"I was being brought into the fold of the Alibi Club and I knew without question I would find Irina Markova's killer among them. It was like being brought into a den of lions. Luckily for me I was an adrenalin junkie. I wouldn't miss it."
-Elena Estes, from the novel
I have read a few mysteries by Tami Hoag but not for a while. I must admit I didn't technically read this one. I listened to it on CDs in my car so I can't say it was a page-turner but it could have been! In some ways it was even more intense because of the talented reader, Beth McDonald, especially at the climax of the plot. I was quite impressed with her ability to do Spanish, Russian, and other accents and distinctive voices for the characters. I'm rating this one a 5 for sheer enjoyment.
The setting of the story is Wellington, Florida, aka Palm Beach. Main character Elena Estes is a former cop who discovers the body of a murdered acquaintance in the first chapter. She is determined to find the killer among the Alibi Club, a group of wealthy, privileged men including her former fiancé, a charismatic Spanish polo star, and others. In the course of her sleuthing, she trades insults and information with another ex-lover, Detective James Landry, who has official charge of the case. Throw in a Russian mob boss, the lover of victim Irina raging for vengeance, an unethical parking valet and a naïve polo pony groom and you have the makings of a thrilling plot.
I really enjoyed Elena's narration of her parts of the story. She is smart and independent with a very dry wit, irreverent at times, and eliciting laughs. In the novel she is described as sassy. In fact Elena admits she is "overflowing with sass." I am wondering what other Hoag mysteries feature her. I'll be looking for one soon!
Friday, August 21, 2015
South Moon Under by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
" But if the road had been hard, it was also pleasant. If a living was uncertain, and the sustaining of breath precarious, why existence took on an added value and a greater sweetness. The tissues of life were food and danger. These were the warp and woof, and all else was an incidental pattern, picked out with vari-coloured wools. Love and lust, hate and friendship, grief and frolicking, even birthing and dying, were thin grey and scarlet threads across the sun-browned, thick and sturdy stuff that was life itself."
-from the novel
Had I not recently become a Marjorie Rawlings fan in preparation for teaching a class about her and her work and in my reading of The Yearling, I probably would not have chosen to read this book at all. As it turns out, I am glad I did because it reminded me of many things I had learned about this author. First, Rawlings, a relative newcomer to Florida in the early 1930's, had stayed for some months with Piety and Leonard Fiddia in the Big Scrub, what is now part of the Ocala National Forest, researching this book. She modeled her main character Lant and his mother, Piety Jacklin, after the two of them. Just as Leonard and his kinfolk made a living off the land any way they could---hunting, fishing, trapping, timbering, moonshining---both by legal and illegal means, so does Lant in South Moon Under. Second, much of this novel reminded me of The Yearling, written a few years later. For example, a wife filled with bitterness much as Ora Baxter; a hunt for a stock-killing wildcat using dogs, reminiscent of Penny and Jody's hunt for Slewfoot the bear; beautiful descriptions of travel on the river and, of course, the Cracker dialect and culture was similar. Also South Moon Under was a Book of the Month selection and a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize, which the author would win with her third novel, The Yearling. A significant difference was the passage of time, several years in this novel, while The Yearling spans only one year.
I was curious about the title. Apparently, these early Florida folk predicted much animal behavior by the movement of the moon, as in Lant's thoughts: "The deer and the rabbits, the fish and the owls, stirred at moon-rise and at moon-down; at south-moon over and at south-moon-under. The moon swung around the earth, or the earth swung around the moon, he was not sure. The moon rose in the east and that was moon-rise. Six hours later it hung at its zenith between east and west, and that was south-moon-over. It set in the west and that was moon-down. Then it passed from sight and swung under the earth, between west and east. And when it was directly under the earth, that was south-moon-under."
I am rating South Moon Under a 4. Hints of romance and some vigilante justice keep the theme of survival from becoming too tedious. Some readers may find too much description in this novel but it does give an accurate picture of life in Florida in the early 20th century before it became a tourist mecca. And one cannot help but admire these people who were bound and determined to eke out a living under extreme circumstances. Just think---August in Florida with no air conditioning!
