Five Oaks

Julie Hensley is an Appalachian writer, raised in the mountains of Virginia. She earned an MFA from Arizona State University and is the author of Viable, a collection of poetry, and Landfall: A Ring of Stories. Hensley’s poems and stories have also appeared in dozens of journals, including the Southern Review, Indiana Review, Crab Orchard Review, and Quarterly West. She is a core faculty member of the Bluegrass Writers Studio, the low-residency MFA program at Eastern Kentucky University. She lives in Kentucky with her family. For more information, visit www.juliehensleywriter.com.

“A deftly crafted combination of a coming-of-age novel and a family/sisterhood story, Five Oaks by novelist Julie Hensley is an inherently fascinating and original from start to finish. Emotionally engaging, exceptionally memorable, and unreservedly recommended…” —Midwest Book Review“Five Oaks is a gorgeous novel. Hensley’s lush imagery reveals her prowess as a poet, while the characters pull you close to them and hold on long after you’ve read the final page. This compelling novel beautifully illustrates how life is a series of beginnings and endings, and there is always a next chapter in our stories.” —Bobi Conn, author of In the Shadow of the Valley and Someplace Like Home“Without our knowledge, our ancestors’ stories take up residence inside us. Julie Hensley has written a multigenerational novel that reminds us of the secrets families often harbor and the consequences they produce. Part mystery and part family saga, Five Oaks is a gripping and beautiful book.” —Lee Martin, author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Bright Forever“In this novel, Julie Hensley reveals timelessness and womanhood in careful, gentle prose.” —Jennifer Spiegel, author of Kids Without Horses and Love Slave“Five Oaks is a stunningly beautiful novel. The story of each woman begins as a loose thread that Hensley deftly weaves into a generational tapestry. That tapestry, when seen as whole cloth, reveals a pattern that acknowledges secrets, even if they remain hidden, leave a legacy of their own.” —Sherry Robinson, author of Blessed and Shadows Hold Their Breath“A profound novel about sisters and mothers, elegantly narrated by Sylvie, who interrogates the multigenerational patterns that have shaped the women in her life and her own place and complicity within this emotional history. A beautifully designed and deeply engrossing novel, written with great mastery and wisdom.” —K. L. Cook, author of Marrying Kind and The Art of Disobedience