On the Southern Literary Trail discussion
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General Bookishness
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Retired: What are you reading?
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Hi LeAnne,
Since you are reading two books that share a common theme, would you please be so kind as to share your thoughts about them over at a new board called When the levee breaks; storms, floods & weather and their place in the Southern mythos on the Southern Class & Culture category? This is a subject that everyone is talking about so I thought if I put this board up, people might share their thoughts.
Tom, I actually found the Morse series better than the books, all of which I read. One of our best friends was the production executive on the series, we used to clap & cheer whenever her name came up on the credits. Her husband was a location scout and second unit director.
Kim wrote: "Tom, I actually found the Morse series better than the books, all of which I read. One of our best friends was the production executive on the series, we used to clap & cheer whenever her name came..."The Morse series is phenomenal...
Kim wrote: "Tom, I actually found the Morse series better than the books, all of which I read. One of our best friends was the production executive on the series, we used to clap & cheer whenever her name came..."Good to know--I've never read the books and always enjoyed the series.
I've just finished a spate of novels because I was home in Tampa and had access to the wonderful Hillsborough County library system.I just finished Euphoria by Lily King which I did not think I'd like but it raced along to its surprising and ugly conclusion in the most perfect prose.
Also gobbled up Purity which is worthwhile and complex and to me so funny!
Ann wrote: "I've just finished a spate of novels because I was home in Tampa and had access to the wonderful Hillsborough County library system.I just finished Euphoria by Lily King which I did not think I'd..."
Glad you enjoyed Euphoria. I thought King did an amazing job with this.
I am due to read Euphoria for a group soon. Good to hear it has merit.
People keep telling me to read Euphoria. Not necessarily my taste but with these positive reviews and gorgeous cover I might have to.
Just a heads up. Everybody else loved it except me. Euphoria, at its heart, is about adultery and a villainous husband, such that the reader can morally fantasize about cheating without guilt. Adultery did very vile things to my family and to my childhood, so Im an extremely hard sell on it, regardless of the interesting setting.
My husband is not a fan of adultery in books or movies, never believes there is an excuse for it. He hated The English Patient, and I have to be careful about what to pass on to him. I do not go to movies that will set him off (assuming I realize this is a thread in the plot) or I may find myself alone in the theatre. Even my kids know about this, they tell me to watch or read something, but not to take Dad or pass him the book...trigger warning. He just does not believe passion is an excuse, and really does not accept the philanderer's men are intended to go from flower to flower. We both really hate it when someone cheats & says "it meant nothing", if it is meaningless, then why did a person do it? Anyway, you are not alone in your feelings, LeAnne. I am glad he is the way he is, my first husband was less true in many ways, and the selfish things he did just about wore all the love out of me. At one time I never thought to trust a man again, but I found a good one who has been with me through thick and thin for 34 years.
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I look at it from a point of 'Is it worth risking what I stand to lose over it?' The answer is always 'No'.
Books about the subject don't anger me but I have no use for them. Characters who engage in it exhibit a weakness of character what makes them unappealing to me.
ah, but then there's Dr Zhivago, just to play devil's advocate. and Outlander is nothing more than a long-winded rationalization of how it isn't really adultery if there's time travel involved, or at least that's what I understand from friends.
I am not a fan of adultery as a story-line but it isn't a knock-out factor for me. It's all about the art, as it were.
Kim, I like your hub! The only books where Ive semi excused the adultery are State of Wonder by Ann Patchett and Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen. I saw the movie Prince of Tides, which while well done, still ticked me off. No desire (pardon the pun ) to read it. Selfishness in a character is a major trigger for me when the author wants me to relate to the protag.
By contrast, in books where the protagonist is intentionally awful, then I can fully except the adultery.
Mod
I don t want to read about drugs or meth labs ever again ;)
Not making a judgement on literature...for myself, I have read many books with it as a theme, loved some, disliked others. Just saying it can cause strong reactions in people, and not all of them positive. In film noir, adultery usually leads to murder, and rarely ends well for the people involved. I do not agree with your friend's thumbnail assessment of Outlander, it is a little facile for a series that covers thousands of pages, and the question of adultery comes up in many shapes and situations. It is something with which many of the characters wrestle morally & emotionally, complicated by the circumstances imposed by time travel and modern culture crashing against the mores of the past.
Dr Zhivago, well, one loves Yuri and Lara, but one also sees he wrestles with his conscience. Again, history sweeps them up, and some may excuse them, but some may not. I adored the scope of the story, and as an adolescent was all for the great love, but as an adult I ponder the marital side. The Age of Innocence makes me ponder all the layers, as well. I love that books give us these stories, examines human nature, lets us see questions play out. I take my marriage vows seriously, and find myself loving my husband more as years go by. Not everyone is that lucky. To me, he is a quiet hero, steadfast and true in his devotion to me and our family. It may be old-fashioned, but it does not make it less of a treasure.
I just had Serena pop into my head. Husband did not commit adultery per se, but his former relationship & its results certainly lead to a series of terribly unfortunate consequences.
In the Latin American maschismo culture there is always adultery and the unfortunate consequences of it. And yet I keep returning to House of the Spirits so many times. And I also like Doctor Zhivago. Something about a sweeping epic that keeps me captivated even though the protagonists actions aren't exactly the most upright.
Finished Reputations
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This was not about adultery or meth labs.
Kim wrote: "Not making a judgement on literature...for myself, I have read many books with it as a theme, loved some, disliked others. Just saying it can cause strong reactions in people, and not all of them p..."@Kim, to be clear, I'm not demeaning Outlander, and my friends adore the series, including if course book one. My point was that it is an example of a work that at its core includes aduktery, and yet that many readers would not choose to avoid it based on that fact alone, without more.
Anyhoo. No dead dogs for me. I have some standards, lol.
Have any of you ever heard that STUPID quote from Johnny Depp about cheating or adultery that states something like , if a man chooses to fall in love with a second woman , the choice is very simple . You cannot love two people at the same time and there was an obvious reason why the man chose to have an affair with the second woman . He must choose to go with the second woman because her attraction was so strong it pulled him away from the love he first had to begin another. The first love ended at that point ! The quote is not that long , but he simply states it as a logical reason and accepts it that way . What an :((;;)).?! He actually lives this way too ! So sad for his bohemian little children running around growing up in that same manner . Society cannot live in that manner without consequences at some point or another . Human beings do have innate emotions that do not change so easily . Not everyone has been brought up not knowing what true love really is in definition . I was fascinated when I first read Anna Karenina to see what would happen to Anna when she chose to abandon all and go with her heart . If you know the story ( one of my sad favorites) , it is never rewarded to be selfish . There are many books that teach this moral lesson . Not once have I seen the cards work that way . Sadly I have a friend in real life that this story is playing out in real life . It is tearing her apart. She has completely cut herself off from the rest of the world . She will take no calls or visitors . She barely functions . Literature does a good job of representing life .
Cheating - such a sad topic , even if it means you are cheating at cards . You can never trust a cheater and when trust is gone between two people there is nothing left .
Dawn
Mod
Well, I'm not entirely sure how this works and this is my first comment/post. I think I joined because I was impressed with many members' comments and thoughts on "southern books." Also, people seemed to be friendly and w/o harsh judgements. One of my homes is in Black Mt., NC and a while back I was looking for a good writer who wrote about the southern Appalachians and I discovered Ron Rash. He's a very talented writer and I think Serena is his best work to date. Great short story writer too. Based on this site I have ordered a couple of Wm Gay books (his first two) and they are on my 'to read' shelf. I must admit in recent weeks I have been on a Jim Harrison kick and have been "out of the south" and up in Michigan, AZ and Montana. I have travel book titled A Walk in the Woods which I will begin tonight (Bryson). Reading good books sure does beat TV, doesn't it?
Mod
Hey, BR! Glad to have you! None of us here read exclusively southern books, and if you go to the discussion called "What are you reading?" you will see that we are all over the place too. Gumbo may rely on a thick southern roux, but it is the variety of flavors that makes it pop. Welcome. Hope you brought onions!
Welcome BR. I'm from the Midwest also and love Rob Rash also. Looking forward to seeing you in the group.
Mod
Welcome B.R.! You're right. Reading is better than watching the tube, especially when the power goes out.
It's good to have you.
sure is unless it is a really good movie. I usually lay my book down if there is a really good movie on especially at Christmas timeTom wrote: "B. R. wrote: "Well, I'm not entirely sure how this works and this is my first comment/post. I think I joined because I was impressed with many members' comments and thoughts on "southern books." Al..."
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I think you will find the group friendly and I think we actually like each other, haha! The book selection is great and has definitely exposed me to some great authors and books. Like LeAnne said, we read lots of different genres outside this group, so I'm sure you can jump right in.
Glad to have you!
I'm new to this group and one of my reasons for joining was to get a better understanding of why the south has produced so many talented and influential writers, way more than their share. One book that got me started on an exploration of the history of the south (not just literary history) was Jim Webb's Born Fighting. If you are from the south or have roots in the south you might find this book useful, however, it is a history of the Scots-Irish in America and these are the people who settled in back-country America in the 1700s and 1800s. A couple of book recommendations: I think the following two books are somewhat overlooked and I think they're both excellent books: McMurtry's Duane's Depressed (the third book of the Last Picture Show books) and C. McCarthy's The Orchard Keeper. I think The Orchard Keeper foreshadows the coming of a great American writer and a book ahead of its time.
These books both sound excellent, B.R. Do you have reviews of them here on Goodreads?
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After reading your first post and bio I almost recommended Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America. It's an excellent book for those who want a better understanding of their Scots Irish roots and how they fit into the grand scheme of things. My crew came over from County Antrim in 1840 and settled in Illinois after the Industrial Revolution put the cottage-based linen weavers out of business.
A great commentry on what makes southern writers great can be found in the introduction to My Southern Journey: True Stories from the Heart of the South by Rick Bragg. You should check it out.
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I finished
To The Bright Edge of the World. 4 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Reading Negroland by Margo Jefferson. Then starting Boy's Life.
i started Dear Committee Members last night and will finish it today. It's a blast and just what I needed, in terms of a smart, thoughtful, humorous break from the tragic and heavy.
Carol , it's definitely a laugh out loud book .
Finished this classic for one of my F2F book groups ...
The Island of Dr Moreau
– H.G. Wells – 4**** “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature!” I cannot think of a more succinct way to describe the basic theme of this book. And yet, it is so much more – a strong, philosophical and ethical argument both for and against vivisection and experimentation. A moral tale of one man’s descent as a result of his ego, and how he is able to draw others into his twisted way of thinking.
Full Review HERE
Just finished I Will Send Rain as part of a small-group read. While it is set in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl, not precisely a "southern" book, it certainly felt like it. There is erratic behavior by the father as his response to dark dreams, there is a sweet child who cannot speak, a teenager who wants to shed a future of farms and dust, and a wife who is becoming worn down by incessant dust storms and the bizarre behavior of her husband.The book is loaded with visuals that will stay in your mind's eye for days. I gave it 5 stars!
Finished Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just downloaded Cassie Selleck's new novel, What Matters in Mayhew. As you'll recall, her first novel was The Pecan Man. I can't wait to dig in!
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On the Southern Literary Trail
Books mentioned in this topic
Happy Land (other topics)Take My Hand (other topics)
Happy Land (other topics)
Happy Land (other topics)
Somewhere Toward Freedom: Sherman's March and the Story of America's Largest Emancipation (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Bennett Parten (other topics)Wes Browne (other topics)
Hubert Skidmore (other topics)
Mark Twain (other topics)
Delia Owens (other topics)
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Angela, reading more than one at a time is a recent development for me and started after I retired. I do it in part because sometimes, as much as I may be enjoying a book, I just have to temporarily change the pace. The ARCs have fit in well for this. I use some of the non-fiction books as planned long-term reads and I do a lot of highlighting and notes on my kindle. Lately I've been a bit more bogged down for a number of "life" reasons and sometimes the moving back and forth actually helps me enjoy some books more.
Then I find a book like A Lesson Before Dying or The Language of Dying (so very different excellent reading experiences) and I just plough right through them.