-from the novel
Had I not recently become a Marjorie Rawlings fan in preparation for teaching a class about her and her work and in my reading of The Yearling, I probably would not have chosen to read this book at all. As it turns out, I am glad I did because it reminded me of many things I had learned about this author. First, Rawlings, a relative newcomer to Florida in the early 1930's, had stayed for some months with Piety and Leonard Fiddia in the Big Scrub, what is now part of the Ocala National Forest, researching this book. She modeled her main character Lant and his mother, Piety Jacklin, after the two of them. Just as Leonard and his kinfolk made a living off the land any way they could---hunting, fishing, trapping, timbering, moonshining---both by legal and illegal means, so does Lant in South Moon Under. Second, much of this novel reminded me of The Yearling, written a few years later. For example, a wife filled with bitterness much as Ora Baxter; a hunt for a stock-killing wildcat using dogs, reminiscent of Penny and Jody's hunt for Slewfoot the bear; beautiful descriptions of travel on the river and, of course, the Cracker dialect and culture was similar. Also South Moon Under was a Book of the Month selection and a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize, which the author would win with her third novel, The Yearling. A significant difference was the passage of time, several years in this novel, while The Yearling spans only one year.
I was curious about the title. Apparently, these early Florida folk predicted much animal behavior by the movement of the moon, as in Lant's thoughts: "The deer and the rabbits, the fish and the owls, stirred at moon-rise and at moon-down; at south-moon over and at south-moon-under. The moon swung around the earth, or the earth swung around the moon, he was not sure. The moon rose in the east and that was moon-rise. Six hours later it hung at its zenith between east and west, and that was south-moon-over. It set in the west and that was moon-down. Then it passed from sight and swung under the earth, between west and east. And when it was directly under the earth, that was south-moon-under."
I am rating South Moon Under a 4. Hints of romance and some vigilante justice keep the theme of survival from becoming too tedious. Some readers may find too much description in this novel but it does give an accurate picture of life in Florida in the early 20th century before it became a tourist mecca. And one cannot help but admire these people who were bound and determined to eke out a living under extreme circumstances. Just think---August in Florida with no air conditioning!
Friday, August 14, 2015
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
"For thus hath the Lord said unto me,
Go set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth."
-Isaiah 21:6
If asked the titles of my favorite books, To Kill a Mockingbird would be among the first. Perhaps that very high esteem set me up for disappointment in this novel by the same author. I have to agree with The New Yorker critic who wrote that ...Watchman would make barely any sense if the reader didn't already know ...Mockingbird. The magazine review went on to describe Go Set a Watchman as a failure as a novel and further that if ...Mockingbird did not exist, it would never have been published now, as it was not when it was written in the mid-1950's. Amen. Some might say to cut the author some slack; it was her first novel. I would reply that I have read other first novels that were excellent. One could even ask why this one was published and hyped to the max.
When 26-year-old Jean Louise Finch, known as "Scout," returns to visit her hometown of Maycomb, Alabama, she finds many changes that make her uncomfortable, including reactions of the community to the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement and the influence of the NAACP. When Jean Louise sneaks into a Citizen's Council meeting where father Atticus and boyfriend Henry are participants, her world is rocked to its foundation! This part reminded me of Scout sneaking into court in ...Mockingbird. Though the plot of the book was weak, some flashbacks were amusing like when Scout as a child, along with her brother, Jem, and friend, Dill, decide to have a mock revival that involves a baptism. When Jean Louise remembers a high school dance and what happened to her first "falsies," I had to laugh.
I waxed nostalgic at times, as I lived in North Alabama in the early 60's. I remembered Jitney Jungle supermarket and heard my mother use the expression "blue murder." I had never heard of "missionary vanilla" aka whiskey---cute.
I found it difficult to understand how Jean Louise's emotions could turn so dramatically. Perhaps her hard-headedness was a result of her young age and egocentricity. It was difficult for me to identify with her holier-than-thou attitude.
As a fan of To Kill a Mockingbird I felt I had to read this book so I am glad I did but I can rate it no higher than 3. It just had none of the beauty and innocence of Harper Lee's classic. I had thought I might choose this novel for our Page Turners but I have changed my mind.
Go set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth."
-Isaiah 21:6
If asked the titles of my favorite books, To Kill a Mockingbird would be among the first. Perhaps that very high esteem set me up for disappointment in this novel by the same author. I have to agree with The New Yorker critic who wrote that ...Watchman would make barely any sense if the reader didn't already know ...Mockingbird. The magazine review went on to describe Go Set a Watchman as a failure as a novel and further that if ...Mockingbird did not exist, it would never have been published now, as it was not when it was written in the mid-1950's. Amen. Some might say to cut the author some slack; it was her first novel. I would reply that I have read other first novels that were excellent. One could even ask why this one was published and hyped to the max.
