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Parchment of Leaves
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Plot Summary of Parchment of Leaves
"Parchment of Leaves is a beautiful story. Like most Southern literature, it is as slow and easy as sipping iced tea on the porch on a hot summer's day. The central characters of this story are Vine, a Cherokee woman rumored to be the cause of many misshaps/injuries to White men of the area--men who wandered onto the property and caught a glimpse of Vine's beauty. She is beautiful and mysterious and unafraid.

Saul Sullivan is a farmer who wanders into Vine's sights. He is unfettered by her supposed powers, but once Vine lays eyes on him, she wants him more than anything. Vine leaves the safety of her family network and Cherokee culture to join Saul on his family farm. His mother is a bit stand-offish, but his younger brother shows a little too much interest. Vine ignores this, hoping it will go away.

The element of the book that I found most appealing was the way House weaved the culture of the area into the story. I am from this exact same pinpoint on the map. While I had subconsciously noted some of the qualities of Saul in even my own father, I had never realized they were cultural. House truly has his thumb on the pulse of the area and its pecular culture, way of life. House illustrates the tenderness of life, how precious and precarious it was in this time period.

Vine proves to be a stronger woman than anyone guessed. She and Saul find their way together and apart. A touching tale of the struggle to stay alive and stay in love. "

Alicia Cathers, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Parchment of Leaves
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 1900-1920's
Romance/Romance Problems Yes
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Lover is - of a different race (interracial loving!)

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - farmer
Age: - 20's-30's
Has magical powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character: - can read emotions - mind reading
Ethnicity/Nationality - American Indian
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings

Main Adversary
Identity: - natural phenomena

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 6 (an above average amount)
United States Yes
The US: - Deep South
Small town? Yes
Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee - dumb Rednecks, like Gomer Pyle

Style
Person - mostly 1st
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to Parchment of Leaves
The Cure for Death by Lightning by Gail Anderson-Dargatz
In the Shadow of the Nile by Sara Hylton
Howard's End by E.M. Forster
Years by LaVyrle Spencer
Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence


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Silas House Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
David Gordon  

SCHOLARS:
Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy  Alicia Cathers  


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