In his second novel, Provinces of Night, William Gay re-creates the oppressive, evocative atmosphere of the American Deep South that he firs...
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Dec 28, 2011
Jamie
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I’m going to go with the best way I know to put this. If you took what I love about Cormac McCarthy, and what I love about Justified, and what I love about home, the center of that Venn diagram is this book.
Meaning, there wasn’t a pleasure center in my brain this didn’t light up like Cleveland. Meaning, if there were any folks I’d bring to life out of a book it’s the Bloodworths out of this one.
Meaning, there wasn’t a pleasure center in my brain this didn’t light up like Cleveland. Meaning, if there were any folks I’d bring to life out of a book it’s the Bloodworths out of this one.
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Feb 15, 2009
Roland
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I love William Gay's short stories, but this was my first read of one of his novels. At first, I didn't think it worked, seemed like he was better off in the short story form, as there was a lot of characterization but little in the way of linear plot going on.
But ultimately I came away really digging this book, too. There may not be much in the way of a linear plot, but the characters are real and intriguing, the situations fraught with tension and drama, and the writing always bre More...
But ultimately I came away really digging this book, too. There may not be much in the way of a linear plot, but the characters are real and intriguing, the situations fraught with tension and drama, and the writing always bre More...
Dec 06, 2011
Casey
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I'm a huge fan of William Gay's work, but on the whole, Provinces of Night missed for me. The writing is good, if a bit of an acquired taste (I lost count of how many times some action is done "impotently"), but the lack of plot really killed the first half to 2/3 of this novel. This novel wasn't that long (under 300 pages) but it felt much, much longer. The story took a long time to get started, and the characters, while well crafted, seemed to kind of meander through the novel and
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Aug 23, 2011
Tom
rated it:
Dark, with humor. Great characters, solid plot line. Well worth my time (short read so not too much time needed). Language is spare and effective - always appreciate that.
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Apr 22, 2010
Amy
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William Gay, how does it happen that you've been publishing for over 10 years and I am just now finding out about you? The Good Reviewer who said, "Horrible people doing horrible things in between the most beautiful descriptions of weather" had it just about right, except that it's not just the weather that Gay puts into such perfect prose--it's everything. His writing is spare, dry, sometimes hilarious, and almost painfully beautiful. I had to get this book from inter-library loan, as
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Nov 27, 2011
Josh
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First of all--and it has to be said--raving fanboy that I am--this book is a gigantic Cormac McCarthy ripoff! And I'm not talking about minor details here, William Gay pretty much stole McCarthy's voice along with the general plot outline of Suttree.
Which is not to say this is a bad book by any means--far from it--but it was something I couldnt get over for the first 100 pages. Which is also kinda unfair, considering a) McCarthy did the same with Faulkner and b) Gay takes everything More...
Which is not to say this is a bad book by any means--far from it--but it was something I couldnt get over for the first 100 pages. Which is also kinda unfair, considering a) McCarthy did the same with Faulkner and b) Gay takes everything More...
Jun 21, 2010
Djrmel
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I finished reading this book five days ago, and I am still thinking about what happened after the book ended. I've started and finished other books since then, and as I've read them, I've wondered how the characters of this book would have fit in to other stories. I wonder how the characters of these new books would have interacted with the Bloodworth family. How would they have fit in that tough little corner of south western Tennessee? William Gay is such a good story teller that his peopl
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Jun 08, 2011
Patricia
rated it:
Sad, funny, dark interwoven tales of the effed-up Bloodworth clan (at least father, sons, and grandsons--no female children and not much about the wives) in eastern Tennessee's coal country in the 1950s. Drunken debauchery, killin', banjo-playing, and hexes abound, but ultimately it's a beautiful story about love and redemption in the southern gothic tradition.
I read William Gay's "Twilight" a few months ago and loved it. "Provinces of Night" has the same setting an More...
I read William Gay's "Twilight" a few months ago and loved it. "Provinces of Night" has the same setting an More...
Jan 12, 2012
Leigh
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Provinces of Night is a haunting, comical and tragic story that takes the reader into small-town Tennessee. The protagonist, Fleming Bloodworth returns to his family after a 40-year absence, and only his wife knows the truth. His sons tell us about the abandonment at the beginning of the story and we are left to believe their perception as truth, but as the story unfolds, we come to understand what really happened and who he was protecting. The ending was sad - I didn't want it to end this way,
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May 23, 2010
Spike
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Although it starts off with open mimicry of Cormac MacCarthy's voice, the writing is very good. It rises above the caliber of most southern Gothic out there. Gay is quite deft at getting the nuances of being "in the woods" down perfectly. His prose has an eerie quality to it. I look forward to more of his work. "The Paperhanger" is a great example of his style, and one of the best short stories I've read in ten years.
Jan 03, 2010
Debs
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Final book club pick of the year. I’m still trying to figure out what the title has to do with the novel itself. It’s about three generations of a particular family in Tennessee, but only the grandfather and the youngest boy are likeable. Flemming’s coming of age and his relationship with Raven Lee Halfacre are the most engaging parts of the book.
