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Raney
RANEY is the hilarious story of the first two years, two months, and two days of a modern Southern marriage.
Hardcover, 227 pages
Published
January 2nd 1985
by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
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Dec 02, 2012
Mike
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone but a Baptist without a sense of humor
Recommended to Mike by:
Donna Callahan, former office manager, Office of the District Attorney, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama
RANEY, Clyde Edgerton's first novel on why it's not a sin to marry a Whiskeypalian even when you are a Free-Will Baptist
First of all, the illustration of Raney by Clyde Edgerton is not that of the first edition, first printing. Seeing as how I'm a goodreads librarian I should fix that.
First Edition, Algonquin Books, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 1985
I know. I have one. It's signed. The REAL first printing is green with a guitar on it. The title, Raney is printed in a block background of hot pin...more
First of all, the illustration of Raney by Clyde Edgerton is not that of the first edition, first printing. Seeing as how I'm a goodreads librarian I should fix that.
First Edition, Algonquin Books, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 1985
I know. I have one. It's signed. The REAL first printing is green with a guitar on it. The title, Raney is printed in a block background of hot pin...more
"Halleluyah. Praise the Lord. Etc. Etc. Etc." I finished reading RANEY, the first Clyde Edgerton novel; and I'm pretty sure that, for me, it's the last Edgerton novel. Not long after LUNCH AT THE PICADILLY was released, one of my closest friends read it. She loved it; she bought me a copy; I HAD to read it. It has some charming bits, and a strong friendship got me through the novel; the novel didn't get me through the novel.
Several years earlier, another friend -- a less influential one -- raved...more
Several years earlier, another friend -- a less influential one -- raved...more
Jan 13, 2009
Jennifer
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
adult-books,
oldies-but-goodies
So, SO un-politically correct. And therefore, SO funny!
I spent the first 3/4 of this book wondering why on earth these two would ever have decided to get married. Why did this intelligent, liberal, educated man choose to marry into this family of racist, small-minded, Bible-beaters? Why did a sweet, naive girl like Raney choose to marry a worldly, arrogant snob like Charles? Had they ever spoken to each other, ever had a single conversation about values and beliefs, before walking down the aisle? The story is told from Raney's point of view, so we o...more
Mar 05, 2013
Justin Haynes
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
grit-lit,
books-for-the-rest-of-my-life
Raney is such a wonderful little read. There isn't a whole lot to say about the first year of her marriage to Charles Sheppard except that from page to page you'll be mad at one, then the other, then both at the same time. It's obvious the two love each other but coming from different backgrounds leads to a mess of problems that they can solve only on their own.
With Raney Edgerton established himself as a new and unique voice in the south over thirty years ago and today he is considered one of t...more
With Raney Edgerton established himself as a new and unique voice in the south over thirty years ago and today he is considered one of t...more
This story is an excellent character study. Raney is an old-south, small-town, Bible-thumping Free Will Baptist. Charles is a college- educated big-city boy from Atlanta- the only child of a college professor and a teacher. When these two marry, the culture clash is phenomenal. Each believes that her/ his way is the only way. Raney thinks alcohol is a sin and should never be touched or allowed in the home. Charles is unused to large, close-knit families, and is miserable at Sunday dinners with R...more
I really wanted to like this book and some of it was right on the money. But, for the most part I didn't. While it strived to be a story of two different cultures colliding and somehow reaching accommodation in the end, it didn't feel real. The cultures (and the characters) were too different, it is hard to imagine Raney and Charles ever having gotten married to begin with. Also, both Raney and Charles seemed to be more caricature than character. If that's what Mr Edgerton was intending, he achi...more
I wasn’t even going to review this book, but I need to put my feelings about it into words, for whoever may be listening. I was disappointed, even angry, at this book. I returned it to the library as quickly as I could.
I read this book because I found Clyde Edgerton’s Walking Across Egypt, which was cited in a talk at a BYU Women’s Conference, to be inspiring. That book is about a quirky, religious southern woman who, in her way, was a great soul and truly lived her religion.
Raney is also about...more
I read this book because I found Clyde Edgerton’s Walking Across Egypt, which was cited in a talk at a BYU Women’s Conference, to be inspiring. That book is about a quirky, religious southern woman who, in her way, was a great soul and truly lived her religion.
Raney is also about...more
3 likes · like · see review
The first words out of my mouth after finishing this were, "This book is stoopid."
