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The Pecan Man
The Pecan Man is a work of Southern fiction whose first chapter was the First Place winner of the 2006 CNW/FFWA Florida State Writing Competition in the Unpublished Novel category. In the summer of 1976, recently widowed and childless, Ora Lee Beckworth hires a homeless old black man to mow her lawn. The neighborhood children call him the Pee-can Man; their mothers call them inside whenever he appears. When the police chief's son is found stabbed to death near his camp, the man Ora knows as Eddie is arrested and charged with murder. Twenty-five years later, Ora sets out to tell the truth about the Pecan Man. In narrating her story, Ora discovers more truth about herself than she could ever have imagined. This novel has been described as To Kill a Mockingbird meets The Help.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
1189 people are currently reading
23911 people want to read
About the author
Cassie Dandridge Selleck
5 books576 followersBorn and raised in Central Florida, Cassie now makes her home on the banks of the Suwannee River in North Florida with her husband of twenty-five years and their tiny but terrifying chihuahua. A late-bloomer, Cassie worked in several careers before settling in to the writer's life. These included ten years at Merrill Lynch, several years as an Outreach Coordinator for a tri-county public library system, and several more doing marketing for her brother's company Anderson Crane and Bridge (now Anderson Hydra). An empty-nester after 34 years of raising three daughters, Cassie published her first novel, The Pecan Man in 2012. This work has since sold over 150,000 copies, been produced as an audio book by Blackstone and optioned for film rights to BCDF Pictures. This self-published novel is one of Amazon's best sellers and allowed the author to quit working full-time and return to college to earn a BFA in Creative Writing at Goddard College, which was a lifelong dream. An avid photographer since the 1980's, she is known as the Yayarazzi, so-named for her tendency to follow her grandkids around with a camera. Cassie's upcoming novel What Matters in Mayhew will be released in the fall of 2016.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,019 reviews
May 15, 2016
I give around 4.3 stars to The Pecan Man, a debut self published novel by Cassie Dandridge Selleck. A native of northern Florida, Dandridge got the ideas for the three main characters in the novel from her Leesburg upbringing. Only 136 pages, the novel, which I have dubbed To Kill a Mockingbird meets A Time to Kill, packs a punch.
Ora Lee Beckworth has only been widowed for a little under a year when she hires Eldres Mims to mow her lawn and tend her shrubbery. Beckworth tolerates all people but her neighbors lead by Dovey Kincaid start spreading rumors about the homeless black man and plead with Beckworth to fire him. Meanwhile Blanche Lowery her loyal housekeeper for over thirty years feels uncomfortable around him as well yet can not pinpoint it. Beckworth allows Mims to keep his job.
One day Beckworth arrives home from an errand to find Blanche rocking her youngest daughter Grace on a porch chair. Horrifyingly it turns out she has just been raped by the town police chief's only son. In the post civil rights, south, however, Blanche could not report the crime because the town still sees things in black and white. At this time, Ora Lee, in need of more companionship of her own, brings the Lowery family into her home and treats them as family. Yet many things go unspoken between Ora Lee and Blanche, creating a web of lies that would last for many years.
As the book progresses, Ora Lee grows closer to Blanche and her daughters, while also growing closer to Eldred Mims. You can see that Ora Lee is a respected member of her community, having taught many of the younger generation in Sunday school, and having a vested interest in their lives. It is from this unique vantage point that she is able to assist Eldred Mims and the Lowery family in the horrible things that befall them as the book moves towards its denouement.
It is alarming to think that as recent as the late 1970s that racism still reared its ugly head in the south. Yet, unfortunately, that still exists today. Vacationing many times in Florida, I witnessed a schism in white and black society. Blacks are today still accused of crimes they may or may not have committed. Selleck here paints a picture of a Florida community in the post civil rights era, where unfortunately most people still see things in black and white.
I enjoyed this book as a poignant debut by Cassie Dandridge Selleck. I would recommend The Pecan Man to those looking for quality southern style fiction, and I look forward to reading more works by the author.
Ora Lee Beckworth has only been widowed for a little under a year when she hires Eldres Mims to mow her lawn and tend her shrubbery. Beckworth tolerates all people but her neighbors lead by Dovey Kincaid start spreading rumors about the homeless black man and plead with Beckworth to fire him. Meanwhile Blanche Lowery her loyal housekeeper for over thirty years feels uncomfortable around him as well yet can not pinpoint it. Beckworth allows Mims to keep his job.
One day Beckworth arrives home from an errand to find Blanche rocking her youngest daughter Grace on a porch chair. Horrifyingly it turns out she has just been raped by the town police chief's only son. In the post civil rights, south, however, Blanche could not report the crime because the town still sees things in black and white. At this time, Ora Lee, in need of more companionship of her own, brings the Lowery family into her home and treats them as family. Yet many things go unspoken between Ora Lee and Blanche, creating a web of lies that would last for many years.
As the book progresses, Ora Lee grows closer to Blanche and her daughters, while also growing closer to Eldred Mims. You can see that Ora Lee is a respected member of her community, having taught many of the younger generation in Sunday school, and having a vested interest in their lives. It is from this unique vantage point that she is able to assist Eldred Mims and the Lowery family in the horrible things that befall them as the book moves towards its denouement.
It is alarming to think that as recent as the late 1970s that racism still reared its ugly head in the south. Yet, unfortunately, that still exists today. Vacationing many times in Florida, I witnessed a schism in white and black society. Blacks are today still accused of crimes they may or may not have committed. Selleck here paints a picture of a Florida community in the post civil rights era, where unfortunately most people still see things in black and white.
I enjoyed this book as a poignant debut by Cassie Dandridge Selleck. I would recommend The Pecan Man to those looking for quality southern style fiction, and I look forward to reading more works by the author.
July 31, 2021
The tone, the feel, the moving story line, the characters, the writing make for a wonderful reading experience. It’s a short book, reflecting on the racism that existed in a small Florida town in the 1970’s, although it felt like an earlier time. It’s about doing the right thing even if it means holding on to secrets and lying to protect those you care about. It’s about a true, unexpected friendship that you protect at all costs. I found the narrator, Ora Lee Beckworth to be a formidable character, a well to do widow, who in spite of not necessarily knowing when to tread a little lightly is one of those characters you can’t help but admire. Blanche Lowery, her black housekeeper is a strong, loving mother trying to do the best she can for her children and protect them . Eldred (Eddie) Mims, the homeless man of the title who does yard work for Ora Lee - what to say except it’s Eddie’s story that tied up the threads and touched my heart. I read this, but there is so much praise for the audiobook, that I may have to listen to it as well. I had this on my to read list for five years and I’m sorry it took me so long to get to it. I’m happy to have discovered that there’s a sequel, The Truth About Grace.
September 9, 2016
It's the 70's. A crime happens to a young black child. A white has committed the crime but a black takes the fall. Lies and truths start to blend.
But really this is more about Ora Lee Beckworth, a southern charming widower who knows the truth and it's through her eyes we relive her experience. She's a very likeable character always trying to do the right thing- regardless of what others think. This is a story about friends whom become family and also about loyalty and love.
This is a gem of a debut which took me going through hoops to get it as wasn't at city library or bookstore and I finally got my hands on it from another city library. Was well worth the wait. 4.25*
But really this is more about Ora Lee Beckworth, a southern charming widower who knows the truth and it's through her eyes we relive her experience. She's a very likeable character always trying to do the right thing- regardless of what others think. This is a story about friends whom become family and also about loyalty and love.
This is a gem of a debut which took me going through hoops to get it as wasn't at city library or bookstore and I finally got my hands on it from another city library. Was well worth the wait. 4.25*
September 22, 2016
Audiobook -
Immediately, I thought of "To Kill A Mockingbird" as I listened to this story on my walks, which is one of my favorite books in the world! There is a similar feeling and atmosphere .....
Compare the stories or not... I Absolutely loved listening to THIS story...
The narrator's voice gave me confidence that I was in good hands. She was warm, extremely kind, and trustworthy.
Here is another book where over a thousand readers on Goodreads have read it before me. The overall rating is 4.3. I'm giving it a solid 5 stars!
Thank you to several friends who told me to read this book without telling me of anything about it. The author is self published - first novel ---kudos to the author: Cassie Dandridge Selleck.
Great natural flowing storytelling - intimate with the characters, wonderful dialogue--
loved the accents of the characters on the audiobook.
A cozy warm feeling spread through my own body from:
.....the relationships ( appreciations and love of each other)
.....sharing cups of tea,
.....shopping at JC Pennies,
......eating a hot dog and Cherry Coke at Woolworths,
......buying 4 bicycles for 4 young girls for a Christmas present
.....storytelling while polishing silver
I loved the intimacy of the dialogue.
The deeper issues are as sad as can be ... and just because we've heard them before, doesn't make them any less sad. There's a heartbreaking story being told!
There is NO QUESTION that this was well written... engaging....and emotionally felt!
For walkers .... or Commuters: I highly recommend this audiobook. It's the type of story where we - as readers & listeners - elevate our own energy, spirit and heart.
Nourishment for the soul!
Immediately, I thought of "To Kill A Mockingbird" as I listened to this story on my walks, which is one of my favorite books in the world! There is a similar feeling and atmosphere .....
Compare the stories or not... I Absolutely loved listening to THIS story...
The narrator's voice gave me confidence that I was in good hands. She was warm, extremely kind, and trustworthy.
