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125th out of 146 books
—
105 voters
Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger
by
Lee Smith
A celebrated novelist, Lee Smith is likewise recognized as a master of the short story and has been compared with such luminaries as Katherine Ann Porter, Eudora Welty, and Flannery O Connor. Now she collects fourteen stories seven brand-new ones along with seven favorites from her three earlier collections. The result? A book of dazzling richness.
Famous for unmistakable...more
Famous for unmistakable...more
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published
March 23rd 2010
by Shannon Ravenel Books
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Since 1968, Lee Smith has been a significant Southern author of short stories and novels compared by some to Flannery O'Connor, Eurora Welty, and Carson McCullers. Somehow I have managed to miss her influence until hearing a recent provocative interview on NPR and purchasing her current volume of short stories, both old and new. These 14 tales might be compared to hors d'oeuvres...tasty, spicy, and not unpalatable, but they do not a meal make. Even the vegetarians among us may ask: "Where's the...more
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It took me a long time to finish this book because I refused to read the stories back-to-back. In a collection of short stories like this, written by one author, it can be tempting to just read one after the other and then then before you know it, you've finished them all and don't really remember much. Kind of like eating Oreos out of the box.
It's hard for me to articulate what it is exactly that I loved so much about these stories, aside of course from the impeccable voices and excellent writ...more
It's hard for me to articulate what it is exactly that I loved so much about these stories, aside of course from the impeccable voices and excellent writ...more
This book is a series of short stories--all, in my opinion, pretty "out there". The first half of the book was fairly boring for me and I just kept reading because I wanted to finish the book and not toss it. Three quarters of the way through the book I did get a little interested in the story entitled "The Happy Memories Club". I don't know what appealed to me about this story but it was a little more up beat than the rest--finally a story I liked! The stories are predoinantly written in the so...more
Actually, three point five stars. I cannot remember how old I was when I first saw To Kill a Mockingbird on television but I was young enough to be scared but old enough to fall in love with the story and not too many years later fall crazy in love with the book. All of which lead to a love southern literature. This collection of short stories was a pleasant ramble. Each story had a distinct voice, distinct southern voice, and some of them I enjoyed much more than others. They were by turns hear...more
I'm so surprised how much I liked this book (I thought it might be chick-lit but it wasn't). I was moved to check the book out from the library believing (for some reason I can't defend) that the title story involved what happened with Elizabeth Darcy (nee Bennett) after she married Mr. Darcy. This turned out not to be the case, but even with my mistake, this book of short stories was engaging. The characters are interesting, the narratives are snappy and modern and occasionally lyrical. Each st...more
This is a collection of short stories--seven new stories and seven culled from three earlier short story collections by Lee Smith. These are stories to be savored and I took my time reading this book. I tried to limit myself to one story a day so that I could think about and appreciate each story before dipping into the next. The stories capture individuals at various stages of life from a young boy to the Mrs. Darcy of the title who is trying to adjust to the recent loss of her husband in her o...more
Stories with settings in the American South dealing with relationships, family, and how we all deal with what life brings to us. It is characters that are Smith's strong point. They come alive for the reader. They are us, our friends, our neighbours. The things that happen in their lives are things we are familiar with and can relate to. People get married, have babies, break up, and die. There are so many of the stories that I loved that I would be hard pressed to choose a favourite. What I do...more
I love Lee Smith's novels, and have been lucky enough to hear her speak a few times. I guess I should say that I'm not much of a fan of short stories. Most of them leave me thinking, "and then what?" Also, although I have lived in the south for over 30 years, I will never be "a southerner." So maybe that's why most of these stories didn't move me very much. Too many references to cheerleading and debutantes (I'm very happy to be neither). There is a sly humor to most of her stories, and two that...more
May 28, 2010
Evanston Public Library
added it
Lee Smith speaks "southern." The voice she gives to her characters rings true to this region's rich culture and customs. Her wonderful collection of new and selected short stories feature mostly women protagonists coping with love, loss, and life's major turning points. Smith is skilled at infusing her writing with a gentle drollness that will make you smile, and her sensibility is rich with emotional content, but without sentimentality or cloying sweetness. Family and home feature greatly in th...more
I used to be a fan of Lee Smith. She has a descriptive writing style and approach that makes her books both charming and addictive. On Agate Hill was one of my favorite southern literature pieces. However, I’ve denounced my fondness of Lee Smith after reading Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger.
The first few short stories were okay (kind of boring, but still enjoyable). Once I got near the end of the book to the story Stevie and Mama, here’s where I had to stop. I was shocked by the blatant r...more
The first few short stories were okay (kind of boring, but still enjoyable). Once I got near the end of the book to the story Stevie and Mama, here’s where I had to stop. I was shocked by the blatant r...more
The stories in this book contain a mix of colorful characters ranging from ages 8 to 80. The common thread I found, other than their southern roots, was how they all dealt with a grim, depressing situation in a strong and uplifting way. My favorites were “Toastmaster” where a young boy gains self-confidence and popularity after developing a stand-up comedy routine, and “The Southern Cross” where the mistress of a married man, accompanying him on a boat trip, realizes his true colors and jumps sh...more
Forever after, when I should happen to think about Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger, I’ll think of blue eyes, beaches and gin and tonics, pleasant summer evenings, and romance. But, I will also remember adultery and sadness, suicide and loss, abandonment and loneliness, and loss of youth. The thread stringing together these stories was life-changing moments when a character was inspired to choose one direction or another; to accept or not accept; to blossom or to fade away. The characters w...more
Some delightful short stories from the South. A range of sweet likable characters. I was particularly struck by the awkward bullied 8 year old boy who finds his talent with standup comedy. Spoiler alert: I found myself retelling the entire story to my girls just to get to his punch line "So a dyslexic guy walks into a bra." Other stories showed pathos, loneliness and there seemed to a thread about high school and how different life turns out. I'm usually not a fan of the short story genre, but I...more
I'm definitely more of a Lee Smith novel fan than a Lee Smith short story fan. She's such the master of character development that short stories just don't leave me enough time with these quirky, brash, proud, flawed country folk.
