Reviews (134)

Interesting Reading
I always read books that groups try to ban as 'hate speech'. Why is thought such a dangerous thing these days? Find fault with the facts in the marketplace of ideas, don't try to silence people. If you found this book an interesting read you might also look at 'The Jews' by Hilaire Belloc.

Freedom of Speech Begins Here
I read David Duke's semi-autobiographical "My Awakening."
Enlightening
This book is probably the most important I've ever read.It is very difficult to find, a testament to the type of suppression that has followed the auther David Duke throughout his entire life.
Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Business/Economics    6. Duke, David Ernest    7. General    8. History    9. Louisiana    10. Political    11. Politicians    12. Politics and government    13. Regional Subjects - South    14. White supremacy movements   

Reviews (105)

Great for All Ages
This is one of the most powerful books about a young persons experience in life I have ever read.The author tells her story in such great detail that you can feel yourself walking with her through every step of her journey.This book is a fast read and has changed my perspective on what the young people in the south went through during the integration process.

Moving
My sixth grade english class read this book as an assignment. When my teacher pulled it out I thought 'this looks boring' but I was moved to tears while reading it. It's incredible what these teenagers have been through and how they managed to live after the misery they've been through without going insane. If you manage to read this book without even feeling any surge of emotion, you would have to be illiterate. But I wouldn't recommend this to younger audiences, the cursing would be too much for them.

Watch out - this edition is abridged
The information on this edition says "School and Library Binding" ... what it doesn't warn you of is that this is *not* the original text.It is abridged for younger readers.If you want the original, don't buy this version.Amazon should make the abridgment visible.Bad Amazon! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Afro-American students    3. Arkansas    4. Biography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Childhood Memoir    8. History    9. Little Rock    10. People of Color    11. Regional Subjects - South    12. School integration    13. Fiction / General    14. Multicultural studies   

Editorial Review

One reason Rick Bragg won a Pulitzer Prize for his feature articles at the Read more

Reviews (274)

More Than An Autobiography
Although this is the life story of the author, Rick Bragg, the book really centers on his mother.Rick has an older brother Sam and a younger brother Mark.They are the product of a broken home and were raised in an atmosphere of poverty.Their father was a victim of alcohol and eventually deserted the family.The mother is credited by the author for working hard at menial tasks and sacrificing in order to provide for her family. Rick becomes a successful reporter moving up the chain from smaller to larger more prestigious newspapers over a few years time.He finally feels he has arrived at the top when he moves to the New York Times.His goal now is to win the Pulitzer Prize.
eye opener
Braggs book was both very moving and an eye opener for me. I never actually looked back at the sacrifices my mother gave for her children. This book has made me open my eyes and appreciate her more. I look at her in a different light because of this book. I am not an avid reader but am now open to more of braggs work. I and my mother thank you.

Moving but real
I found the book both disturbing and moving. The author uses skillful language to invoke powerful images yet is mellow and matter of fact enough to reduce the tragic and dramatic to very real and very believable. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alabama    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    7. General    8. Journalists    9. Regional Subjects - South    10. United States    11. Working class whites    12. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs    13. Biography: general    14. Bragg, Rick    15. Childhood and youth    16. Reading Group Guide   

Reviews (15)

I couldn't put this book down
I read this book in just a few sittings, and then recommended it to my mom and all of my girlfriends. (They all loved it too) Although there is nothing particularly remarkable or extraordinary about this girl's life, you feel like you're allowed in on all of her secrets, a feeling that appeals to most women I know. The format, with short diary entries, made the reading go very quickly.

4.5 Stars... Very touching diary of a Christian teenager in the 70s
Diaries are one of my most favorite types of books to read. When I turned 10, my parents gave me a journal and encouraged me to keep a diary, which I did enthusiastically for many years thereafter. When I saw this book, I was immediatey attracked to it, even more so as the author (whom I figured out is one year older than me) grew up a teenager about the same time as I did.
I loved this book
I hesitate to review this book only because I'm not sure I can do justice with words and explain just how much I loved the book.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Adolescence    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Childhood Memoir    6. Diaries    7. Louisiana    8. Montgomery    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Regional Subjects - South    11. Sartor, Margaret    12. Teenage girls    13. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs   

Reviews (35)

A Southern Woman's recount
This was a definite surprise me novel.I picked it up for no other reason thanthe shocking title.This has become one of my favorite books, and she, a favored writer.I love how she brings the people from her childhood to life in the reader's mind, the language, the sayings, a delightful Southern Yiddish flavor.This book has been passed among friends and allowed us to have an interesting discussion with 3 generations of Southern women.

