Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

When a young black man and his dog are threatened by a white man (who turns out to be KKK leader), David finds himself a murderer in a town where being anything but white is a sin. “..and he knew then and there that the robe was not enchanted at all. It was merely cloth and thread, and all the hate and fear it carried came from the man inside.” Fearing going home and the repercussions to his family, David goes on the run, living in the land. He is filled with regret, confusion, and despair but never gives up on himself or his faith.
“I can’t carry this burden anymore. It’s too much for me. It’s too heavy and so big I can’t see the edges of it. So I’m gonna lay it down. Right here. Right now. Until you show me how to pick it up again.”

Really strong beginning of the book, that I really loved but the book fell flat after the second part of the book and I was disappointed. Felt disjointed with different characters and their stories from David and his story (the first part of the book). It does tie in nicely with the characters and story line at the end but lost me along the way, unfortunately.

This ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is an expectational novel. A young boy accidently kills a Klansmen, unbeknownst to him at the time. The child confesses his transgressions to his family-he can not live with the guilt. This type of story sticks with you and has you thinking about it long after the story is over. Just being in the wrong place at the wrong time changed this characters life forever.

I enjoyed reading this novel; however, it has an odd timeline/narrative. The main character changes his name and it was difficult to follow the story. The writing was good and a difficult period in the Southern part of the country was depicted well. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the Reconstruction time period.

Loved this novel. Very well developed story of a young Black man in the Jim Crow south who, due to a terrible twist of fortune, feels he must flee his loving family and all he has known to save his life and to keep his family safe. It is also the story of an intelligent, independent, and feisty woman making her way in the world despite the double deficits of being both female and Black. Both characters are well-developed and extremely likable and admirable and causing the reader to care about both of them and sooner or later will come to understand their connection to one another.

I absolutely loved the first part of this book. David is a great character and he really made to book easy to read. I made the mistake of reading reviews here and one was a huge spoiler, so that, as well as the book suddenly changing the focus to other characters, was a big disappointment. I thought the writing was really good so I kept reading. Of course, the characters all came together in the end (as the spoiler spoiled) and the story was great, spanning many years and characters.

Stork Bite
By L.K. Simonds

This is a story told over many years about life in the deep South. Its characters range from Gramps, a "Freedom War" veteran, all the way to great grandchildren who love Star Wars. But there are two main threads – Thomas (David) and Cargie's story and Mae's story which includes Buster, Jax and Hollister. While these threads have points of intersection, the differences in their lives are readily apparent. Thomas and Cargie are black; Mae and her beaux are white.

The author pulls us in with the story of David and the Klansman. But from there, the book meanders through various times, places and people, always keeping the reader wondering "…but what happened to…"
I admit that I was fearing as I got closer to the end that the author would have trouble tying everything up. Although large segments of the stories are not told, the author gives us enough information to bridge the gaps. Suffice it to say that I came away satisfied.

This is an interesting work--there's little drama or narrative tension, just the day-to-day lives of characters whose inner lives are shown in fleeting glimpses. I enjoyed reading it, and wanted to know what happens next after a young man kills a Klansman, what happens next when a bored young woman elopes, what happens next with a smart businesswoman. But while the author does tell us what happens next, there are very little hints as to why such things happen, and as readers we have to seek out hidden meanings and, sometimes, simply deal with not knowing why a character acts the way they do, makes the decisions they do. In this way it's an enigmatic novel, teasing and denying. The novel's description--that David Walker reappears and the past is never too far from the present--isn't what happens at all, save for a brief episode near the end of the novel; nonetheless, it's an interesting read, ideal for book clubs and close readings.

I had high hope for this book. I am from north Louisiana and went to university in Shreveport. The place setting in this book was well done. I knew where I was. I could feel the air, see the images.

The way the book started was very hard for me. I am not a fan of animal deaths. This one was within the very first few pages.

The character of David was well-drawn. I knew who he was. I empathized with him. The story of being black in Louisiana was very accurate.

HOWEVER, once David moved on from the farm, I completely lost track of who was whom. And, what is worse? I didn't really care to figure it out. I felt as if I had been reading a book of short stories that just tied in because they were in the same place. David's story just fell to the wayside.

I was quite disappointed. When all was revealed, I was simply relieved that I could mark it finished. Then remove it from my Kindle. This is not a book I would recommend because of the disjointed narrative.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for my honest review.

