Alison's review
A Death in the Family
by James Agee
I haven't read this, but I've always intended to. I've had a copy sitting on my bookshelf for years.
If you haven't already, you should check out the James Agee's collaboration with the photographer Walker Evans, called "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men." This is a collection of Evans' Depression-era photographs, accompanied by Agee's writing. The photographs are amazing, very real and beautiful depictions of poor families living in the South during the Depression.
I was reading a little bit about that. It caught my attention b/c my son's name is Walker and there arent' too many people who actually use that as a first name. I will have to check it out. It sounds like a good book to own. I am on to some lighter reading for now. This was so beautiful, but slow like molasses.
It's been almost a year. Did you read Let Us Now Praise Famous Men?
Hi, Monica. Sorry...I don't see these comments sometimes. No, I didn't. I've heard lots of good things about it, though. Have you?
Alison's review
A Death in the Family by James Agee
Alison's review
rating:
bookshelves:
alltime100novel,
classics,
pulitzerprize,
southernwriters
recommended for: all good southerners
Another book that I didn't intend to spend so much time on.
This book is by James Agee who won the Pulitzer Prize for this work. I was interested in this when I found out it was the true account of the reaction of his family to his father's death when he was six years old growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee.
This book was beautifully written. It's not largely plot propelled. You have an idea going into it what it's about, and there are no surprises. The time span is over about four days, from the father leaving on the ill-fated road trip until his funeral and is told from the points of view of several family members. It reminded me of "The Year of Magical Thinking" in a way, but was much, much more spiritual and multi-layered. It has to be the go-to book for the exploration of grief and loss.
Also significant: I looked up James Agee's picture on Wikipedia, and he had a whole James Dean thing going on. Very interesting.
This book is by James Agee who won the Pulitzer Prize for this work. I was interested in this when I found out it was the true account of the reaction of his family to his father's death when he was six years old growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee.
This book was beautifully written. It's not largely plot propelled. You have an idea going into it what it's about, and there are no surprises. The time span is over about four days, from the father leaving on the ill-fated road trip until his funeral and is told from the points of view of several family members. It reminded me of "The Year of Magical Thinking" in a way, but was much, much more spiritual and multi-layered. It has to be the go-to book for the exploration of grief and loss.
Also significant: I looked up James Agee's picture on Wikipedia, and he had a whole James Dean thing going on. Very interesting.
I haven't read this, but I've always intended to. I've had a copy sitting on my bookshelf for years.
If you haven't already, you should check out the James Agee's collaboration with the photographer Walker Evans, called "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men." This is a collection of Evans' Depression-era photographs, accompanied by Agee's writing. The photographs are amazing, very real and beautiful depictions of poor families living in the South during the Depression.
I was reading a little bit about that. It caught my attention b/c my son's name is Walker and there arent' too many people who actually use that as a first name. I will have to check it out. It sounds like a good book to own. I am on to some lighter reading for now. This was so beautiful, but slow like molasses.
It's been almost a year. Did you read Let Us Now Praise Famous Men?
Hi, Monica. Sorry...I don't see these comments sometimes. No, I didn't. I've heard lots of good things about it, though. Have you?