What do you think?
Rate this book
Rich in Love
At the age of seventeen, Lucille Odom finds herself in the middle of an unexpected domestic crisis. As she helps guide her family through its discontent, Lucille discovers in herself a woman rich in wisdom, rich in humor, and rich in love.
272 pages, Paperback
First published September 4, 1988
23 people are currently reading
816 people want to read
About the author
Josephine Humphreys
23 books50 followersJosephine Humphreys is an American novelist. She won the 1984 Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for Dreams of Sleep and has been the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Lyndhurst Prize, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature. Nowhere Else on Earth won the Southern Book Award in 2001
(from Wikipedia)
(from Wikipedia)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
January 7, 2009
It's been a while since I read this, but I remember really liking it, and have kept a copy on my personal real life bookshelf ever since it came out. I have a fondness for local authors and books about the but don't uniformly sing all their praises. However Josephine Humphreys deserves my praise and even more. She's a local writer, with roots deep in the lowcountry. She was a bit ahead of me at my high school (Ashley Hall).
This was made into a movie (which I never did see) but have been told that it has the most authentic South Carolina accents of any movie made. (I think that refers to Albert Finney.)
From what I remember, this was Humphreys' second novel, and set in Mt Pleasant SC. 17 year old Lucille Odom finds herself unexpectedly in the middle of family turmoil and reconfiguration. During this time of upheaval her understanding of love in all its forms grows vastly as she leaves her childhood behind.
The title comes from Lu contemplating, ``I was rich in love, even though no one could see it.'
From the Publisher
At the age of seventeen, Lucille Odom finds herself in the middle of an unexpected domestic crisis. As she helps guide her family through its discontent, Lucille discovers in herself a woman rich in wisdom, rich in humor, and rich in love.
This was made into a movie (which I never did see) but have been told that it has the most authentic South Carolina accents of any movie made. (I think that refers to Albert Finney.)
From what I remember, this was Humphreys' second novel, and set in Mt Pleasant SC. 17 year old Lucille Odom finds herself unexpectedly in the middle of family turmoil and reconfiguration. During this time of upheaval her understanding of love in all its forms grows vastly as she leaves her childhood behind.
The title comes from Lu contemplating, ``I was rich in love, even though no one could see it.'
From the Publisher
At the age of seventeen, Lucille Odom finds herself in the middle of an unexpected domestic crisis. As she helps guide her family through its discontent, Lucille discovers in herself a woman rich in wisdom, rich in humor, and rich in love.
January 5, 2019
“On an afternoon two years ago my life veered from its day-in day-out course and became for a short while the kind of life that can be told as a story—that is, one in which events appear to have meaning. Before, there had been nothing worth telling the world.”
Such is the opening line of quite possibly the best coming-of-age novel (and teenaged protagonist) you’ve probably never heard of--Lucille Odom in Josephine Humphrey’s Rich In Love. I reread this for the third time this past year, and the voice of Lucille (and Humphrey’s prose) still nabs me each time. It’s held up well, despite a few dated references. I’ve since read a lot of novels since I first encountered Lucille in 1987, and I can clearly see the direct line of descendance of Lucille from Frankie in McCuller’s Member of The Wedding and Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird (whether they were conscious or subconscious influences, who knows) but Lucille belongs in the pantheon. Humphreys is that good. So glad this exists in the world.
Such is the opening line of quite possibly the best coming-of-age novel (and teenaged protagonist) you’ve probably never heard of--Lucille Odom in Josephine Humphrey’s Rich In Love. I reread this for the third time this past year, and the voice of Lucille (and Humphrey’s prose) still nabs me each time. It’s held up well, despite a few dated references. I’ve since read a lot of novels since I first encountered Lucille in 1987, and I can clearly see the direct line of descendance of Lucille from Frankie in McCuller’s Member of The Wedding and Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird (whether they were conscious or subconscious influences, who knows) but Lucille belongs in the pantheon. Humphreys is that good. So glad this exists in the world.
November 22, 2016
i did not expect this novel to become an instant-favorite. but it was honestly amazing. i loved lucille's narrative voice. it was a quick, easy read but i still found the writing style to be really nuanced. and just so many little gems throughout, like on every page there would be a passage that stands out. actually just the first and last paragraphs of every chapter are enough to go on about for ages. and in some semi-meta way, it's about language and narratives and exactly what i want from a novel lol. essential coming of age novel. my american innocence course has really just made me hate catcher in the rye more than i already did by exposing me to all the phenomenal american coming of age stories being neglected while fcking catcher in the rye is canonized
July 25, 2023
This is a wonderful book. Rich in Love is set near Charleston, SC in the 1980s and narrated by Lucille, a 17-year old who is wise beyond her years. Humphreys is a lyrical writer, evoking the confusion and excitement of being a teenager, describing Lucille's surroundings in beautiful prose and telling a complex story about family love and loss, all in under 300 pages.
Lucille's world disintegrates when her mother suddenly leaves the family, throwing her father into a tailspin. She calls on her older sister, Rae, to come home to help her, and is surprised when she returns with a new husband in tow and a baby on the way. Soon Rae is gripped by pre-partum depression and Billy, her husband, is left to fend for himself in a new town. He and Lucille form a strong bond.
This story rings true--there are no neat endings, no easy solutions. The characters change and grow and in most cases, go through tremendous emotional strain, but Humphreys emphasizes how strong they are, and that they will come through the other side as a family, albeit a changed one.
Lucille's love of her home and hometown is infectious--her descriptions drip with atmosphere. She is a whip-smart, sensitive character you will root for and feel for. I'd love to know what Lucille is up to now that she's all grown up.
Lucille's world disintegrates when her mother suddenly leaves the family, throwing her father into a tailspin. She calls on her older sister, Rae, to come home to help her, and is surprised when she returns with a new husband in tow and a baby on the way. Soon Rae is gripped by pre-partum depression and Billy, her husband, is left to fend for himself in a new town. He and Lucille form a strong bond.
This story rings true--there are no neat endings, no easy solutions. The characters change and grow and in most cases, go through tremendous emotional strain, but Humphreys emphasizes how strong they are, and that they will come through the other side as a family, albeit a changed one.
Lucille's love of her home and hometown is infectious--her descriptions drip with atmosphere. She is a whip-smart, sensitive character you will root for and feel for. I'd love to know what Lucille is up to now that she's all grown up.
June 29, 2020
LOVE. The first time I read this I was the same age as the protagonist and it meant so much to me!! *wipes tear. Ah no I’m being dramatic, butttt going back to read it again now GOSH what a joy. Get to it, it’s just so absorbing and funny and so intelligent. You’ll be nodding along, giggling away and be sad :-( when it’s over
July 5, 2019
"The truth was I couldn't stand the picture of Billy McQueen as a teacher. It made my stomach sink. My teachers had always been morose because of their jobs. One reason I got straight A's in school was that I wanted to make these people happier. They were tired and hungry for love; and what's more, their cars broke down constantly."
April 8, 2021
Funny, intelligent, and gorgeous. From reading the title and the blurb, I didn’t have high expectations because they didn’t sound that interesting, but WOW was I wrong. I seriously don’t think I can even think of one thing that I didn’t like about this book- that’s how good it was. From page one, I was in love with her writing, the sentences flowing so smoothly that I didn’t even notice the amount of time that passed or the number of pages I flipped.
“Rich in love” is a coming of age story and similar to “Catcher in the Rye”, but better, in my opinion. I found the main character, Lucille, very relatable and I enjoyed reading from her point of view. Each chapter had some part that I found incredibly fascinating- Lucille’s view on love, marriage, people or things she noticed about people, the world, herself, etc.
Some quotes I loved were:
“Maybe ordinary life can continue only so long before the extraordinary will pop into it.”
“Are we naturally good, or have we not had a good shot at badness?”
(There’s a lot of parts but they’re really long)
This novel is the type where not only is the story captivating, but it also makes you think a lot and question everything. It’s also not hard to read, despite being written twenty thirty years ago(something like that).
I think this is obvious by now, but I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you want a quick read that will alter or make you rethink your views on the world.
“Rich in love” is a coming of age story and similar to “Catcher in the Rye”, but better, in my opinion. I found the main character, Lucille, very relatable and I enjoyed reading from her point of view. Each chapter had some part that I found incredibly fascinating- Lucille’s view on love, marriage, people or things she noticed about people, the world, herself, etc.
Some quotes I loved were:
“Maybe ordinary life can continue only so long before the extraordinary will pop into it.”
