To: ALL Date: 09/04
From: SCYV62A TERESA HESS Time: 10:49 PM
BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA...Dorothy Allison, and THE DISTANCE
FROM THE HEART OF THINGS...Ashley Warlick. Read both of
these tales set in the Carolinas back to back. BOOC was
outstanding, as brutally honest as Kaye Gibbons' ELLEN
FOSTER and beautifully written.Bone, a young girl who seeks
legitimacy within her large extended family of
self-described white trash, struggles with the dual feelings
of revulsion and embarassment at her family's antics and a
fierce pride and affinity with those she loves. I was
reading this book around the time some of you were
discussing "white trash" in regards to THE OPTIMIST'S
DAUGHTER, and would urge anyone to read this book for an
insight into the deeper waters that run beneath that
"trashy" surface. Highly recommended. THE DISTANCE OF THE
HEART OF THINGS shows great promise from the young writer
Ashley Warlick, the youngest recipient of the prestigious
Houghton Mifflin literary fellowship, but lacked the "meat"
Allison provided in her portrayal of young Bone. Warlick's
prose is often startlingly beautiful, putting me in mind of
some of Pat Conroy's gorgeous descriptive passages. The work
fell short on plot, however, IMHO and demonstrated that a
nimble hand with language does not necessarily translate
into a compelling book. I expect good things in the future
from this woman, though...witness the opening paragraph:
"Edisto River starts somewhere up about Batesburg, South
Carolina, starts itself up like a forest fire or a thread of
cancer, pulling down through the flats and the orchards,
through the hogs and the Herefords and the smell of rotten
peaches in the sun..." And consider this: "I'm dizzy with
these women of mine. I remember a class I had up at
Appalachian, a literature class, and we read books by women,
watched movies about women, talked a lot about men, too, but
not the same way we talked about women...There's a
difference between self-hood and how a body thinks of
herself when no one's taking notes, a difference between how
we sound on paper and how we really are. Men do the things
they do because of us, because we call them to it: we dress
in white and take them into our hearts and they have no
other choice. Men lie in the hands of women. It just comes
out seeming the other way 'round."
Although there's an underlying string of truth in the
passage, it just strikes me as being so *young*. I'll enjoy
watching this woman grow as a writer. Anyone else read these
books? As always, I'd love to hear your comments. Teresa in
Salt Lake City, where the garden is dominated by the
burnished glow of anemones, asters and chrysanthemums
=============== Reply 1 of Note 11 =================
To: SCYV62A TERESA HESS Date: 09/05
From: DCTW04A MARTY PRIOLA Time: 0:37 AM
Teresa,
I recommended Warlick's THE DISTANCE FROM THE HEART OF
THINGS some time ago, just after she'd won the prize. She
came here and did a reading; by all means, if you have the
opportunity to attend one of her readings, GO! That silky
Carolina voice is magical, and the writing is, in the first
chapter anyway (all I've read--or, more accurately, had
read to me by the author), elegiac and breathtaking.
I'll let you all know what I think of the remainder of the
book when I've had a chance to read it. It's just that my
real life keeps intruding to the extent that about all the
pleasure reading I get to do is this board. Sometimes, I
feel like a parasite.
--The Irrepressible DJP 9/4/96 11:31PM CT
=============== Reply 2 of Note 11 =================
To: SCYV62A TERESA HESS Date: 09/05
From: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Time: 8:20 AM
Dear Teresa,
I bought THE DISTANCE FROM THE HEART OF THINGS right after
Marty sang her praises about the reading, but I haven't read
the book yet. Maybe I'll sneak it in after SNOW FALLING ON
CEDARS.
Sherry
=============== Reply 3 of Note 11 =================
To: SCYV62A TERESA HESS Date: 09/05
From: KGXC73A GAIL SINGER GROSS Time: 9:29 AM
greetings TERESA by the GREENHOUSE..
delighted to hear you read BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA...by
dorothy allison... i was fortunate to have interviewed her
for my book group COVER TO COVER a few years ago... she came
with her lover and her child WOLF... it was a an afternoon
of fond memories...she is a genuine ..tough...cookie and
talented writer to boot! she is a formidable voice here in
SAN FRANCISCO...
since you read the two books ..the other one that i liked
was CONNIE MAE FOWLER's...BEFORE WOMEN HAD WINGS...how do
like that title! gail..hp..a passionate reader on my way
to my office..but a good walk is in order on this fogless
morning!