Like it was for non-Jews, too!
The authenticity of detail hit me over and again, describing not only how it felt to be Jewish in white anglo-saxon Prodestant Tennessee, but the way everyone was: open armed but not altogether open minded, graciously phrasing back-talk, helpful when you least expected it, back-stabbing the same way, and sugar-coating every topic but money.When it came to money, you didn't pay protection after the fact, like industrial cities; you first worked for permission.Fabulously The Jew Store tells this tale!True to my own memory is the white woman whose lemon merangue pie was acclaimed, only it was her cook's.The cook, called that but doing cleaning, gardening, child rearing, and everyting else.Learning to listen backwards if you wanted to know what someone was actually saying, as in "we're so glad you came over and didn't even call!"The sugar-coated talk from mean, angry men.The social standing that harked to who-knew-where... This was the small mill town I grew up in in NC, too.It produced the fragile sounding Southern-belle diction that was good for date bait 'up north,' as her daughter found out; but that belied the resolve of strong, smart women with wonderful senses of humor, as shown in her characters.Anyone who grew up in a small mill town in the South prior to -- say 1970 --- met plenty of folks just like these.How glorious to have this touching volume of remembrances.

You don't have to be Jewish to love this book!
The Jew Store is a wonderful, absorbing memoir, rich with detail about a Jewish family's experiences in a tiny, "dot on the map" southern town.Stella Suberman's vivid descriptions of her Russian immigrant parents' adjustment to this life include unflinching examinations of the prejudices and imperfections of the community they join as well as those the couple bring with them.So much happens to the family in the course of this memoir that the narrative is as compelling as a good novel.The dilemmas the family faces are so convincingly rendered--Where will Joey get the training necessary for his bar mitzvah?Will Miriam marry a gentile?--that I was occasionally moved to tears.By the time you reach the end of the book, you will miss some of these people, as if they have become part of your own story. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Ethnic Cultures - General    5. Historical - General    6. Historical - U.S.    7. Regional Subjects - South    8. Religious   

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Florida    4. General    5. Governors    6. Historical - General    7. Historical - U.S.    8. History    9. History: American    10. Regional Subjects - South    11. United States - State & Local - General    12. United States - State & Local - South    13. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    14. Biography: historical   

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Dreyfus family    5. History    6. Louisiana - Local History    7. New Orleans (La.)    8. Regional Subjects - South    9. United States - State & Local - General    10. Weiss family    11. True Stories    12. USA   

Reviews (12)

Beautiful Bit of Work!!!!!
Reading this captivating book was a pleasure!!!!! I feel as though I personally know this wonderful man now.SUCH AN AUTHOR to capture him!!!!!

Fasinating reading..........
The book was bought for my son-in-law, but I couldn't resist reading it first.I am truly glad that I did as it is sure to improve my skills with dealing with people as it will yours when you read it!

Inspiring!!!!!
Miss DeLoach truly got into the head of a truly remarkable man!The book has everything, facts, figures, sad and happy times - all laced with humor.Couldn't put it down! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Business    5. Lawyers & Judges    6. Motivational    7. Regional Subjects - South    8. Rich & Famous    9. Sports & Recreation / Golf   

Reviews (2)

Jealous
Jealous
Gone With The Wind
Tom's is a touching and layered story; both a personal bio and a history of New Orleans Jazz and its creators. Tom pulls back the veil and introduces us, in a very personal way, to both his family and biological father, and to the "mens" as his jazz fathers called themselves. A tale of passages; Tom's from childhood to manhood; the mens' passage on to the great second-line in the sky, and, finally, the passage of a way of life for a whole region possibly passed into only the memories of people fortunate enough to have lived it, and a few graying pages.It is a poignant story told well and sure to be loved by all readers. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography And Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Clarinetists    7. Discrimination & Racism    8. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    9. History and criticism    10. Jazz    11. Jazz musicians    12. Louisiana    13. New Orleans    14. Personal Memoirs    15. Race And Ethnic Relations    16. Regional Subjects - South    17. United States    18. Biography & Autobiography / General    19. Biography: general    20. Contemporary popular music    21. Social history   

Editorial Review

The scrubby forests of southern Georgia, dotting a landscape of low hills and swampy bottoms, are not what many people would consider to be exalted country, the sort of place to inspire lyrical considerations of nature and culture. Yet that is just what essayist Janisse Ray delivers in her memorable debut, a memoir of life in a part of America that roads and towns have passed by, a land settled by hardscrabble Scots herders who wanted nothing more than to be left alone, and who bear the derogatory epithet "cracker" with quiet pride.Read more

Reviews (33)

LITERATE LOOK AT A TIME-WARP CHILDHOOD
We noticed when we moved south to Georgia some twenty-five years ago that in many ways we'd dropped back in time. Janisse Ray was born in 1962; it may as well have been 1932. I thank her for sharing her knowledge of the flora and critters around her - many now gone forever. Whenever I see a long-leaf pine from now on, I will treasure the sight.

A book for all.
Janisse Ray pens a memoir not only of her life, but also of the life of the forests she grew up surrounded by.She writes earnestly and with conviction about growing up on a junkyard in rural Georgia; she is forthright about not only her childhood, but also about how it affected her when she went off to college and was independent of her family.Additionally, she writes with this same passion and candidness of the other rural Georgia and its inhabitants: the forests that are being diminished and with them, their occupants.
A two part review
I would like to comment on the book, and also on her live readings.
Read more

Subjects:  1. 1962-    2. Baxley (Ga.)    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Childhood and youth    6. Deforestation    7. Ecology    8. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    9. Forest ecology    10. General    11. Georgia    12. Longleaf pine    13. Nature    14. Nature/Ecology    15. Ray, Janisse,    16. Regional Subjects - South   

Reviews (16)

OFTEN OVERLOOKED WORK
I have been familiar with this work for a number of years and have been rather saddened that more attention has not been paid to it.Yes, they did a sort of TV movie some years ago, but while pleasant, it certainly did not do justice to this particular work by Rawlings.As other reviewers have pointed out, this is a rather autobiographical story of one womans struggle at a time when struggling was common, particularly for women.I personally perfer this work over the Yearling, as I simply feel it is better written and far more insightful.This work gives the reader a glance at what this country was like earlier in the last century, both good and the bad.The author does have way with humor and is able to laugh at herself, something that is always refreshing.For a pure joy and a wonderful read, I would recommend this one highly.

A woman for all seasons
`Cross Creek' is an extraordinary book written by a woman with the keen ability and insight to draw out the poetic from the mundane. An educated cosmopolitanite from the northeast, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings plunged into the rustic life of cracker Florida with a ferocity belying her Leo sun sign. She longed for the farm life, which ran deeper in her veins than did the comforts of urban living. A Pulitzer Prize writer, a naturalist, and gourmet cook, Marjorie was also handy with a shotgun as a person or two found out who mistook her gender for a sign of weakness. Marjorie was a great observer and devotee of nature which she expressed with a resonance that lingers on the heart. She animated the inanimate and bestowed upon the humblest of Florida's creatures, personality. 'Cross Creek' has reached out to me from the deep past to quicken my present experience of living in Florida. I find myself looking expectantly for personality in the natural world. The evidence already exists in 'Cross Creek'. I wish that I had known Marjorie. She died the year I was born.

intriguing look into the life of Marjorie Rawlings
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (Pulitzer Prize winningauthor of The Yearling) moves into a cabin in Cross Creek and tells of her life in this tiny community in central Florida around the 1930's.
Read more

Subjects:  1. 1896-1953    2. 20th century    3. Authors, American    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Cross Creek    9. Farm life    10. Florida    11. Homes and haunts    12. Literary    13. Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan,    14. Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan, 1896-1953    15. Regional Subjects - South    16. Biography & Autobiography / General    17. English    18. Modern fiction    19. Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan    20. USA   

Editorial Review

Born on October 1, 1924,Jimmy Carter grewup on a Georgia farm during the Great Depression. In Read more

