Review
"This emotional story of deep hardship is told in Bertie's distinct voice and is recommended for readers who enjoyed Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell and Jane Hamilton's The Book of Ruth." —Library Journal
"A strong protagonist is at the center of Hardinger's debut, an early-1900s tale of a resolute girl in a Midwestern family that's burdened with hardship...The characters in this story are vividly portrayed, with nuanced, complex personalities. The resilience and strength of the narrator will stay with readers long after they've finished." —Publishers Weekly
"A wrenching read...this book stayed with me for a long time because it so vividly brings to life how poverty and lack of choice so profoundly affect a person." —Historical Novels Review
"The author pulls no punches detailing the hardships of life on a Kansas farm at the turn of the twentieth century. Bertie is a classic Midwesterner: tough, stubborn, and resilient. What starts out as a tale of hardscrabble historical fiction turns into an uplifting story of forgiveness and grace, and would be a good crossover for Christian fiction readers." —Booklist
"Not since Daniel Woodrell's Winter's Bone and Bonnie Jo Campbell's Once Upon a River have I met such an original, strongyoung woman, full of resourcefulness, passion, and courage, dedicated to saving her family no matter the personal sacrifice. This is an extraordinary, unforgettable novel, with a haunting voice that follows you into your dreams at night. Elizabeth Hardinger carves the geography of the human heart and teaches us the lessons of the forgiveness and the redemption that is possible for those of us strong enough to bear the burden and gift of love." —Jonis Agee, award-winning author of The River Wife and The Bones of Paradise
"Elizabeth Hardinger has given us a heroine for the ages. In the face of unimaginable hardship, where survival is the only thing that matters, she learns strength and courage, and discovers joy in unexpected places. Her voice is strong and authentic and unforgettable. Equal parts tender and brutal, All the Forgivenesses is a rich, exquisite novel." —Alex George, author of A Good American
"It won't take a page to know this is an abiding story told in an utterly captivating voice. I fell into this novel in a way I've only experienced when reading Kaye Gibbons, Louise Erdrich, Dorothy Allison, and Alice Walker. The sense of place and time, of family, guilt, grief, and love are so richly layered, reading All the Forgivenesses is mesmerizing. No one writes like Hardinger. Thank goodness she does." —Sandra Scofield, National Book Award finalist for Beyond Deserving
"Composed with unassuming wisdom and grace, All the Forgivenesses is an exhilarating testament to the human spirit. You'll fall in love with the remarkable Bertie, whose unwavering loyalty to family delivers her a life rich with meaning and hard-won transcendence. A captivating debut by an exciting new voice in fiction." —Wayne Harrison, author of The Spark and the Drive
About the Author
Elizabeth Hardinger was born and raised in Kansas. She holds a BA in English from McPherson College and an MFA from Wichita State University. She lives with her husband in Eugene, Oregon, where she occasionally copyedits technical and academic books. All the Forgivenesses, her debut novel, draws on family lore about life in a tarpaper shack during the Kansas oil boom of the 1920s. Find the author on Twitter at: @ElizHardinger, and visit her Website at ElizabethHardinger.com.
