This One and Magic Life...
Rating:
4 / 5
This was my first experience reading Ms. George's work, and what a wonderful one it was! This a great southern fiction book!!! You feel like your right there with all them in Harlow Al. arguing about whether or not to have a funeral with an empty casket! I really did enjoy this book, and recommend it to anyone who may be interested in reading it. You won't be disapointed :)
Laden with Happiness and Tears
Rating:
5 / 5
Spaces and overlaps and the time space continuum. Family, heart, soul, southern fiction at its very richest. Voices from the grave and a meeting of the generations as a family icon passes through this world. Mortality, as seen through a veil of overlaps and spaces, quirks and characters. Sunrise, Sunset - flows through the chapters like the water of Mobile Bay. Bittersweet beauty woven through the pages with language artistic and lyrical. Confusion and chaos, childhood secrets and the furtive secrets of love and life. One season following another, and don't forget the devil either. This is NOT a light hearted beach read, although the bay beckons and glimmers and the dunes reflect the dimming light. The depth and intensity of this book left this reader breathless and weeping. The characters are as authentic as the Spanish moss and the scent of almonds and are a glimpse in our own humanity. And, perhaps a literal glimpse into the author's own sunset? Let me HIGHLY recommend this book, it goes to the very top of the scale.
Southern drama with a drab ending
Rating:
3 / 5
This Southern Drama surrounds a Catholic family whose beloved sister has decreed she be cremated rather than enterred. The events of the plot occur over a 3 or 4 day period of time. There are the traditional and stereotypical skeletons in the Sulivan Family closet-- divorce, alcoholism, the mentally ill mother, and accidental deaths. These do add some content, but in general, I would say that this book lacks any action. This plot style indicates that George is trying to get us to examine the characters in order to make a statement about Southern life. George fails in this aspiration.If I was forced to use this book to draw conclusions about Southern culture, I would say Southerner's were shallow, mundane, and uninspiring. George's characters are focused on social expectations and are all self-involved. They really are not a compelling lot. Instead of using flashbacks to the past, George uses the ghosts of the family members to add depth to the story and the characters. This technique generally fails to add any since of history or real depth to the story. The characters and the story remain uncompelling and unsympathetic. I would classify this book as a "Beach Read." It is interesting enough to keep you occupied and thinking is not required to understand the plot. I was glad that I borrowed it from the library.
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