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Dancing In The Lowcountry
Determined to be independent despite her advanced age, Ella Dubose, a Southern lady, journeys back to a place where key chapters of her life unfolded and where she is finally able to face the ghosts of her past and decide which of her secrets she must share with her family and which she must keep buried forever. Original.
291 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
21 people are currently reading
323 people want to read
About the author
James Villas
38 books9 followersJames Villas was the food and wine editor of Town & Country magazine for twenty-seven years. His work has also appeared in Esquire, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Saveur, The New York Times, and the Atlantic Monthly, among other publications. Two of his cookbooks have been nominated for a James Beard Award. He has also won a James Beard Award twice for journalism and received Bon Appetit's Food Writer of the Year Award in 2003. James Villas is the author of more than a dozen cookbooks and books on food, including My Mother’s Southern Kitchen and The Glory of Southern Cooking. He lives in East Hampton, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
October 7, 2021
1.5*
From the book jacket: Ella Dubose is a Southern lady of a certain age – an age at which memories of youth can rush in at every turn and overwhelm the present. But while Ella’s two younger children are concerned for her health and want to limit her independence, Ella – elegant, unconventional, and unrepentantly willful – has very different ideas. And she’s not about to be controlled by anyone, not when there are tasks she needs to complete and loose ends that must be tied. The first step is to leave her family and take a road trip back to the places where key chapters of her life unfolded.
My reactions
I was hoping for a charming, “old Southern lady” romp of a story. Instead, I got a tedious, repetitive meander that went nowhere. I have no idea why Villas included Goldie, Miss Ella’s companion, and especially have no idea why he chose to make her a Native American, other than to give some people an excuse to call her Squaw and Ella a reason to chastise them for that.
I did like all the references to the music of the ‘40s and ‘50s. I’ll give him an extra ½ star for that, though it wasn’t enough to save the book for me.
From the book jacket: Ella Dubose is a Southern lady of a certain age – an age at which memories of youth can rush in at every turn and overwhelm the present. But while Ella’s two younger children are concerned for her health and want to limit her independence, Ella – elegant, unconventional, and unrepentantly willful – has very different ideas. And she’s not about to be controlled by anyone, not when there are tasks she needs to complete and loose ends that must be tied. The first step is to leave her family and take a road trip back to the places where key chapters of her life unfolded.
My reactions
I was hoping for a charming, “old Southern lady” romp of a story. Instead, I got a tedious, repetitive meander that went nowhere. I have no idea why Villas included Goldie, Miss Ella’s companion, and especially have no idea why he chose to make her a Native American, other than to give some people an excuse to call her Squaw and Ella a reason to chastise them for that.
I did like all the references to the music of the ‘40s and ‘50s. I’ll give him an extra ½ star for that, though it wasn’t enough to save the book for me.
May 23, 2010
I became caught up in this book from the beginning and was really feeling good about it. The Charlotte, Myrtle Beach setting was intriguing since I was very familiar with the places mentioned in the book. The character development was exceptional. Miss Ella reminded me a little bit of my mother in law. Spunky and very independent.
The story was interesting. Miss Ella is recapping her life at her golden age and has come to a major decision that she is going to reveal something she has kept to herself for over 50 years. She decides to go to a resort in Myrtle Beach with her friend Grace where she will put her plan in motion. There she meets an older man who helps her come to terms with growing older and living too much in the past. The story progressed nicely right up until it ended. I read the last page and thought, “Is this it?” “Are their pages missing?” I totally felt ripped off. There is no climatic ending, it just ends with a thought. I guess something for us to think about and imagine how the rest of the story unfolds. I am so glad I didn’t purchase this book because if I did, I would try and find a way to return it. Listen up Mr. Villas, if I’m going to invest in one of your novels, the least you can do is give us a finished product. This novel was a 5 on page 150, but went to a 3 at page 291
The story was interesting. Miss Ella is recapping her life at her golden age and has come to a major decision that she is going to reveal something she has kept to herself for over 50 years. She decides to go to a resort in Myrtle Beach with her friend Grace where she will put her plan in motion. There she meets an older man who helps her come to terms with growing older and living too much in the past. The story progressed nicely right up until it ended. I read the last page and thought, “Is this it?” “Are their pages missing?” I totally felt ripped off. There is no climatic ending, it just ends with a thought. I guess something for us to think about and imagine how the rest of the story unfolds. I am so glad I didn’t purchase this book because if I did, I would try and find a way to return it. Listen up Mr. Villas, if I’m going to invest in one of your novels, the least you can do is give us a finished product. This novel was a 5 on page 150, but went to a 3 at page 291
April 2, 2011
I really love lowcountry tales about NC/SC ... it brings back memories of my property in Calabash, NC and the fun times I had down there. I enjoyed the book, laughed through it and I could picture the places and others things that Mr Villas described. The only thing that disappointed me was the rather abrupt ending, I was like "what this is it?" Wish the ending could have been better, but overall I did enjoy reading this book.
