Point Books In Pursuance Of A Short History of a Small Place
Original Title: | A Short History of a Small Place |
ISBN: | 014200362X (ISBN13: 9780142003626) |
Edition Language: | English |
Setting: | North Carolina(United States) |
T.R. Pearson
Paperback | Pages: 384 pages Rating: 3.96 | 1096 Users | 150 Reviews
Mention Out Of Books A Short History of a Small Place
Title | : | A Short History of a Small Place |
Author | : | T.R. Pearson |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | First Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 384 pages |
Published | : | September 30th 2003 by Penguin Books (first published 1985) |
Categories | : | Fiction. American. Southern. Humor |
Narration To Books A Short History of a Small Place
Marvelously funny, bittersweet, and beautifully evocative, the original publication of A Short History of a Small Place announced the arrival of one of our great Southern voices. Although T. R. Pearson's Neely, North Carolina, doesn't appear on any map of the state, it has already earned a secure place on the literary landscape of the South. In this introduction to Neely, the young narrator, Louis Benfield, recounts the tragic last days of Miss Myra Angelique Pettigrew, a local spinster and former town belle who, after years of total seclusion, returns flamboyantly to public view-with her pet monkey, Mr. Britches. Here is a teeming human comedy inhabited by some of the most eccentric and endearing characters ever encountered in literature.Rating Out Of Books A Short History of a Small Place
Ratings: 3.96 From 1096 Users | 150 ReviewsCriticism Out Of Books A Short History of a Small Place
Not short. One of the funniest books I've ever read. Tonight is my night to add books "of place" which means Ferrol Sams and Robertson Davies. TR Pearson's trilogy is brilliant, and this is the first of three books. Faulkneresque and yet also completely independent. Full of literary allusions that you don't need to get to enjoy Pearson's exploration of southern life (I'm sure I missed half of them). Sometimes, simple, clear prose is overrated and instead, only stream of consciousness withThis is a 'story' like your uncle would tell at some family occasion. It is repetitive, convoluted and told in a straight forward deadpan manner. You are supposed to laugh. It is not so much Southern as rural and contains all the stereotypes that urban people imagine are characteristic of rural situations. This is the funniest passage in the entire book."Miss Dupont fanned her face with an old church bulletin and appeared noticeably flustered and agitated, Mrs Phillip J. King said, like maybe
I love this book! A friend gave it to me when I graduated college. I smirked. She said, "I know the last thing you want right now is to read yet another book. Trust me, you have to read this." It was my companion for weeks, as I read it on my daily commute and scared New Yorkers every time I let out a cackle. Funniest thing I have ever read. And years later, I'm still referencing characters and scenes in daily conversation. It's joyful and funny and fresh.
What a great look at a small town & its quirks and oddities.UPDATE, December 2011: Sitting in my living room with the tree lights glowing and a sink full of dirty dishes in the kitchen, this made for an excellent re-read. One of the best scenes is when the narrator, Louis, and his Daddy have "the talk."(page 288)"...And once they're married they can become what we call intimate without other people looking sideways at them.''Intimate?' I said.But Daddy rolled on ahead of me and recommenced
The sight of a public service officer reminded me of a sentence in this book. It had been years since I read it, but the sentence came roaring back into my head and I had to go get a copy of the book to see it again. page 12: "Aside from being naturally soft and mealy, Daddy said Sheriff Burton was probably a little too much encumbered with the implements of law enforcement to have the chance of being nimble. He couldn't take half a step without the leather creaking and the metal jangling, and
This story is written with an amazing sense of lyrical style and some of the most colorful and descriptive narratives that I have ever read. Told through the eyes of Louis Benfield, jr., a young boy who has been handed down the different parts of the story through various townspeople, it all weaves back and forth around one central person, Miss Myra Angelique Pettigrew. Along with a host of characters - a set of crazy sisters, a dishonest plumber, a power-hungry politician, a postal employee
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.