=============== Reply 4 of Note 11 =================
To: DCTW04A MARTY PRIOLA Date: 09/05
From: SCYV62A TERESA HESS Time: 9:46 AM
Marty, I am indeed glad you recommended THE DISTANCE FROM
THE HEART OF THINGS, and you're right about the elegiac
quality of her prose. I'll be interested in hearing your
comments once you've read it, in light of your recent post
regarding authors and gender and your stated preference for
the work of male writers. I would definitely categorize
TDFTHOT as a book that would appeal more to women than men.
The male characters IMHO are very one dimensional and lack
the depth Warlick gives to the many women in this work. I
can see how you would have been enchanted with AW...she is
strikingly lovely in the picture on the bookcover. Teresa,
who would never categorize you as a parasite
=============== Reply 5 of Note 11 =================
To: KGXC73A GAIL SINGER GROSS Date: 09/05
From: SCYV62A TERESA HESS Time: 10:01 AM
ah, gail. You do have me pegged in my affinity for southern
writers. I have BEFORE WOMEN HAD WINGS on order at the
library. Is our high priestess as psychic?
Your interview with Allison sounds wonderful, but do tell
me...is her lover a man or a woman? Although I have
absolutely no basis for thinking so, I have the impression
her "significant other" may be female. BOOC was a brave
book...I've mentioned to you before my tendency to want to
impose my own sensibilities on fictional characters (a
failure on my part, to be sure) and BOOC is a good case in
point. The ending...heartbreaking yet unwaveringly true to
the nature of the characters. Why do I always want things
to wrap up in a tidy resolution? It's not the nature of
life...indeed "made for TV." Thank god I'm not a novelist.
Have you read any of Allison's other work? Teresa,
envisioning the characters in both novels fleeing hurricane
Fran
=============== Reply 6 of Note 11 =================
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 09/05
From: SCYV62A TERESA HESS Time: 10:05 AM
Dear Sherry, looking forward to your comments on TDOTHOT.
Surely you can sneak it in along with SFFC now with all that
extra room in your nest. How goes that, btw? Teresa, about
to re-read SFFC
=============== Reply 7 of Note 11 =================
To: SCYV62A TERESA HESS Date: 09/05
From: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Time: 12:49 PM
Dear Teresa,
The idea of the empty nest hasn't sunk in yet, I think. I'm
actually rather enjoying it, but preparing for an onslaught
of my 20-year old son and two of his friends for a week or
so. After that my inlaws. After that, my other inlaw (figure
that one out). After that, my parents. So, I'm just enjoying
a breather right now.
Sherry
=============== Reply 8 of Note 11 =================
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 09/05
From: SCYV62A TERESA HESS Time: 2:00 PM
Sounds like you're booked through Christmas, Sherry. I
admire your energy. My husband's two brothers, their wives
and assorted children were just here for a week, and both
Tom and I were ready to tear our hair out by the time they
left. Don't get me wrong -- we love them to pieces and
always enjoy their company -- but we are both very private
people who have become accustomed to our cherished "alone
time." I find that if I don't have at least an hour a day
completely to myself I don't function well at all. All the
extra cooking, cleaning and laundry associated with house
guests is secondary, IMHO, to the loss of that precious
time. Teresa, lucky to have a garden retreat
=============== Reply 9 of Note 11 =================
To: SCYV62A TERESA HESS Date: 09/05
From: DCTW04A MARTY PRIOLA Time: 10:45 PM
Teresa,
One or two remarks on your reply:
Ashley Warlick is in fact more lovely than that photo
suggests. She's one of those people who a photograph
cannot do any sort of justice to, because the way she
carries herself and her facial expressions and voice and
such other qualities are lost in a simple photograph, no
matter how good.
And she's a year younger than I am (that means she's 24)
and already married. I asked.
--The Irrepressible DJP 9/5/96 9:06PM CT
=============== Reply 10 of Note 11 =================
To: SCYV62A TERESA HESS Date: 09/06
From: KGXC73A GAIL SINGER GROSS Time: 9:32 AM
greetings TERESA by the GREENHOUSE..
yes..DOROTHY ALLISON is a lesbian and ALEX her lover is an
force in her life...
good to hear i have another comrade in my quest for SOUTHERN
WRITERS... do share with me any other SW's you come
across....
gail..hp..a passionate reader who has finished her planting
and has said GOODBYE to mulch and chicken manure and cow
dung for this year.... i mixed lobelias with my tizzie
lizzie's..time to experiment..at least one box!