Jul 24, 2009
Jo Ann
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I've been in search of Gay's books since reading the short story "Where Will You Go When Your Skin Cannot Contain You?" This haunting story stayed with me for months--I've reread it several times because it's so beautiful. Update: Provinces of Night is perfection. I'm afraid I'm spoiled now for any other piece of contemporary fiction. Every word, every idea is beautiful.
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Jul 27, 2009
KateSpears
rated it:
oh wow. i can't believe i just heard about this author. provinces of night is awesome. i read much of it aloud because the writing is so poetic that it warrants being spoken. the story is gritty, sad, heartbreaking, frustrating, and yet hopeful. i will read this book again i'm sure. supposedly there is a movie in the works, but i can't imagine it could do this story justice.
Jan 23, 2012
Ron
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Not much of a plot, but so what? The characters were well-drawn, I cared about them what happened to them (even the ones I didn't like), and the dialogue was stellar. I'll take that any day over a fascating plot with cardboard characters.
Mar 17, 2011
Susan
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William Gay is the best southern writer of our time. I am so pleased to be able to say that about a fellow Tennessean. I live around 50 miles from Hohenwald, where Gay lives, and I can tell you that his dialogue and characters are completely authentic. I know these folks--especially Junior Albright. He is my favorite character of the book. Read this book if you want to feel, smell, and savor a slice of life in rural Tennessee. I believe William Gay will take his place alongside Faulkner, F
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May 31, 2011
Stephen
rated it:
Very close to a five star read - really enjoyed this and will definitely check out his other books. Great characters and lots of different stories going on simultaneously.
Aug 31, 2010
Michael
rated it:
Almost entirely consistently excellent descriptions, wonderful lack of quotation marks for dialog, great spoken dialog, compelling vision of a particular time and place, well drawn characters—and quite a cast it is! HIghly recommended.
Jun 17, 2009
Steve
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Horrible people doing horrible things in between the most beautiful descriptions of weather.
Mar 02, 2009
Richard
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Loved this book. Gay's humor relieves some of the darkness of the Gothic night.
Jul 09, 2010
Katy
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Beautiful, poetic descriptions of place, characters you don't like but want to read more about, and a few side-splittingly funny scenes. I'm seeking out more William Gay!
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Sep 07, 2010
Adam
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William Gay’s second novel is an even more rambling affair than his first. With a wild raucous humor on display on nearly every page this is a novel of the old south that that avoids sentiment and nostalgia. A wider tapestry then his first, while the ghosts of Cormac McCarthy’s Tennessee are still evident (taking its title from a line in Child of God), this is closer to Faulkner with a dissection of an eccentric family as its focus. So in short this novel is a comic southern gothic with ribald h
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Jun 28, 2011
Charles
rated it:
A well written novel. William Gay's poetic use of language is staggering. Gay may well be the greatest living novelist writing today.
Apr 24, 2011
Judy
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I read this book slowly to savor all its moods, hijinks, and weather. Very beautiful language and storytelling.
Jul 29, 2011
Marty
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This is the best book i have read in a very long time. wonderful. I just watched the movie Bloodworth that is based on Provinces of Night. I liked the book alot more than the movie and I am glad I read the book first because I had to keep explaining things to my husband. Both the book and the movie broke my heart at how families can treat each other and hold grudges for decades.
Jan 23, 2008
King Dinösaur
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I don't know what happened between "The Long Home" and this book, but apparently Mr. Gay forgot the proper use of punctuation, or maybe he was trying to be "avant-garde" or something. Or maybe he got hit on the head and suddenly thought he was Hubert Selby, Jr.
The story is still good, but the lack of grammatical rules is atrocious.
The story is still good, but the lack of grammatical rules is atrocious.
Apr 25, 2009
Matthew
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Gay clearly has an intimate understanding of life in small town Tennessee, although sometimes the writing didn't do justice to his understanding. Provinces of Night also lacked a strong sense of place, which I think would be necessary to fully capture the lives of the characters. I enjoyed it, but wish it had been a littler "meatier."
Aug 31, 2009
Bednarzterry
rated it:
It took some practice to get the author's cadence and I do wish he'd learn to use quotation marks!!! Having said that, I'm so glad I stuck with this book because the characters were vividly painted and alot of action took place in this poetic Southern tale. I'm a fan now!!
Oct 25, 2007
Jess
rated it:
Gay has spent most of his adult life working as a carpenter and writing on the side. He started publishing in 1999, when he was in his late fifties. In erudite, dulcet prose, he tells a semi-autobiographical story of three generations determined to destroy themselves and each other in the rural South.
Jan 11, 2008
Laura
rated it:
I have a photo of Sir Gay on my wall. His book is wonderful, gruesome, intrusive and honest. To meet him after reading this book was astonishing. He´s so very quiet and introverted but his book just screams. He lives in a trailer cabin thing in the mountains and I´ve used his bathroom.
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