July 21, 2009
I wanted to like this book - truly, I did. At first, I was intrigued by it because the characters live in places that I am familiar with, such as Charlotte, NC, Myrtle Beach and Charleston, SC, and New Jersey. In a way, it was fun to read about the different locations the characters visit, especially because Villas uses actual places that you can find on a map. Yes, the house on Colville Road in Charlotte is in an upscale neighborhood, but unless you live in Charlotte or have visited the area, how would you know this? I'm not sure what Villas hoped to accomplish by all of the geographic "name dropping" employed in the novel. I don't think it added any sort of value to the story.
In addition, I thought this book would feature the rich family drama and lovable, quirky characters a la Dorothea Benton Frank's Plantation. If that is what you are expecting, then Dancing in the Lowcountry will surely disappoint.
Instead, I found this book to be chock full of stereotypes and far-fetched story lines. Perhaps because some of the story takes place in the 1940s, Villas thought it necessary to harp on stereotypes of all kinds (religious, ethnic, geographic, as well as sexual orientation) to help us understand the setting and customs of the period for the upper crust in the Carolina Lowcountry. To the contrary, I found this technique patronizing and just paints a picture of the South as backwards, unsophisticated, and lacking class.
Finally, I wish the author and editors would have done a little fact checking - the name of the college that Edmund's daughter Elizabeth attended is Douglass, with a double "s" at the end!
In addition, I thought this book would feature the rich family drama and lovable, quirky characters a la Dorothea Benton Frank's Plantation. If that is what you are expecting, then Dancing in the Lowcountry will surely disappoint.
Instead, I found this book to be chock full of stereotypes and far-fetched story lines. Perhaps because some of the story takes place in the 1940s, Villas thought it necessary to harp on stereotypes of all kinds (religious, ethnic, geographic, as well as sexual orientation) to help us understand the setting and customs of the period for the upper crust in the Carolina Lowcountry. To the contrary, I found this technique patronizing and just paints a picture of the South as backwards, unsophisticated, and lacking class.
Finally, I wish the author and editors would have done a little fact checking - the name of the college that Edmund's daughter Elizabeth attended is Douglass, with a double "s" at the end!
June 3, 2015
I really liked reading about the Low Country area. The beach atmosphere, the restaurants and the food and dancing were all very dazzling to me because I grew up so far from this lifestyle. I almost didn't finish the book but I'm glad I stuck with it. Miss Ella did elicit a guffaw at least once in every chapter for one or other of her eccentricities. Goldie was an interesting character. It's no wonder most of the characters in 'Dancing in the Lowcountry' are 'interesting' to say the least. Most people have tragic circumstances with which they live or try to cover up. The diatribe on prevarication by Tyler's character was good. I liked the point he was making about how we confront the truth. What paths we take trying to deal with stuff. I think the book would have suffered nothing by leaving out the sex scenes and some of the worst profanity.
June 2, 2011
This is one of the worst books I've ever read. The plot and characters are all over the place and nothing feels organic.
