Opal: A Kentucky Woman
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Pub Date 15 Sep 2026 | Archive Date 14 Oct 2026
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Description
A life stretched across time, place, and the enduring power of memory.
From the hills of Kentucky to the cities of the Eastern United States, Opal Beauleigh Ferguson navigates a life of change, loss, and quiet persistence. Raised on Sarvis Creek, she carries the rhythms of her childhood even as her family moves from town to town, never quite settling, never quite forgetting.
Married at fifteen to Wendell Ferguson, Opal confronts the trials of early adulthood—poverty, illness, and family upheaval—while nurturing a hidden talent for art that becomes her lifeline. Through intimate sketches of her family at the oak table, the ethereally white sarvis blooms of her hills, and the fiery red-and-orange Pegasus of childhood adventure, she preserves the magic and resilience of her past.
Opal: A Kentucky Woman is a multi-generational exploration of family, creativity, and the enduring ties that root us to home.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
"Lengthy sentences fill the pages with vibrant descriptions of the beautiful Kentucky landscape and vivid depictions of the struggles and dangers of life in a coal-mining town. [...] An evocative story with an in-depth primary character portrayal that requires a patient read." — Kirkus Reviews
"Jo Ann Kiser’s Opal is an Appalachian literary family saga that makes domestic life feel wonderfully eventful, with a warmth that comes from how closely Kiser understands the people in it." — Readers' Favorite
"A portrait of midcentury American hopes, homelives, and heartbreaks, Opal: A Kentucky Woman speaks to a larger time and place. Through the eyes of one highly relatable woman, the reader sees what it takes to embrace, transmutate, and chase after your dreams. They see the beauty in allowing that pursuit to last a lifetime. They see all the different forms determination can take. And they see the joy in pulling one’s story out of one’s history." — Independent Book Review
"Jo Ann Kiser's Opal: A Kentucky Woman, is a lively heartwarming tale of grit and nostalgia, tracing Opal's journey from the Kentucky hills to the bustling cityscape. With a narrative filled with early marriage and secret artistic dreams, it celebrates the unbreakable bonds of family and creativity. Kiser's writing crackles with energy and vivid imagery, making every page a delightful dive into life's boundless complexities. A powerful tribute to the enduring ties that bind us to our origins!" — Sonja Koch, author of Bookends of Life
"Kiser’s Opal is a spirited woman, who, from a very young age, dreams of a bigger life than 1930’s rural Kentucky can offer. Can she have it all? Marriage, motherhood, a career as an artist? Through stories of multi-generational women, Opal shows us what is possible. Follow her amazing life, set against the natural visceral beauty of Kentucky and the swamps of Florida." — Betty R. Wall, author of No Way Out and All That This House Has To Offer
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Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9798901743928 |
| PRICE | $18.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 324 |