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When I saw that this book was sort of a To-Kill-A-Mockingbird-esque, I couldn't wait to read it, since that book is my all-time favorite book ever! Bill Hazelgrove did his story justice. I must admit the novel started out a little slow for me in the beginning, but once I began to see where this story was headed, I absolutely loved it and couldn't put it down. To say this wasn't an original story, as some reviewers have suggested, I have to respectfully disagree.

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If you know the story of TKAM, you know right away, this story is different for the mere simple reason of it's ending, which was awesome! And the characters were really great in this book. Lee Hartwell is a tween, coming into his own growing up in the south of Richmond, Virginia in the s. His older brothers had come home from the war, and what the war didn't take from these men, it certainly left them a little broken mentally. As they were trying to make themselves a life after war, they ended up being thrown into a family feud of sorts, with young Lee thrown in the middle of it.

Add to that, the Hartwells' maid, Addie's daughter, Fanny, was what they referred to as a too outgoing Negro who finds herself in the center of a huge controversy, when her other boss accuses her of stealing his precious Sterling Silver Tea set. And this is where the real story lies. What the reader finds out, as you quickly turn the pages, is a well thought out story told so boldly by Lee Hartwell. I truly love southern-theme books, and what better way to celebrate Black History Month than with a good old-fashioned southern book.

This was such a great story, and one that will tug at your heartstrings. Oh, and did I forget to mention the legalese in this story will absolutely captivate you.

A great story, and one I will never forget, much like the main character, Lee Hartwell! Fanny's trial changed his life and mine! One person found this helpful. Lee grew up where he was born, in the South, with its history in slavery, during a time of inequality, in the midst of a family trying to live honorably in spite of the abuses in the past. But the story is more than the solving of a mystery. When I first read the book, I wondered where the title originated.

What did a tobacco stick have to do with a boy growing up in the south, or the murder that was committed? The author addresses some very important questions: How do we live honorably when to do so may require us losing all our friends?

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Preview — Tobacco Sticks by William Hazelgrove. Laura van den Berg. Bill Hazelgrove did his story justice. If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support? Lee Hartwell is a tween, coming into his own growing up in the south of Richmond, Virginia in the s. Good book You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so.

How do we promote justice when to do so will set the whole community against us? How do we tell the truth, and we must or an innocent person will die, when to do so will betray a friend? How do we expose abuse, when to do so will hurt another victim more than it may heal? Life never gives us easy answers. But, like Lee in his story, life provides us many opportunities to do what is right. This is a murder mystery, yes, but it is also a story worth reading for its concepts of honor and justice.

It was a refreshing read. I just finished Tobacco Sticks with a breathless pace and tears in my eyes. It joins my favorite southern jury mystery "A Time to Kill" and should rank with "To Kill a Mockingbird" as a coming of age, legal tale about our nation's troubled racial history.

Tobacco Sticks

Racial tension, political intrigue, early union efforts, sex and murder surround Lee Hartwell as he enters his teen years in the mids as his older brothers come home from war and marry. Smitten with the daughter of the owner of one of the state's largest industries and one of the most wealthy and powerful men in the state, Lee is reluctant to come forward and risk his romance after he sees the man burying something in his wife's grave -- even when he later suspects the something is key to a legal case.

Finally Lee's choices come down to love and loyalty and court and home drama that made it impossible to stop reading. Already borrowed another of his books for my next read. I notice remarks about missing words and grammatical errors in reviews dating from Reading the book in , I see no corrections or edits have apparently been made. However, the copy got cleaner or else I just got caught up in the story and stopped noticing flaws as the story unfolded. In the beginning, I found the book a little confusing. When I started it, I didn't know which characters were white and which were black.

The narrator calls his father by his first name part of the time and "daddy" part of the time. Plus one son's name is a version of the father's name.

That added to the confusion about who the narrator meant in a few cases. But ultimately I liked the book. I went from cold to warm in my response to this author's work. There are two reasons I won't give Tobacco Sticks five stars: There are two many editing faults.

Some sentences had to be re-read to determine what the author most likely intended or the wrong word was obviously used. The unions are starting to get a footh I just finished Tobacco Sticks by Wm. The unions are starting to get a foothold and even "uppity Negras" are beginning to have a say in the political order which has been dominated by the old boy network.

That political machine is so powerful that they will use any means even illegalities to maintain the status quo. The narrator Lee Hartwell witnesses the change that will touch his entire family and his friends as well. His father Burke comparable to the Atticus Finch lawyer in Mockingbird has been part of the political machine and becomes the campaign manager for the power boss state senator who is up for re-election.

Burke must straddle carefully between his own moral instincts and those of steel mill magnate Buddy Hillman who is the financial broker for the senator. Lee's life is upended as his father breaks with the machine over a criminal charge lodged against Fanny a black household servant of Hillman which causes Lee and his father to be ostracized by the city. Lee's friends and even the girl of his dreams Careen Hillman break with the Hartwell family. Burke's courage is tested to its limits I won't say why as he defends Fanny. The last third of the book will have you in angst as the trial rushes to conclusion.