Reviews (58)

Excellent!!!
This is one of the best books I've read the past year and one of the best biographies I've ever read.Jimmy Cater, whether you like/respect the man or not, is an excellent storyteller and he takes you back to the years of growing up on a rural Georgia farm during the Great Depression and segregation.The descriptions are so clear it seems like you're actually there. Quite a contrast to the middle class/suburban upbringing I experienced.I also read Carter's Presidential biography, which is also very good, but he's not as long-winded here so the book reads very fast.
Worth the time
President Carter discusses his experiences growing up in rural Georgia during the depression and how it influenced his future public life. Despite the institutionalized segregation that formally kept the races apart, many of the people that shaped the future President's young life were not white. It is amazing to compare the changes in American society from 70 years ago, some for the better (institutionalized segregation and racism), but mostly for the worse. Even though segregation is now gone, it is ironic that the informal happy-go-lucky youthful mixing of the races that President Carter claims helped shape his young life is probably gone now as well; but cynically, I believe Carter over emphasizes this point for political profit. Also, Americans were very frugal, resourceful, and resilient in those days.I don't think today's wasteful, whiney, latte entitlement generation could go through such economic hardship.
The boy behind the man
This is one of the best books I have ever read in any genre. I've always liked Jimmy Carter as a human being, and now I know what made this intelligent, unassuming, hardworking, humorous, and compassionate public figure the man he is. And in addition to that, the book gives a wonderfully rich view of rural life earlier in the 20th century. I would recommend this book to anyone. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Childhood Memoir    7. Country life    8. Farmers    9. Georgia    10. Historical - General    11. History    12. Plains    13. Presidents    14. Presidents & Heads of State    15. Regional Subjects - South    16. United States    17. Biography & Autobiography / Presidents    18. Biography: general    19. Political leaders & leadership   

Editorial Review

What is it about sports that makes some men wax as mystical as a Castanedan Yaqui? In the hands of writers such as David James Duncan and Norman Maclean, the simple, repetitive motions of baseball, fly-fishing, and golf have acquired almost numinous significance. In Read more

Reviews (53)

A portrait of the addicted person
My first up-close experience with drug addiction occurred several years ago at the hospital where I work. The scenario was remarkably similar to that described by Dr. Verghese. A bright, warm, wonderful nurse anesthetist succumbed to addiction despite having attended a rehabilitation program.
A satisfying read despite inherent flaws
Whether or not you have a background in medicine, this book will draw you in and keep you interested.The only parts that may seem a bit tedious to run through are some of the tennis sequences.This may seem odd coming from a tennis player, but reading about tennis is like watching grass grow.However, the sequences do bring other parts of the book together, and they are tolerable.
Recommended by my doctor
My doctor is an amazing person - not just a great doctor. We spend quite a bit of time talking about life, not just doing the clinical stuff. He recommended "The Tennis Partner" to me and I put it off for about a year before I dove into it. It's absolutely amazing. The depth of the writing is superb and the story captivates you from beginning to end. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. (Abraham),    2. 1955-    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. El Paso    8. General    9. Medical - Physicians    10. Physicians    11. Regional Subjects - South    12. Specific Groups - General    13. Texas    14. Verghese, A.    15. Biography & Autobiography / General    16. Reading Group Guide   

Reviews (4)

Doctoring the body and the soul
Dr. Walt Larimore returns with the second book of his series which chronicles the early days of his practice in the Smoky Mountains.This book is as charming as the first one, as the residents of tiny Bryson City try to get used to the big city ways of one of its newest practitioners.In the first book of the series, Dr. Larimore discovers that some simple country remedies work just as well or better than the latest medical technology.In this book, he learns that the key to curing patients is not only in the physical realm, but in the mental and spiritual areas as well.He goes into greater detail about his daughter's cerebral palsy, and does not hesitate to tell some funny stories in which he is the butt of the joke.This book and the others in the series make for delightful reading.

Terrific Read!
I very much enjoyed the first novel in this series, Bryson City Tales, and was delighted when this second book was published.If you are a fan of reading about small-town life, you'll love these books.Dr. Larimore's narrative brings the reader right into the story.The stories range from amusing, heartwarming, suspenseful, sad, to inspiring.I'm eagerly awaiting the next book, Bryson City Secrets, due out in March!If you're looking for a terrific read, I recommend these highly.

