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14th out of 141 books
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Oral History
by
Lee Smith
"The best novel so far by a writer whose growth has been steady and sure . . . . [Oral History] tells the story of the Cantrell family and the odd curse that its members believe to have hung over them. It is a tale that begins in the late 19th century with Granny Younger, the midwife, and continues well into the 20th century through several generations of Cantrells; it is ...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
June 1st 1993
by Ballantine Books
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This 1983 meandering series of stories about 4 generations or so of an Appalachian family certainly reads easily. Perhaps I have read too many Lee Smiths in too short a time -- I am getting a little weary of the endless shifting to a different character.
OK, in real life we never know any person really very well, we only see one side of them, but somehow in fiction I yearn for a deeper look at just a few characters.
I'm not sure what I will retain, if anything, of these stories.
Smit...more
OK, in real life we never know any person really very well, we only see one side of them, but somehow in fiction I yearn for a deeper look at just a few characters.
I'm not sure what I will retain, if anything, of these stories.
Smit...more
Elizabeth
rated it
Recommends it for:
Those who like the to follow the story of an entire family tree over many generations
This book follows a family in a remote corner of Appalachia over the course of four generations. The stories of the first two generations are excellent - life in Appalachia in the late-1800s is well captured, especially the folklore and superstition that existed and how it operated as an element in daily life. The characters are also very well developed, since you follow their entire life stories. The second half of the book is not as captivating. Appalachia succumbs to some trappings of mod...more
I got the sense that I was watching a television series, only every time Lee switches characters, it's like missing a few episodes. You still know what is going on, but it's like you missed something. It was very easy to "get into" this book, I read it in two days, but it was still not one of my favorites. There are a lot of explicit sexual encounters that for me, drew away from, rather than supported the believability of the novel. Jennifer is a high school student who is gathering th...more
This book was unexpected, but sooo enjoyable. The novel is written in the style of an oral history, and it reminded me so much of listening to my grandparents tell stories about family/friends. I was so enraptured by the style that I completely fell into the magic of the family curse. Very enjoyable! (Be advised, though, there are a couple of scandalous scenes)
Originally read more than 20 years ago as a BYU student and I can tell its staying power because it's one of the rare, rare, rare books I've actually held on to (ask my book club friends: I'm so cheap, I NEVER buy the book of the month). I stumbled on it in my basement last week, plopped right down and read it start to finish. Wacky, upsetting, and a totally different America than one I could ever imagine, something in this book woke up the latent family historian in me. Don't worry, I'm sure it...more
Oral History takes place in western Virginia and spans nearly one hundred years. It follows the Cantrell family and covers among others: a man returning from the Civil War without a leg, a witch, a bootlegger, a coal miner, and an Amway distributor.
I thought there were some aspects to the book that I wished Smith had done differently. The tale of the family is bracketed by a story of Jennifer, a young woman who is looking into the history of her own family for a college project. T...more
I thought there were some aspects to the book that I wished Smith had done differently. The tale of the family is bracketed by a story of Jennifer, a young woman who is looking into the history of her own family for a college project. T...more
Once again: I love characterization. Lee Smith tells the story of generations of an Appalachian Mountain family in first person, but as many people. You have the old Granny at first with her traditional way of speaking, a young school teacher from Richmond with his pretentious language, all the way up to a modern-day hill-billy country diction. It's incredible how the author changed her voice throughout the novel to match her characters. I loved the book!
First, let me start off by saying, I LOVE LEE SMITH. I think she’s an incredible writer, and I’m certainly not alone in this. The New York Times Book Review said of Lee (in a blurb on the cover of Oral History): “She is nothing less than masterly.” The NYTBR people not only didn’t HAVE to say that, they got paid for their honesty. So, she’s great. End of that debate.
I’ve read a few of her books now, including Fair And Tender Ladies (still my fav) and Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Strang...more
I’ve read a few of her books now, including Fair And Tender Ladies (still my fav) and Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Strang...more
This is my favorite book, bar none. I wish I could say I found it on my own while browsing through a dusty bookstore. Instead it was assigned. But that's ok, I am just happy to have found it at all. Hypnotic. Chilling. Scenic. Sad. Scary. Real and Imaginary. You will love it or I will ... disown you.
I only recently discovered Lee Smith, although this novel was first published in the 1980s. I've got a lot of catching up to do. Smith is a born storyteller and knows the Appalachian region first hand, having grown up in southwestern Virginia and then spending her adult years in North Carolina. She also draws from extensive research on the area's history, folklore and folkways. The narrative line spans the early 1900s up to the present (1980s), and the tales are told by different narrators. A si...more
Lois
added it
I can't say enough good things about Lee Smith, but since she is so very local to Virginia and North Carolina it's hard to find her outside of the area. Writing in the redneck dialect is dicey, something that could go incredibly badly, and she pulls it off oh so very well.
