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Summary: The Insider's Absolam, Absolam!
Review: Upon picking up this novel, I immediately recognized the voice of Judith Sutpen, speaking to us about her father, Thomas Sutpen, alias Samuel Tate. Rosa Coldfield is there, too, in the person of Emma Garnet's mother, Alice. This is the story of what actually went on in that house described to us by William Faulkner in Absolam, Absolam! That part of the story is very good. My only disappointment came at the end, when Emma is carried away by Quincy Lowell (the handsome prince?). That seemed a little contrived. But all in all, I enjoyed reading the book and gaining an insight into the workings of the Sutpen, I mean Tate, household.
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Summary: Spendid!
Review: Another masterpiece by Southern writer Kaye Gibbons. This book is "weighter" than her other books, more like Cold Mountain than her other works, perhaps. Her best yet.
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Summary: "On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon" by Kaye Gibbons
Review: I recently read the historical fiction novel, "On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon" written by Kaye Gibbons. I found the novel to be both interesting and factual. I chose the novel in the first place because I had to do a book report for my high school history class on a novel from the civil war period. Many of the events we have been studying in class showed up in this book. Also it was a wonderful first-hand account of how a women might live her life in this time period. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good historical fiction novel.
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Summary: Very real
Review: I read four chapters of this book. Then I threw it out the window. In all God-honesty, this book is now sitting in the weedy abandoned lot beside my house. I never ever want to see or hear from it again. It's a lot of politically-correct, sanctimonious moralizing only reinforcing what our equally-holier than thou culture teaches: that Southerners of the period the book focuses on (and before then and today, for that matter) are evil, bloodthirsty folk. Coming from a background similar to the one of the main character's, I am sick and tired of these stereotypes about as much as any black person would grow weary of the image of a shuffling, "yassah, massah"-mumbling Uncle Tom. Give me "Gone with the Wind," give me anything that does not shove a guilt trip and a lot of rewritten history down my throat.
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Summary: a different Civil War
Review: This historical novel of the Civil War begins with the protagonist's father having murdered a slave for talking back. We meet Emma Garnet Tate and Clarice immediately following, the former being the aforementioned daughter of a plantation owner; the latter being the support of the book, a strong, wise black woman who is actually the one who holds the family and the plantation together. Emma is narrating in flashback as she rests in bed, pushing off death until she can finish her story. She grew up a girl who identified more with her father's slaves than with her father; more with intellectuals than socialites. Her father's religious, racist rage is a terrifying force, and at times it seems no one around him is going to survive unscathed. But Emma does escape, thanks to Quincy Powell, a Boston doctor whose perfection would be irritating had Emma not needed him so badly (and deserved him so much). After they marry and honeymoon (in Paris, with Clarice along with them), the war begins and Quincy opens a hospital to take care of wounded Confederate soldiers. Emma has to become a caregiver, nurse, and finally an unofficial doctor when the wounded and dying start pouring in. Besides the gory and realistic descriptions of the horror of war, there are also detailed passages regarding the sick carnival of a public hanging and the misguided attempts to heal with leeches and blood-letting. These realistic and uncompromising details cause the book to be fascinating instead of merely a diversion. Emma Garnet has survived much, but at times she seems wishy-washy and irritatingly upper-class. Gibbons might have intended this, because the character who shines through the most is Clarice. She had known Mr. Tate from the time he was a little boy and had rescued him from an unimaginable situation, and is therefore the only person, including those in his own family, who is not afraid of him. She rises to each terrible event with determination and bravery, all the while cooking, cleaning, guiding the many other slaves of the household, and mothering Emma and her sister (they do have a much-beloved mother, but she is often ill). Emma loves Clarice as much as she would love the secret and best part of her own self, which it seems she sometimes mistakes Clarice to be. Kaye Gibbons is a fabulous writer and weaves a story of the Civil War which is unflinching and also non-racist. The voice of the narrator sometimes sounds slightly pompous, but I feel that Emma is entitled due to the sometimes brutal life she led. I believe most readers will feel the same way, and also will probably see, as I do, that Clarice is the real heroine of this book.
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Summary: Beautifully written page turner
Review: I recommend this book without hesitation. It was an absolute treat. The characters are rich and full of life and the dialogue is remarkable. One critic wrote that there's simply not a bad sentence in the book and I wholeheartedly agree. I will be ordering more of Ms. Gibbons' books right away.
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Summary: This book is great on tape.
Review: I read this book on tape and it is one of the only readings I've ever heard that I felt really brought the book to life. I was obsessed with the story and found the reading to be totally believable and in line with the text. I could not wait to get back into my car to hear the next installment, and found myself making lots of extra trips to the grocery store, to get gas, etc. to allow me to keep reading. What a wonderful story!
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