=============== Reply 11 of Note 11 =================
To: DCTW04A MARTY PRIOLA Date: 09/06
From: FDLX59B MARY ANNE PAPALE Time: 10:15 PM
Gee, Marty. And here I thought you preferred male writers.
I can't wait to read Warlick now. MAP
=============== Reply 12 of Note 11 =================
To: FDLX59B MARY ANNE PAPALE Date: 09/06
From: DCTW04A MARTY PRIOLA Time: 11:24 PM
Mary Anne,
I guess saying that I prefer male writers begs the question
of: when and under what circumstances do I prefer male
writers? The answer: when I'm reading. I'd much rather
gaze longingly at a photo of Ms. Warlick than, say, a
snapshot of Cormac McCarthy.
--The Irrepressible DJP 9/6/96 10:07PM CT
To: ALL Date: 04/17
From: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Time: 8:49 AM
DOROTHY ALLISON IN ANN ARBOR********************************
Just before I left work last week for Spring Vacation, a
friend of mine loaned me BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA. I've
been busily reading Ernest Hemingway's short stories IN OUR
TIME, but finished it yesterday and started on Allison's
book. I was immediately grabbed by her writing. Then, I
bought a newspaper in the afternoon and found that she
would be reading and signing books at the Ann Arbor
Border's last night. I decided at the last minute to go
and I am so glad I did.
The small area they had assigned for the reading was
jammed to the point that I had to stand in the back, but it
was worth it. She read a large chunk of her newest book,
CAVEDWELLERS, and this is a woman who should read her own
book on tape. She is an actress. Every voice was done
perfectly.
Before her reading, she said that she was raised a
Baptist but feels that she has "transcended" her Baptist
upbringing, that she now describes herself as a Zen Baptist.
She said that she still believes in sin and redemption but
in a different way. When she wrote CAVEDWELLERS, she
wanted to write about someone who has committed a colossal
sin and then has to go about the process of being forgiven.
She talked about our cultures's tendency to go for the John
Wayne, Bruce Willis, etc. action hero's process of change,
that you just wake up one day and change your life. The
reality that she described was that you get up every day
and start the process again of changing your life.
I thought of Dale when she said that she doesn't believe
that there is anyone who is inherently evil. She does
believe that people do evil things. And, in CAVEDWELLERS,
she had the luxury of giving that person a wasting disease.
I hope I got that right. Haven't read CAVEDWELLERS yet.
Her mother read everything she wrote and was incredibly
excited when she sold her first story. Then, she asked how
much Allison was paid for it. When she heard the answer,
21.80 plus three copies of the magazine, she said maybe
Allison should try writing mysteries, that she thought
there might be better pay in that. Allison laughed and
said that maybe she was writing mysteries, mysteries of the
human heart.
One person in the audience asked what she thought of the
movie of BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA in relation to the book.
She said that she had been advised by friends that they
would never make the movie when she sold the rights, that
the money would just buy her some more time to write.
Didn't you tell us a similar story, Dale? In any case, it
was first optioned or bought (I don't know this
terminology) by one actress whose name I didn't recognize
and Allison felt pretty comfortable with her. But, nothing
came of it. Then, it was bought by Angelica Huston. She
said Huston came to her house, cried on her shoulder,
"kissed me on the mouth" and promised her that she would
be pleased with the result. Allison was very afraid that
someone would try to eroticize or sensationalize the child
sexual abuse.
After Huston made the movie, Ted Turner who was going to
show it on his network cancelled. Allison said that she
couldn't believe that someone who had payed $4 million
dollars for the rights to a movie would not have even read
the book. Apparently, he didn't like what was there "and
I've been going around talking bad about Ted Turner ever
since."
When she finally got to her feelings about the actual
movie, Allison said that Huston understood the dynamics of
sexual abuse and the family situation that produces it and
allows it to continue. She said that Huston absolutely did
*not* understand southern working class women..."for one
thing, those women were just too skinny." On the other
hand, she said that Huston did create the image of her
childhood and that it was hard for her to watch initially.
(cont. on first reply)
=============== Reply 1 of Note 33 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION & NON
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Date: 04/17
From: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Time: 9:11 AM
(Allison in Ann Arbor, cont.)
Finally, she said that the movie is a powerful statement,
that it works. She said that it's not her book, it's her
story at a little distance. She described the process of
making a movie from a book as taking a core sample, sort of
20% out of the middle and that you just have to hope they
take the right 20%.
She was asked if there was a message in her memoir,
TWO OR THREE THINGS I KNOW FOR SURE and if it is that
something can be done. She said that there definitely is a
message. She described herself as a lesbian woman who
knows who she is, is raising a child, has survived and is
living well. And, that's the message...that you can come
out the other side.