The main character is Ella Dubose, a seventy something old lady who smokes, drinks, carries a gun, and is obssessed with her southern roots and supposed pedigree. I knew from the first twenty pages, when she contemplates offing herself because her hair appointment's been moved and a man hasn't come to clean her crystal chandelier, that I would have trouble with the character. See, you're apparently supposed to think Ella is fun and sassy and "speaks her mind", but she is one of the most unpleasant people I've ever read about. She treats everyone like dirt unless they fawn over her (ie her companion/servant, Goldie; the old black waiter at the hotel, Riley; her favored son, Tyler; and her new love interest, Edmund.), berating other characters because they don't recognize how important she seems to think she is.
Her only redeeming features are that she's not racist or a homophobe. We know this because the author beats us over the head with the fact that her companion Goldie is an Indian: she was wearing an authentic Cherokee dress, Ella was proud of her Indian friend, Ella looked over at the Indian, etc. We get it, she's an Indian!!! But that's all there is to Goldie, she seems to be put into the story only to show how Ella is not a racist, and to keep Edmund's grandsons entertained so Ella and Edmund can sit and talk about the old days.
It gets worse! In order to prop up Ella, the author works hard to make all the other characters even worse! Her unfavored son calls Goldie a sqauw, an old friend of Ella's (who's only mentioned for a page) loves where she lives because no blacks live there, a random group of young people start berating Ella on the beach (who does that?) until she pulls her gun on them. Completely ridiculous.
The meatiest storyline is that Ella was once in love with a Jewish boy (Jonathan), slept with him, and her first born son (Tyler) is actually his baby. Sadly, Jonathan is gay/bi and is having trouble coming to terms with his sexuality. Ella catches him kissing another man, and turns on him. When he reaches out to her and tries to explain himself she calls him disgusting and as she's leaving, she hears him kill himself. She keeps all this knowledge to herself but is contemplating telling Tyler the truth (he's gay too, Ella seems to think he inherited it from his father, WTF?). Unfortunately, the son has cancer, so Ella doesn't want to burden him with the truth. In the final pages she wanders around drunk and dreams/hallucinates that Jonathan comes back and absolves her, telling her the past doesn't matter and all she needs to worry about is Tyler. A terrible ending to a terrible book.
Also, I thought the sex scenes were relatively tame. The most explicit is without a doubt the "hetero" sexual encounter, (still terrible writing though, "(he) caressed the moist tissues of her groin."). People seem to be offended by the fact that there is any gay sex at all. C'mon y'all what did Ella teach us about being homophobic?
The main character is Ella Dubose, a seventy something old lady who smokes, drinks, carries a gun, and is obssessed with her southern roots and supposed pedigree. I knew from the first twenty pages, when she contemplates offing herself because her hair appointment's been moved and a man hasn't come to clean her crystal chandelier, that I would have trouble with the character. See, you're apparently supposed to think Ella is fun and sassy and "speaks her mind", but she is one of the most unpleasant people I've ever read about. She treats everyone like dirt unless they fawn over her (ie her companion/servant, Goldie; the old black waiter at the hotel, Riley; her favored son, Tyler; and her new love interest, Edmund.), berating other characters because they don't recognize how important she seems to think she is.
Her only redeeming features are that she's not racist or a homophobe. We know this because the author beats us over the head with the fact that her companion Goldie is an Indian: she was wearing an authentic Cherokee dress, Ella was proud of her Indian friend, Ella looked over at the Indian, etc. We get it, she's an Indian!!! But that's all there is to Goldie, she seems to be put into the story only to show how Ella is not a racist, and to keep Edmund's grandsons entertained so Ella and Edmund can sit and talk about the old days.
It gets worse! In order to prop up Ella, the author works hard to make all the other characters even worse! Her unfavored son calls Goldie a sqauw, an old friend of Ella's (who's only mentioned for a page) loves where she lives because no blacks live there, a random group of young people start berating Ella on the beach (who does that?) until she pulls her gun on them. Completely ridiculous.
