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Thanks to Maggie for hosting another round of the Southern Reading Challenge. This was a great challenge for me! Here is a summary of my books:1) Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore (review)
2) Property by Valerie Martin (review)
3) Becky by Lenore Hart (review)
4) The Known World by Edward P. Jones (review)
5) Ecology of a Cracker Childhood by Janisse Ray (review)
My favorite book from this challenge was Property by Valerie Martin. My least favorite book was The Known World, which I could not finish.
Look forward to participating in this challenge next year!
- Location:home
- Mood:
cheerful
The Known WorldBy Edward P. Jones
DID NOT FINISH
Those of you who visit my blog regularly know it's rare when I don't finish a book. What's even more unusual is when I don't love a book set in the antebellum South. Unfortunately, with The Known World, this is the case. I gave up on this book when I reached page 60.
The storyline was difficult for me to follow. It meandered aimlessly, and I felt no attachment to the characters. After hearing several other reviewers (with similar tastes as me) express their frustration with this Pulitzer Prize winner, I decided it was a sign that this was not a book for me.
It's unfortunate because I usually love books set in this time period. I am very disappointed that I could not finish The Known World. Perhaps I will pick up again another day. (no rating)
- Location:home
- Mood:
disappointed
Ecology of a Cracker Childhood
By Janisse Ray
Completed June 18, 2008
Janisse Ray carefully intertwined two distinct themes in her autobiographical book, Ecology of a Cracker Childhood. First, there was the theme of her family - an interesting tapestry of men (mostly) and women who made up her genetic landscape. Second, there was the ecological theme - chapters about the deforestation of south Georgia. Ray loved, admired and respected her family and her forest, and this tenderness made her memoir charming and memorable.
Wrapped in the sweet cadence of her language, I especially enjoyed reading about Ray's family. That was a colorful bunch. Most of the men suffered from mental illness, which Ray depicted with dignity. But they were also resourceful - living off the land and inventing machines from scraps. I could hear their drawl in every page.
All in all, I enjoyed this short book about this beautiful region of our country, their Southern ways and Ray's determination to protect and preserve the land that she loves. ( 
)
- Location:home
- Mood:productive
Property
contemplative
Becky: The Life and Loves of Becky ThatcherBy Lenore Hart
Completed May 29, 2008
I must admit that I am a sucker for a good companion novel. Last year, I read Finn by Jon Clinch, which was a story about Huck Finn’s infamous father. My latest read was the feminine side of this group of friends – a story about Becky Thatcher, Tom Sawyer’s sweetheart. In Becky: The Life and Loves of Becky Thatcher by Lenore Hart, Becky got her voice and opportunity to set the story straight.
"I loved and hated men, lost and found them, tried and failed to tempt them away from their own destruction. I’ve been the cause of more than one death. I’ve been a friend and enemy and fiancée, wife and mother and widow. I’ve killed in a fight, and longed to do murder once or twice at home. I’ve taught, mothered, soldiered, mined and even written for the newspapers. But I was never the weeping little ninny Sam Clemens made me out to be in his book."
And with this statement, Becky began her story as a complex, multi-dimensional character, dead set about shaking this timid image that Mark Twain described in his novels.
The story opened as Becky’s husband, Sid, was about to leave for the army during the late months of the Civil War. This began Becky’s adventures as she chased her husband into the wilds of Missouri in an attempt to bring him home. She disguised herself as a soldier to accomplish this mission and was involved in skirmish or two. Once reunited, the couple decided to move to Nevada to escape the war atrocities as home – thus, beginning another set of adventures for Becky as she moved West.
Hanging like a web over all of these stories were Becky’s feelings for Tom. Tom and Huck were minor characters in this book, and Hart added different perspectives to these famous boys (who are now men in this book). Tom was self-absorbed and restless, always caring for his childhood sweetheart despite his lack of commitment to her. Huck was Tom’s loyal companion – raw, impatient, cunning and unforgiving - but I felt that Huck had more sense than his reckless friend. In addition to Tom and Huck, Hart added Sam Clemens, who came across as imaginative and scheming, eventually betraying his friendship with Becky when he published his books.
With all of these males in her life, one can see how Becky did not grow up to be a “weeping little ninny.” However, I think Hart tried too hard to prove Becky was as strong as her male counterparts. The killings, the soldiering, the wearing of pants, the lying, the adultery – it was a tad too much. Women can be strong without acting like men.Despite this small criticism, I enjoyed Becky and highly recommend this book to lovers of Tom Sawyer stories, Civil War fiction and tales about women’s lives in history. (
) - Location:home
- Mood: good
If you want to join the fun, check out the rules and play along. You have until May 30.
So, what name have I come up with for my homestead?
Need Grace Land
I definitely need Grace in my humble abode. Two young sons and their equally youthful father think nothing of leaving their shoes in the middle of the flooor, the cat thinks nothing of leaving regurgitated hairballs on my kitchen table, and I think nothing of not cleaning the toothpaste from the side of the sink. The garden is full of weeds, the patio floor needs resealing, and my walls all could use a fresh coat of paint.
