"Christy" by Catherine Marshall: Book Review

Photo by M.T Peters

"It began as the golden autumn. Long summer days had melted into shorter autumn days with heavy rains in their wake. Then suddenly, all the stored-up beauty of summer blazed forth in an avalanche of color that tore at the eyeballs and dazzled the senses. This must be love, I thought."

Catherine Marshall, Christy

I first watched the Christy TV series as a young girl, but I never paid attention to the series being based on a novel until I found the audiobook on my phone one day. I didn't have an Audible account at the time and couldn't afford to buy a $36 audiobook, so the actual novel remained a mystery to me for many years. However, when I saw an ad offering a free trial of Audible last year, I knew that my chance had come. I got the free trial and used my one credit on Christy (read by Kellie Martin, the actress who played Christy in the series) and began a journey that I will never forget.

The Plot

Christy Huddleston is a 19-year-old woman when she leaves her comfortable home in Asheville, North Carolina to teach school in a backwoods mission in Cutter Gap, Tennessee. Unprepared for the challenges she faces there, Christy must learn to navigate the primitive conditions as well as the fierce pride of the people she has come to help. The events of the novel span over her first year of teaching and detail the numerous ups and downs as she struggles to make a go of things. Instructing students from every grade in a one-room schoolhouse proves to be extremely daunting yet richly rewarding.

Assisting Christy during this difficult time is her mentor, Miss Alice Henderson. Miss Alice is warm and wise, and Christy looks up to her; almost too much at times. When Christy has concerns, doubts, or fears, Alice is always there to give kind words of advice and comfort. She has sympathy for Christy's innocence yet treats her as the adult she is. Their relationship is my favorite friendship in literature because these two women build each other up and lend a listening ear to each other whenever there is something that they feel the need to unburden themselves of.

Vying for Christy's affection are David Grantland, the handsome young preacher, and Dr. Neil MacNeill, the rugged mountain physician. Christy is immediately drawn to David as he is to her, and the two become close quickly. However, as she learns more about and gets to know the prickly-at-times yet always caring doctor, her interest in him grows, and vice versa. Whichever team you are on, Team David or Team Neil, you are taken on a veritable roller coaster as Christy's fancy seems to swing first one way and then the other between these two eligible men. I won't spoil the ending for you, but thankfully this tug-of-war does get resolved eventually.

My Favorite Characters

My favorite character in this book and, by extension all of literature, is Dr. Neil MacNeill. I first fell in love with Neil while watching the series and was so curious when first starting the book to know more about him. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of detail the author went into when describing him and how much was revealed about his character. I got to see sides of him that I wasn't aware of and grew to love him even more.

I was so overjoyed when I came across scenes featuring him that were not included in the series. I would say that one of my favorite things about him in the book is his sense of humor. Even though he is an intense and often serious person, he can crack a joke and give a good roasting along with the best of them.

Another favorite character of mine is Ruby Mae Morrison. With her fiery red hair and personality to match, she looks up to Miss Christy the way Christy looks up to Miss Alice. I was surprised, as with Neil, by the events and instances involving her that were not included in the tv series, both happy and worrisome. They made me realize just how much I love her character and want to see her end up happy.

My Thoughts Overall

I don't think I have ever been as moved by any other novel as I was by this beautiful work of fiction. Some parts make me laugh out loud, others make tears stream down my face, and still others make me shiver with joy. The ending never fails to make me cry. If at all possible, I would definitely recommend listening to the audiobook as well as reading the paper format of the book. Kellie Martin's narration brings the experience of playing the character to the table and puts so much expression into her reading.

Now whenever anyone asks for reading recommendations, the book I suggest is always Christy. It's become my favorite novel by far. I have so far succeeded in getting three other people (two of whom happen to work here at PMJ) to read this superb book, and I hope that this review will result in even more of you doing the same! I promise that you won't regret it if you do.