Tag Archives: The South

The Queen of Palmyra by Minrose Gwin

Posted on May 3, 2010 | 9 Comments

The Queen of Palmyra by Minrose Gwin (Harper Perennial, April 27, 2010), 426 pages

Summary
In 1963, Florence Irene Forrest (That’s with two Rs, make a note.) lives in segregated Millwood, Mississippi. Her father can’t seem to stick to any job, until he begins selling burial insurance. Her mother sneaks trips to the local bootlegger while making ends meet by baking cakes. Florence spends most of her time with her grandparents’ longtime maid, Zenie.

Thoughts
The Queen of Palmyra is a well-written, compelling story. (I can’t really say it’s great or I loved it because of the story it tells.) The content of the story made me queasy at times, and I had to put it down and walk away for awhile. It’s also terribly sad. I guess you don’t pick up a novel like this one to be uplifted, but still.

Part of my struggle, I think, is that Gwin reveals much to the reader that Florence doesn’t comprehend. Somehow this makes the dread of the inevitable ends that much stronger. It also seemed vaguely creepy at points.

On a lighter note, I did love all the talk of diagramming sentences!

I’m drawn to Southern stories of this time period. This debut novel is an excellent, worthy addition to this category of books, but it’s not my favorite book of its type.

About the author
Minrose Gwin is the author of the 2004 memoir Wishing for Snow. She teaches contemporary fiction at UNC-Chapel Hill. She’s working on a book about Mississippi civil rights activist Medgar Evers.

Other reviews
Book, Line and Sinker
Book Chatter
The Girl from the Ghetto

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I received this book from the publisher. I am an Amazon Associate and receive a small commission on sales through my affiliate links.

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Posted in books, fiction, historical, review, review copy

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The Sweet By and By by Todd Johnson

Posted on April 22, 2010 | 6 Comments

The Sweet By and By by Todd Johnson (William Morrow, 2009; Harper Paperbacks edition released March 30, 2010), 320 pages

Summary
Bernice and Margaret are in a nursing home, in eastern North Carolina. They both feel alone, until each discovers the other, right across the hall. Margaret usually makes a pest of herself to the staff; only LPN Lorraine can really communicate with her. Rhonda starts doing hair at the home on her day off from the salon so she can attain her dream of opening her own shop. Oh, and then there’s April, Lorraine’s daughter. She’s going to med school, to be a doctor.

Thoughts
The Sweet By and By wasn’t what I expected. I thought it was going to be about a group of friends who’d known each other for a long time and were now experiencing aging (and the nursing home) together. Instead, they meet at the nursing home, when (some of them, at least) are already old. And rather than being a Southern novel or a book about the South, this book struck me as simply a book set in the South. Sure, the characters speak in a bit of a drawl, and they eat fried food. But that was most of the South’s presence, it seemed. Yes, civil rights stuff (some of the characters are black, some are white) was mentioned a time or two. But it was mostly just in passing. I don’t know where I got these notions, though, so I guess that’s beside the point.

This is a book about aging and dying, about the aches and pains that come along with that — although it’s not graphic at all — and growing old gracefully. It’s also a picture of friendship across the years.

It’s certainly not plot-driven. I frequently enjoy character-driven novels, but this one didn’t do it for me.

I don’t always have to connect with a book’s protagonist to enjoy it. But with four (or five, depending on who you ask) main characters (chapters alternate between them), I felt like it was a problem that I couldn’t really relate to any of them. Sure, bits and pieces of different stories resonated, but there was at least one major aspect of each character that made me pull away.

Still, it is a sweet, touching story.

About the author
Todd Johnson received a Tony Award nomination as producer of The Color Purple on Broadway after a career as a teacher and studio singer. This is his debut novel. Johnson’s blog: blog.toddjohnsonbooks.com.

He will be on Blog Talk Radio with Book Club Girl on April 26, 2010 at 4 p.m. Eastern.

Check out the rest of the TLC Book Tour stops for The Sweet By and By by Todd Johnson.

Other reviews (seems most people enjoyed it quite a bit more than I did):
BookNAround
Dreadlock Girl
Book Addiction
Booking Mama

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I received this book from the publisher, as part of the TLC book tour.