Here is another book where over a thousand readers on Goodreads have read it before me. The overall rating is 4.3. I'm giving it a solid 5 stars!
Thank you to several friends who told me to read this book without telling me of anything about it. The author is self published - first novel ---kudos to the author: Cassie Dandridge Selleck.
Great natural flowing storytelling - intimate with the characters, wonderful dialogue--
loved the accents of the characters on the audiobook.
A cozy warm feeling spread through my own body from:
.....the relationships ( appreciations and love of each other)
.....sharing cups of tea,
.....shopping at JC Pennies,
......eating a hot dog and Cherry Coke at Woolworths,
......buying 4 bicycles for 4 young girls for a Christmas present
.....storytelling while polishing silver
I loved the intimacy of the dialogue.
The deeper issues are as sad as can be ... and just because we've heard them before, doesn't make them any less sad. There's a heartbreaking story being told!
There is NO QUESTION that this was well written... engaging....and emotionally felt!
For walkers .... or Commuters: I highly recommend this audiobook. It's the type of story where we - as readers & listeners - elevate our own energy, spirit and heart.
Nourishment for the soul!
August 29, 2020
A fabulous story! I listened to this one as an Audio and the narrator was fantastic! If you like stories about the South I suggest you listen to this little gem! Thanks to a suggestion from a fellow "Book Club Girls" member I gave this book a try.
I'm so happy to hear that there is a second book that is a sequel to this story. I will definitely read it. Cassie Dandridge Sellers tells such a compelling and emotional story that is heart breaking yet also heart warming. If you like Southern Fiction then this one is not to be missed!
I'm so happy to hear that there is a second book that is a sequel to this story. I will definitely read it. Cassie Dandridge Sellers tells such a compelling and emotional story that is heart breaking yet also heart warming. If you like Southern Fiction then this one is not to be missed!
February 5, 2017
Yep, The Pecan Man kept nudging me along the way. He left tiny bits of shells here and there that seemed to crunch under foot. "I know that you are there waiting in the stillness. I promised." Until a crisp, unsoiled copy lay on a side table at the library book sale. I bit in and cracked open this ol' nut with much surprise.
The heat of summer blanketed the small town of Mayville, Florida. It's 1976 and America is caught up in the throws of bi-centennial fever. A fever felt by many and a barely registering pulse in the midst of the forgotten. The fireworks elicite a tilt of the head toward the night sky while leaving the grounding reality of life in total darkness where one stands on their side of the street.
Ora Lee Beckwith, a recent widow, hires an old homeless man to do her yardwork. He's been seen up and down the neighborhood on his ancient, rusted bicycle. He's been tabbed with a name by the locals. It's Pecan Man coming down the street garnering pecans left in the gutters and distant sidewalks. But to Ora Lee, he will become Eddie and he will become the most dynamic agent of change in her life.
And you will experience a transformation before your eyes as you turn page after page. Together with her stoic maid, Blanche, Ora Lee will take you on a journey that will leave you frustrated beyond words, exasperated at the lowly ignorance of people in high positions, and wounded by the sheer disregard of humanity found in its legal system.
For you see, crimes have been committed and crimes have been buried deeply in the soil of this community. Your voice is your word, but your word can never be voiced.
"I ain't sayin' nothin' about the boy. Not now, not ever."
So open this small novella and find what lies within the core of The Pecan Man. I assure you. Flaws float to the surface and leaves are forced to accept the change in their Autumn colors. Colors, ironically, as natural and as right as the very air that we all breathe for survival itself.
The heat of summer blanketed the small town of Mayville, Florida. It's 1976 and America is caught up in the throws of bi-centennial fever. A fever felt by many and a barely registering pulse in the midst of the forgotten. The fireworks elicite a tilt of the head toward the night sky while leaving the grounding reality of life in total darkness where one stands on their side of the street.
Ora Lee Beckwith, a recent widow, hires an old homeless man to do her yardwork. He's been seen up and down the neighborhood on his ancient, rusted bicycle. He's been tabbed with a name by the locals. It's Pecan Man coming down the street garnering pecans left in the gutters and distant sidewalks. But to Ora Lee, he will become Eddie and he will become the most dynamic agent of change in her life.
And you will experience a transformation before your eyes as you turn page after page. Together with her stoic maid, Blanche, Ora Lee will take you on a journey that will leave you frustrated beyond words, exasperated at the lowly ignorance of people in high positions, and wounded by the sheer disregard of humanity found in its legal system.
For you see, crimes have been committed and crimes have been buried deeply in the soil of this community. Your voice is your word, but your word can never be voiced.
"I ain't sayin' nothin' about the boy. Not now, not ever."
So open this small novella and find what lies within the core of The Pecan Man. I assure you. Flaws float to the surface and leaves are forced to accept the change in their Autumn colors. Colors, ironically, as natural and as right as the very air that we all breathe for survival itself.