My outstanding impression of Allison was her
straightforward manner and her humor. She was very
matter-of-fact about her gayness. At one point, she said
that this was the 19th stop on a 30 stop tour and that
she'd been losing brain cells at each stop. If she dropped
over in front, she would prefer that an attractive young
woman run up and fan her. She connected well with everyone
in the audience and I found myself laughing more than
anything else.
When I started reading BASTARD, I was totally unaware
that it dealt with sexual abuse and, if I'd known, probably
wouldn't have started it because I'm as burned out on that
topic as anyone else. However, so far, the quality of her
writing is what keeps me there. These are definitely the
people I grew up with in Indiana who had moved up from
South to work in the factories. She absolutely has it down
to a tee.
Don't miss her if one of her remaining 11 stops
is in your town. This woman is an entertainer.
And, one fun little note about this experience is that I
got my friend's book autographed to her as well. She'll be
so surprised...can't wait to see her face...pretty good
payback to someone who lets you borrow her book, I thought.
Barb
=============== Reply 2 of Note 33 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION & NON
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Date: 04/17
From: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Time: 10:10 AM
Re: Allison's comment about the message in her memoir TWO
OR THREE THINGS I KNOW FOR SURE, I didn't specify that she
meant that there is survival after childhood sexual abuse.
Barb
=============== Reply 3 of Note 33 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION & NON
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Date: 04/17
From: DNBR75A S THOMSEN Time: 12:01 PM
Barb, thanks for your great note about Dorothy Allison. I
enjoyed it thoroughly. I have requested CAVEDWELLERS from
the library, but after reading about her here, I think I
just might have to buy it! I once heard her read at the New
York Public Library, and she was way cool, but to tell you
the truth, I'd rather hear her again in a less formal
setting (and in front of a less stuffy audience).
I think that ONE OR TWO THINGS I KNOW FOR SURE (or is it
TWO OR THREE--whatever ) started out as a performance
piece.
It's wonderful you were able to get your friend's book
autographed; I'm sure she'll be thrilled! --Susan
=============== Reply 4 of Note 33 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION & NON
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Date: 04/17
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 12:57 PM
Barb, what a wonderfully long and informative note. I
almost felt like I was there and I didn't want it to end. I
don't think I've read any Allison, but I did see the film
BASTARD OOC, and because of the child abuse thing, decided
not to read the book. I'm as burned out on the subject as
you are. But I'm up for CAVEDWELLERS.
Ruth
=============== Reply 5 of Note 33 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION & NON
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Date: 04/17
From: BUYS59A BARBARA HILL Time: 7:54 PM
I'll be watching for Cavedwellers. I read Bastard Out Of
Carolina, it was one of my ten favorites last year. A
powerful story. I think you'll agree.
B. HIll
=============== Reply 6 of Note 33 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION & NON
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: BUYS59A BARBARA HILL Date: 04/17
From: KGXC73A GAIL SINGER GROSS Time: 11:45 PM
greetings QUEEN of the tape.. BARBARA..
i sat here and cried ...while reading your informative
post.. if there is anyone who deserves it IS DOROTHY.. she
and her lover ALEX and baby WOLF..moved to san francisco.and
live near by in a victorian...with the birth father...the
four live very happily....
at the time i interviewed her i tried to get her a lecture
spot at the HERBST theatre where all the authors congregate
each year... but at that time...i was told she would not
draw an audience... her time has come and i am elated...
i am delighed that you like her writings and find her full
of life and love and merriment.. that is our DOROTHY..
gail..hp..a passionate reader ..this post definitely made my
evening.. a thousand thanks to you QUEENIE!
=============== Reply 7 of Note 33 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION & NON
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: KGXC73A GAIL SINGER GROSS Date: 04/18
From: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Time: 9:41 PM
I'm really glad you all enjoyed the notes about Allison.
Reading impressions that various CRs have posted about
authors they've met has been one of my favorite things here
and I wanted to return the favor. In fact, it turned out
to be one of the nice things about seeing her. As I
listened, I pulled my trusty little notebook out of my
purse and started jotting down notes because I didn't want
to forget anything. Having a great experience becomes
twice as fun when you know you have so many people to share
it with who will be just as interested as you are.
gail, I remember now your posts about having Dorothy
Allison for your book group, about her lover and baby.