Bryson City Seasons
Very good!Really good for older readers who can appreciate the memories/stories of a young doctor ,husband, and father practicing in the N. C. Mountians.I recommend this book---as well as the first one---Bryson City Tales ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Bryson City    4. Christianity - Christian Life - General    5. General    6. Larimore, Walter L    7. Medical - Physicians    8. Medicine, Rural    9. North Carolina    10. Physicians    11. Regional Subjects - South    12. Religion    13. Biography: general    14. Christian Interest    15. Fiction / Religious    16. History of medicine   

Editorial Review

The same fierce pride and love that animated Read more

Reviews (62)

An Appalachian Writer Stands in Awe of "Ava's Man"
Ever since Rick Bragg won the Pulitzer Price for "All Over but the Shoutin'", I've been waiting for him to strike another chord with my heart.But with "Ava's Man," he's done more than strum a collection of musical notes:He's played the entire song.In April, 2006, Dr. James Gifford of the Jesse Stuart Foundation recommended that I read "Ava's Man," that it was the kind of book he had always wanted to write himself.So, having respect for Dr. Gifford's opinion, I purchased a copy.What I found at the end of each sentence was the longing that I had been the one to create that sentence.I don't know when another author has affected me in such a manner as this, if ever.It has indeed captured my soul.Thank you Rick Bragg.I didn't think you could outdo "All Over but the Shoutin'," but you did, and seemingly, you did it with ease.
Ava's Man
Rick Bragg has a distintive voice that is always interesting. This work is I think his best. There is a paragraph about Ava clinging to her kerosene lantern that is simply sublime and by itself worth the price of the book.

Ordinary, flawed humans can be heroes too.
It misses the point to argue that Charlie was too flawed to be a hero.Of course he was flawed.He was dirt poor, uneducated, drank too much, fought too much, and had too little respect for the law.Yet despite all of these flaws, he lived a moral life--hewing to his own personal code of conduct with strength that we should all envy and emulate.
Read more

Subjects:  1. 1929    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Bundrum, Charlie    7. Depressions    8. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Regional Subjects - South    11. Southern States    12. United States - State & Local - General    13. Working class whites    14. American history    15. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs    16. Biography: general    17. Local history    18. USA    19. Reading Group Guide   

Reviews (16)

A bit of a confusing mix of medicine, religion, sports and memoir
Although there are certainly interesting elements here, this book has some of the most jarring transitions from one element to another I've ever read.Parts of it are strictly medical, including a tale at the beginning that would make any seasoned viewer of CSI troubled.Then there are long sports sections---high school football and fishing especially.Then the author has a religious revelation, and we read about that for a while.After that, it's straight memoir for a bit, and we learn about his family and past, but in disjointed, someone confusing pieces.None of the writing is bad, but I just couldn't settle in and really get much out of it.
Delightful memoir
Dr. Walt Larimore received excellent medical training at Duke University.Armed with a new medical degree, his wife, and 3-year-old daughter, he journeyed to the small town of Bryson City, North Carolina, to begin his practice.What he learned is that there were many things which had not been taught at the Duke Medical School.Doctors and nurses who had been in practice for many years taught him that sometimes the old, simple procedures worked just as well as the up-to-date techniques which he favored early in his practice.He also learned that appeals to the Great Physician were much appreciated by his patients and served to calm him in a crisis.He was surprised to discover that a country doctor does not only deal with human patients, but animal ones as well.All was not easy, as both of his children faced medical crises, and some of the older doctors opposed his presence in their town.Dr. Larimore's self-effacing manner and gentle humor make this a delightful read.I am looking forward to reading the next two books in the series.