L.K. Simonds has written a truly beautiful book in Stork Bite. Spanning decades, her character development of David, Carrie and Mae shows remarkable talent.
A split second decision changes David’s life forever. Cargie is a smart young black woman determined to make it as an accountant in a white man’s world. Mae is a teenager very much unsure of what she wants out of her life.
As their entwined lives unfold we see courage, determination, the owning up to mistakes and forgiveness.
And love. So much love.

"Stork Bite" by L.K. Simonds is a truly wonderful novel that transports the reader to Louisiana during the reign of terror of the Klu Klux Klan, and then to the dangers and excitement of the Prohibition Era, and after. The characters are interesting and believable, and I found myself both cheering them on and cringing at their bad decisions.

The story opens with a murder and the murderer's decision to run away from home in order to protect his family. The book then moves on to the stories of Cargie and Mae, two very different women living very different lives. I was at first unsure of how the two different storylines connected, but the author wrapped it all up so beautifully in the end,

This is not a light read. The characters' trials and triumphs will elate you, break your heart, and make you angry. The author does not hold back when dealing with the racism and sexism that were a large part of this country's past, and indeed, are still major influencers of its present.

"Stork Bite" is historical fiction at its best! Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the privilege of reading a digital copy of this fabulous book in exchange for my honest review.

Stork Bite was such a pleasure to read, and the story reminded me that we all make life decisions that influence the directions our lives will take, for the good or the not-so-good.

I’ve got to say, I had a special fondness for David Walker above the rest of the characters. Not that I disliked any of the others. They all have their own unique charms, but maybe he was so special because he was the first person I met in the story. Then there’s that wonderful bond he has with his dog. I can relate to that kind of bond. I’d go all tiger-mom at anyone who threatened my kids or my dog.

The final endearment David had for me is the fact that he wasn’t not so much at the mercy of his decisions but the decisions of others.

I’d forgotten how terrible it was for Black folks following the Civil War, and in a way I hated this reminder. It was a real punch in the gut to know that David could’ve easily been killed by that fake lawman in the opening of the story, and other white people would’ve congratulated the killer, while David’s family mourned.

Couched within this story are lessons about social justice, social mores, and the ways people distort them for their own gain.

It is also a story about the folks who struggle against expectations of the time. Mae and Cargie were good examples of that. Through sheer determination, and the support of a loving, understanding husband, Cargie was able to follow her dream of using her skills with math to work as a bookkeeper. It wasn’t so easy for Mae. She had to fight a little harder to break from having a life just like her mother’s in a small Texas town and do something different.

In addition to the wonderful characters, I really enjoyed these clever turns of phrase and some tidbits of wisdom:

This one from Cargie, “If you don’t want somebody to get your goat, don’t let them know where it’s tied.”

Description of an angry outburst. “Screaming bloody murder and cursing John Murphy in language so colorful it was nearly art.”

Another bit of wisdom from Cargie that people could take to heart today if they cared to. “A body had to remember to take people as they came, individually, instead of lumping them all together in a bunchy.”

There is so much to enjoy about this novel, as well as to learn from, that I highly recommend the read.

Parts of this book were interesting but it was really hard to follow. There were a number of chapters about a particular set of characters that seemed to drag on and on and just when you think you will find out how they are going to end up, it abruptly jumps to a whole different set of characters who are totally unrelated to the previous set of characters. I assume eventually the characters all converge but frankly the book was so long and just keep dragging along that I ended up giving up and not finishing the book.

This historical novel details the lives of several individuals living in the South. In 1913, a 17 year old black man has gone to hunt with his dog. A Klansman confronts him and kills his dog, David accidently kills the man and covers up the crime. In 1913., the law in Louisiana would not believe that the killing of the white man was an accident. He wants to protect his family so he never returns home. Dav[d grows up that day as he leaves all that he knows and heads out of town.

He eventually comes across a very poor, uneducated farm family. and offers to help them on their farm. This family doesn't have money to pay hired help so he works for them in return for room and board. He becomes very close to this family and they become like a family to them. He realizes that none of them know how to read so he teaches the young children to read. Eventually he feels safe enough to leave and moves to work at a college where he meets his future wife.