But it's not just the condition of the house that requires Grace. You need a lot of Grace to maneuver over the Lego land mines, Matchbox cars and Webkins that are scattered all over the floor. You need even more grace to go on the Laundry Hunt, carefully teetering the basket on your hip, dipping down to pick up the miscellaneous socks, underwear and football jerseys that never seem to make it to the laundry hamper.
Yes, Grace is definitely a must-have in my home.
It takes Grace to look the other way when the floor needs a-mopping, the carpet needs a-vacuuming and the garage needs a-cleaning.
It takes Grace to watch the Home and Gardens Network and see how the other side lives - and determine that it's just too plain pretty for Need Grace Land.
Because truth be told, I would rather have my boys, hubby and cats have free rein in the house than live in the cleanest house on the block. There's time for pretty homes later. Right now, we're just living with as much Grace as we can. Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.
- Location:home
- Mood: complacent
Looking For Salvation at the Dairy QueenBy Susan Gregg Gilmore
Completed May 24, 2008
Looking for a light but entertaining poolside read this summer? If so, then I would recommend Susan Gregg Gilmore’s debut novel, Looking For Salvation at the Dairy Queen.
It’s the story of Catherine Grace Cline, the preacher’s daughter, of Ringgold, Ga. Catherine Grace had been planning her departure from her one stoplight town as long as she could remember. The first part of the book explored her childhood, including the loss of her mother, her befriending of the town “floozy”, the trials and tribulations of being the preacher’s kid, and all creatures big and small in this sleepy Georgia town. The last half of the book was about Catherine Grace’s exodus to Atlanta and eventual return to Ringgold because of a family tragedy. Was big city life all Catherine Grace hoped it to be? Or did she decide that small-town life was perfect after all? I won’t tell you Catherine Grace’s decision, but I think you may have fun reading her journey of self-discovery – with Dilly Bars from Dairy Queen as her therapy.
Personally, I related to Catherine Grace. I fled to more “metropolitan” cities – Macon and Atlanta – to attend college and was bewitched by the allure of these Southern cities. I stayed in Georgia for eight years and loved every minute of it. But the reality of aging parents 500 miles away wielded its ugly head, and I made the decision to move home. I am glad I did. There is, after all, no place like home.
Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen is the quintessential Southern book. Gilmore’s writing style was fun and approachable but serious when it needed to be. If you like reading about Southern towns, characters and culture, then this is the book for you. I look forward to reading more from this promising new Southern writer. (
) - Location:home
- Mood: satisfied
The Southern Reading Challenge is hosted by Maggie, and I am so glad to participate in this one. Last year, when I was still a challenge rookie, I discovered this challenge after it started. A day late, a dollar short as Grandpa always said. For this challenge, you must read three books set in the South and written by a Southern author. The challenge begins May 15 and ends August 15.Pour the sweet tea; here's my reading plan:
1) Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore (review)
2) Property by Valerie Martin (review)
3) Becky by Lenore Hart (review)
And some alternates if I have time:
1) The Known World by Edward P. Jones (review)
2) Ecology of a Cracker Childhood by Janisse Ray (review)
Ya'll want to play? Then go down the road a piece to Maggie's blog to learn more about The Southern Reading Challenge 2008!
- Location:home
- Mood: excited
“Well, let me think,” I said. “Would the fact that the servant I brought to the marriage has borne him a son, and that this creature is allowed to run loose in the house like a wild animal, would that be, in your view, sufficient cause for a wife to despise her husband?”
He shrugged. “Mrs. Gaudet, there are many such cases. This cannot be unknown to you.”
“That is precisely my grievance,” I explained. “That it is common.” (page 38)
What is property? Is it a tangible thing you own? Or could it be something else – a spirit, a soul, a sense of freedom? In her Orange Prize-winning novel, Property, Valerie Martin explored the essence of property, ownership and freedom, using slavery and antebellum marriage to examine these themes.
Manon Gaudet is a young wife in a loveless marriage to a bankrupt, cruel planter in 1828 Louisiana. As a wedding gift, Manon’s aunt gave her a young slave, Sarah, to accompany Manon to her new plantation home. Because of conventional marriage customs and rights of slavery, both women, in essence, become property to the same man. Sarah soon bore a son to Manon’s husband while Manon never reproduced. As time progressed, Manon’s hatred for her husband only equaled her disdain for her slave. She secretly wished for her husband’s death to free her from this entrapment.
Several things struck me as compelling in this book. First, Martin portrayed a historic look into the slave-holding South. It was not a time of wine and roses; times were harsh, the slavery system was immoral, and white and black Southerners lived in fear of each other. Each page of Property stayed true to these details.
Secondly, the relationship between Manon and Sarah was far from a sisterly one. While they were bound together by the same problem – ownership by the same man – they did not seek comfort from each other against their common plight. Furthermore, they did not see each other as rivals because they did not yearn for the man’s attention. Instead, they hated each other – perhaps because each was a reminder of the life in which each woman was forced to live.
Intelligent, engaging, historical and rivoting - Property kept me at the edge of my seat, and I completed this book in two sittings. Admittedly, if you put a hoop skirt on the main character, it usually captures my attention. However, this book provided so much more than hoop skirts – it was a gritty story about the power and destruction of when one human tries to control another. This is a must-read for readers who enjoy antebellum Southern fiction, women’s studies and stories about slavery. I will certainly be looking for more books by this gifted storyteller. (