When 26-year-old Jean Louise Finch, known as "Scout," returns to visit her hometown of Maycomb, Alabama, she finds many changes that make her uncomfortable, including reactions of the community to the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement and the influence of the NAACP. When Jean Louise sneaks into a Citizen's Council meeting where father Atticus and boyfriend Henry are participants, her world is rocked to its foundation! This part reminded me of Scout sneaking into court in ...Mockingbird. Though the plot of the book was weak, some flashbacks were amusing like when Scout as a child, along with her brother, Jem, and friend, Dill, decide to have a mock revival that involves a baptism. When Jean Louise remembers a high school dance and what happened to her first "falsies," I had to laugh.
I waxed nostalgic at times, as I lived in North Alabama in the early 60's. I remembered Jitney Jungle supermarket and heard my mother use the expression "blue murder." I had never heard of "missionary vanilla" aka whiskey---cute.
I found it difficult to understand how Jean Louise's emotions could turn so dramatically. Perhaps her hard-headedness was a result of her young age and egocentricity. It was difficult for me to identify with her holier-than-thou attitude.
As a fan of To Kill a Mockingbird I felt I had to read this book so I am glad I did but I can rate it no higher than 3. It just had none of the beauty and innocence of Harper Lee's classic. I had thought I might choose this novel for our Page Turners but I have changed my mind.
The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon
"...and he was no hero. He was just a man who'd loved. A man who'd felt treasured by a beautiful girl that he'd become more than he'd known he could be. A man who'd, yes, gotten loads of acceptance and respect from friends and employers, but---Tell yourself the truth---had never felt that treasured again."
-Homan's thoughts from the novel
The Story of Beautiful Girl is a beautiful story although a grim reminder of the treatment of many disabled people in the past. It begins in1968 with the escape of Beautiful Girl, Lynnie, and Number 42, Homan, from the "Snare," their nickname for the Pennsylvania School for the Incurable and Feeble-minded. The two seek sanctuary with a lonely widow named Martha, whose life is changed forever by their brief stay and the infant they are forced to leave behind in her care. Thus begins a 40-year saga, told alternatingly from their different points of view. This technique made for a real page-turner as the reader was left "hanging" by one character while catching up with the next. As the stories progress, the reader learns the background of Lynnie and Homan and how they came to be at the Snare. Very touching!
Many characters enter the story at various turns, some kind and helpful and some devious or downright evil. A number of the better sort are former students of Martha, who is a retired 5th grade teacher like me. I was touched by her relationship with these students. She had apparently corresponded with them often through the years, and even held regular reunions. I rather envied this bond of hers, something I have experienced rarely and to a minimal degree. Perhaps, it would be more common in a small town like the fictional Well's Bottom.
I was intrigued by the Author's Note and Acknowledgements as she shared how the idea for the novel was conceived and described a real person on whom she based the character of Homan. Ms. Simon is also the author of Riding the Bus with My Sister, a memoir adapted for a TV movie. I know I either read it or saw the movie but can't remember which. I will look for the book one of these days.
I couldn't help but think about the problems today with lack of affordable facilities for the mentally ill. Apparently, we have come a long way since 1968 but still have far to go.
I will rate ...Beautiful Girl a 4. Our book club meets to discuss the book later this month and it will be interesting to see if others agree and to hear everyone's thoughts. I will return to share....
--------------------------
Page Turners met today to discuss The Story of Beautiful Girl. Fifteen attended, more than we have had in the last few months. We used an amazing set of questions from the publisher to direct us (find them at LitLovers.com). There were 20 good questions and we certainly did not cover them all. Our group rating was 3.9, all votes between 5 and 3. I actually went back to my original mark of 5 and changed it to 4 as I realized I liked the book but didn't LOVE it.
Some group members were surprised at just how deplorable the conditions were in the institution mentioned in the story---called "the Snare" by the residents. We wondered aloud if that was the rule back in the late '60s or one of the exceptions. A number of folks spoke of past experiences involving disabled, particularly mentally challenged, people. Some had known them through church or childhood neighbors or friends. It seemed that those who were kept by families were better off by far than Lynnie and Homan in the novel. We agreed that years ago it was much more likely for "abnormal" children to be institutionalized.