“Are we naturally good, or have we not had a good shot at badness?”
(There’s a lot of parts but they’re really long)
This novel is the type where not only is the story captivating, but it also makes you think a lot and question everything. It’s also not hard to read, despite being written twenty thirty years ago(something like that).
I think this is obvious by now, but I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you want a quick read that will alter or make you rethink your views on the world.
January 21, 2016
A favorite book, a favorite author - a book I read more than once, which is a rarity for me
January 12, 2024
What makes the great Southern novel? Overall, I would say it is a sense of tragedy and loss, which can go either of two ways: ironic and humorous (comedy) or dark and gothic (tragedy). [Mark Twain comes to mind as the first; Flannery O'Connor as the second.] The element of surprise plays a large role in revealing both as exemplary in the genre.
What, then, can one make of _Rich in Love_? It is indeed sumptuous, perhaps over-indulgent in its sensory descriptions of the Wando/Mt. Pleasant area of Charleston. I think this is meant to demonstrate the synesthesia that Lucille experiences as a gifted and highly intelligent young woman, much the way that Paul Atreides experiences foresight in _Dune_. However, sometimes _Rich in Love_ feels like an over-crowded landscape; I wish there were fewer things to look at and more meaning (symbolism) attached to them.
As someone who grew up in South Carolina in the 1980s, there things to recognize and delight in here; things that someone from outside the South (or that era) could never relate to or understand (the ads for timeshares in Myrtle Beach, watching NOVA on SCETV, the relationships between people groups, the religion, the crack-ups). But perhaps I am too young to understand the way this story lands between modernist ambivalence and post-modern, GenX indifference. Lucille's arc is neither tragic nor comic; it is tragic-comic, and for me, unsatisfying. It doesn't answer the "So what?" question that the galloping pace of the third act surprise is setting up. Who is Lucille? What does she want? Why does it matter if she's alone or not? If she remembers or forgets?
I don't know, and I don't understand. Because if everything is precious, how can anything have value?If one is "rich in love," the fruits of that love should be evident. But patience, kindness, self-sacrifice, humility, truthfulness, and generosity, although markers of heroism as well as love, are not things I can find in Lucille. Instead, I find markers of co-dependency: Lucille spends all her waking hours trying to manage her family's feelings and actions, unaware of her own motives and emotions or their possible outcomes. Like addicts, the rest of the family are selfish and likewise lack self-awareness. And in the end, has anyone learned what "family" or "love" means? No... they merely go on with their loosely-affiliated lives, pursuing their own pleasures and believing that everything will work out well enough: the same mindset that put them into crisis in the first place. Addicts never learn until they stop being addicted, and the tragedy this book doesn't seem to want to acknowledge is that the Odoms just can't quit each other, which means they're doomed to repeat history again and again. Thirty years later, I doubt any descendent of such brokenness would call themselves rich. A better word? Bankrupt, with no inheritance of good.
What, then, can one make of _Rich in Love_? It is indeed sumptuous, perhaps over-indulgent in its sensory descriptions of the Wando/Mt. Pleasant area of Charleston. I think this is meant to demonstrate the synesthesia that Lucille experiences as a gifted and highly intelligent young woman, much the way that Paul Atreides experiences foresight in _Dune_. However, sometimes _Rich in Love_ feels like an over-crowded landscape; I wish there were fewer things to look at and more meaning (symbolism) attached to them.
As someone who grew up in South Carolina in the 1980s, there things to recognize and delight in here; things that someone from outside the South (or that era) could never relate to or understand (the ads for timeshares in Myrtle Beach, watching NOVA on SCETV, the relationships between people groups, the religion, the crack-ups). But perhaps I am too young to understand the way this story lands between modernist ambivalence and post-modern, GenX indifference. Lucille's arc is neither tragic nor comic; it is tragic-comic, and for me, unsatisfying. It doesn't answer the "So what?" question that the galloping pace of the third act surprise is setting up. Who is Lucille? What does she want? Why does it matter if she's alone or not? If she remembers or forgets?
I don't know, and I don't understand. Because if everything is precious, how can anything have value?If one is "rich in love," the fruits of that love should be evident. But patience, kindness, self-sacrifice, humility, truthfulness, and generosity, although markers of heroism as well as love, are not things I can find in Lucille. Instead, I find markers of co-dependency: Lucille spends all her waking hours trying to manage her family's feelings and actions, unaware of her own motives and emotions or their possible outcomes. Like addicts, the rest of the family are selfish and likewise lack self-awareness. And in the end, has anyone learned what "family" or "love" means? No... they merely go on with their loosely-affiliated lives, pursuing their own pleasures and believing that everything will work out well enough: the same mindset that put them into crisis in the first place. Addicts never learn until they stop being addicted, and the tragedy this book doesn't seem to want to acknowledge is that the Odoms just can't quit each other, which means they're doomed to repeat history again and again. Thirty years later, I doubt any descendent of such brokenness would call themselves rich. A better word? Bankrupt, with no inheritance of good.
August 24, 2018
Ok, I loved this book. It was engaging, Lucille- the narrator- has a great, nuanced voice and her insights are both funny and true. Reading this I was essentially underlining a sentence on each open page spread, even something like "The newspaper, which I had begun to read faithfully that year on the assumption that it would tell me what was going on in the world..." makes me laugh.
The periphery of characters- her trapped mother Helen, one-of-a-kind Rae, Rae's husband Billy, Evelyn, Wayne are excellent. It kind of reminds me of The Virgin Suicides, with that kind of thematic concern of coming of age in suburbia, sister relationships, domestic upheavals, unrequited love etcetera, as well as I Capture the Castle, what I remember of it anyway. Someone in the reviews associated the coming of age arc with the 'greatest' coming of age novel: Catcher in the Rye and I agree, in that this novel encapsulates that whole experience so well, in a different but equally the same manner. Apparently there is a film adaption; not interested.
The periphery of characters- her trapped mother Helen, one-of-a-kind Rae, Rae's husband Billy, Evelyn, Wayne are excellent. It kind of reminds me of The Virgin Suicides, with that kind of thematic concern of coming of age in suburbia, sister relationships, domestic upheavals, unrequited love etcetera, as well as I Capture the Castle, what I remember of it anyway. Someone in the reviews associated the coming of age arc with the 'greatest' coming of age novel: Catcher in the Rye and I agree, in that this novel encapsulates that whole experience so well, in a different but equally the same manner. Apparently there is a film adaption; not interested.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2020
The member that recommended this book reminded us that good writing is like a soccer game. If you are just focused on the 2-3 minutes out of 90 when someone scores then you are missing the true beauty of the game. Consider the art and athleticism as well as the physics and skill that make up most of the game. With a well written book it's not just the end result, it's how it's told, how it makes you feel, what it makes you think about.
Our second Zoom meeting went better than the first, however, still a little bumpy. Much better than not being able to share our thoughts though. The recommendation for this book came from one of the members whose father is a wonderful authority on Southern writing. Several members did not like the book, most were OK with it and a couple loved it. The discrepancy came from separating the story from the prose. This is a dilemma many book clubs have. We frequently focus on the style while not sacrificing substance.
When we looked at the book as capturing a Southern style with a (not too) slow and very descriptive tone the opinion of the book raised a little. The story, however, had some disturbing and unrealistic elements. The protagonist, Lucille, portrayed an appropriately anxious 17-year-old that was sometimes wise beyond her years. When her brand new, old enough to know better, brother-in-law compliments her on her feelings she falls into that teenage love-sick trance. But when her father wants to see his new love she takes away the keys.
One can not like the story but still enjoy the book.
Women :-) – Strongest and weakest characters are women.
Short :-) - Told with the compactness of a short story.
Southern :-)) - Definitely.
Depth :-) - The simple title belies the depth of its meaning.
Good Book Club Book :-| - Be reminded of the first line of the review.
Recommend :-) - Yes, but with care.
Our second Zoom meeting went better than the first, however, still a little bumpy. Much better than not being able to share our thoughts though. The recommendation for this book came from one of the members whose father is a wonderful authority on Southern writing. Several members did not like the book, most were OK with it and a couple loved it. The discrepancy came from separating the story from the prose. This is a dilemma many book clubs have. We frequently focus on the style while not sacrificing substance.
When we looked at the book as capturing a Southern style with a (not too) slow and very descriptive tone the opinion of the book raised a little. The story, however, had some disturbing and unrealistic elements. The protagonist, Lucille, portrayed an appropriately anxious 17-year-old that was sometimes wise beyond her years. When her brand new, old enough to know better, brother-in-law compliments her on her feelings she falls into that teenage love-sick trance. But when her father wants to see his new love she takes away the keys.
