A rape victim raising a biracial baby. A drug addict haunted by a dead girlfriend. A homosexual mourning a dead lover. A teacher having an affair w...
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Jan 20, 2011
Mark
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Shannon Yarbrough’s intriguing third novel, Are You Sitting Down, explores the dysfunctions of the White family and their neighbors in the charmingly named town of Ruby Dregs, Tennessee, a Memphis exurb. Delving into the themes of corruption, carnal desire and forgiveness that Yarbrough also staked out in his first two novels, Are You Sitting Down portrays small town life as claustrophobic, malicious and filled with secrets.
The occasion is Christmas, and the novel’s anchor, Travis Wh More...
The occasion is Christmas, and the novel’s anchor, Travis Wh More...
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Oct 08, 2011
Gabriella
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I am so glad that I read this novel. First off, my impression was that it would be a realistic Midwestern family drama. As I got further immersed in the book, I began to see that it is in fact a deeply Southern tale, concerned with secrets, sex and death. The book opens with a death, in fact; the father, Frank White, has a stroke while his wife Lorraine weeps at his side. Yarbrough does death scenes in an unusual and interesting way. They are strangely intimate, as we see the thoughts of the dyi
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Jul 21, 2011
Cheryl
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Let me just preface this review with a full disclosure. I know Shannon Yarbrough. We travel the same Indie review circles, and I reviewed an earlier book of his titled Stealing Wishes, which I enjoyed a great deal. As a matter of fact, the author thanks me in the back of this book for simply "getting" his writing. When he queried the Podpeople for this book, I happily snapped it up. I wasn't mistaken in doing so, because true to form, Mr. Yarbrough always gives the reader compelling ch
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Feb 22, 2011
Peter
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Are You Sitting Down? is an intense, often disturbing portrait of a small town fictional American family that on the whole proves more satisfying than the sum of its parts.
Those parts are its chapters, each told in the first person by a variety of characters, and titled with the name of that character. It reminds me of As I Lay Dying. Even the title--Are You Sitting Down?--somewhat parallels that of the Faulkner classic. Because of this approach, a little patience is required to get More...
Those parts are its chapters, each told in the first person by a variety of characters, and titled with the name of that character. It reminds me of As I Lay Dying. Even the title--Are You Sitting Down?--somewhat parallels that of the Faulkner classic. Because of this approach, a little patience is required to get More...
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Dec 30, 2010
Dan
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I've always enjoyed Shannon's writing since I first read Stealing Wishes. When I learned that he had published a new book, I immediately downloaded it to my Kindle and devoured it in short order.
This is an ambitious undertaking, telling the story of one family through the eyes of its members. I enjoyed the fact that everyone was represented, even those family members that were there in memory only. Like every family get together, there is no small amount of drama, jealousy, and feel More...
This is an ambitious undertaking, telling the story of one family through the eyes of its members. I enjoyed the fact that everyone was represented, even those family members that were there in memory only. Like every family get together, there is no small amount of drama, jealousy, and feel More...
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Jan 31, 2012
Melinda
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In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I met Shannon Yarbrough, online, when he reviewed my own book. Upon receiving the Google “ping” that signified I’d been mentioned somewhere, I looked up Mr. Yarbrough’s profile and, to my surprise, found that we had grown up literally just down the southern road from each other. Highway 51, to be exact. And that, I think, explains a lot. It certainly piqued my interest in reading Mr. Yarbrough’s work.
In the world of self-pub More...
In the world of self-pub More...
Feb 18, 2012
Jessica
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Very good book. Very detailed. Shannon is very good at switching each chapter to a new person. Sometimes when a book is written like this, the readers get lost because it jumps around. This book is nothing like that.
This book is awesome. I couldn’t put it down. I read the entire book within 2-3 days in random spurts. Very interesting and keeps you so engrossed in the book that you just want to keep turning pages.
In this book “everyone knows everyone” in a small town jus More...
This book is awesome. I couldn’t put it down. I read the entire book within 2-3 days in random spurts. Very interesting and keeps you so engrossed in the book that you just want to keep turning pages.
In this book “everyone knows everyone” in a small town jus More...
Dec 15, 2010
Karlin
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Once you start reading "Are You Sitting Down?" it is hard to stop. The characters are highly engaging, so much so that you turn each page wondering what will happen next. I liked the portrayal of family interactions - the secrets we keep, the shared and personal loses we suffer. The reader can identify with the humanity of each family member, even if you find some of their choices repugnant (ie an affair with a student) - none of these people have mental illness (ie: the teacher is no
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Dec 17, 2010
R.J.
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The story unfolds naturally - and sometimes chillingly - as each member of the White and Black families tell the reader their tale. The prose is often beautiful, but unflinching, as heartbreak, addictions, affairs, and even murders are confessed. Although the story comes to a satisfying conclusion, at the end only the reader knows the whole story of these families...and even then we're left with lingering questions. That's a tricky feat for a writer to pull off well, but Shannon Yarbrough does i
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Jan 05, 2011
Tess
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I started reading “Are You Sitting Down” around noon this past Saturday. I intended to read a chapter or maybe two at the most. Four hours later I was still reading. From the beginning of the prologue I was engaged in the story. I wanted to know more about the people that the author, Shannon Yarbrough, was introducing me to. What made them so real, I think, is the way he chose to tell the story. Each person is given a voice and I got to see the events that happened from their perspective, and ex
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Dec 23, 2010
Joann
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I won this book through First Reads. It's a well-written novel that draws the reader in through the honest and realistic character depictions.
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