Several of our members thought there were parts of the book that seemed contrived, especially the parts that involved Sam, and the ending which I won't go into---I don't want to be a spoiler! Most of us thought Martha was a hero for taking in an infant at her advanced age but that she probably had no idea what she was getting into! I believe we all agreed that the Author's Note and Acknowledgements at the end added a great deal to our understanding of the author's purpose and inspiration. Many expressed an interest in reading Riding the Bus with My Sister by this author. The Story of Beautiful Girl is a worthwhile read at the very least!
-Homan's thoughts from the novel
The Story of Beautiful Girl is a beautiful story although a grim reminder of the treatment of many disabled people in the past. It begins in1968 with the escape of Beautiful Girl, Lynnie, and Number 42, Homan, from the "Snare," their nickname for the Pennsylvania School for the Incurable and Feeble-minded. The two seek sanctuary with a lonely widow named Martha, whose life is changed forever by their brief stay and the infant they are forced to leave behind in her care. Thus begins a 40-year saga, told alternatingly from their different points of view. This technique made for a real page-turner as the reader was left "hanging" by one character while catching up with the next. As the stories progress, the reader learns the background of Lynnie and Homan and how they came to be at the Snare. Very touching!
Many characters enter the story at various turns, some kind and helpful and some devious or downright evil. A number of the better sort are former students of Martha, who is a retired 5th grade teacher like me. I was touched by her relationship with these students. She had apparently corresponded with them often through the years, and even held regular reunions. I rather envied this bond of hers, something I have experienced rarely and to a minimal degree. Perhaps, it would be more common in a small town like the fictional Well's Bottom.
I was intrigued by the Author's Note and Acknowledgements as she shared how the idea for the novel was conceived and described a real person on whom she based the character of Homan. Ms. Simon is also the author of Riding the Bus with My Sister, a memoir adapted for a TV movie. I know I either read it or saw the movie but can't remember which. I will look for the book one of these days.
I couldn't help but think about the problems today with lack of affordable facilities for the mentally ill. Apparently, we have come a long way since 1968 but still have far to go.
I will rate ...Beautiful Girl a 4. Our book club meets to discuss the book later this month and it will be interesting to see if others agree and to hear everyone's thoughts. I will return to share....
--------------------------
Page Turners met today to discuss The Story of Beautiful Girl. Fifteen attended, more than we have had in the last few months. We used an amazing set of questions from the publisher to direct us (find them at LitLovers.com). There were 20 good questions and we certainly did not cover them all. Our group rating was 3.9, all votes between 5 and 3. I actually went back to my original mark of 5 and changed it to 4 as I realized I liked the book but didn't LOVE it.
Some group members were surprised at just how deplorable the conditions were in the institution mentioned in the story---called "the Snare" by the residents. We wondered aloud if that was the rule back in the late '60s or one of the exceptions. A number of folks spoke of past experiences involving disabled, particularly mentally challenged, people. Some had known them through church or childhood neighbors or friends. It seemed that those who were kept by families were better off by far than Lynnie and Homan in the novel. We agreed that years ago it was much more likely for "abnormal" children to be institutionalized.
Several of our members thought there were parts of the book that seemed contrived, especially the parts that involved Sam, and the ending which I won't go into---I don't want to be a spoiler! Most of us thought Martha was a hero for taking in an infant at her advanced age but that she probably had no idea what she was getting into! I believe we all agreed that the Author's Note and Acknowledgements at the end added a great deal to our understanding of the author's purpose and inspiration. Many expressed an interest in reading Riding the Bus with My Sister by this author. The Story of Beautiful Girl is a worthwhile read at the very least!
Monday, July 27, 2015
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
"Ever'
man wants life to be a fine thing, and easy. 'Tis fine, boy, powerful fine,
but 'tain't easy. Life knocks a man down and he gits up and it knocks him down
agin. I've been uneasy all my life...I've wanted life to be easy for you.
Easier'n 'twas for me. A man's heart aches, seein' his young uns face the
world. Knowin' they got to get their guts tore out, the way his was tore. I
wanted to spare you, long as I could. I wanted you to frolic with your
yearlin'. I knowed the lonesomeness he eased for you. But ever' man's lonesome.
What's he to do then? What's he to do when he gits knocked down? Why, take it
for his share and go on."
—Penny Baxter in The
YearlingIf you have read my last several posts, you already know I've been teaching a class on the work of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. This is the last one in that series, at least for a while.
