Title: The Little Giant of Aberdeen CountyAuthor: Tiffany Baker
Publisher: Hachette
ISBN, PUB Date: 978-0446194228, January 2010 (paperback)
Reviewed by: Cheryl McKeon for Author Exposure 8/10
You will never forget Truly Plaice, one of the biggest characters you’ll meet in popular fiction. As The Little Giant of Aberdeen County, in remote upstate New York, Truly had her townspeople’s attention even before she was born in 1952—and when her mother, huge in pregnancy, died in childbirth, Truly became a newborn outcast. Before you despair of reading a “depressing” novel, though, be aware: Truly is also clever, tenacious, and full of surprises. The book takes us well past her childhood and we learn just how smart Truly can be.
With a feel of folklore (the setting and plot twists would have seemed at home in Appalachia or the Smoky Mountains) and delightfully colorful imagery, the novel opens with a flashback to earlier Aberdeen County residents, and the legend that a witch, fleeing from Massachusetts, was an ancestor of the town’s several generations of doctors. Truly and her beautiful, beloved sister both get involved with the Morgan family, but it is Truly’s years of service to the irascible Dr. Morgan, and her interest in herbal medicine, that the plot turns upon. Mysteries and a surprise ending confirm what we came to know—Truly was born big, but she learned early on how to take care of herself with wit and grace. You’ll be cheering for her, but also questioning the motivations and actions of many of the unique characters of Aberdeen.
Members of my book club once asked me, “Why do we read so many books about war?” And they were right—often the most eagerly discussed titles were set in or predicated upon global strife. But, The Little Giant of Aberdeen County
illustrates that small towns can hold big dramas and families can display passions and conflicts as deep as any in a larger arena. This is a perfect book club novel—be sure to mark your favorite passages to read aloud!
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