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The Wonder Book of the Air
In electrifying prose and with a rare generosity of feeling, this dramatic and piercing debut novel tells the story of the fractured lives of three generations of one Southern family. "Magnificent . . . brims with characters who seem truer than life."--Kaye Gibbons.
- GenresFiction
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 22, 2022
I really enjoyed that. I’m impressed at how seamless the multigenerational narrative appeared.
May 31, 2022
I generally enjoyed this and the characters were compelling but felt somewhat repetitive. We couldn't have had one somewhat happy marriage?
June 27, 2008
I'm ashamed to admit how long it is since I sat down with a novel but we went to Lincolnshire for a long weekend and I needed some books to bury myself in while himself was fishing.
This book has been sitting on the "to read" pile since -wait- the last century. Oh goodness! I bought this in 1997. Methinks I need to get back to reading, big time.
Anyway, I couldn't have picked a better book to ease my way back in.
It's the story of a dysfunctional Southern family and unusual in that we hear from all of the characters in the first person. It shouldn't work as well as it does but Shearer's writing is so good that you forget what could be the awkwardness of this approach.
Highly recommended.
This book has been sitting on the "to read" pile since -wait- the last century. Oh goodness! I bought this in 1997. Methinks I need to get back to reading, big time.
Anyway, I couldn't have picked a better book to ease my way back in.
It's the story of a dysfunctional Southern family and unusual in that we hear from all of the characters in the first person. It shouldn't work as well as it does but Shearer's writing is so good that you forget what could be the awkwardness of this approach.
Highly recommended.
March 22, 2014
I began reading one of Shearer's other books while on vacation and sniffed at it a little- with stereotypes of a region that have been overdone, hysterical women, the stuff of southern novels, and put it down. Upon returning home, I looked for it at the library and picked this up instead. It is a strange thing to be so engrossed in a novel by someone you have actually known, even tangentially. I find it hard not to look for pieces of the person in the writing, and maybe there is, but this novel is really well done.
July 24, 2011
Really good, enjoyed this although it took forever to finish (not the book's fault, I blame my job).
October 25, 2012
It was interesting but kind of depressing.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews