Under the Magnolias: A Southern Coming of Age Novel Set in the 1980's

OVERALL STAR RATING: 5/5CLEAN RATING: 5/5I am almost too speechless to sit and write a review for this one. I was in the mood for a slower paced read and I was pretty sure this one would fit the bill. This story just builds and builds. With each chapter you find yourself getting connected even deeper to the characters. It’s heart wrenching, raw and you’re very likely to shed some tears. It will rip your heart out, but then mend it back together with such beautiful threads of hope and faith.This Southern coming of age novel takes place in South Carolina in the 1980’s. Austin is one of seven children and when her mom dies giving birth to twins, she’s forced to fall into the role of caring for all her siblings – and her father. Her father, Dave Foster, is the pastor of their little church in town. The death of his wife causes him to shut down and fight a battle with his mental health. Austin and her siblings do everything in their power to keep secret the darkness of their family’s struggles.Townsfolk help when and where they can, but they are unaware of the true severity of the situation. Vance Cumberland is the mayor’s son – although he runs with the popular and wealthy crowd, his heart sees something special in Austin. They form a friendship and love for one another, but not without quite a few challenges along the way.This story is going to change you. I think fans of When the Crawdads Sing will love this one as well. The entire book is great, but I’m telling you that when you hit around 75%, just make sure you have no further plans for the day because you are NOT going to be able to put it down. This was my first time reading anything from T.I. Lowe and I really look forward to discovering more of her work.Includes sensitive topics of death, mental illness, and suicide.

I bawled like a baby reading this book. Hit so close to home on so many things for me personally. I read it in one day, basically one sitting!!!! It was a great book!!!

Easy read, the ending was a bit much for me. Unrealistically happy ending

Under the Magnolias is in the world at the exact time it is needed.Austin Foster loses her mama and steps into a motherly role she had no business taking on at only 13 years old and for 6 siblings no less. She struggles to hold it altogether while navigating teenage love and all of the changes that happen for her family.Her Pa is struggling quietly with the death of his wife…until he isn’t so quiet about it. Pa is probably one of my favorite characters. He is almost as eccentric as some of his church congregation members and that’s saying something!My favorite part was when Pa had a Native American couple staying on their land and the KKK stuck a cross in their yard and set it aflame. Pa just rushed out with a bag of marshmallows and skewers and started singing! His love for the outcasts of this small community was always shining through. It was a tangible love in action.Lowe’s ability to intermingle deep rooted sadness in the midst of a life that keeps moving forward is beautifully raw. She shows how pain and joy can exist together and isn’t that what being human is about?Her quirky characters had me laughing out loud so many times. Especially Morty the mortician. I have retold a specific scene that he stars in to anyone who will listen 😆T.I. Lowe, this is a masterpiece that hit me square in the soul. Thank you for your a honest way of depicting a heart wrenching story with the strongest threads of hope.

I highly recommend this beautifully written, unpredictable novel of a dysfunctional family, heartbreak, love, and subsequent healing! T.I. Lowe surely knocked this one out of the ballpark and I found it nigh unto impossible to put down!

this is the book for you. At 13, her mother dies in childbirth, and she is charged with raising 6 younger siblings including two twin infants. Her father, a tobacco farmer and small-time preacher, falls deeper and deeper into mental illness and at one point in a rage destroys much of the tobacco crop that is the family's source of income. As Austin comes of age, she resists the usual teenage temptations, including early marriage to her well-to-do off again on-again boyfriend. Protecting her siblings who depend on her remains her life's mission. Add to this the family's circle of friends that include a reclusive Holocaust survivor and several town eccentrics and outcasts. All of this sounds a bit far-fetched, even corny, but it works. Here is the feel-good story of a much-challenged teenage girl who is a genuine hero.

Please don't get me wrong. I read Lulu's Cafe and immediately ordered all of this authors works. I have loved them all but just could NOT get into this book. Was it because it was written in the past? I dunno. I just had a hard time connecting with the characters. I love the fact the author focuses on the trauma that people go thru in life on a daily basis. Again, one of the reasons that I love LuLu but this one I struggled with. The heroine seemed pretty set in stone... not leaving the life I've been dealt with. The hero just didn't seem to capture me. Not giving up on this author but not my favorite book she's come up with, which is disappointing!! I love her!

The storyline had me depressed from the minute I started reading. Austin, even though encountering extreme hardship, proved staunch. A southern tale of life on a tobacco farm with unusual and continuous challenges. I tip my hat to the author for breathing life into it. However, I did find it at times, a little too descriptive for me.

This story of a family’s descent in to the chaos of mental illness and their journey out of it to hope a peace is inspiring. It’s real and gritty but hopeful and touching. Thanks T I Lowe.I’m an avid fan of your writing :-)

Wow, this book was well paced and vividly and well written. It was if I were in the main character's shoes and as if I was actually at the scene.This is now weeks after having read the book and still I feel sorry the book ended. I want more of this!It was the first book I read by this author.