One can not like the story but still enjoy the book.
Women :-) – Strongest and weakest characters are women.
Short :-) - Told with the compactness of a short story.
Southern :-)) - Definitely.
Depth :-) - The simple title belies the depth of its meaning.
Good Book Club Book :-| - Be reminded of the first line of the review.
Recommend :-) - Yes, but with care.
March 5, 2020
What a wonderful book. Set in low country South Carolina and narrated by seventeen year old Lucille Odom, it is about a stressful time in her family's life. She is an engaging, interesting person and for much of the time makes more sense than the adults in the book. The story is one that will be remembered and I liked Josephine Humphreys prose. Glad she has other books I can add to my list. There was a movie made of this book; I didn't see it and recently discovered my book sitting on the shelf...ever since it came out in paperback. I like finding these hidden treasures.
March 18, 2021
I thought I'd read this in my youth as it was much-discussed in my family, but no...I would have remembered more of a book this remarkable. Really, really good and the kind of wide awake, hurting but still hopeful writing & story that balms a hurting soul & melts the callouses off your heart. Highly recommended.
March 22, 2017
After befriending Josephine Humphreys, I checked this novel out at the public library and devoured it fairly quickly. Loved the character of Lucille - I have a lot in common with her, actually. And I appreciated her observations about the world. There was an unexpected twist at the end that I wasn't so wild about, but overall this novel was thought-provoking. More literary truth than a plot that kept me turning pages. Isn't that often the truth, though, with books we consider to be literature?
August 28, 2018
3.5/4
Up until the last 50 pages or so I wasn’t even sure if I actually liked this book, even though I was mildly enjoying reading it. In the last few chapters, though, certain parts of the character arcs come together in a very satisfying way.
Up until the last 50 pages or so I wasn’t even sure if I actually liked this book, even though I was mildly enjoying reading it. In the last few chapters, though, certain parts of the character arcs come together in a very satisfying way.
February 5, 2020
I would describe this as a fairly quiet novel although some of the plot points are quite dramatic! Lucille was an interesting protagonist, a teenage Scout Finch. A beautifully written Southern Gothic coming of age story.
May 6, 2020
Another re-read from the bookshelf. Probably first read this in 1990 (published in 1987). Simple story, set in Mt. Pleasant/Charleston S.C. and I had wanted to reread it after visiting Charleston last year. Held up pretty well and I enjoyed the re-read.
March 29, 2019
This is a must read! The writing is superb and the story touched my heart!
February 22, 2020
I loved teaching "Rich in Love" to my students and guiding them the depths of human experience and understanding in Lucille's story.
August 25, 2020
Audible
September 24, 2021
A perfect story told by 17 year old Lucille, dealing with all the changes in her family life....growing up,
accepting who she is, loving her family.....loved this story!
accepting who she is, loving her family.....loved this story!
December 20, 2021
My favorite book made into a movie!
Loved the movie & the book. I’m from Charleston so this book is a wonderful visit home for me. Wish I could find the movie again.
Loved the movie & the book. I’m from Charleston so this book is a wonderful visit home for me. Wish I could find the movie again.
November 18, 2022
This book is an easy read. The language flows like a gentle brook. I started the book late one afternoon and couldn't put it down.
March 9, 2024
That was a weird book. I don't really understand the coming of age storyline and the end was a, by the way everything is fine and 4 pages to wrap it all up.
June 13, 2024
i really don't understand how this book has such a high rating but the writing was decent
July 7, 2024
dnf at like 50% but i’m still gonna count it
October 1, 2024
Lovely. Home. Family.
February 27, 2025
Great read about the disfunction in a southern family.
October 13, 2025
underrated coming of age novel.
handful of moments “of its time” (pub. 1987), often unexpectedly contemporary. surprised Josephine Humphreys isn’t talked about more.
handful of moments “of its time” (pub. 1987), often unexpectedly contemporary. surprised Josephine Humphreys isn’t talked about more.
March 5, 2019
A bit like a soapier, sexualized, and less aware The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. For those who enjoy darker coming of age stories that won't entirely rip your heart out.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews