Carolina Moon

by Jill McCorkle

In the course of this wide-ranging, richly detailed novel, every kind of human problem finds its way to the doorstep of Quee Purdy, a tireless entrepreneur for whom love and sex are the "hot commodities" in which she deals. McCorkle's extraordinary storytelling skills allow her to juggle at least six parallel stories in a novel about playing God. And she does it divinely.

Genres: Fiction, Southern, Contemporary, Book Club, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Literature

259 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Five of Jill McCorkle's seven previous books have been named New York Times Notables. Winner of the New England Booksellers Award, the Dos Passos Prize for Excellence in Literature, and the North Carolina Award for Literature, she has taught writing at the University of North Carolina, Bennington College, Tufts University, and Harvard. She lives near Boston with her husband, their two children, several dogs, and a collection of toads.

Reviews

[Charles Michael Fischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are some of these reviews and ratings serious? If you’re looking for a safe, middlebrow, humorless workshop novel where the threads are tied in a neat bow, “Carolina Moon” isn’t for you. Now, if you’re looking for raw, purposefully messy and brilliant tragicomedy, "Carolina Moon" is up your alley.

McCorkle, as another reviewer wrote, “can do no wrong.” For whatever reason, there’s a dearth of tragicomic realism in contemporary American fiction; it’s amazing how humorless American writers have become over the last two decades, unless they’re writing postmodern irony that merely parodies itself. McCorkle consistently fills the tragicomic void in my contemporary fiction reading life. “Carolina Moon” is real deal, old school tragicomedy, a dash of Flannery with a heaping dose of Eudora, her biggest influence (she's said so in interviews). Oh, and her prose is killer.

[jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings on this one, which I'm sure will affect the quality of my review. But whatever.

The beginning of this book hinted at bit of mystery and darkness that really drew me in, but then I felt it kind of left me hanging, in favor of character and relationship studies. Which are actually brilliantly written, but after a while, I wondered what the point was. Then ALL WAS REVEALED, very quickly, at the end. And while that was more satisfying than not, it was the kind of information dump that makes me think, "Okay, that's really cool. So why wasn't the book about what it was actually about?" So the plot was well done, but I'm still deciding if it was really, extra-well done, or just gimmicky.

Dumb Yankee Lady Alert: I would only recommend this book if you find weirdass Southern-types TOTES charming. I can go either way on this. Having lived in the South, I know it can be kind of kooky and endearing, but I also have a hard time believing that everyone is *quite* so nutty. (Unless its done with a lighter, or more satyrical touch, i.e., A Confederacy of Dunces.)

[Mara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read a few Jill McCorkle books about twenty years ago and really liked them. I don't know if I would still like them as much today based on how I feel about 'Carolina Moon.' I wanted to find out about the characters but I also felt like much of their stories were telegraphed early on so I didn't get any kind of aha moment toward the end. (Maybe I wasn't supposed to?)

I also didn't really like the different narration techniques. I usually don't like stories told in letters, which is how one of the characters tells (part of) her story. And another character speaks into a dictaphone and therefore uses first person, unlike the rest of the characters. I also didn't like this.

The other characters, narrated in third person, were more interesting to me, but still felt a bit flat. Had it been a book written by a writer I didn't know, I may have given the book 3 stars, but I was expecting more from Jill McCorkle - perhaps unfairly so, since it's been such a long time since I've read her work and I've surely changed as a reader.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 01/03/06
TITLE/AUTHOR: CAROLINA MOON by Jill McCorckle
RATING: 4.5/B+
GENRE/PUB DATE/# OF PGS: Fiction, 1996, 288 pgs
TIME/PLACE: early 1990's/Fulton, NC
CHARACTERS: Quee Purdy -- 69 yr old widow & business
owner of smoke-out signals clinic
COMMENTS: Set in a small southern coastal town, w/
quirky residents. If you are looking for a strong
plot, this may be disappointing -- enjoy it for
the various characters & how they communicate and
interact. Quee Purdy, writes letters to a dead lover and
collects photos from the junque man of strangers.
Her wall of photos all have stories that she has devised
over the years. Denny, her goddaughter, records her
thoughts on tape. Sarah, in a coma from an aneursym --
does she know what is going around her w/ her husband
Mack & friend June. Tom-cat Lowe prefers the company
of his dogs. These are just a few of the characters
you will meet in Carolina Moon.

[Theresa Miorin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't think I've ever not been able to finish a book, but this book was the exception. I just hated it. The plot made no sense at all, and there was nothing happening. All I understood from the book was this guy receives letters and this woman is cheating on her husband. Other than that, nothing flowed together at all. I was downright confused about 10 pages in because the reader isn't given any information at all. After 50 pages, I had to stop because I hated it so much. Sorry for all of you who actually enjoyed the book, but this one is not one I will try to read again.

