Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Mar 09, 2009

Vannessagrace rated it:

Walking Across Egypt restores your faith in mankind. A sixteen-year old boy lives at a juvenile detention home and through his uncle, the local dogcatcher, he meets a senior citizen he comes to call Grandma. He escapes the detention home and comes to live with Grandma and they develop a grandma and grandson relationship. Her son and daughter objects to the friendship but grandma ignores them and she and the boy builds upon their friendship from her teaching him about things most children take fo More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Apr 25, 2008

Angela rated it:

I really liked this book, but I didn't love it. The main character is Mattie, a woman who thinks she's "slowing down", and despite her prejudices and some totally irrational habits, she sincerely believes that she can affect her community for the better, one meal at a time. She's very human, and her naivite as well as her hypocrisy is enlightening.

Reading this reminded me of a lot of people I know, a lot of faults which I have, and the humor and good grace that gets me th

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 24, 2011

Jayne rated it:

This book, which is not set in Egypt, and where nobody walks much further than the local church, was an oddity. Two parts farce to three parts religious indoctrination, it centres on an elderly widow living in the North Carolina.

The depiction of the elderly characters is thought provoking. Their focus is on washing up, cooking, nurturing, offering hospitality and going to church. They aren’t distracted by the complications and concerns of the modern world, they just keep plodding for More...

0 comments like

Apr 18, 2010

Margaret rated it:

I read this book over my Christmas vacation and my dad recommended it to me as a funny, entertaining read. And it was that! I laughed out loud several times. It is about a 78 year old woman who thinks she is slowing down and is trying to take it easy but gets her self into a big town scandal. It was quite comical and there are some very interesting characters in the book including her sister, Pearl, who uses snuff. But the most interesting is the main character, a 78 year old woman, Mattie, More...

0 comments like

May 26, 2008

Keri rated it:

This is a story of an older woman, getting on in years but still able to live independantly. One day she has an unfortunate incident with one of her favorite chairs which leaves her stuck in a rather awkward position. While waiting for a repair man to come to her rescue, she recalls a sermon given recently at her church. It was concerning "the least of these" type of people. This is a heart warming tale about standing up for what you belive and caring for others. I really enjoyed

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Guy rated it:

Re-read Egypt again yesterday as I looked through favorite books having to do with food and eating; Edgerton's descriptions of the men in Mattie's life in thrall to her good, old-fashioned, simple Southern cooking - apple pie, pound cake, tomatoes and other vegetables from her garden, and so on - are so convincing as to make it possible to believe that Wesley is actually gonna behave himself, stop smoking, even to go to church, after he moves in.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 31, 2011

Miss rated it:

Sweet Jesus, I'm gonna get all southern over this book! Its true. This book does it to me. The realtionship between an older woman taking in a juvenile deliquent is so funny, and heartwarming. She's really torn between her Christian duty and her enjoyment of solitude. I like how Edgerton reveals her feelings about her children and not having grandchildren. i really didn't like her kids and their prejudices against her charge. I detest rude people. It's refreshing to have a novel feature Chritian More...

0 comments like

Nov 25, 2009

Michelle rated it:

I liked the main character, Mattie. She's what I want to be in my old age. Except grandchild-less...that I do NOT want to be. I love her spunky attitude and her inner conflict. I enjoyed that she was a flawed product of her generation. I was most uncomfortable with the use of the "n" word, and I suppose that's because I'm a product of my generation's values. I have to admit that I got a little tiny bit panicked, seeing the (small) number of pages left and not knowing if the author was More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jun 16, 2011

Susan rated it:

When I picked this book up I didn't know it was going to be funny. Oh my, I chuckled, giggled and laughed until I cried in parts of this book. It is about an older (78) southern woman who lives alone; her children are grown and she has no grandchildren. Some of the things she does just remind me so much of my mother and other women I have known in my life. Such as, she has to have her dishes done right after she eats, watches All My Children, mows her own grass and makes humongous meals out of n More...