I selected The Yearling for my class to read and discuss because it is MKR's best known novel and most highly acclaimed, having won the Pulitzer Prize in 1939. I was quite sure I had read it several years ago when I first took on an acting role portraying the author. In listening to the audio version in my car, I realized in the last half of the novel that I had NOT finished it. Maybe, I only thought I had because I had seen the 1946 movie version. At any rate, I enjoyed the book much more than I had back then and possibly due to the talented narrator who was so adept at reading the dialogue and making the characters come alive. I'm rating The Yearling a 5 and I have no doubt I'll read it again.
My class seemed to genuinely enjoy the book, as well. We all loved Penny, the wise and loving father of Jody who is actually the main character. We agreed that the obvious theme was the coming of age story of a boy but thought perhaps the theme of survival was just as significant. We learned that MKR had a great love for the land of North Central Florida and its flora and fauna. This reverence for nature is evident in Penny's philosophy in the novel.
Don't think of this one as a young adult fiction. Think of it as a valuable historical fiction beautifully capturing the life of early pioneers of Florida. I recommend it highly!
Bossypants by Tina Fey
"One of the worst parts of [playing Tina Fey] was that I learned what it felt like to be a lightning rod. I got some hate mail and there are definitely people out there who will dislike me for the rest of my life because of 'what I did' to Sarah Palin. On an intellectual level, this doesn't bother me at all. On a human level, I would prefer to be liked. There was an assumption that I was personally attacking Sarah Palin by impersonating her on TV. No one ever said it was 'mean' when Chevy Chase played Gerald Ford falling down all the time. No one ever accused Dana Carvey or Darrell Hammond or Dan Ackroyd of 'going too far' in their political impressions. You see what I'm getting at here. I am not mean and Mrs. Palin is not fragile. To imply otherwise is a disservice to us both."
Had I not been leading the discussion of this book for our Page Turners group, I likely would not have finished it. I selected it from a list of our library's book bundles because I thought it would be funny. I don't believe I laughed aloud a single time in the reading of the book. Perhaps I could admit to an occasional smile or snicker. The funniest part was the script of Tina and Amy Poehler's skit portraying Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton because it brought back the memory of viewing that very humorous event on "SNL." Overall, though, I guess Fey's type of humor is just not my cup of tea. I gave the book a 2 rating.
When our group met to discuss the book, most agreed it was mediocre. The group's rating averaged 2.1, the lowest in quite a while. I actually apologized to our male members for this selection---it was "chick lit" to the nth degree! As always, our discussion was enjoyable---much more so than the book. Some of the negative comments were about Fey's "potty mouth" and juvenile humor. Most agreed the cover photo was disgusting but it did seem to symbolize Fey's feminist ideas. We thought perhaps she told her story to inspire women to persevere in a man's world as she did. In our discussion, someone brought out the fact that many in our age group have not been exposed to Tina Fey's comedy on "SNL" or "30 Rock." It seems possible that younger adult readers, particularly female, would find Bossypants more entertaining and worthwhile.
Had I not been leading the discussion of this book for our Page Turners group, I likely would not have finished it. I selected it from a list of our library's book bundles because I thought it would be funny. I don't believe I laughed aloud a single time in the reading of the book. Perhaps I could admit to an occasional smile or snicker. The funniest part was the script of Tina and Amy Poehler's skit portraying Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton because it brought back the memory of viewing that very humorous event on "SNL." Overall, though, I guess Fey's type of humor is just not my cup of tea. I gave the book a 2 rating.
When our group met to discuss the book, most agreed it was mediocre. The group's rating averaged 2.1, the lowest in quite a while. I actually apologized to our male members for this selection---it was "chick lit" to the nth degree! As always, our discussion was enjoyable---much more so than the book. Some of the negative comments were about Fey's "potty mouth" and juvenile humor. Most agreed the cover photo was disgusting but it did seem to symbolize Fey's feminist ideas. We thought perhaps she told her story to inspire women to persevere in a man's world as she did. In our discussion, someone brought out the fact that many in our age group have not been exposed to Tina Fey's comedy on "SNL" or "30 Rock." It seems possible that younger adult readers, particularly female, would find Bossypants more entertaining and worthwhile.
Monday, July 20, 2015
Cross Creek Cookery by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
"My father used to say this grace at table: 'Receive our thanks, our Heavenly Father, for these mercies. Bless them to our bodies' good, for Thy name's sake. Amen.'