The author, although not a lawyer, does create a vivid atmosphere throughout the book and especially during the trial where secrets and motives are revealed. Allow me one personal criticism by pointing out a legal error. He has the lawyers objecting to leading questions on cross examination. There are also hearsay problems, but these technical glitches do nothing to spoil a story that captured a slice of history for me.

I recommend this legal and social novel to everyone. This is the second novel by Hazelgrove I have read recently. Both were offered as free downloads by the author, so I took advantage of that and in the process discovered a great author who had been previously unknown to me. I enjoyed "The Pitcher" so much that I immediately downloaded "Tobacco Sticks" when it became available and read it as soon as I could.

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews. From Publishers Weekly. Set in , this skillfully crafted novel by the author of Ripples chronicles the coming-of-age of Lee Hartwell, the. A Great Summer read and a real A To Kill A Mockingbird story. Tobacco Sticks takes us back to the Southern town of Richmond in It is the story of a.

Both are about young boys and these characters draw the reader into the story, they are so wel This is the second novel by Hazelgrove I have read recently. Both are about young boys and these characters draw the reader into the story, they are so well-drawn. Lee's family is caught up in the aftermath of the war, from which some friends and family members returned and others didn't, to a society that was changing from what had always been the accepted way of life to these descendents of plantation owners and slaves.

When Lee's lawyer-father has to choose the side he will defend, it changes Lee's family's lives forever. Tobacco Sticks is a tale of power and privilege where a young boy ends up doing the right thing by telling the truth in spite of who the truth exposes, an overview of tobacco farming is present, along with the racial tensions of the time, this book is compared with To Kill A Mockingbird and in my opinion if you loved that book you will also love this one.

Nov 23, Paul Canady rated it really liked it. Lee really struggles with how to handle all of the information that's coming at him, both in his family and beyond.

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It is an excellent story that is done a huge disservice by poor editing at least in the Kindle edition. I totally enjoyed reading this. A good story about family, days past and the lose of innocence of the young. I look forward to reading Hazelgrove's, The Pitcher, soon.

Jul 10, Ginny Brown rated it really liked it. A gripping story well told I was absolutely captivated with the story. The unit only issue I had was in the editing. Oct 03, Michelle rated it liked it. Good book You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. When I saw that this book was sort of a To-Kill-A-Mockingbird-esque, I couldn't wait to read it, since that book is my all-time favorite book ever!

Bill Hazelgrove did his story justice. I must admit the novel started out a little slow for me in the beginning, but once I began to see where this story was headed, I absolutely loved it and couldn't put it down. To say this wasn't an original story, as some reviewers have suggested, I have to respectfully disagree. If you know the story of TKAM, you know right away, this story is different for the mere simple reason of it's ending, which was awesome! And the characters were really great in this book.

Lee Hartwell is a tween, coming into his own growing up in the south of Richmond, Virginia in the s. His older brothers had come home from the war, and what the war didn't take from these men, it certainly left them a little broken mentally.

Southern Mystery Sale Tobacco Sticks and Mica Highways Kindle .99

As they were trying to make themselves a life after war, they ended up being thrown into a family feud of sorts, with young Lee thrown in the middle of it. Add to that, the Hartwells' maid, Addie's daughter, Fanny, was what they referred to as a too outgoing Negro who finds herself in the center of a huge controversy, when her other boss accuses her of stealing his precious Sterling Silver Tea set. And this is where the real story lies. What the reader finds out, as you quickly turn the pages, is a well thought out story told so boldly by Lee Hartwell.

I truly love southern-theme books, and what better way to celebrate Black History Month than with a good old-fashioned southern book. This was such a great story, and one that will tug at your heartstrings. Oh, and did I forget to mention the legalese in this story will absolutely captivate you.

A great story, and one I will never forget, much like the main character, Lee Hartwell! Fanny's trial changed his life and mine! Oct 25, Robert A. Tobacco Sticks is a Southern novel that is akin to the writing of Harper Lee and perhaps Faulkner, but it's a story with universal appeal. Having spent part of my youth in the South during the 's, I recognized some of the characters. The novel recounts the Southern civilization that existed as the country began its slow change. In my opinion, the novel has realistic characterization. There are the mean and racist, folks trying to be "good" but within the confines of the Southern culture of t Tobacco Sticks is a Southern novel that is akin to the writing of Harper Lee and perhaps Faulkner, but it's a story with universal appeal.

There are the mean and racist, folks trying to be "good" but within the confines of the Southern culture of the day, the exploiters and selfish who think only of themselves and use others to gain an advantage, and those who would like to see moderate change. The story takes a melodramatic turn occasionally, but that is not a detractor. I liked this novel and I think you will, too. Hazelgrove did a good job with the main character - vividly brought out the awkward thirteen-year-old boyness of him.

It is very similar to TKMB from a young boy's view point. The author captured the growing pains of a young adolescent who loses his innocence and learns how cruel men can be. Jan 16, Phil Lawless rated it really liked it. A book that was hard to get into, but ultimately satisfying. The running story of tobacco growing that starts each chapter give some insight into tobacco, but not much in relation to the story. Wonderful, beautifully written book about the south after World War II. It is a coming of age book and it was an interesting well done story.

A little like "To Kill a Mockingbird," but a different version, done very well. I enjoyed it immensely.