Excellent- entertaining, captivating, and heart touching
Larimore captivated both my wife and I with his writing and tales of his experience as a new doctor starting out in a new town in North Carolina.Unlike one reader, I never got the impression that the local people were anymore "backwards" than you would find anywheres else.Indeed, it becomes quite clear as Larimore continues to develop as a complete doctor that he has a number of things to learn from the people that were around him.It is fascinating to watch him grow in his practice and expertise, in his faith, and in his relationships with the local people.His love for his patients come through quite clearly.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible - Biography - General    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Bryson City    5. Larimore, Walter L    6. Medical - Physicians    7. Medicine, Rural    8. North Carolina    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Physicians    11. Regional Subjects - South    12. Religion    13. INSPIRATION MOTIVATIONAL BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY    14. Religion / Bible / Biography / General    15. The Bible   

Reviews (4)

a good book for anyone, anywhere, not just in Mobile
This is a brilliantbook. Hoffman draws fascinating portraits of a barrage of characters from in and around Mobile, and also ex-Mobilians. I am from Long Island, New York, and this was an incredibly readable, vastly enjoyable, slice of life from a different part of the country. Hoffman is a talented journalist and top-notch writer. He gives turns the local into the universal, while vividly analyzing a small cross section of the world.

Mobile Revisted
It is impossible to grow up in Mobile, Alabama without this historic Southern city leaving its indelible mark. Even though I moved away 25 years ago, I still call Mobile home. Roy Hoffman's collection of articles about the people and places that make Mobile unique, brought back many memories and has stayed with me long after I turned the last page. The Mobile Register is indeed fortunate to have such a talented writer at its disposal.

You Can Go Home Again
I wrote a review last week with the above title.Please check and notify me if you received it.If not, I will rewrite it. Thank you. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alabama - Local History    2. American - General    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Description and travel    6. History    7. History: American    8. Hoffman, Roy,    9. Mobile (Ala.)    10. Regional Subjects - South    11. United States - South - Alabama    12. United States - State & Local - General    13. Alabama    14. Childhood and youth    15. History / United States / State & Local    16. Hoffman, Roy    17. Local history    18. Short stories    19. Social history   

Reviews (10)

Few books have affected me like this one.
It was August, 1999. After a tough year of renovation my husband and I moved into our own 5,800 sf "Money Pit". We had spent a total of $ 600,000 getting ready for this day. It had been our dream ever since we had completed a renovation of our 1800 sf cottage 12 years before. We had battled bad heating guys, windows that had arrived to fit seemingly another house, workers who preferred smoking in our driveway to actually doing any work, painters who peed in my bathtub and nasty neighbors.
Lighten up about remodeling!
This is a really funny and very well-written book about two Manhattan queens who buy a mansion in the South and renovate it. Every remodeling horror you can imagine is described, but it all works out in the end! This book underscores the need for Cash, Cash, Cash!

An easy, entertaining read
"On A Street Called Easy, in a Cottage called Joye" is an easy and entertaining read, with short chapters perfect for the ride on the subway, or a break between tasks.A close parallel to "A Year In Provence", which is referenced by the authors, the story is essentially a humorous take on the gentry's lament "you can't get good help these days", but the biggest difference is that while "A Year..." is heavily slanted towards food, "A Street..." is almost entirely about the travails of renovating a wreck.It is after all, set in the deep (if it ain't fried, it ain't cooked)south, this is NOT Provence.Read more

Subjects:  1. Aiken (S.C.)    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Buildings, structures, etc    4. Decorating    5. Historic buildings    6. Joye Cottage (Aiken, S.C.)    7. Regional Subjects - South    8. South Carolina - Local History    9. Aiken    10. Homes and haunts    11. Whitney, William C   

Reviews (5)

A little disappointing
It's hard to go wrong with this subject matter, and I would recommend this book wholeheartedly.
Irresistible and bittersweet.
Beautiful, sweet and simple. The topic isn't one I have particular interest in, but the way she writes you can't help but fall in love with her, with Calvin, and with the whole life they create.I read it one night. Definitely recommended for anyone who has ever daydreamed about a quieter life than the one they lead.

True to my memories...
This well written little book made my heart ache for the land my family left many years ago. As a child, my grandfather took me into the Atchafalaya Basin many times to fish, and told me stories of our family's lumber camp from years prior. Ms. Roland's stories made those memories come flooding back. Her depictions of the people living in the Basin, and the sights, sounds, and smells of the Basin itself are true to my memories.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Atchafalaya River Region    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Boat living    4. General    5. History - General History    6. Houseboats    7. Louisiana    8. Nature    9. Nature/Ecology    10. Regional Subjects - South    11. Swamps    12. United States - State & Local - General