Todd is a southern novel about family love, faith and endurance. In 1943, ten year old Todd Jansan lives with his family on a North Carolina tobacco farm. The Jansan’s neighbor, Horace Hammond is a cruel man who punishes his children by holding them over a well. The Jansans have to deal with his cruelty and with the mystery surrounding Todd’s uncle who is off at war.

Like some readers before me, I was a bit concerned about the cruelty and abuse mentioned in the book’s blurb; however, my concern was unfounded since Ulmer did not discuss the subject in graphic detail.

In a world filled with gizmos and gadgets to help streamline life, it was a joy to read a heartfelt story that took me back to a time before life became a frenzied, frantic rat-race. The picturesque setting is the perfect backdrop to refreshingly unidealized characters who were so artfully crafted that I sometimes forgot they were fictitious.

The plot itself is brilliant and the dialogue is eloquent! Readers get a glimpse of life on a tobacco farm in North Carolina, as well as internal and external strife, through the eyes of a realistically observant ten-year-old narrator who idolizes an uncle who has served his country. The dialogue makes the characters endearing and imbues the plot with simple Southern flair.

Todd is an enjoyable, cozy read that has a profound and timeless quality to it. I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy historical and Southern fiction!

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