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Posted in blog tour, books, fiction, review, review copy, TLC book tour

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The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Posted on February 18, 2010 | 16 Comments

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn Books, a Putnam imprint, 2009), 464 pages

Summary
Through the alternating viewpoints of Skeeter, a recent college graduate who’s back at home and struggling to find her place; Aibileen, who works as house help for Skeeter’s friend Elizabeth; and Aibileen’s sass-mouthed friend Minny (also a maid), we get a picture of Jackson, Mississippi, 1962-1964. Set against the backdrop of the civil rights movement as it’s taught in schools — Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, sit-ins at the Woolworth’s lunch counter — The Help paints the situation from a different perspective.

Thoughts
Like The Book Thief, this is one I’ve known I wanted to read for ages. I’ve heard amazing things about it, but unfortunately it took me awhile to get my hands on it and read it. Once again, I wasn’t disappointed by the hype.

I love this book. This isn’t really surprising to me, since it has so many elements that I frequently love in a book. Certainly, some very tough situations are presented to the reader. I love this book enough that I’m having trouble putting my praise into words. I have no complaints. An awesome book.

Filled with triumphs and moments of deep sadness, The Help is ultimately a hope-filled story.

If you haven’t read The Help yet, why not? If you have read it, how do you feel about it now, a little more removed from it?

About the author
The Help is Stockett’s debut novel. Kathryn Stockett grew up in Jackson, Mississippi and received a degree in English and creative writing from the University of Alabama. She lives in Atlanta.

Other reviews (more raves!)
The Book Lady’s Blog
At Home with Books
S. Krishna’s Books
Maw Books
One Person’s Journey through a World of Books

Want still more reviews? Check out the Book Blogs Search Engine.

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I checked this book out from the library. I am an Amazon Associate and receive a small commission on sales through my affiliate links.

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Posted in books, fiction, historical, review

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Double Eagle by Sneed B. Collard III

Posted on February 11, 2010 | 4 Comments

Double Eagle by Sneed B. Collard III, (Peachtree Publishers, April 1, 2009 — it’s available now), 256 pages — ages 9-12

Summary
Mike is spending the summer with his dad, per usual. But unlike years past, this summer the 14-year-old is not in Florida. This year, 1973, he’s on an Alabama island, where his dad is teaching at a marine lab. Mike’s not too excited about the change at first, but it’s not long before he and his new friend are exploring an old Civil War fort. They uncover more than they bargained for, though, and when a hurricane bears down on Shipwreck Island, tension mounts.

Thoughts
Mike and Kyle are nicely drawn characters. I love the book’s historical and scientific aspects. I don’t often find the sciences portrayed in a fun yet accessible way.

Because we’re inside the head of a 14-year-old male, there’s a bit of juvenile lust on the page, which I didn’t expect. Not horrible, but a little bit off-putting.

Double Eagle is not a wave-making book, but it is definitely a fun read. A great adventure story set in a well-drawn Southern setting against a great back Civil War backdrop.

About the author
Double Eagle is Sneed B. Collard III‘s fifty-second book.

Other reviews
Beth Fish Reads (and an interview with Collard)

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I received this book from the publisher.

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Posted in books, fiction, Middle Grade, mystery, review, review copy

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The Sweet By and By by Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck

Posted on January 25, 2010 | 3 Comments

The Sweet By and By by Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck (Thomas Nelson, January 5, 2010), 272 pages

Summary
Jade Fitzgerald firmly believes in leaving the past in the past and instead living in the present. (Does it have any bearing that she runs an up-and-coming vintage store?) But her wedding date is nearing, and that envelope addressed to her hippy mother taunts her. She’s tempted to simply not invite Beryl, but her indecision is keeping her from mailing any of the invitations, and waiting even one more day is simply unacceptable to her mother-in-law-to-be. As it has a tendency to do, the past refuses to stay buried in The Sweet By and By and instead must be addressed to allow the characters to move forward.

Thoughts
The Sweet By and By greatly exceeded my expectations. This is not just a happy, standard Christian Fiction novel. It is happy and it is Christian Fiction, but it’s far more than that stereotype. The characters deal with real pain, real hurt, and the consequences of their past actions.

I loved the Iowa (and Southern) settings. The book had a couple surprises, which I also loved. The further into this book I read, the more I loved it.

While it’s not a stupendous, earth-shattering read, this book does gently nudge its characters (and its readers) in the direction of truth. A very quick read; the story pulled me in immediately. I have no complaints about this book — I really enjoyed reading this one.

I definitely want to read more of Hauck’s books (this was the first one I’ve read).

About the authors
Sara Evans is a country music recording artist.

Rachel Hauck has a journalism degree. She’s the author of quite a few books, including Sweet Caroline and Love Starts with Elle. Follow her on Twitter: @RachelHauck.

