Indigo Field

I am an avid reader, and once in a great while a book transports me to a vivid, all-encompassing place. This is such a book. The imagery is vivid, and the prose is elegant, while the immersive story unfolds around the reader. The author's style reminds me of Where the Crawdads Sing. I am absolutely convinced this book will hit the NY Times Bestseller list for many, many weeks. It would make an incredible movie.The story will take you deep into history of the Native American cultures that made their homes on the land, and then had to suffer losing their land in battles with the white men who stole what was theirs. But, what I found stunning throughout was the character development of Jolene, Rand, Reba, Jeff, Bobo, TJ, each as their own people, feeling unique, and absolutely real. The spiritual practices, and intuitive development of Lucy and Reba captivated me the most.The book was hard to put down, and hard to finish because I didn't want it to end. I will say that the only thing I wanted that I didn't get was a stronger resolution for Jeff's character, though I could imagine that in less than a year from the conclusion, it would have happened. See, this is a book that the characters still feel alive even though the book concluded.Other reviewers went into more detail about the story itself, and I don't want to include spoilers. I am just here to say, the beauty of a powerful book is in the way it makes you feel. Indigo Fields is solidly anchored on my top ten recommended list.

INDIGO FIELD is a stunning and courageous work of fiction. Hudson delivers a forceful and engaging narrative and digs deep into the lives of her three main characters: a retired army colonel, an elderly black woman, and a struggling young widow with a child. She inhabits these characters and brings them to life with prose that is elegant, clean, precise, and loving. In addition to the human characters, the reader is treated to wonderful descriptions of goats, dogs, birds, and even trees. No living American writer, with the possible exceptions of Wendell Berry and Annie Dillard, writes so beautifully and concretely about the natural world. Although Hudson’s characters are all dealing with tragedy, loss, and grief, this is not a sad or depressing novel. The story is uplifting, a celebration of life and our connections to the past and to each other. This is a terrific novel. This is brilliant storytelling.

This book tells a great story that will reverberate with you for days after you have finished reading. Hudson grabbed my interest with the first page and I couldn't put the book down till I finished it. The strength of the book for me is the memorable characters. They mature as they go along. When I finished, I added details to their lives. They were like my best friends. I wanted to spend more time with them.The prose is elegant but not overly fussy. The plot is straightforward but engaging. I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I spent an enjoyable time with this book.Do yourself a favor and read Indigo Field.

Indigo Field is amazing, fantastic, among the best of classic Southern literature, and I don't say such things lightly. Marjorie Hudson has tight control of narration, makes setting become a character, plays around successfully with multiple POVs. Wow, what a gifted writer. Indigo Field is now a National Book Award nominee, a richly deserved honor.

Genre: Literary FictionPublisher: Regal House/MysticismPub. Date: March 14, 2023Mini-ReviewThis multigenerational drama is ghost filled and written with Black and Native American spirituality in mind. In the rural South, three protagonists narrate the story—A retired colonel living in a posh home grieving from the abrupt passing of his younger wife. There is humor in his anger that he was supposed to go first. An elderly Black woman living on the opposite side of town is fiercely mourning her niece. Her niece was murdered by a white man giving good tension in her part of the tale. In addition, a widowed goat farmer lives between the other two. She has an autistic son written tenderly and with an understanding of the disability. There is an abandoned field between the three that has been the scene of atrocities for three centuries. The novel has all the makings of a captivating read, which it mostly is. My only gripe is the jumping around between the living and the dead can get confusing. The lengthy paragraphs about the black woman's mystical spiritualism particularly confused me. I had to read some passages again to be sure I understood them. Still, I recommend reading “Indigo Field.” How could I not? The book is fascinating.

Indigo Field, by Marjorie Hudson, is a multi-generational drama that’s both heartwretching and heartwarming, at the same time. While most of the book takes place in our time, it also highlights some important history about North Carolina. It's a wonderful story that's long on details about nature. I was confused by Miss Reba's seeming gullibility when her ward, TJ, was accused of crimes. It didn't feel believable that such a savvy lady would be content with no details about his involvement.Retired Colonel Randoph Jefferson Lee is rather self absorbed man who's feeling incredibly put upon by living in the upscale retirement community that his beloved wife, Anne, adores. Then his life is turned completely upside down when Anne dies suddenly. Not too far away, the elder Miss Reba is also grieving. Her niece, that she raised from the age of ten, has recently been murdered.Miss Reba is shocked when some social worker comes along and asks her to foster TJ, the son of the man who murdered her Danielle. The nerve! But the more she thinks on it, the more she knows that it's what Danielle would want her to do.When the Colonel's children come for their mom's funeral, he really just wants to be left alone. But after his daughter goes back home, his son, Jeff, ends up staying. He's gotten an archeology job at a local field. What he finds reveals generations of shocking crimes.