Butterfly Weed

Whimsical in a way and delightfully satisfying with almost unrealistic but so seemingly completely genuine characters is the story of a time in the old Ozarks of Arkansas. Butterfly Weed by Donald Harrington drew me into the minds of a magnificently smart and honestly kind doctor and an innocent, wonderful little girl named Tennessee.

Doc Swain has been tought all there is to know of medicine and the cure to every existing disease with the exception of tuberculosis. Though lacking any kind of degree, he moves into Stay More and opens his practice, which receives many patients more than the practice of the doctor who resides across the street from him. The people of Stay More do not take long to see how great a doctor Doc Swain is, as he does not fail a single patient. But the Doc faces quite a problem when he begins treating people in his dreams for free. He no longer receives payments and ends up taking a job teaching. This is where he meets Tenny, the prettiest girl he'd ever seen.

The love between Tenny and Doc grows and their story is inspiring, saddening, hilarious, tragic and very happy. All of these emotions were scattered throught the book, which never misses a note or fails to satisfy any of the reader's desire for details.

Harrington's writing is a joy to read because of the uniqueness. The dialogue is incredibly perfect, just the way you would imagine the old Arkansans to have spoken. The things they say are greatly humorous and make the book so entertaining. I loved everything about the characters, especially the things they said.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading. The characters, dialogue, plot twists and turns, the humor and the tragedy are all perfect.

307 pages.