I didn't hate it, but gosh... I can't think of one commendable thing about it. Not the writing, story or characters. It just rubbed me the wrong way. Why, oh why did the two main characters marry each other? Did they ever have a conversation together before deciding to get hitched? I doubt it, because then they would've realized they are completely incompatible. Raney was alright, but I DETESTED CHARLES. Ooh, it ju...more
I didn't hate it, but gosh... I can't think of one commendable thing about it. Not the writing, story or characters. It just rubbed me the wrong way. Why, oh why did the two main characters marry each other? Did they ever have a conversation together before deciding to get hitched? I doubt it, because then they would've realized they are completely incompatible. Raney was alright, but I DETESTED CHARLES. Ooh, it ju...more
I zipped through this in an evening, the story of newlyweds in the pre-civil rights, post-WW2 south. The story is told from the perspective of Raney, the wife, who comes from a down-home, family-oriented, Free Will Baptist background in North Carolina. She marries Charles, who is more educated, whose parents are Episcopal, who is a reader and a thinker. He is also a librarian, and while he isn't described as one, I'd like to call him a music librarian. After all, they meet when he is collecting...more
Aug 20, 2011
Miss Starling
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
bleh-and-ugh,
southern-literature
I was disappointed with this book. After reading Walking Across Egypt, I was excited to delve into another Edgerton book, but alas, this was not fullfilling enough. The main character is annoying with her naivety throughout the story. She listens to everyone's opinions, and TAKES everyone's opinions. She doesn't really think for herself and she's just all around dumb at times, especailly when confronting her husband about the things he does that I don't care for. And Charles, her husband, is an...more
1 like · like · see review
Club Read
Post:
This was a fun read! And I like Diane's idea of a petition to get Edgerton up and writing a sequel.
My father's family were Virginia Baptists and I have hazy childhood memories of some of them sitting at the dinner table and conversing in much the same way as Raney's kin.
The feed room text was something of a shocker. It was all right though, since Raney excused herself, just temporarily, from the Lord's dominion. Was all this secretly inspired by Charles' recommendation to check ou...more
Jan 19, 2009
Laura
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-2009,
southern-fiction
This was a hilarious book, with lots of "laugh out loud" moments. Though the characters were definitely more one dimensional caricature, with exaggerated weaknesses and biases, they did serve to illuminate some of the disparities in Southern beliefs and traditions in the aftermath of the Civil Rights movement. If I had one quibble with the book, it was the author's broad generalizations of the differences between small town fundamentalists (read ignorant and bigoted) and big city liberals (read...more
Funny and often sad portrait of the first few months of a marriage, set in 1970s North Carolina. Charles and Raney are young and apparently mismatched. He is a reticent, stubborn, and politically, culturally, and sexually liberal librarian. She is a sociable, provincial, fundamentalist Christian with the unfortunate racist attitude still prevalent in her time and place. They are both musicians and make beautiful music together, by which I mean music; otherwise they mostly bicker. Edgerton's huma...more
I was looking for Edgerton's book WALKING ACROSS EGYPT when I came across RANEY and decided to give it a try. I read it one Sunday afternoon, and chuckled over it all the next day. I think I quoted half the book to my sister Lori. (And then she read it and quoted it back to me!)
It's the story of a "modern" Southern woman who is a member of the Free Will Baptist church and her marriage to a liberal well-educated, Episcopalian man named Charles. After their marriage they reside in Listre, North Ca...more
It's the story of a "modern" Southern woman who is a member of the Free Will Baptist church and her marriage to a liberal well-educated, Episcopalian man named Charles. After their marriage they reside in Listre, North Ca...more
Mar 07, 2013
Sue
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Sue by:
On the Southern Literary Trail
Shelves:
american-southern,
fiction,
humor,
religion-spirituality,
library-book,
kindle,
culture,
read-2013
At times wickedly funny, at times decidedly not, Raney is the story of the marriage of the titled young woman, a North Carolina Free Will Baptist, to Charles, a (former) Atlanta Methodist cum Episcopalian. Why do I include all these modifiers you may ask. Well, therein lies the story, and the humor, the mores of the 1970s, the story of young love and marriage.
We spend roughly two years with Raney and Charles and their extended families and various Preachers, local folk, debating the roles of wiv...more
We spend roughly two years with Raney and Charles and their extended families and various Preachers, local folk, debating the roles of wiv...more
9 likes · like · see review
My second Clyde Edgerton book and I really liked it. Raney is the story of a young, conservative and prudish woman and her new librarian husband, Charles. How Raney and Charles ever fell in love to begin with is a mystery, seriously. It's 1975 - she is from small town NC, he's from Atlanta and they have very different beliefs about how the world functions. They argue about everything from stewed corn to "filthy" magazines. A particularly funny exchange about grape juice vs. wine turns to this......more
This was a book club book and one of the reasons that I love going to a book club-because I read books I wouldn't otherwise and I hopefully learn something in the process-about the book, about myself or about people in general. This was an unusual little book. The main character was a narrow minded, racist, very small character. The resolution comes to soon and is unconvincing.
After attending the book group discussion, I've decided that I may have been to hard on this book and its author, Mr. E...more
After attending the book group discussion, I've decided that I may have been to hard on this book and its author, Mr. E...more
Edgerton is a hoot! He has the southern voice down pat, and I love his stuff. This book brings back memories of my childhood in east Texas, and my mother's friends who played bridge together every few weeks at someone's home. Their conversations used to sound like the conversations that Raney's family had around the dinner table, and my mom used to tell my dad about them when he came home after work. I never really realized how apart my parents felt until after I was older and their friendships...more
Raney herself is adorable as the kind of small-town character who has never given much thought to anything outside of the knowledge gained from her family and from her church, but her marriage to a more liberal librarian at the local community college begins to challenge this mindset. Having grown up in a small town, sometimes Raney's words and actions were uncomfortably familiar, and although there is no great eureka moment or intellectual or spiritual awakening in the story, her horizons are e...more
Feb 18, 2012
M'diya
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to M'diya by:
My sister
Raney is a small-town Baptist. Charles is a liberal from Atlanta. And RANEY is the story of their marriage. Charming, wise, funny, and truthful, it is a novel for everyone to love.
