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cljeff19's review against another edition
I did my best. But speaking as an English major, this felt like the worst kind of reading assignment: slow pace, no plot, rambling and confusing narration. Welty might accurately capture a time and place, but not one I’d want to spend time in.
lelia_t's review against another edition
4.0
Nine-year-old Laura McRaven, whose mother has recently died, arrives in the Delta to stay with her mother’s people, the Fairchilds, on their cotton plantation. There’s an extended clan of Fairchilds, who have been a “ruling class” family for generations, and Laura jumps right into the chaotic life of many children, many aunts and uncles, many servants, as they prepare for cousin Dabney’s wedding to the Fairchild’s overseer Troy Flavin.
That makes the book sound straightforward, but it’s complex, layered and dreamy as our perspective shifts among characters, particularly among the white women. There are whole paragraphs where the meaning seems opaque to the logical reading mind, yet speaks on deeper levels. Like the whirlpool in the Yazoo River - the one some characters are afraid of and others have swum in - the book can pull you into its depths. We feel this pull in the Fairchild clan itself, which has a mythos that sucks people in - for better or worse - while leaving others stranded outside the magic circle. There’s so much in this book - the class and racial divides, family expectations, women’s privileged and burdened role in family and plantation life, innocence, belonging, idealized motherhood, and the impending changes in Southern culture - and the whole time you’re feeling these realities rather than thinking them. And of course there’s the wounded golden boy, Uncle George - based at least partly on Welty’s longtime love-interest and then friend John Robinson - a legend in the family, fondly relied and doted on, capable of kindness and surprising callousness.
It’s a book I could read again and again, beautiful and deep, sweet and filled with a yearning that’s difficult to pin down.
That makes the book sound straightforward, but it’s complex, layered and dreamy as our perspective shifts among characters, particularly among the white women. There are whole paragraphs where the meaning seems opaque to the logical reading mind, yet speaks on deeper levels. Like the whirlpool in the Yazoo River - the one some characters are afraid of and others have swum in - the book can pull you into its depths. We feel this pull in the Fairchild clan itself, which has a mythos that sucks people in - for better or worse - while leaving others stranded outside the magic circle. There’s so much in this book - the class and racial divides, family expectations, women’s privileged and burdened role in family and plantation life, innocence, belonging, idealized motherhood, and the impending changes in Southern culture - and the whole time you’re feeling these realities rather than thinking them. And of course there’s the wounded golden boy, Uncle George - based at least partly on Welty’s longtime love-interest and then friend John Robinson - a legend in the family, fondly relied and doted on, capable of kindness and surprising callousness.
It’s a book I could read again and again, beautiful and deep, sweet and filled with a yearning that’s difficult to pin down.
hp_reading's review against another edition
4.0
Wandering and wistful, with an urgency running through it as sinister and inviting as a dark Yazoo River. A true snapshot of the Delta in happiness and poised on the edge of something new.
haley_pettit's review against another edition
3.0
After reading this novel, you can certainly tell why Eudora Welty made a name for herself. The descriptions and dialogue were very well crafted, and as a reader you could put yourself in the story. However, I found the pacing painfully slow (I love slower reads, but this was extreme) and I only found one character to be likable/interesting. Overall, good quality, but it honestly it not worth the read at all. There are much better books to spend your time on
soniapage's review against another edition
4.0
This was like returning home to the South! Not much happened, but I enjoyed the descriptions of the surroundings and food that make up so much of the "feel" of the Southern U.S.
xanadu_'s review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
maryehavens's review against another edition
3.0
I'm glad I revisited this book. It does require quite a bit of attention because there's tons of characters and Welty uses the same names again and again (Battle, Uncle Battle, Little Battle, e.g.). Someone said this is a "jumbled mess" and yes, it is messy/chaotic. But you have so many people gathered together for a wedding that it can't help but be chaotic! The family structure and the "servant" (read: former slaves) structure also makes it chaotic. I found it difficult to remember why this kid was here and was this kid really Ellen and Battle's child and how many children did they have anyway and how old is this aunt??
I find it interesting that the Goodreads description says it was set in 1923 because I had a very difficult time pinning down the time period. Denis and George served in the war and I initially thought that was WWI but other family members kept referring to the Civil War. The other stumbling block was the amount of servants on the properties. I don't know much about the transition of African-Americans from Civil War to Reconstruction to, like, the 1890s. I imagine that there was a slow turnover from slaves to former slaves to servants. And someone else also mentioned something about Reconstruction so it seemed fresh-ish in their mind. It was difficult for me to figure out.
In terms of Southern, LORDY, this was SOUTH-ERN!!
I did enjoy reading this book, if only to really dig into Southern literature, but it requires a lot of attention. Kind of like the Fairchilds themselves, TBH. :)
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I'm going to need to come back to this one. It just couldn't hold my attention. I started over twice. Willing to try again but not now.
I find it interesting that the Goodreads description says it was set in 1923 because I had a very difficult time pinning down the time period. Denis and George served in the war and I initially thought that was WWI but other family members kept referring to the Civil War. The other stumbling block was the amount of servants on the properties. I don't know much about the transition of African-Americans from Civil War to Reconstruction to, like, the 1890s. I imagine that there was a slow turnover from slaves to former slaves to servants. And someone else also mentioned something about Reconstruction so it seemed fresh-ish in their mind. It was difficult for me to figure out.
In terms of Southern, LORDY, this was SOUTH-ERN!!
I did enjoy reading this book, if only to really dig into Southern literature, but it requires a lot of attention. Kind of like the Fairchilds themselves, TBH. :)
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I'm going to need to come back to this one. It just couldn't hold my attention. I started over twice. Willing to try again but not now.
ewg109's review against another edition
3.0
More and more I feel like the American South is its own culture, wholly incomprehensible to me. I have more understanding of rural England, than I do of Welty's Delta. As a result, I suspect I missed a lot of this novel.
What does the garnet pin mean? What about the wandering girl? Is the Yellow Dog just a big old symbol of time? What about the cake? Why do Dabney and George marry "beneath them"? Is George a good guy or a bad guy? Is he the rejection of the masculine archetype? Is his refusal to find Robbie a method to cast him as anti-hero? Or is her return meant to portray him as inevitable? Is this all just about change and constancy? Is this novel reflective of the female narrative?
Can someone please explain this whole novel to me, because its not just about the wedding.
What does the garnet pin mean? What about the wandering girl? Is the Yellow Dog just a big old symbol of time? What about the cake? Why do Dabney and George marry "beneath them"? Is George a good guy or a bad guy? Is he the rejection of the masculine archetype? Is his refusal to find Robbie a method to cast him as anti-hero? Or is her return meant to portray him as inevitable? Is this all just about change and constancy? Is this novel reflective of the female narrative?
Can someone please explain this whole novel to me, because its not just about the wedding.
kcdarmody's review against another edition
5.0
Atmospheric and evocative. A joy to savor - no need to rush through because not a lot happens, but every page has something to ponder.
pbrohan's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5