Somehow, I didn't associate it now. Thanks for reminding
me. The Herbt theatre gathering sure missed their chance,
didn't they? I hope someone there remembers what an error
they made.
Susan, I can't imagine people staying stuffy around
Doroty Allison very long.
See note posted below about my impressions of
her writing. I've been reading her nonstop since
yesterday.
Barbara
To: ALL Date: 04/18
From: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Time: 9:41 PM
BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA and TWO OR THREE THINGS I KNOW FOR
SURE
Ruth, do not miss reading BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA!! This
book does not fit into any preconceptions that I had about
books concerning child abuse. It is simply one of the most
powerful, best written books that I've read in a very long
time. In some ways, it's not even about child abuse and
yet that is definitely part of the story. It's about being
different, smart, hungry, angry and poor in the South.
And, yet there's humor and more love than you can imagine.
And, I don't think I've every heard an author be this
honest, yet without self-consciousness or self-pity.
There's another essential ingredient and that's the
strength of the girl who is the main character. She fights
back, not some superwoman fable strength, but she fights.
I wish I had read it before I talked to her at the book
signing. I have a million questions and comments. One
little side observation was the inclusion of all the music
that I love, down-home, old fashioned gospel, Patsy Cline,
Kitty Wells, on and on. I've heard lots about the women
that Allison brings alive on the pages, but I was pretty
impressed with the portraits of the men too. If you
haven't read this book, please don't miss it.
And while I was under Allison's spell, I went on and
read TWO OR THREE THINGS I KNOW FOR SURE which is a very
short (94 pgs.) memoir. As Susan said, the author's note
in the back said that it was first done as performance art
and then was revised for publication. It includes
photographs of her family, though she says that their names
have been changed and some of them are composites. It
gives you a very good view of the reality of her life,
current as well as past. The writing is often lyrical and
poetic. I can certainly see it done in performance and,
after seeing Allison perform in Ann Arbor, I would love to
have seen it. There is a big section in BASTARD about her
conversion to Christianity and the time she spent in
churches. You can certainly feel it when she reads.
Barb...emerging....
=============== Reply 1 of Note 36 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION & NON
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Date: 04/19
From: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Time: 2:49 AM
Hi Barbara. I read Bastard Out of Carolina in one sitting
too, a few years ago. What a great writer - she really
captured her characters, and managed to show some hard lives
without pity or pathos.
Theresa
=============== Reply 2 of Note 36 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION & NON
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: NDKB53A THERESA SIMPSON Date: 04/19
From: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Time: 8:51 AM
Theresa,
It would be interesting to take a survey and see how long
it took each of the CRs to read this book. My friend who
loaned it to me warned me not to start it unless I had time
to finish it right then.
And, the "without pity or pathos" was emphasized in
Dorothy Allison's answer to the man at her reading who
asked about the message in TWO OR THREE THINGS I KNOW FOR
SURE. She emphasized that there is a life, and a good
life, possible after childhood abuse. She certainly wasn't
saying it was easy, but I think she was saying that it was
worth it. I didn't get any sense of victim psychology.
Barb
=============== Reply 3 of Note 36 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION & NON
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Date: 04/19
From: UHUB31A D RANDALL Time: 4:47 PM
Well, Barb -- I have noticed that most seem to have finished
it sooner/more rapidly than anticipated/planned. I said
earlier on that I read it in a day and a half (at MOST). I
do things like read a book straight through say from 4:30 PM
to 10:30 AM on rare occasions so I was not adverse to giving
Bastard Out Of Carolina every free minute in that day and a
half timespan. I didn't choose to do that -- I simply
couldn't put it down longer at one time than I did -- I HAD
to read it as close to straight through as I could manage.
Dottie, who usually lets strong books have their way
=============== Reply 4 of Note 36 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION & NON
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: UHUB31A D RANDALL Date: 04/19
From: DNBR75A S THOMSEN Time: 7:21 PM
Dottie and Barb and all,
I can't remember how long it took me to read BASTARD, but
I have a feeling I read it all in one gulp like y'all. It
was definitely a life-interrupter for me.
I have a couple of her books of short stories, published
by a small feminist press. I'll have to re-read those soon;
my recollection of them is dimmer than BASTARD. I know that
one of the stories prefigures the themes that she'd tackle
in BASTARD. (I think the small press is called Firebrand.)
Susan
=============== Reply 5 of Note 36 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION & NON
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: DNBR75A S THOMSEN Date: 04/20
From: KXBZ24A ANNE WILFONG Time: 10:22 PM
Susan, I can't remember how long it took me to read BASTARD
OUT OF CAROLINA, but it was quick! And I just finished
CAVEDWELLER, which I devoured nearly as qickly.
