Description:
Cady O’Donnell is The Redheaded Stepchild, the heroine without any grandiose heroic actions. In this disjointed collection of short stories, we follow Cady as she tries on every hat in the this-is-your-life store to see what fits and works best in the adventures she shares with her special head of hair. Each chapter acts a screaming independent connection between the most formative years of her life, as she meets, lives with, and loses one of the most influential people in her lifetime. Set in a rural community in Minnesota, The Redheaded Stepchild is an archetype of life in small-town America and a testament that the broken family is the new whole family, just as Cady O’Donnell shows how the unwanted stepchild can be a everyday hero.
My Thoughts:
As I started reading I was immediately drawn in by the narrative. I liked Cady's voice and her dry sense of humor. I enjoyed her descriptions and observations. Each chapter is a snippet of Cady's life that shows how certain people and events can shape a person as they grow. Many of the events she describes explore her family relationships, both with her natural family and her step-family. The characters and relationships seem very realistic. The story is not particularly dramatic, yet I found myself wanting more when it was over.
My Rating: ****
*Notes: Some strong language, recreational drug use, underage smoking and drinking.
Where to get it:
Amazon
Createspace
About the author: (from her author page)
Kelly I. Hitchcock is an up-and-coming writer in the Austin, Texas area. She is author of various poems about the randomness of life, several short stories, random creative nonfiction works, and the coming-of-age novel The Redheaded Stepchild. She is world-renowned among a readership of five people and growing.
Raised by a single father in the small town of Buffalo, Missouri, Kelly has fond memories of cash-strapped life in the Ozarks that strongly influence her writing and way of life.
When she's not writing manuals for money or writing poetry and fiction for unmoney, or training for the Jailbreak half marathon, Kelly enjoys sewing, playing dodgeball, and politics. She is an avid volunteer and fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Kelly Hitchcock
Goodreads
Thanks again for featuring me!
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