous marriage, and with being a woman of her time, she must draw on her strength and resilience to survive--and to protect--on her own terms.

Book Synopsis

A woman challenges the constraints of life in Prohibition-era Appalachia in this sweeping and richly rewarding novel about endurance, survival, and redemption.

The McKenzie women, empowered with a formidable history rooted in the foothills of Appalachia, have passed down their folk-healing wisdom through generations. Rosalee, the last living headstrong daughter in Granny McKenzie's line, soaked up everything she could about the secrets of the forest before a series of tragedies left her alone, without the protection of the women who came before her.

The close-knit ties of Rosalee's childhood are long gone. Now, at her eastern Kentucky farm, she bears a marriage with a volatile bootlegger. She struggles with the demands of motherhood. And her independence is relegated to its "proper place" under the thumb of men. Her optimism dimming, Rosalee finds solace in the Kentucky woods, a space that holds secret powers of protection from a life Rosalee can no longer control. To the graves of her female ancestors, beside the waters of an enchanting spring, Rosalee returns time and again to consider her future--and discovers a mysterious connection to her past.

As Rosalee wrestles with her isolation, with being a wife in an increasingly dangerous marriage, and with being a woman of her time, she must draw on her strength and resilience to survive--and to protect--on her own terms.

Review Quotes

"A Woman in Time by Bobi Conn is a rich novel that transports readers into the mountains of Prohibition-era Appalachia and into the lives of an incredible family of female healers. An unflinching look at the struggles and suffering that came with being a woman in early twentieth-century Kentucky, A Woman in Time is a truly unique journey into a time and place that are too often overlooked in American history. Bobi Conn proves herself to be a powerful voice for Appalachia." --Stephanie Storey, bestselling author of Oil and Marble: A Novel of Leonardo and Michelangelo

"The grace and lyricism of Conn's prose stuns and sustains the reader through this lush tale of women's strength, creativity, and will to love in Depression-era Eastern Kentucky. Conn's poise and confidence as a storyteller hold the reader in a loving embrace through many a well-wrought and gut-wrenching episode, then brings us out the other side more awake to the preciousness of life and what it means to be accountable to one another across a span of generations. Bobi Conn's A Woman in Time is an inspiration." --Robert Gipe, author of Pop: An Illustrated Novel

"A Woman in Time is an epic debut novel, told in intimate moments that transport the reader to a place so vivid that we feel we are walking through the lush woods, gathering flowers with these memorable characters. Especially Rosalee, a character I came to love and will not soon forget. Bobi Conn delivers on the promise showcased in her moving memoir and has become a wonderful novelist, as well. This is a book that is sure to find an admiring audience, and one that reveals the complexities of rural life and the extraordinary nature of ordinary people." --Silas House, author of Southernmost