The meatiest storyline is that Ella was once in love with a Jewish boy (Jonathan), slept with him, and her first born son (Tyler) is actually his baby. Sadly, Jonathan is gay/bi and is having trouble coming to terms with his sexuality. Ella catches him kissing another man, and turns on him. When he reaches out to her and tries to explain himself she calls him disgusting and as she's leaving, she hears him kill himself. She keeps all this knowledge to herself but is contemplating telling Tyler the truth (he's gay too, Ella seems to think he inherited it from his father, WTF?). Unfortunately, the son has cancer, so Ella doesn't want to burden him with the truth. In the final pages she wanders around drunk and dreams/hallucinates that Jonathan comes back and absolves her, telling her the past doesn't matter and all she needs to worry about is Tyler. A terrible ending to a terrible book.
Also, I thought the sex scenes were relatively tame. The most explicit is without a doubt the "hetero" sexual encounter, (still terrible writing though, "(he) caressed the moist tissues of her groin."). People seem to be offended by the fact that there is any gay sex at all. C'mon y'all what did Ella teach us about being homophobic?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2016
An easy, amusing read about a once Southern "belle" now in her early 70's, who comes to terms with her past. Ella is everything you would think a proper Southern woman with a good upbringing in the 30's and 40's would be: gracious, gentile, and stylish. Add to that a stubborn independence. However, at her age, she has become very nostalgic and quite hilariously eccentric and outspoken. Two of her three children are worried about her living alone, safely driving her car and her health. They hint at her possibly moving to a retirement setting. She is so appalled and angered by this, she packs her bags and her Cherokee Indian cleaning lady/friend into her white Cadillac, leaves her stately North Carolina home, and ventures out on a trip she tells no one about, to Myrtle Beach. Here she hopes to relax and recapture the comfort spent at an old seaside southern inn she frequently visited in the past with her family. What ensues is a delightful story of Ella's memories, her tragic love affair, her married life, and her coming to terms with a secret she has kept since a young woman. Having been to Charleston, S.C. and its environs, I enjoyed all the descriptive passages of the area, which I have many fond memories of. Charming and sweetly sad, but a good laugh as well.
Read
July 30, 2010I picked up a bunch of lovely titled books, determined to read them all, hoping to find at least one in the bunch worthy to read through. Lesson learned--pretty front covers and lovely titles are VERY misleading. Sub-zero stars for this book. A playright said to enjoy the book with some "sippin whiskey." Don't know what that is, but drunk you'd need to be to (or immoral) to get through the expicit homosexual experience of one particular character. Books should be rated! And this one deserves an XXX rating. Recommended to absolutely no one.
March 27, 2011
I liked this book but for some reason had a hard time finishing it. I think the initial tension in the story began to bog down and even the author had a hard time finding a decent resolution. In the end it just kind of galloped away towards a resolution that didn't make a whole lot of sense. All in all it was o.k., I enjoy anything with a background of Charleston and the Low Country, but not one I'd read again.
Read
December 27, 2011If it were possible to give negative stars, this book would be a -5. I rarely give up on a book, but I could not finish this mess. One stereotype after another, with every bigoted name possible, just banging the reader over the head . I tried to stay with it, thinking the author was trying to make a point, but i'm afraid there was no point.
May 30, 2011
I love readin about the lowcountry so I went in with a positive bias. I enjoyed the book. It was free, which usually means it's substandard but this was not. I read it on the beach with my feet in the sand and had a perfectly lovely time.
August 12, 2011
I LOVED this book. Cannot imagine anyone from the south disliking it. I live south of Charlotte NC. Everywhere was so familiar and the story line was fabulous. Enjoyed seeing it through this lovely woman's memories of being young.
January 10, 2011
Interesting back and forth between the past and present, dealing with aging and how the past can become a prison if one doesn't handle it right.
September 15, 2013
Excellent story of family, the South, secrets, memories and some sex. But that's every day living right? Well worth the read.
June 26, 2018
Not for me. It was down right depressing. Although, I did learn to appreciate the now and look forward to the future rather than dwell on the past.
May 28, 2020
I think because I had just recently read The Last Bathing Beauty and it had a similar theme, I just couldn't get into this one.
