God Pretty in the Tobacco Field

“Beauty and sweetness weave a diaphanous fabric against the stark backdrop of poverty and cruelty.” --Sara Gruen,New York Times bestselling author

Nameless, Kentucky, in 1969 is a hardscrabble community where jobs are few and poverty is a simple fact—just like the hot Appalachian breeze or the pests that can wipe out a tobacco field in days. RubyLyn Bishop is luckier than some. Her God-fearing uncle, Gunnar, has a short fuse and high expectations, but he's given her a good home ever since she was orphaned at the age of five. Yet now, a month shy of her sixteenth birthday, RubyLyn itches for more.

Maybe it's something to do with the paper fortunetellers RubyLyn has been making for townsfolk, each covered with beautifully wrought, prophetic drawings. Or perhaps it's because of Rainey Ford, an African-American neighbor who works alongside her in the tobacco field, and with whom she has a kinship, despite her uncle's worrisome shadow and the town's disapproval. RubyLyn's predictions are just wishful thinking, not magic at all, but through them she's imagining life as it could be, away from the prejudice and hardship that ripple through Nameless.

Atmospheric, poignant, and searingly honest, GodPretty in the Tobacco Field follows RubyLyn through the course of one blazing summer, as heartbreaking revelations and life-changing decisions propel her toward a future her fortunetellers never predicted.

Advance Praise for Kim Michele Richardson and GODPRETTY IN THE TOBACCO FIELD

“When a tale of days gone by, in a place you've never been, feels as vivid as your own memory, you know you're in the hands of a great writer. Lyrical, wrenching, and riveting,GodPretty in the Tobacco Field is a triumph.”--Jamie Mason

“A reader always recognizes when the author has poured her soul into a body of work.GodPretty in the Tobacco Field is a tender, beautifully written second novel.”--Ann Hite

LIAR'S BENCH

“This story has southern small-town charm and may appeal to those who like Rebecca Wells or Jennifer Chiaverini.”--Booklist

“You'll hear echoes of To Kill A Mockingbird in this haunting coming-of-age story, in which old and more recent tragedies collide. Beautifully written, atmospheric and intricately plotted, Kim Michele Richardson's debut novel will stay with you long after the last page is turned.”—Susan Wiggs, # 1 New York Times bestselling author

“An intricately crafted plot with vivid characters make up Richardson's debut novel. A wonderful story that will leave its mark on readers' hearts.”--RT Book Reviews

“Readers of Southern fiction won't be able to turn the pages fast enough as they follow this colorful tale.”--Ellen Marie Wiseman, author ofWhat She Left Behind

Kim Michele Richardson is a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and an advocate for the prevention of child abuse and domestic violence. She is also the author of the memoirThe Unbreakable Child and the novel Liar’s Bench. Kim Michele resides in the rolling hills of Kentucky with her family and is hard at work on her next novel.