[Cardee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carolina Moon has a similar structure to that of Baxter's Feast of Love. But her book's better. She's better. She's my hero.

McCorkle doesn't frame her novel or preface it, like Baxter, with this near apology for writing a work of fiction. I don't want apologies; I want to be hit in the face by the sheer brilliance of someone's prose, and McCorkle does that. So be ready.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book - another beach read - that is set in NC not far from where I live and vacation. The story is told from several different perspectives, all people connected in some way to Quee Purdy, an eccentric character who has opened a smoking cessation clinic in the small town where they all live. I wasn't sure I was going to stick with the book when reading the first chapter - that chapter was told from the point of view of the postman who reads a series of anonymous letters, and it is the most boring perspective of all of the characters. The book got better after that, and I ended up feeling interested in some of the characters and the mysterious murder that was woven in.

[Stephanie Hames · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with everyone that says the book is built around this one mystery, this one incident only to be quickly solved and settled within 3 pages at the end of the book. I don’t think the book has aged well for the modern readers attention span BUT given the publishing date and keeping that in mind, I think the author does a really good job of tying everything up and connecting this small southern town.

[Gloria Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author wrote several parallel stories about the small town of Fulton NC – there’s the woman who writes about her secret affair and mails it to a dead letter file; there’s Quee Purdy who is an entrepreneur but what exactly is her business; and there’s the man whose property is too near the beach – because it seems that it's always flooded. This is very interesting but it's hard to keep track of all the people who live in Fulton.

[MB Shakespeare · Rating 5 out of 5]

FANTASTIC! Fave quotes: "It's very easy to be wrong about a person's life." "Even before I was ever really happy, I was afraid of losing happiness." "Something or someone is always overlooked, and it's only in looking back that it all comes clear." "They are white tube socks but she has colored in the toe with black permanent marker so that they look like stubbed-out cigarettes."

[Rob Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read! Well-drawn characters intertwined with a murder mystery, messy human affairs, and sexual tensions all in a small Southern town. There's humor and great dialogue and some experimental narrative techniques that work well IMHO. This was quite absorbing and I know I'll want to revisit these characters someday. 4.5 stars

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book I've had on the shelf for awhile. Written 1996, sometimes hard to read but as you continue the story line and links reveal themselves. Unique writing style. Would play well in a movie setting. I enjoyed it.

[Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quirky and fun

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

NC authors club selection

The different narratives took awhile to get into this book but once I learned the characters my interest increased.

[Emily Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good summer read.

[Katie Kleier · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. The characters have strong personalities. Quee is an Earth mother whose goal is to help anyone she can. She will go above and beyond to support the needy.

[Valerie Blanton · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5. Quee is a great character.

[Alicia Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This woman can write dialogue and develops characters beautifully.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story

Not a real page Turner but a good story. Would recommend if wanting an escape for a time. Good unusual character.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jill McCorkle has a truly unique way of creating quirky communities where her characters are connected in unlikely and improbable ways, and their shared experiences are related through richly imagined vignettes and different points of view. There is not a lot of action in her novels, yet so much transpires. Recommended for those who like in-depth character studies and have the patience and appreciation for meandering tales that come together in unexpected, subtle ways.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was having a difficult time getting into the book. There were too many stories but in the end, they intertwined so I did get a big "aha" moment where all the pieces fell into place. But, for several of the initial chapters, I had to trudge through them and was confused several times. I kept putting this book on the back-burner while I read other books. Then, things started to get interesting when the stories revolved more on Quee Purdy and her newest business of helping people quit smoking at her "spa". The relationships of the characters came together. Quee 'Pur-day' was a hoot of a character, and I enjoyed reading about her antics. I had to warm up to Denny, though, since her chapters mainly consisted of her making her audiotape diary. Perhaps that is why I had troubles with this book - I wasn't expecting the chapters to be written in so many different narratives. The first chapter consisted of a postal worker in his last days before retirement reading letters from the dead letter files. Then, there is the rest of the story, with the dead letters thrown in throughout the book. There were also chapters from the different characters and what was happening in their lives. Some of it didn't make sense...but a later chapter would tell the other side of the story or shed new light. It all came together at the end, which saved the book for me. Overall, I did enjoy the book but it took a bit for me to get into it.

[Rebecca Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just fantastic. I grew up in a South of prim and proper, of clean tablecloths and girls who crossed their white-socked ankles. McCorkle does a good job of transporting me back to my South, the same exact era, but she shows what was going on under that clean tablecloth--girls in those same white socks were playing footsie under there with a boy who had gotten a peek at their underthings reflected in the toes of their perfectly shiny patent-leather shoes. That's the reality I didn't know. It's a book filled with sex and frustration, a juicy murder, and enough characters who are real characters to people a large graveyard. McCorkle's use of multiple voices is seamless-she's as adept at that as Barbara Kingsolver in The Poisonwood Bible, my favorite multiple P.O.V. novel. And the device of the voyeur postman who reads dead letters (and files them away) is nice; that appearances and secret thing again. It's a satisfying, toothsome read.

[Lynn Pribus · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author was in Charlottesville for the Virginia Festival of the Book a couple weeks ago and on Saturday night she was at The Paramount (where I usher) with another Suthren Wrahter and two guitar-playing women who are Suthren Sahng- Wrahters.

A wonderful evening of laughter. I smuggled in my two writing colleagues from California who were staying with me (I'll deny it!) because the tickets weren't cheap, but the audience was laughing much of the time. The writers alternated reading sections from their books and the first reading was the third section of this very book. Hilarious when read with great animation by the author in full accent.

Wish I'd had the rest of the book as an audio with her reading it. Lacking that, I can't quite come up with 4 stars, but it was a fun read and I have another on reserve. Next book will be one of Smith's. Already sitting here on the sofa next to me.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books where you need to read the entire thing before you can fully appreciate how amazing it is. Even though the book is only told from a handful of perspectives, you get to know the characters who are "silent" and you become invested in their story.

McCorkle takes a "love Actually" approach when telling the story. You have many different story lines that somehow intertwine; Quee, Tom, Alicia, Mack, Denny, Joe, Myra, Wallace, Sarah and the list goes on and on. It's not until the end that you realize how they all connect and the light bulb goes off when you remember a comment from the beginning and see it from another perspective.

I was completely surprised by the ending and they way Joe's story was told/finished. I want to see what happens next and read more about each character. Does Sarah ever wake-up? Is Quee arrested? Will Tom build his dream house or does he stay living in the trailer? So many questions, and no more pages, what a sad day!

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovd the characterizations in the book. I didn't want it to end! You hear from many voices (Quee, Denny, Tom, Mack) but you don't hear from other characters. What is June thinking? What about Alicia? I liked that some of them were silent and you had to figure out things from what you knew from other characters.

I loved the book and thought that it was simple enough to understand while on the other hand, keeping you wondering about some peices of the story that were revealed at the end.

My favorite parts of the book was when Quee would tell her stories from her ghost wall - who would she be referring to then? I also loved the relationship between Tom and Denny because they were both so quirky and in need of someone who understood them.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

This one sounded promising - interrelated stories in a small southern town, a brief murder mystery, and people whose pasts are catching up to them. Unforunately, it didn't work for me. The plot, which was fairly complicated what with all the various stories going on, unfolded awkwardly and felt clumsy. The writing wasn't anything to write home about, though it felt like McCorkle seemed to think that character and plot development could be sacrificed for writing style. Sadly, none of it worked for me. It got a little better in the last few pages - though not nearly enough to make up for the rest of the book.

PS - Just read the reviews from other readers... am not sure we all read the same book. I seem to be on my own in not liking this one.

[Geoffrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eccentric characters with damaging mysteries in the past intersect under quirky circumstances in an off-the-beaten path locale. It's that type of book...and she kind of pulls it off. Around the middle of the book, several members of a population of earnestly offbeat characters seem not nearly as lovable, or believable, as the author clearly finds them. But she gets back on course as she moves toward a slightly contrived finish, enough so that I was able to stay on board to the end. Set on the Carolina coast, which is why I picked it up - plus McCorkle's reputation - but I didn't get a strong sniff of the ocean breeze.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a fellow displaced North Carolinian who recently met the author. I started reading it with some reluctance because Nicholas Sparks was recommended to me under similar circumstances and I found his books to be unbearably insipid. Jill McCorkle is not insipid. She assembles a mosh pit of quirky characters through short snippets and tasks the reader to make sense of it. She (and I) almost failed. However, about halfway through the book takes off and keeps the reader anxious to find out what comes next. It is updated Southern gothic- love, passion, death, pain, violence... and humor. All the things that really matter.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was feeling so-so about this book most of the way through it. In fact, I didn't really love it until I got to the end. The characters seemed superficial at first, but they become much more complicated as the book goes on. The structure of the book is unusual, and a bit choppy at times. It is sort of a collection of different stories that connect in some way in the end. There is not a very strong plot, though there are elements of plot and mystery. The book is primarily about the characters, and the themes include loss, recovery, and acceptance. This is a good quick read that will probably leave you pondering life when you're done.

[Peg · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my new favorite southern writers (see greater detail re author in my review of Ferris Beach).

"Fulton NC gets pretty quiet during the off season. Or at least it seems that way. At the town post office it's so slow the postal clerk has time to hunt through the dead letter file for entertaining reading.
Six parallel love stories and an unsolved murdery mystery are woven together into a deeply insightful story of how true community comes out of individuality. ...Carolina Moon is a novel about playing God, and it is divine."