I didn't like this book nearly as much as Fair and Tender Ladies. I was a little disappointed that Lee Smith felt the need to tie everything up so neatly at the end. I think she could have done without the last chapter completely. Other than that, I did enjoy this book.
This story takes place in the mountains of Virginia, where my life story bones lie. It was close to my heart to read. Lee Smith is a wonderful writer! But I love this book because of the familiarity of it -- it was like reading my journal or my grandmother's journal. Sigh . . .
I loved this book. I must say that there is a problem with the framing of this book. Smith had to explain herself in the back of the book...The story (other than the framing) was great. I got into it. I love the mythological aspects of it as well.
Read carefully, or you will miss the point.
This Smith classic is one of the most beautiful and stark examples of Appalachian stereotyping put to the test. Every character counts in this story. So pay attention...
This Smith classic is one of the most beautiful and stark examples of Appalachian stereotyping put to the test. Every character counts in this story. So pay attention...
this book is so beautifully written, it's like a movie where the cinematography is so gorgeous you want to rewind and watch certain parts again - i kept re-reading certain sentences. one of my all time favorite books.
I had to read this book for a 300-level English class at my university and I wasn't really expecting to enjoy it. I must say, however, that this book was a very good read. I liked most of the characters and enjoy the sense of change in the region that you get as the book progresses. This might be the Appalachian in me, but especially powerful is the sense of cultural homogenization you get as the modern world creeps in on Appalachia and changes the things that make the people in the region uniqu...more
This was my first Lee Smith novel, and I will definitely be reading more. She apparently writes mostly regional fiction about the Appalachians in general and far western Virginia in particular. In this novel, several generations of the Cantrell family take turns narrating their family history while living it. The physical aspects of life in the mountains changes as the times move forward from roughly 1870 to the mid 20th century, but the values and traits that give shape and character to fami...more
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This isn't the cover art on the Trade Paperback that I am reading, but it is the one that came up with my ISBN #...hmmmm
I totally enjoyed this eerie story about a tragic family followed through generations in Appalachia. It is hard to realize that people have to live like that in America.
It's one of those "just when I thought my life was bad, I hear about someone else worse off then me!" stories.
I totally enjoyed this eerie story about a tragic family followed through generations in Appalachia. It is hard to realize that people have to live like that in America.
It's one of those "just when I thought my life was bad, I hear about someone else worse off then me!" stories.
This book was assigned to me in High School because I protested to reading To Kill A Mockingbird for the 10th time. It was so "smutty". Naturally I loved it and loved my teacher for letting me read such an adult novel. I subsequently read many of Lee Smith's books, but many years later I can't tell you anything about them.
Lee Smith was introduced to me through this book by my southern regional literature instructor. Smith's books echo the mountain culture, southern gothic elements often found in southern literature, in particular. This multi generational work is a wonderful pageturner and will leave you wanting more of her books.
Lee Smith is a native of the mountains of the south. She takes her reader though a kind of life, past and present, that most readers could only imagine. I am glad to have read about the southern mountain people in a book written by a skillful, native guide.
I read this about 10 years ago, but there are scenes that still stick with me. Smith does a fine job of capturing the cycle of life in Appalachia and the code by which generations have lived. I probably should read it again and give a more coherent review.
Lee Smith is a "local" author, I think from Shawsville, VA. I also think she studied at Hollins University in Roanoke. Excellent story about life in rural Virginia back when. I recommend this, as well at Fair and Tender Ladies, and Saving Grace.
I did a 25 page paper in graduate school on this book. My thesis was something about the presence of black magic and witchcraft as it mingles with Southern Baptist ritual in rural Appalachia.
I had to read this for a college course. I liked it, but read it in one night for an exam the next day. I really wasn't able to enjoy it the way I should have. It was a neat story, though.
An amazing and fun story of people up in the mountains. It tells the story of the family line from different people throughout the family's history. An engaging read.
This was one of my "liten and walk" books. I would advise reading the words as I found it somewhat hard to follow. May just do that as I think if were to reread it.
Novel of Appalachia over several generations; again the disconnect between the rural world view/experience and the one most of us come from, even in the Lower 48.
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Growing up in the Appalachian mountains of southwestern Virginia, nine-year-old Lee Smith was already writing--and selling, for a nickel apiece--stories about her neighbors in the coal boomtown of Grundy and the nearby isolated "hollers." Since 1968, she has published eleven novels, as well as three collections of short stories, and has received many writing awards.
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