Iris Underwood

Author of Matewan Garden Club and other works of fiction, memoir, and poetry.

From Belle Isle Books . . .

we are never alone

Eighteen-year-old Henry Blankenship dreams of building a house for his childhood sweetheart, Annie Dill, and his mother, Gertie, known by their hill folk as the “woman with a shovel.” Annie dreams of six children and a room of her own to pen the unsung legacies of Appalachian women—yet, Annie’s mother, Margaret Dill, President of Matewan Garden Club, has other grand plans for her only child. Unwittingly, Russian refugees Natalia Semenov and her son Olaf, Henry’s employers at Hunt’s Feed & Seed, come to Henry and Annie’s rescue.

Matewan Garden Club spans three generations and a multitude of dreams amongst the tight-knit West Virginia immigrant coal camps and towns along Tug Fork: Matewan, Williamson, Blackberry City, Red Jacket, Thacker Holler, and countless hollers in between. Like Tug River’s many tributaries, these communities converge in Matewan to build enduring love amid the business of native flora and fauna—seedlings that bloom in the hard times of the Bolshevik Revolution, impoverished post–WWI Europe, Depression-era America, and beyond.

Praise for Matewan Garden Club

Connections in a small town and the challenges immigrants face in order to find a new “home” in America are the main themes in Iris’s book.  Not only could I almost smell the mountain air and the floral scents of all the flowers being planted, but I also learned about flowers and planting.
 
The book holds happy moments and sad times.  Most importantly it conveys that people who work together can accomplish anything.  Iris vividly describes the simple lives of her characters in Matewan along with their struggles to survive.  
 
Gertie Blackenship and Olaf were two of my favorite characters.  They were both hard workers and visionaries for the Matewan Garden Club.  You will not be disappointed reading this heart-warming novel of kinship and love of nature.
Marilyn Haley, Lake Doster Book Club Reader, Michigan
 

The novel, "Matewan Garden Club" captivated me with its vivid portrayal of life in a small Appalachian town, as experienced through the perspectives of five central characters. The narrative masterfully intertwines the tales of Russian immigrants fleeing the tumult of the Bolshevik Revolution with the lives of the townspeople in Matewan, creating a poignant tapestry of human experience.

A touching theme that runs throughout this wonderful novel is the impact each of us has on each other's destinies. When we do something positive to help someone else it can have a life-changing effect on them as well as ourselves - just as God intended. 
Rob Redmer, Oakland Township, Michigan

Matewan Garden Club caught hold of my interest and attention as I discovered it immediately went deep into the art and science of horticulture. I was so impressed with the character Henry Blankenship and his own discovery of the science of gardening under his mentor Olaf Seminov.

The background stories of each of the main characters provided an interesting and curious history of their heritage along with their past struggles and present-day tragedies. The engaging personalities of the Seminovs along with the special attention the town folks reaching out to them makes the reader value the friendly character we often attribute to “southern hospitality”. I also appreciated the strong values of the characters that came directly from their environment and also their ancestors – traits of honesty, hard work, family, and God.

I liked the way Iris wove in the life and love of the small-town residents. This little “bubble” of life demonstrates to the reader the freedom and wonderment which a small town can sometime provide. Iris shows how simple living can be fulfilling, adventurous, and satisfying. The author makes the characters come alive with the charm of “ordinary days” that makes everyday life so important and fulfilling. The women are strong and courageous and the men lead the family with their own strength, all of this is mixed with the sensitivity we would expect from our Heavenly Father.
Eldon Abraham, Saline, Michigan

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"Iris Underwood takes readers on a journey through life in the Appalachians. It’s as if you are sitting on the porch with them, listening to their stories, and sharing their struggles. A must read."
Randy Jorgensen, Page One Corp., Imlay City, Michigan

"A wonderfully written story of vivid, endearing characters who depict life in the early 1900s within a small West Virginia coal-mining town—an unforgettable picture of immigrants and refugees building lifelong friendships by trials and triumphs, a brighter future for generations to come."
Kathi Taylor-Sherrill, Director, Matewan, West Virginia, Public Library
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The action in “The Matewan Garden Cub” takes place along the famous Tug River that flows between West Virginia and Kentucky, lands formerly filled with mine wars, a feud between the Hatfields and McCoys and the now disappearing days of fossil fuels.
Charles Bourland, Savanah, Georgia

"In Matewan Garden Club, Iris Underwood takes the reader on a meandering journey through some of the most complex and beautiful landscape in the Eastern United States. Built around the central thread of horticulture, the metanarrative is one of growth in, through, and in spite of all of the challenges thrown into the lives of her central characters. It is imaginative, poetic, and symbolic while still being as true to the story as any book dares to get."
Burton Webb, President, University of Pikeville, Kentucky

Matewan Garden Club presents a gritty and organic representation of life in Appalachia.  Strong values of faith, perseverance, love, generosity and hard work weave a tapestry upon which characters so real, so believable, live their lives.  Spanning historic events from the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia to the post World War II era, these friends and neighbors sustain one another, love one another and teach one another through the triumphs and tragedies of their interwoven existence.  Strong men and women, each character finds a purpose and a place in their community of Matewan (a real town in West Virginia).   None of the main characters waivers from rising to the best they can be, and all find their strength in God.  This book is so beautifully written, so genuine about the soul of Appalachia, that the reader becomes part of the fiber of the story. 
Marilyn Buchman, Dryden, MI

I loved the book, Matewan Garden Club!  The characters become family; people I get to know intimately as they weave themselves into their own family unit. The love of flowers and plants is the common interest that brings them together but the love for each other and the family they create is the strongest love of all. 
The way the story is written, the reader gets to know each main character in depth, including their history. I especially loved learning the Russian history of Olaf and Natalia but my favorite character was Henry. He overcame much hardship and with Olaf’s mentoring, became a wonderful friend, husband and father. 
I finished the last page, sad to say good-bye to my new friends but with joy that I got to know them. 
 Anne Roszczewski, Dryden, MI