David changes his name to Tom at the time that he meets his wife Cargie. Cargie is a very determined young black woman that obtains a job as a bookkeeper for a white owned dry cleaner in Shreveport. In 1927, it was rare for a white to hire a black woman for that type of position but the owner is a good man, He and Cargie develop a great working relationship and friendship over the years. The owners niece Mae, begins working at the business. The novel explores the lives of Cargie and her man Tom as well as Mae and her various white boyfriends. It is an interesting novel.

This was very good historical fiction. I loved the plot, the characters, and the setting. The authors writing is very atmospheric and I felt transported to the scenes of this story.
Many thanks to the author and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you are looking for a coming of age and survival story of one young man, David this is for you. Spanning from 1930's to 2010's, this author's second novel is wonderfully written. From the beginning, this story grabs you and you want to keep reading to find out how David survives an accidental killing of a white KKK man. The main characters are developed against a rich background of the historical times in which this takes place.
The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars as in the 2nd part of the book I lost the thread of David as the book turned more into his family, namely his daughter.
I was given an advanced copy of the book in return for my review from Netgalley.

An interesting novel covering a man’s life from when he accidentally killed a Klu Klux man and ran away from home to his death as an old man. Along the way he lives with a poor black farmer’s family, changes his name, finds work at a library,,changes his name again, marries Cargie a very smart student at the college and has children. This is the story of one black family and how they survived Jim Crow, WW2, the Civil Rights movement and prospered.. there is also the story of Mae who wanted nothing more than to attend college. She leaves her fiancé back home and meets a young man who can give her the life she always wanted. But things are not as they seem. This book covers a century so there are many losses, tribulations, survival stories, racism, remorse, regrets and consequences . Two of the story lines Mae and Jax, two white folks, did not seem to relate to the story of David (Thomas) and Cargie and could, I think, have been a separate novel. The characters are well developed and interesting. This was an emotional novel and accurately describes the various time frames over the century.. I’d give it 5 stars except for the story of Mae and Jax and how it didn’t seem to relate to the bigger story of David.

Stork Bite follows David Walker as tragedy unfolds when the young boy leaves his home one morning to come face to face with a Ku Klux Klansman. David runs for his life, and what a life it is! I was so involved in David’s life that about 1/3 way through the abrupt change in storyline left me floundering for a bit. I kept waiting for David to make his entrance again. Looking back it makes perfect sense, and I am so happy I waited for it to circle back so I could know more. I received an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own. 4.5 stars

I am so sorry it took me so long to read this book. I read it in one sitting. Best book I’ve read in a long time. The characters are all wonderful and what a story! Love a story that makes me cry. Can’t wait to read more by LK Simonds.

This book wasn't for me. While the writing style and the plot were both very good, it just didn't hold my interest.

"A body had to remember to take people as they came, individually, instead of lumping them all together in a bunch."

Stork Bite by L.K. Simonds teems with life and death; choices and consequences; guilt and mercy. In 1913 in Louisiana, seventeen-year-old David Walker accidentally killed a white man, a Klansman at that, and had to make a choice: go home to his family and confess his crime or stay away and stew forever in remorse and regret. This story spans from 1913 to 2012 and is told in hauntingly georgous prose.

Many lives move forward and intertwine across Stork Bite, and discovering the connections across the pages is as entertaining as it is heartbreaking. Through war, prohibition, bootlegging, marriage, and living life to the fullest before crashing into mortality, Stork Bite leaves no emotional stone unturned. Giving out too many details and throwing down spoilers would be so easy and a shame because the threads securing the characters and plot lines together must be revealed slowly and experienced and savored. While racism is a looming antagonist throughout, it does not completely define the overall story. Instead, Stork Bite is defined by love, hope, success, and forgiveness across that chasm between black and white and even across that great divide between men and women.

Characterization, relationships, and outstanding description are the driving forces of Stork Bite, and L.K. Simonds knows how to mine the deepest sentiments and thoughts and then breathe life into each character, one by one. The story builds in due time, and the characters often meld together or brush against one another through the years, bobbing and sometimes sinking in the wake of their choices and the general snares of living.

Stork Bite is a literary treasure that awaits any reader ready to plunge into the mystique of Louisiana throughout the twentieth century and settle deep into the ordinary yet precious lives of unforgettable characters that will nibble at the edges of conscious thought long after the story has finished. The ending will break your heart yet give you hope that love will always triumph and soar higher than anything else on earth and in heaven.