Don't Forget Me, Little Bessie

A Novel

By: James Lee Burke

Narrated by: Amanda Stribling

Bestselling author James Lee Burke tells his most thrilling and insightful story yet through the eyes of fourteen-year-old Bessie Holland.

At the beginning of the 20th century, as America grapples with forces of human and natural violence more powerful than humanity has ever seen, Bessie Holland yearns for the love that she has never known. She finds a soulmate and mentor in a brilliant but tormented suffragette English teacher, who inspires Bessie to fight the forces of evil that permeate her world.

Watching the vast Texas countryside being destroyed by an oil company and a menacing figure with a violent past, Bessie is prepared to defend her home and her family. But when she accidentally kills an unarmed man to defend her father Hackberry, she must flee to New York. There, her older brother introduces her to boys who will grow into gangsters, but as children admire and respect Bessie’s spirit and fortitude as she is cast into a gangland that yearns for justice and mercy.

A welcome return to the beloved Holland series and populated with characters both radiant and despicable, Don't Forget Me, Little Bessie is an epic story of a remarkable young girl who fights against potentially overwhelming forces.

Critic reviews

"Amanda Stribling juggles a gentle-sounding Southern character, a dangerous redneck, and a Northern gangster in Book 5 of Burke’s Holland Family Series. At the turn of the 20th century, 14-year-old Bessie Holland faces a violent and racist world. She figured out her father was dating a madam and that the local sheriff was trying to run her teacher out of town for being gay—and worse, a suffragette. Burke describes the family’s oil business and its workers in a blunt realistic manner. Bessie fights the forces of evil and accidentally kills a man while defending her father. She flees her Texas home for New York City, where narrator Stribling has the opportunity to embody a myriad of stark and dangerous personas with assurance and empathy."

Epic story of an incredible woman, one of the best Burkes yet

The first third of this book is an absolute masterpiece. It is full of the kind of JLB language that is so staggeringly poetic, you have to rewind it a few times just to marvel at the way this man uses words. It tells the story of young Bessie, who we later learn is his own mother.

Mild spoilers:

We follow Bessie through her wild adventures, along for the ride with a young woman who radiates pure love and integity despite a scorching childhood where she is often forced to be the parent to her own father. We suffer with this sweet girl while she fights her own proclivity for darkness and a genetic predisposition to violence, allowing it to show through every now and again in the name of Justice, and standing up for what is right. Bessie does all this while balancing her innocence and love for animals and her family, and trying to see the good in most everyone.

If I had to sum up Bessie's credo, it would be Do No Harm But Take No Shit. She's just a cool character who's a modern woman in an archaic time, even though we meet her when she's barely 13. Even in her most childlike musings, you never get the impression that she's anything less than a fully capable, completely realized, grown adult.

As the book progresses, she experiences some of the worst things that men do to women, including sexual assault, both as a witness and later as a victim. She is, however, never a willing victim, and always a fighter. Despite how hard it is to hear about these things inflicted upon her, she always emerges as the better person who refuses to be defined by the evil actions of bad men. Later, when those same men try to destroy her family's oil Investments, she has to fight to save both her father and their family farm and animals. The plot is nerve-wracking; the execution of the story, writing at its finest.

The story of her life is always interesting and colorful, and I didn't want this book to end. Having listened to nearly all the books in the Holland family series, this rounds out the picture of an intense and powerful legacy.

I came to JLB as a fan of the Dave Robicheaux series, but the Holland series is outstanding and I've listened to all of the books more than once. This one brings all the best qualities of his simply unparalleled writing. and the narrator is excellent. Set against the backdrop of history at the turn of the century, it is striking how many things in the story reflect our present day. Fans of historical fiction will love this. Fans of JLB will hopefully feel like they just had an satisfying meal with dear old friends from his endless pantheon of excellent characters.

masterful coming of age tale

Hack Hollands daughter wonderful narration set in early Texas oil days. great story arc and conclusion

This confirms why I like James Lee Burke so much

This confirms why I like James Lee Burke so much. For me his literary talent is among the best through the ages. The story grows in several directions and keeps you engaged throughout. Amanda Stribling as narrator is terrific. Hated to hear it end, but you are glad you listened.

Captivating

The reading was as exceptional as the story. Could definitely not stop listening. Great listen.

It was so real and painful

I liked the fact that it talked about real things that happened and didn’t sugarcoat anything. The things I didn’t like were the realistic facts of how horrible people can be to each other, but that is real life, and this is a very realistic story that is deep with feelings and religion