Description

In this spellbinding debut, Velva Jean Hart finds true love-and then risks everything to follow her dreams

Set in Appalachia in the years before World War II, Velva Jean Learns to Drive is a poignant story of a spirited young girl growing up in the gold- mining and moonshining South.

Before she dies, Velva Jean's mother urges her to "live out there in the great wide world". Velva Jean dreams of becoming a big-time singer in Nashville until she falls in love with Harley Bright, a handsome juvenile delinquent turned revival preacher. As their tumultuous love story unfolds, Velva Jean must choose between keeping her hard-won home and pursuing her dream of singing in the Grand Ole Opry.

About the Author

Jennifer Niven's first book, The Ice Master was named one of the top ten nonfiction books of the year by Entertainment Weekly. Her second book, Ada Blackjack, was a Book Sense Top Ten Pick.

Praise for Velva Jean Learns to Drive…

"Niven creates a world long gone, a mountain past where people suffer failure, loss, and betrayal, as well as the strength and joy of connection and deep love. Velva Jean Learns to Drive takes us far into this soaring, emotional country, the place where our best music comes from."
-Robert Morgan, author of Gap Creek

"Velva Jean learns to . . . not only drive, but to soar. This beautifully written coming- of-age story captivated me, and I recommend it to anyone who has ever longed to 'live out there.'"
-Ann B. Ross, author of the bestselling Miss Julia novels

"It's a touching read, funny and wise, like a crazy blend of Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, a less morose Flannery O'Connor and maybe a shot of Hank Williams."
-Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"Jennifer Niven brings pre-World War II Appalachia to life in her spirited new novel..."
-The Costco Connection

"Velva Jean...feels very much like a homecoming."
-Star-News

"...it is not hard to enjoy the romance of images like the one that opens the book: a little girl, pondering questions of salvation, tucked up in bed under the tin roof of a narrow house, with the 'high, lonesome cry' of a panther in the background."
-Christian Science Monitor