Definitely, a lovely book. It’s so much real like your own life. Responsibilities, relationships, family & everything related to these; fun, happiness, problems. Readers who enjoy light reads must give it a try. Different characters with different personalities & opinions, you may tend to disagree with them but...more
Definitely, a lovely book. It’s so much real like your own life. Responsibilities, relationships, family & everything related to these; fun, happiness, problems. Readers who enjoy light reads must give it a try. Different characters with different personalities & opinions, you may tend to disagree with them but...more
Dec 02, 2010
Corey Yanzito
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Corey by:
Jenny Barlow Capre
Why is it that I always seem to identify with the male characters in books about marriage?! I found Raney to be at once charming and frustrating. Her family would have made me crazy through and through with their constant involvement and opinions, but it's easy to see there is love woven into all the crazy. I was impressed with the ability Edgerton had to write as a woman. His portrayal of Raney as a character was well constructed. I'm reminded of how far we've come in my lifetime in terms of ou...more
An odd little book that was recommended to me by a friend. It's about the first few years of a young couple's marriage. It takes place in the south in 1975 and the main character Raney is supposed to be charming and humorous, but I find her racism offensive. Their family backgrounds are quite different and the newlyweds are having trouble adjusting to each others values and sensibilities. The story was quick and somewhat amusing, but I found many parts of it troubling.
I like Clyde Edgerton, even if he is from the "other" Carolina.
This is a re-read for me, but as usual, I find myself chuckling at how Edgerton manages to portray his characters. He does it beautifully. Sometimes, it's best to read him out loud, so you can stop for the giggles.
There is a discussion in the book about what to call body parts (read sex organs) and natural processes (read defication and urination) that always gets me smiling.
This is a re-read for me, but as usual, I find myself chuckling at how Edgerton manages to portray his characters. He does it beautifully. Sometimes, it's best to read him out loud, so you can stop for the giggles.
There is a discussion in the book about what to call body parts (read sex organs) and natural processes (read defication and urination) that always gets me smiling.
I read this for a Southern Fiction book club. I love Edgerton's characters. Raney's provincialism is endearing, though maddeningly frustrating at times. She and Charles, newlyweds and opposites in so many ways, attempt to find common ground or compromise in all subjects that matter - religion, race, sex, family, just to name a few. The scene on the feed bags gave me a little hope for a marriage that might succeed, despite the odds.
Mar 10, 2013
Richard Barlow
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
southern-literature
Second Clyde Edgerton book in a row. This author is becoming one of my favourite Southern writers. He writes in a totally different style than my all time fave Larry Brown. Less dark, much more darkly comic but he nails Southern culture so perfectly. This book follows the first year of married life of a couple in NC, she (Raney) is born and raised in rural NC he is from the big city of Atlanta, GA. It's a well observed and funny story that rings true all the way through.
It was just okay. I could definitely relate to the characters Charles and Raney, but it wasn't enough to make me laugh. The ending also was kind of sleazy like any other one hundred romantic novels in the used book store, not giving a good name to the South. If I was married I think I would like it better, but not marry the book. It was charming, but not the hardcore romance that I expected.
I first started reading Clyde Edgerton when I was in college in North Carolina. Raney is definitely my favorite book of his. It has the best quirky characters, it is so un-politically correct, and it truly makes me laugh. Don't take this book seriously - it isn't meant to be. Just read it and laugh.
I've been trying to go with more solid fiction recommendations, and this was one of them. It's short, it's funny, and it's sweet too. A good read if you have a little time. But it's not my favorite book ever. I have previously tried "Lunch at the Picadelly" by Edgerton and I didn't get very far.
This story is about a young married man and woman who come from extremely different backgrounds and the ways they deal with their differences of opinion and life style. I wish I could remember why this book was so highly recommended by a friend. I found it to be distasteful, with unsettling results.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On the Southern L...: Raney by Clyde Edgerton | 25 | 33 | 19 mar. 08:29 |
Clyde Edgerton is widely considered one of the premier novelists working in the Southern tradition today, often compared with such masters as Eudora Welty and Flannery O'Connor.
Although most of his books deal with adult concerns--marriage, aging, birth and death--Edgerton's work is most profoundly about family. In books such as Raney, Walking Across Egypt, The Floatplane Notebooks, and Killer Dill...more
More about Clyde Edgerton...
Although most of his books deal with adult concerns--marriage, aging, birth and death--Edgerton's work is most profoundly about family. In books such as Raney, Walking Across Egypt, The Floatplane Notebooks, and Killer Dill...more
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06 mar. 17:05
updated 08 mar. 03:40