Other reviews
Books, Movies, and Chinese Food
Window to My World
4 the Love of Books

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I received this book from the author, Rachel Hauck.

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Death of an author

Posted on November 10, 2009 | 2 Comments

I was sad to read this morning in Shelf Awareness that author Donald Harington has died.

Donald Harington died last Saturday at the age of 73 after a long illness in Fayetteville, Arkansas. All but one of his novels took place in the fictional Ozark town of Stay More. Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, Harington taught for many years at the University of Arkansas. His titles are available from Toby Press.

choiring of the treesI read one of his books, for the book club held at my local library, while I lived in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. That book: The Choiring of the Trees.

While I didn’t love the book, I did love its connection to that place, the Ozarks, Northwest Arkansas. When I first read it, it was actually quite disturbing, but the book has definitely stayed with me, and not in a bad way.

The local newspaper’s news article about Harington’s death. And the Harington obituary, from that same paper (he’s the second one down).

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Leaving Carolina by Tamara Leigh

Posted on November 3, 2009 | 4 Comments

leaving carolinaLeaving Carolina: A Novel by Tamara Leigh (Multnomah, September 15, 2009), 384 pages

This is the first book in Leigh’s Southern Discomfort series, with the second, Nowhere Carolina, due out in May 2010.

Summary
Piper Wick has made a life for herself. She’s a public relations consultant at a mighty firm in Los Angeles. She and her mom left their hometown of Pickwick, North Carolina years ago, and Piper is glad to be done with it and all it entailed. She’s now “engaged to be engaged” to a U.S. congressman (who’s also her client, by the way; she’s helping him with his re-election campaign). But then she gets a call from her uncle’s lawyer, back in Pickwick. Uncle Obadiah wants to change his will, to right wrongs done by the whole family of miscreants. His plan would also unearth long-buried secrets, naturally, including Piper’s.

Thoughts
The ending of Leaving Carolina was telegraphed from the very beginning. I was annoyed by the book — but especially by Piper, I think — for about the first 100 pages. Then, though, I kind of started getting sucked in, despite myself.

This is not high literature. Thinking back on it, days later, I’m still annoyed by this book. But overall it was a pleasant enough diversion. A light-hearted dip in the South by one who has erased all traces of it from her life and from her person years ago. But also about a person who calls herself a Christian but hasn’t been living that for a long time. She’s a bitter woman, who has shut herself off from so much. Maybe I need to stay away from all chick lit.

About the author
Tamara Leigh wrote for the historical romance novels for the secular market before being convinced that these books were missing something, so eventually she started writing inspirational romances for the Christian market. She is the author of quite a few other books, including Faking Grace.

Other reviews
(These two both liked it quite a bit more than I did:)
A Peek at My Bookshelf
Relz Reviewz

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I received this book from the publisher.

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Detectives Don’t Wear Seat Belts by Cici McNair

Posted on September 22, 2009 | 7 Comments

detectives dont wear seat beltsDetectives Don’t Wear Seat Belts: A True Adventure of a Female P.I. by Cici McNair (Center Street, September 23, 2009, but available now), 368 pages

Before deciding she wanted to be a private investigator, McNair was a journalist (among many things). I had never made the connection between skill sets for successful journalism and detectivery (as she calls it), but it makes sense. I connected with Cici as a character because we have both worked in journalism. It also didn’t hurt that I’ve always been fascinated by spies, detectives, et al.

Here’s how it goes: McNair has had an exciting life, traveling the globe, working various jobs, hanging out with criminals and princes, writing novels. But then she decides she wants to be a detective, in New York City. It’s hard to break into the male-dominated field, particularly with no training and no experience, but she makes it. Stories from her past are interwoven with stories of her life as a detective.

The book is exciting, heart rending, thrilling. I wouldn’t want to live this story; I did enjoy reading it, though.

Detectives Don’t Wear Seat Belts is a well-written memoir about the exciting life of an interesting, strong woman. I’d recommend it to anyone interested in spy craft and/or memoirs.

Cici McNair, aka Clarissa McNair, is a novelist and traveler. She has lived in Italy, Cyprus, England, Switzerland, Portugal and Canada. Her travels include a year in Africa, trips all over Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and the Middle East. The site for Detectives Don’t Wear Seat Belts.

Other reviews:
Lesa’s Book Critiques

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Posted in books, memoir, nonfiction, review, review copy

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