The Salt Line

by Elizabeth Spencer

At a certain point approaching the Mississippi coast, the air fills with the salt smell of the Gulf of Mexico. For all of the characters in Elizabeth Spencer's gracefully written novel, the salt line divides past and present, memory and longing, tranquillity and danger. Crossing it places everyone in the chaotic path of Arnie Carrington, former professor and 1960s campus radical, who is on a crusade to restore the small Gulf Coast town of Notchaki after the devastation of Hurricane Camille. Threatening the enterprise is the arrival of Arnie's former colleague Lex Graham, who intends to use his wealth to squash his longtime rival's plans for the area's rejuvenation.

The romantic, generous Carrington attracts a wide array of devotees -- Frank Matteo, a Mafia-connected restaurateur trying to go straight; Mavis, the pregnant girlfriend Frank has rejected; Dorothy, Lex's unstable wife, who wants to resume an ancient affair with Arnie; and Lex's cherished daughter Lucinda, a coquette who fancies Arnie's idealism.

The characters in The Salt Line are rebuilding, reckoning with old ghosts, liberating repressed passions, and getting back into life. Elaborately and densely populated, masterfully plotted, and elegant in style, Spencer has woven a tale about the lines that bind, divide, and envelop people.

Genres: Fiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Elizabeth Spencer was an American writer. Spencer's first novel, Fire in the Morning, was published in 1948. She has written a total of nine novels, seven collections of short stories, a memoir (Landscapes of the Heart, 1998), and a play (For Lease or Sale, 1989). Her novella The Light in the Piazza (1960) was adapted for the screen in 1962 and transformed into a Broadway musical of the same name in 2005. She is a five-time recipient of the O. Henry Award for short fiction.

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is both more and less than what I thought it would be. Set in the Mississippi Gulf Coast post-Hurricane Camille, it is both more and less than a hurricane-aftermath novel -- those elements that would make it such are there, but are seamlessly interwoven in a story of well-drawn characters dealing with changes that do arise from the hurricane and its aftermath, but also come from other major life changes. The writing is fine; the metaphors are unique, at times surprising, at times even startling. Some elements may seem, at moments, dated, but even those thwarted expectations, became timeless. I love the meaning of the title, which also turned out to be different from what I thought it must mean before reading the book.

[Old Man JP · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit I really never got into this one. It takes place in Gulfport, Mississippi when Lex Graham has returned after many years away and a rivalry has been renewed between him and Arnie Carrington. The area is still recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Camille and what sort of reconstruction is needed. There is a lot of interaction between the various characters in the story but it just never seemed to go anywhere.

[Mary Cassidy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truth be told, I didn't like it, but have too much respect for it to give it lower. Am left with the feeling I just spent way too much time with people I do not like.

[Peg · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I love the author’s writing, i didnt care for this story. Such a disappointment, for me, as compared to The Voice at the Backdoor or Light in the Piazza.

[Estelle Ford-Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before there was Katrina there was Hurricane Camille which killed 259 people and levelled the Mississippi coast and caused flooding as far north as Virginia. The 24-foot surge swept away everything in its path. Ms. Spencer's story is a wonderful weaving of the lives of victims, and a loving gift to the summertime playground of her growing up years.

[Caralyn Rubli · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't even know what to say about this book. I just didn't get it. It was boring and the characters uninteresting, well you never really read about the interesting people. It took way too long to read this book.

[Paddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, not one of her best, my pal David really didn't like it, so it's clearly not for everyone.