So,I'm split on how to rate this collection. There are some short stories that are brilliant, my favorites being "Tongues of Fire" (all about adolescence and fanatic religions -- my most cherished of topics) and "Happy Memories Club," a surprisingly arresting story abo...more
So,I'm split on how to rate this collection. There are some short stories that are brilliant, my favorites being "Tongues of Fire" (all about adolescence and fanatic religions -- my most cherished of topics) and "Happy Memories Club," a surprisingly arresting story abo...more
We chose this book to read as a book club. For the first time in our 6+ years of meeting, we decided to use two meetings to discuss. Lee Smith is an amazing writer. And, this compilation is about misfits, who are looking for escapes. But, by this description, I am trivilzing the stories.
Well worth reading. While you may not like ALL the stores, you'll LOVE many. In fact, as I write this, I am laughing out loud about a memory evoked from this book. Highly recommended.
Well worth reading. While you may not like ALL the stores, you'll LOVE many. In fact, as I write this, I am laughing out loud about a memory evoked from this book. Highly recommended.
I love souhern writers and short stories so this book is right up my alley. It is the latest collection (2010) of Lee Smith's stories. She lives in neighboring Hillsborough NC, has been interviewed on NC Bookwatch, and writes terrific stories. Many of them are tied to this area, something I especially like. Other b ooks of hers to enjoy On Agate Hill, The Last Girls, The Christmas Letters, Saving Grace, Fair and Tender Ladies, Oral History, and Fancy Street.
The hardest part about this collection of short stories was that I didn't connect to any of the characters in any of the stories. I wanted to, but they were all flawed in certain ways, none of which I could really relate to. There seemed to be something fundamentally off with each of them, and instead of it making each character endearing, it had the opposite effect: it made me completely annoyed by them. The writing was good, though, and there was always the anticipation that the next story wou...more
..."For readers seeking short stories that offer up some very touching moments that will make readers laugh in one and cry in another, I recommend Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger." My full review may be read on my book review blog Rundpinne.
This was an interesting collection of southern short stories. While I didn't "get" all of the stories, as in, I couldn't figure out the context or meaning behind some of them, overall it was a good collection. My favorite was the mistress with her "boyfriend" in the Bahamas. She paints her characters and scenes well.
If you really enjoy southern fiction, I would recommend this.
If you really enjoy southern fiction, I would recommend this.
This book has great characterizations, but seemed a little disjointed to me. Every chapter introduced a new character or scernario and I kept waiting for them to by connected. As always, I love her characters, but I wanted more of a continuous storyline. I did give it an extra point for mentioning the Merle Watson Festival :)
Excellent book of short stories. I loved her book The Last Girls, which led me to pick up this book, and I definitely wasn't disappointed! Each story is unique and poignant, and Smith's writing and voice are a joy. I particularly liked Big Girl, Intensive Care, and The Happy Memories Club. Well, Toastmaster and Fried Chicken, too. A lovely collection.
A collection of stories by my favorite author. These are sketches of real characters who feel like real women. If you've never read Lee Smith, and you like these stories, you'll love the opportunity to dive deeper into her characters, in books like "Fair and Tender Ladies" or "Oral History" or "Family Linen".
Typically I like Lee Smith's writing, but found that I couldn't identify with many of the characters in the stories and the stories almost implausible. I liked the story, Happy Memories Club,butfound Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger a little weird. While it was heavily promoted, I found it disappointing.
I was hoping for more but only half the stories were new and even the new ones seemed a little too familiar. I found a fractured "tibula" and heading down to "Homosassee" and other such egregious errors annoying. A simple spell check program should have caught them all, nevermind proofreading.
Collection of contemporary short stories. Much as I admire Lee Smith's terrific skill as a storyteller I don't quite warm to her. Her characters are wonderfully authentic but she doesn't seem to like them. Anne Tyler writes in much the same style but has an obvious fondness for her quirky characters. Cautions on language, morality.
We read this in my book club and I didn't want to; not being a fan of short stories. Now I can't wait to read one of Lee Smith's novels. Her characters are immediately recognizable as people you'd know and they speak so well you want to know more and more about them. (Most of them, that is)
I always enjoy Lee Smith's lighthearted southern humor and semi-quirky characters. Although I generally don't enjoy short stories, this book of stories held my interest through all of them. Good summer reading when you just want something to hold your attention for a short while.
As I read these stories I remembered having read a some of them before but I couldn't really tell you which ones. They all feel so familiar to me. I guess being from Grundy I connect to the rhythms of Lee's language. This book was a treat both fresh and familiar.
I really liked her book "Fair and Tender Ladies". If you like stories from the south and small towns you will like this collection (especially Bobbie Ann Mason). I would have given 5 stars, but there was one story that I thought did not quite live up to the rest.
The stories are perfect little snapshots of a time in the lives of various Southerners (mostly mature women and kids.) From House Tour: "The three most important rules of aging," Dr. Lamb had told her as he set it, are these: Pay attention, pay attention, pay attention."
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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.
The sense of place infusing her...more
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