Also, Miss Ella had just recently celebrated her 73rd birthday, and was an old lady, according to her children and everyone around her. As a 70-almost 71-year-old, I found that disturbing. I FINALLY figured out "the war" was WWII and not Vietnam, although it took me a while, and that made the book set somewhere around 1999-2000, so not that long ago, but still enough to have a generational difference, I guess. Her children were about my age, so I guess she did seem old to them.
I have known women like Miss Ella most of my life and could see that she was dead set against anything that had not been in "her world" from the beginning. I have also been around those people, and have not much enjoyed it.
But my main problem with the book is that nothing really happened. WAS Tyler really ill? WHAT was wrong with Ella, that she kept having those spells and passing out? Would she EVER tell Tyler about his father? Her other children were so peripheral to her life that I felt sorry for them, since they were the ones living close and having to take care of her.
Not a great read for me and thus only 3 stars - probably 2 1/2.
Also, Miss Ella had just recently celebrated her 73rd birthday, and was an old lady, according to her children and everyone around her. As a 70-almost 71-year-old, I found that disturbing. I FINALLY figured out "the war" was WWII and not Vietnam, although it took me a while, and that made the book set somewhere around 1999-2000, so not that long ago, but still enough to have a generational difference, I guess. Her children were about my age, so I guess she did seem old to them.
I have known women like Miss Ella most of my life and could see that she was dead set against anything that had not been in "her world" from the beginning. I have also been around those people, and have not much enjoyed it.
But my main problem with the book is that nothing really happened. WAS Tyler really ill? WHAT was wrong with Ella, that she kept having those spells and passing out? Would she EVER tell Tyler about his father? Her other children were so peripheral to her life that I felt sorry for them, since they were the ones living close and having to take care of her.
Not a great read for me and thus only 3 stars - probably 2 1/2.
August 24, 2020
I don't know why I love low country stories (maybe because I lived in NC for several yrs.) but I must read them all! Maybe it is the laid back lifestyle, the food, the history, or especially the people but I'm in another world as I turn the pages. Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I cry, but always I feel wrapped up in a cozy blanket and dream of grits, fresh fish, and laughter. Read this book!
January 8, 2020
My one criticism is that a little more proofing was needed. i.e. a cigarette was stubbed out twice, Ella had on a yellow sweater then a couple of paragraphs later a pink and white dress. etc.
Overall, it was a really good story and I enjoyed the Southern charm and customs.
Overall, it was a really good story and I enjoyed the Southern charm and customs.
October 17, 2020
Slow going, summer breeze with a southern drawl vibe.
Interesting to learn that Edgar Allan Poe spent time in Charleston which provided some inspiration for some of his works.
Interesting to learn that Edgar Allan Poe spent time in Charleston which provided some inspiration for some of his works.
February 9, 2022
A little more graphic than I like during certain scenes, but overall, I enjoyed reading from an elderly point of view.
April 30, 2025
i enjoyed this, especially having gone through some simular things and decisions. Just thought it ended a little abruptly.
November 5, 2016
This story contains several funny incidents and thoughts. The southern characters are full bodied. There are elements of shared culture and traditions weaved into the story and among the characters. Secrets, memories, and past regrets drive this along to end.
Passion for life and family are inside the main character's soul as she seeks a visit to a treasured location by the water. Ella is her name and she is bold and a force to deal with as she tries to solve her inner turmoil. Ella is submerged in her own ways and beliefs as she uncovers her destiny.
Edmund enters Ella's life and his views often help to clarify what is troubling her and lead her to an answer on how to deal with it. He becomes her rock. "I never thought of it in those terms, Edmond. Thank you for sharing that story with me"(258). Swapping stories becomes their secret between them.
"...the air always smelled of jasmine and the sea, and we all danced..."(258). The magic of the sea, the music, and a shared dance with close friends.
A kingdom by the sea and Poe is remembered with his writing while spending time close to a southern island. Poetry about experiencing love is discussed by two close people.
Tyler and Ella drive to Charleton. Ella visits Jonathan's grave with him by her side. Ella becomes overcome with the memories they shared and his death. Goldie is worried about her condition upon her return to their shared suite. The past is taking over and Ella has to find the right way to deal with her thoughts of it.