0 comments like

Oct 28, 2008

Casey rated it:

A fun vacation read, similar to the clever style of Alexander McCall Smith. The main character is a 70 something women, and the story is related as seen through her eyes. With a mix of the naiivity of a Sunday school little girl, and wisdom that comes with having lived over 70 years.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 11, 2012

Judy rated it:

I heard Clyde Edgeron speak at a writer's conference in 1999...he read the opening scene of Walking Across Egypt, told some stories, shared writing tips...one of the funniest guys I've ever heard. Perfect delivery, imagery, dialogue. Lets you see, smell, taste the biscuits, hear the conversations as if you're standing near enough to the stove to burn yourself if you're not careful. LOVE his writing style, the lazy meanderings of southern conversations, back and forth and around each other. Walki More...

0 comments like

Dec 27, 2011

Mitzi rated it:

I read this book many years ago and remembered it fondly. Recently my Christian Education professor in seminary read to us from this book at the start of every class, and it was a wonderful and relaxing ritual.

It is interesting to think deeply about the title of the book and what "Walking Across Egypt" means in relation to the characters. Consider the liberation story of the bibical Exodus and how Mattie is liberated from her old world of stockings, "stories," More...

0 comments like

Aug 13, 2011

Emily rated it:

On my own, I probably would have never picked this book up, but luckily i was required to read it for school. I found that i really enjoyed it. The main character is a very independent, strong-minded senior citizen. The novel was very humorous at times, for example, the main character fell through a rocking chair and sat there for several hours before the dogcatcher found her. But she demanded that before he get her out of the chair, that he wash and put away her lunch dishes, so her next-do More...

0 comments like

Jan 02, 2009

bookczuk rated it:

Clyde Edgerton can be quite good at capturing personalities of a small North Carolina Town. Mattie and those who touch her life, are all so well drawn and so regular and ordinary, that it is refreshing to read. You won't find a single wasp-waisted, sharpe tongued publisher's assistant, or any clever and resourceful intellectuals who can craft a solution to a problem using only the items in their pockets. No computer wizards cracking code or finding the answer to life's eternal questions.

More...

0 comments like

Dec 16, 2009

Jessica rated it:

This was a last-minute replacement for another book club selection that became unavailable. It was good pick for December because it's a quick and easy read.

From the back of my Ballantine Reader's Circle edition:

She has as much business keeping a stray dog as she would walking across Egypt - which not so incidentally is the title of her favorite hymn. She's Mattie Rigsbee, an independent, strong-minded senior citizen who, at seventy-eight, might be slowing down just a

More...

0 comments like

Apr 20, 2009

Karen rated it:

I've read about this book for years. It's on so many recommended reading lists, especially for book groups, but for some reason, I'd never picked it up.

I added it to the schedule of one of my library book discussion groups this year as one of the members ONLY wants to read things that are light and funny, nothing too depressing. It makes it challenging to come up with titles that are suitable for discussion.

I listened to this on audio and loved it. I found myself LOL fr More...

0 comments like

Mar 04, 2008

Kate rated it:

This book contains my favorite description ever. I won't give it away, but the scene has to do with dirty dishes, a soap opera, and chair seats being recovered.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Nov 30, 2009

Julie rated it:

I enjoyed this book well enough, though it certainly wasn't a page turner. In fact, it floundered around without any tension or plot for a long time. I really liked Mattie, who was darling, if foreign to me. She reminded me of my mother in her efforts at always having the next meal running through her head. I liked Lamar, but I didn't like any other character, though the author did a good job of painting "real" people. I knew them all, and still didn't like them. I was proud of Mattie' More...

0 comments like

Aug 10, 2011

Kim rated it:

Reminiscent of Flannery O’Connor, and strangely familiar if you’ve read “Everything That Rises Must Converge.” A tale of aging and coming of age. Mattie is a 78-year-old woman who lives alone, but tells everyone she is slowing down, though she shows no signs of it. A series of encounters leads her into a relationship with an 18-year-old juvenile delinquent, Wesley. She needs to be needed and Wesley needs a grandmother. It is only when Mattie lets go of everyone’s expectations of her that he More...

0 comments like

Aug 02, 2011

Cindy added it

I loooove Clyde Edgerton!
He is the best author to ever go see do a reading. His readings are actually performances with music and singing, and his character portrayals will have you laughing for days. He's been described as a modern-day Mark Twain, and I think that description fits in so many ways.
This book showcases southern hospitality and tradition and family. The characters are so well-developed that I swear I'd know it was them if I ran into one in the grocery store.
Fun, light, and will More...

0 comments like

Dec 31, 2010

Megan rated it:

kept thinking of Grandma F & Cella and thought this probably wasn't so far off...

She has as much business keeping a stray dog as she would walking across Egypt–which not so incidentally is the title of her favorite hymn. She’s Mattie Rigsbee, an independent, strong-minded senior citizen who, at seventy-eight, might be slowing down just a bit. When teenage delinquent Wesley Benfield drops in on her life, he is even less likely a companion than the stray dog. But, of course, the More...

0 comments like

Oct 30, 2009

Erin rated it:

Cute. Well-drawn characters and honest dialogue that makes you think you're sitting at the table (and eating the delicious food!) in the small North Carolina town. Mattie, in her late 70s, is comfortable in her own home feeding family and friends alike but she knows 'she's slowin' down some." She comes in contact with a young hood, and thinks that Jesus would want her to be a good person to him and help him out, which leads to humorous and sometimes touching results. It's more a charact More...

1 comment like

Nov 10, 2011

Melinda rated it:

This book is a true delight, especially to listen to - I loved the character Mattie Rigsby; so believable, down to earth, and resourceful. Everyone should have such a neighbor. Actually, all of the characters were quirky, full of spunk, and fully enjoyable.
I also enjoyed how the story kept me guessing. New characters were introduced and cleverly woven into the story line, giving that small-town impression where everyone knows everyone. And admittedly, the plethora of down-home cooking t More...

0 comments like

Apr 07, 2009

Louise rated it:

I loved this story! I fell in love the with main character, Mattie. A grandmotherly, take care of everybody type of woman.

From back cover:

"She has as much business keeping a stray dog as she would walking across Egypt-which not so incidentally is the title of her favourite hymn. She's Mattie Rigsbee, an independent, strong-minded senior citizen who, at seventy-eight, might be slowing down just a bit. When teenage delinquent Wesley Benfield drops in on her life, he is More...

0 comments like

Sep 30, 2008

Nancy rated it:

Walking Across Egypt was this month's selection for our little neighborhood book group. We've tackled Mister Pip, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, The Story of Lucy Gault among others. So it was time for a break -- hence this book. And what a book it is.

Mattie is the main character here, and she lives in rural North Carolina by herself, although her two children come every so often to visit. At 78, she does fine for herself, although More...

0 comments like

Sep 22, 2008

Laura rated it:

So far I like it...much better than Fred Chappell's I Am One of You Forever, which is also southern fiction. This humor is more subtle, and less slapsticky (is that a word?). We'll see by the end...

What a funny little book. It was definitely worth the read, and the author painted a vivid & hilarious portrait of a traditional old southern woman trying to live a proper life. What was exception about this book, as compared to other comedic books of southern life (Fred Chappell's boo More...

0 comments like

Sep 01, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

I read this because it is our library's 'one book, one community' choice for this year. The author is local, and it is set in eastern North Carolina. It is sweet and funny, and I like the development of the characters. They're multi-faceted and interesting. I feel like it helped me understand the culture and viewpoints of the religious people I am surrounded by here. I find myself very curious as to the author's religious beliefs and his purpose in writing this book. He shows how important More...

0 comments like

Mar 28, 2007

Tara rated it:

Favorite Quotes

She walked into the kitchen, turned on the light and saw through the window that the eastern sky as dark red. It was her favorite time of the day. She stepped out onto the back step. It was cool. She also liked it when it was cold and she could stand there taking in the cold morning while the sky was red, and time stopped stood still, and rested for a minute. People thought that time never stood still, except in Joshua when the sun stood still; but she knew that for a More...

0 comments like

Jun 21, 2011

CarolAnn rated it:

I liked the small town humor and living in this petite novel. I really liked the main character, Mattie, who is "slowing down" at 78. Good Grief! If she is "slowing down" I am really standing still in life. And of course, this book had food in it. My mouth was watering for Mattie's pound cake, apple pie and biscuits. The only part of the book I found disheartening was the "christian" attitude for Mattie's attitude to help the "least of these" she rea More...

0 comments like

Sep 21, 2009

Tama rated it:

Walking Across Egypt was a quick read that I would put in the OK category. The one thing that I did like about it is that the author recognized that the main character, an older women who was "slowing down," was still full of life and vitality. The author also brings out the point that what people often need most is to be needed. The opportunity to "do good for the least among us" provides that opportunity for the main character. The book did have the small town literatur More...

0 comments like

reviews