Food imaginatively and lovingly prepared, and eaten in good company, warms the being with something more than the mere intake of calories. I cannot conceive of cooking for friends or family, under reasonable conditions, as being a chore. Food eaten in unpleasant circumstances is unblessed to our bodies' good---and so is a drug-store sandwich---or a raw duck. Some of my dishes, such as alligator-tail steak or Minorcan gopher stew may horrify the delicate, who may consider them, too, unblessed. I have included nothing that is not extremely palatable, and the reader or student of culinary arts may either believe me or fall back in cowardly safety on a standard cook book."
-Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Cross Creek Cookery
In following up that quote, this is surely NOT a standard cookbook. Open a cookbook on your shelf and tell me, do you see: Florida Soft-Shell Turtle (Cooter) Soup; Aunt Effie's Custard Johnny Cake; Poke Wee, Cross Creek; Cow-peas; Swamp Cabbage Salad; Orange Lake Frog-legs; Shrimp Pilau; Pot Roast of Bear; Sweet Potato Pone, Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie, Mayhaw Jelly? Hmm...I didn't think so.
Cross Creek Cookery makes interesting reading but I would not recommend it as a cookbook since the ingredient amounts and directions are ambiguous, at best. I read it in preparation for the class I am teaching on Rawlings, the author. Apparently she wrote it in response to requests by fans of Cross Creek, her chronicle, or memoir, of her experiences living in "this enchanted place" in North Central Florida. The longest chapter in Cross Creek is "Our Daily Bread," describing many popular foods of the region and admitting to culinary skill being her greatest vanity: "For my part, my literary ability may safely be questioned as harshly as one wills, but indifference to my table puts me in a rage."
Many of the recipes are very rich, involving plenty of her Jersey cow Dora's butter and cream. A friend said she should include a Jersey cow with each cookbook!
The longest section is desserts. Caution: Your mouth will likely water!
I will rate Cross Creek Cookery a 3.5. It seems a bit odd to rate or blog this book since I didn't actually read it "kivver to kivver." I did read all the narratives which were pretty entertaining and skimmed the menus and recipes. Most are too labor-intensive for me! And as I mentioned, often not very concise. I recommend it to fans of Rawlings, especially as a companion to Cross Creek, but as a cooking tool, not so much.
Food imaginatively and lovingly prepared, and eaten in good company, warms the being with something more than the mere intake of calories. I cannot conceive of cooking for friends or family, under reasonable conditions, as being a chore. Food eaten in unpleasant circumstances is unblessed to our bodies' good---and so is a drug-store sandwich---or a raw duck. Some of my dishes, such as alligator-tail steak or Minorcan gopher stew may horrify the delicate, who may consider them, too, unblessed. I have included nothing that is not extremely palatable, and the reader or student of culinary arts may either believe me or fall back in cowardly safety on a standard cook book."
-Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Cross Creek Cookery
In following up that quote, this is surely NOT a standard cookbook. Open a cookbook on your shelf and tell me, do you see: Florida Soft-Shell Turtle (Cooter) Soup; Aunt Effie's Custard Johnny Cake; Poke Wee, Cross Creek; Cow-peas; Swamp Cabbage Salad; Orange Lake Frog-legs; Shrimp Pilau; Pot Roast of Bear; Sweet Potato Pone, Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie, Mayhaw Jelly? Hmm...I didn't think so.
Cross Creek Cookery makes interesting reading but I would not recommend it as a cookbook since the ingredient amounts and directions are ambiguous, at best. I read it in preparation for the class I am teaching on Rawlings, the author. Apparently she wrote it in response to requests by fans of Cross Creek, her chronicle, or memoir, of her experiences living in "this enchanted place" in North Central Florida. The longest chapter in Cross Creek is "Our Daily Bread," describing many popular foods of the region and admitting to culinary skill being her greatest vanity: "For my part, my literary ability may safely be questioned as harshly as one wills, but indifference to my table puts me in a rage."
Many of the recipes are very rich, involving plenty of her Jersey cow Dora's butter and cream. A friend said she should include a Jersey cow with each cookbook!
The longest section is desserts. Caution: Your mouth will likely water!
I will rate Cross Creek Cookery a 3.5. It seems a bit odd to rate or blog this book since I didn't actually read it "kivver to kivver." I did read all the narratives which were pretty entertaining and skimmed the menus and recipes. Most are too labor-intensive for me! And as I mentioned, often not very concise. I recommend it to fans of Rawlings, especially as a companion to Cross Creek, but as a cooking tool, not so much.
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