Inside the Priscilla, Ella rests and prepares for her future. Her past needs to be put to rest, instead of taking over her current life.
Ella's other two children are worried about her health and her bizarre actions lately as Ella and Goldie take off to the coast where they meet up with Tyler and some other guests to discover how to cope with the past together. Edmond becomes a true companion to Ella as Goldie entertains two boys on the beach and fishes with them. The boys are eager to hear her stories and traditions about her native life.
I found this novel very intriguing and moving with many revealing revelations flowing among the characters. The low country is always a wonderful setting for a story along with the mysteries surrounding the sea and history of the area.
Passion for life and family are inside the main character's soul as she seeks a visit to a treasured location by the water. Ella is her name and she is bold and a force to deal with as she tries to solve her inner turmoil. Ella is submerged in her own ways and beliefs as she uncovers her destiny.
Edmund enters Ella's life and his views often help to clarify what is troubling her and lead her to an answer on how to deal with it. He becomes her rock. "I never thought of it in those terms, Edmond. Thank you for sharing that story with me"(258). Swapping stories becomes their secret between them.
"...the air always smelled of jasmine and the sea, and we all danced..."(258). The magic of the sea, the music, and a shared dance with close friends.
A kingdom by the sea and Poe is remembered with his writing while spending time close to a southern island. Poetry about experiencing love is discussed by two close people.
Tyler and Ella drive to Charleton. Ella visits Jonathan's grave with him by her side. Ella becomes overcome with the memories they shared and his death. Goldie is worried about her condition upon her return to their shared suite. The past is taking over and Ella has to find the right way to deal with her thoughts of it.
Inside the Priscilla, Ella rests and prepares for her future. Her past needs to be put to rest, instead of taking over her current life.
Ella's other two children are worried about her health and her bizarre actions lately as Ella and Goldie take off to the coast where they meet up with Tyler and some other guests to discover how to cope with the past together. Edmond becomes a true companion to Ella as Goldie entertains two boys on the beach and fishes with them. The boys are eager to hear her stories and traditions about her native life.
I found this novel very intriguing and moving with many revealing revelations flowing among the characters. The low country is always a wonderful setting for a story along with the mysteries surrounding the sea and history of the area.
November 1, 2011
This was an interesting story about family and friends. I would recommend this book to friends but not my parents. There was some sex in some of it that I have problems with. A little to detailed in the sex scenes other than that I really loved miss ella and goldie.Dancing In The Low Country
January 18, 2016
I love reading novels about this area of the country as I lived there briefly in the early 1960's. This story flips back and forth between the present and the 1940's when the main character was a young adult. The life of young people at that time was full of dancing and drinking so that they didn't dwell so much on the horrors of the war. Some of their young men went off to fight in the war and never came back.
May 26, 2011
GREAT beach reading! I got pretty emotionally involved, and I couldn't put it down. I was amazed how well Villas' voice translated from food writing to his first novel. Especially after reading his memoir earlier this year, I wonered A LOT how much Miss Ella was based on his own mother. Maybe we'll find out in his next book...
January 22, 2011
An interesting story about an elderly lady living her life in her past memories. She learns to give some purpose to her life by looking at the future. It's mostly a really nice read, but because of a couple of gay characters, there are some pages to be skipped in order to not read about men having sex.
October 22, 2010
I thought this would be a light read about the Low Country I yearn to visit. Though the descriptions of the Carolinas were lovely and quite vivid, I was disappointed by the flat,rather predictable story and stunned by the sheer raunchiness of some of the passages. Blech.
May 30, 2012
Didn't much like this - parts of it read like a throwback to the 50's -but they're using cell phones so it's supposed to be relatively current. I'm not sure if I just didn't like the subject, the characters, the style, or the weird ending...
May 26, 2014
One star for this book. I hate not finishing a book so I managed to get through all the racial stereotypes and awful dialogue (Ella uses the word "ruffians" and then says "gonna". Really?) The plots were all over the place, there was not one likeable character, it was a mess.
April 21, 2009
A bit too descriptive in certain areas. Love the Lowcountry though.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews