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Gather Her Round A Novel of the Tufa Tufa Novels Alex Bledsoe Books

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Gather Her Round A Novel of the Tufa Tufa Novels Alex Bledsoe Books

Alex Bledsoe’s fifth installment in the Tufa series is at least as good as any of the others, if not better. It is set within a frame story: one of the Tufa is telling the story at a festival some time in the future (a setting which brings up another possible story). It is not, however, told in first person as in “Chapel of Ease”, probably in order to facilitate the same multiple perspectives of the other Tufa novels. Deliberately evoking (both implicitly and explicitly) an Appalachian murder ballad, the plot is nonetheless not nearly so simple as a straightforward murder tale. Instead, it is a story of loss, conflicting loyalties, guilt, and revenge. In other words, it is a common story in the lives of the Tufa.

A love triangle, a giant feral hog, and two deaths begin this story, and the tension continues throughout the novel. The tale mainly centers on Duncan, whose girlfriend’s death starts a chain of circumstances that will end in more tragedy. Ultimately, it is up to Mandalay Harris, the thirteen-year-old leader of half the Tufa, to uncover the truth and to bring about justice. Familiar characters such as Bliss, Bronwyn, and Junior appear, as well as new characters, including outsider Jack, the hunter of leader of a task force to hunt feral hogs, Popcorn, a Tufa banjo maker of legendary prowess, and Janet, a minor character within the narrative, but the actual focal character of the frame story.

Though the story is far more about Duncan than Mandalay, I relished each scene with her – she is easily my favorite character in the stories because of her fascinating and ambiguous position within the Tufa hierarchy. As in the previous novels, the outsider is also a strong voice; it adds to the atmosphere to how the Tufa through eyes that do not at first understand what they are. It was also good to see Bliss get a bit of happiness – she’s been rather dumped on by circumstance in the last four books.

But of course, the lynchpin of the story, the binding thread of all the novels, is the music of the Tufa. The scenes that describe the sheer enchantment of their playing is haunting (sometimes literally), and the evocative and again literal re-creation of an old folk ballad is chilling and beautiful at the same time.

Some loose threads are intentionally not wrapped up: though the explanation of the giant hog is found, the question of how it became so deadly is ambiguous, and one crucial question is left open: Is Rockhouse Hicks truly gone? I presume these questions will be answered in further Tufa novels (there had better be more!) There are certainly enough questions for more stories, together with whatever other new stories the author has for the reader.

Basically, this story was spellbinding, and may be my favorite Tufa novel yet.


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Gather Her Round A Novel of the Tufa Tufa Novels Alex Bledsoe Books Reviews

I've thoroughly enjoyed the Tufa series, and this installment is no exception. I enjoy the mixture of contemporary realistic fiction with supernatural elements. I like how each book stands alone, yet an overall story arc is being developed. The characters are interesting and complex, and the storylines keep me interested and regularly surprise me. Although the story can be quite dark and creepy, Bledsoe's charming sense of humor shines through and keeps the tone from getting too morose. I highly recommend both this novel and the series.
I love Alex Bledsoe's Tufa novels, and this one was no exception. Although his books fall into the "fantasy" category, the characters and their lives are so lovingly crafted that one easily "suspends disbelief" while reading them. I feel as if I actually know these characters, as if I could journey to the Appalachian mountains and visit them---and I'd certainly love to! The plot of 'Gather Her Round' is in some ways more grounded in mundane reality than his other Tufa novels are, but it is no less imaginative and engrossing than the others. This book definitely gets five big stars from me!
A strong offering. Alex's key strength is his ability to write about the South without lapsing into parody. He catches the flavor of a small town in Appalachia without needing to wave it around like a flag.

The community aspect of the Tufa books, both in terms of the Tufa themselves and the aspect of the logistics of their operating with the rest of the world, has always been entertaining to me. Alex performs a neat trick across the whole series, revealing a little more at a time about this world without wandering into a Tolkien need to start throwing names and histories. Each time, he reveals enough to satisfy temporarily, while raising more questions with thought...

And about that this book hints more and more at the forces operating beyond the powers that be within the Tufa community, and the Night Winds have been particularly active of late. And while the community itself has seen many of these changes come to light, it makes me think (hope?) that we're building to something.

I tend to keep a lot of stuff that tends to wander in from the fantasy or urban fantasy or SF umbrella at arm's reach these days. Too many writers are so concerned about world building that they sacrifice characterization or interesting plot. The Tufa series doesn't do that, and I appreciate that.

As for the story itself, I was glad to follow Mandalay Harris and Janet (through whom the story is framed) in their travels through the community. Likewise, the action hinges upon the actions of Duncan, another Tufa. It is easy to go back to the "fish out of water" well when describing the community in a story like this. I enjoyed seeing the Tufa from within this time, especially when you see the weights that the young people carry in the insular community, whether it's community head Mandalay, or the somewhat directionless youth Duncan.

I mentioned that it is Duncan's story around whom the story hinges. It is his tragedy that we feel. It is his mistakes that we shake our head at. He is rendered with affection, though, by Bledsoe, and not condemnation. We have all been young and dumb. We have all made mistakes, many of which might paint our lives forever. In Duncan, I found myself with some odd empathy.

I recommend the Tufa series on the whole, and this one in particular. As I stated, Alex's strengths lie in his portrayal of the south, and his storytelling chops wander in from a similar direction from Flannery O'Connor or, more recently, a Daniel Woodrell or even a Rick Bragg....these are people dealing with a tough world with a dignity that comes from within and is unfazed by the outside world, though it may even wander into the grotesque to the outsider.

And a last note, toward that grotesque, it is with a dark humor that Bledsoe adds elements of the grotesque into his stories. The monster of the story, at least initially, is a man-eating wild pig. Having been regaled by those scared out of their wits by feral pigs half the size of Piggly Wiggly, I can appreciate the epic aspect of such a beast when telling a porky like Gather Her Round.

A fine, fun read. Highly recommend.
I am always struck dumb after reading one of the Tufa novels. There is absolutely nothing my poor voice could say that could explain them or explain how they strike a certain chord in the heart that makes you want them to be true. In fact, a part of me always believes that somehow, somewhere, they really are true, and that Cloud County exists on some plane or other. They ring so true in the heart I think because his voice is so similar to the Appalachian stories and songs I grew up hearing, and he gives it all that slight magical twist that marks the work of the gifted writer. In the end, he has written a song, and Alex Bledsoe's songs of the Tufa couldn't be better.
Alex Bledsoe’s fifth installment in the Tufa series is at least as good as any of the others, if not better. It is set within a frame story one of the Tufa is telling the story at a festival some time in the future (a setting which brings up another possible story). It is not, however, told in first person as in “Chapel of Ease”, probably in order to facilitate the same multiple perspectives of the other Tufa novels. Deliberately evoking (both implicitly and explicitly) an Appalachian murder ballad, the plot is nonetheless not nearly so simple as a straightforward murder tale. Instead, it is a story of loss, conflicting loyalties, guilt, and revenge. In other words, it is a common story in the lives of the Tufa.

A love triangle, a giant feral hog, and two deaths begin this story, and the tension continues throughout the novel. The tale mainly centers on Duncan, whose girlfriend’s death starts a chain of circumstances that will end in more tragedy. Ultimately, it is up to Mandalay Harris, the thirteen-year-old leader of half the Tufa, to uncover the truth and to bring about justice. Familiar characters such as Bliss, Bronwyn, and Junior appear, as well as new characters, including outsider Jack, the hunter of leader of a task force to hunt feral hogs, Popcorn, a Tufa banjo maker of legendary prowess, and Janet, a minor character within the narrative, but the actual focal character of the frame story.

Though the story is far more about Duncan than Mandalay, I relished each scene with her – she is easily my favorite character in the stories because of her fascinating and ambiguous position within the Tufa hierarchy. As in the previous novels, the outsider is also a strong voice; it adds to the atmosphere to how the Tufa through eyes that do not at first understand what they are. It was also good to see Bliss get a bit of happiness – she’s been rather dumped on by circumstance in the last four books.

But of course, the lynchpin of the story, the binding thread of all the novels, is the music of the Tufa. The scenes that describe the sheer enchantment of their playing is haunting (sometimes literally), and the evocative and again literal re-creation of an old folk ballad is chilling and beautiful at the same time.

Some loose threads are intentionally not wrapped up though the explanation of the giant hog is found, the question of how it became so deadly is ambiguous, and one crucial question is left open Is Rockhouse Hicks truly gone? I presume these questions will be answered in further Tufa novels (there had better be more!) There are certainly enough questions for more stories, together with whatever other new stories the author has for the reader.

Basically, this story was spellbinding, and may be my favorite Tufa novel yet.