This was a really good book. Almost great, by my subjective
standards (whatever they are!) Allison has a gift for
exposing the soul of her characters, warts & all, and this
book had 4 strong characters. While she was dwelling on one,
I was impatient to know what was going on with the others.
And I never quite had that hunger satisfied...my only
complaint. The book could've been much longer to keep from
glossing over critical years of the characters' growth,>>
and still kept my interest.
Despite my impatience to understand these women, Allison did
tie it up beautifully in the end. I needed to know, like
Delia's daughters, why Delia left them in the first place,
and in the end I was rewarded. As was Delia. This book is
truly about redemption for the unforgivable, and how time
seems to heal. Allison obviously loved these women deeply.
It must have been hard for her to let them go in the book.
Anyone else read this yet?
Anne
=============== Reply 6 of Note 36 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION & NON
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: KXBZ24A ANNE WILFONG Date: 04/20
From: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Time: 10:40 PM
Anne,
I haven't read it, but I did read an interview about this
book. Allison wanted to explore the theme of forgiveness in
this book. I haven't read BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA, but it
sounds like she has had a lot to forgive in her own life.
Currently she lives with her "partner"( Alix somebody I
think), her child, and the child's father. Sounds like an
interesting household.
Ann
=============== Reply 7 of Note 36 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION & NON
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: KXBZ24A ANNE WILFONG Date: 04/24
From: DNBR75A S THOMSEN Time: 6:54 PM
Anne,
I finished CAVEDWELLER last night! After reading Barb's
note, I decided to go out and buy it. I thought the novel
was wonderful! And, yes, you're right, she really loved
those characters, didn't she? CAVEDWELLER is truly written
out of love. No second-novel jinx on this book.
Susan
=============== Reply 8 of Note 36 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION & NON
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: KXBZ24A ANNE WILFONG Date: 04/24
From: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Time: 7:45 PM
Anne,
I bought CAVEDWELLER when I went to see Dorothy Allison,
but it's up on my shelf waiting for this summer (hopefully,
I won't lose it in the move...especially since she
autographed it). Judging by my response to BASTARD OUT OF
CAROLINA, I'm afraid that I won't get anything else done if
I start it. A woman who was at the reading said that she
liked the first 2/3 of it the most and wasn't sure that it
held up well at the end...but also said that she was very
glad that she read it. As soon as I read it this summer,
I'll post to you.
My friend at work loved getting her autograph and has
another co-worker reading it. And, she also loaned me
TRASH, her book of short stories. So far, it's on my desk
at work to be read during whatever free minutes I can grab
while I'm eating lunch.
Barb
=============== Reply 9 of Note 36 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION & NON
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Date: 04/24
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 9:06 PM
There was a long article (with pix) on Allison in this
morning's times. Very interesting. And I saw CaveDwellers
in the bookstore this afternoon. I passed on it because it
was in hardcover. I do my best to try and wait until the
paperback. I get to buy more books that way. The store
didn't have BASTARD OOC in stock, so I decided that I could
probably check that one out of the library anyway.
Ruth, who nevertheless bought 3 other books
=============== Reply 10 of Note 36 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION & NON
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Date: 04/25
From: KXBZ24A ANNE WILFONG Time: 3:47 PM
Barb,
You'll love CAVEDWELLER when you get a chance to read it.
I'm still hungry for more about these woman (the characters)
who survived great odds to turn out half way normal...or at
least figured out who they were despite emotional trauma so
early in life.
So, you read at your desk during lunch, too?
Anne, looking forward to seeing you in a week!
=============== Reply 11 of Note 36 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION & NON
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Date: 04/25
From: KXBZ24A ANNE WILFONG Time: 3:52 PM
Hey Ruth, what were those 3 books you DID buy??
Anne, always nosey when it comes to what someone's reading!
=============== Reply 12 of Note 36 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION & NON
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: KXBZ24A ANNE WILFONG Date: 04/25
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 5:51 PM
I bought COMFORT WOMAN, Stegner's REMEMBERING LAUGHTER, and
TROPICAL NIGHT FALLING by Manuel Puig. Of course, the word
PUIG caught my eye, and remembering the memorable Chat in
which the word was coined, I picked up the book. Turns out
this is the last novel of the guy who wrote KISS OF THE
SPIDER WOMAN.
Ruth
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Dorothy Allison
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