January 5, 2016
Sometimes you can just start reading a book and tell, this book will break your heart and it did. A very simply told story by a very flawed Ora. A story with many moral implications and one that left me wondering what I would have done? Would I have done differently? Very interesting to contemplate. This short novel packs quite a bit within its pages. Sadness, atrocities, prejudice, helplessness, revenge and bravery by a man I could not help but admire. A wonderful but heartbreaking read.
January 3, 2017
"Once you tell a lie, you have to keep tellin' and tellin' and tellin' to make it stand."
Ora Lee Beckworth is a widow, but one matter-of-fact tough little southern lady. She is generous, protective of her friends, and has a big secret.
As she narrates the truth about the homeless "Pee-can" man who lives in the woods and mows lawns for a living in this wonderful story, she introduces the reader to a whole brood of well-drawn characters that she welcomes into her home and calls her own.
THE PECAN MAN is a debut and only 146 pages, but full of heart and soul and just a great read!
March 3, 2016
4 stars
Ora Lee Beckworth is a woman I just had to admire for her spunk, her flaws, her desire to do the right thing, and her growth as an individual. Set in Florida during the mid-1970's, the widowed Ora Lee lives a very comfortable life with the assistance of her black housekeeper, Blanche Lowery, a single mother of five struggling to make ends meet. When Eldred Mims, a homeless black man known to the town citizens as The Pecan Man, sets up residence in the nearby woods, racism rears its ugly head. When Ora Lee hires the docile Eldred Mims to help out with the yard work, she learns a lot about herself as well as her relationships with not only this man but with Blanche as well. When tragedy strikes, the finger is pointed at Eldred Mims, but Ora Lee knows the truth. But if justice is served at the price of great sacrifice, then how does one make the choice to come forward with the truth?
A tale of friendship and family that crosses barriers, The Pecan Man is a lovely short novel with some hopeful messages. Where there are wrongs, there are still those trying to do right. Despite great sorrow, one can still experience joy. Ora Lee tells us a story that will warm your heart even as you shudder at the cruelties and injustices in this world.
Ora Lee Beckworth is a woman I just had to admire for her spunk, her flaws, her desire to do the right thing, and her growth as an individual. Set in Florida during the mid-1970's, the widowed Ora Lee lives a very comfortable life with the assistance of her black housekeeper, Blanche Lowery, a single mother of five struggling to make ends meet. When Eldred Mims, a homeless black man known to the town citizens as The Pecan Man, sets up residence in the nearby woods, racism rears its ugly head. When Ora Lee hires the docile Eldred Mims to help out with the yard work, she learns a lot about herself as well as her relationships with not only this man but with Blanche as well. When tragedy strikes, the finger is pointed at Eldred Mims, but Ora Lee knows the truth. But if justice is served at the price of great sacrifice, then how does one make the choice to come forward with the truth?
A tale of friendship and family that crosses barriers, The Pecan Man is a lovely short novel with some hopeful messages. Where there are wrongs, there are still those trying to do right. Despite great sorrow, one can still experience joy. Ora Lee tells us a story that will warm your heart even as you shudder at the cruelties and injustices in this world.
January 8, 2017
3.75★
At just under 150 pages this is a small gem and perfect reading material during those in between times when you need something that will not make demands on you.
As an added bonus I could only find it in audio format which I usually avoid because I get too easily distracted. It was expertly narrated and settled on me like home-style comfort food over a cold rainy weekend. No problem for me at all staying focused or kept in a state of enjoyment.
During the 1970s in a small southern town an ugly crime begets another resulting in a murder charge. Racial tensions, secrets and lies, and the beginning of a long friendship between two women ensues. Only one of them knows the truth but not the whole story. By the last page the reader will but it's also about the journey getting there.
At just under 150 pages this is a small gem and perfect reading material during those in between times when you need something that will not make demands on you.
As an added bonus I could only find it in audio format which I usually avoid because I get too easily distracted. It was expertly narrated and settled on me like home-style comfort food over a cold rainy weekend. No problem for me at all staying focused or kept in a state of enjoyment.
During the 1970s in a small southern town an ugly crime begets another resulting in a murder charge. Racial tensions, secrets and lies, and the beginning of a long friendship between two women ensues. Only one of them knows the truth but not the whole story. By the last page the reader will but it's also about the journey getting there.
June 6, 2016
So I really liked this book set in Florida, beginning in the 1960's, mostly about a wealthy white widow, her black maid, and a homeless old black man who lives in the woods. It's an endearing story that also deals with a rape, murder, and kept secrets. It also deals with the racial issues of that time.
June 13, 2018
A delightful and sometimes heartbreaking tale of friendship, revenge and bigotry. The audio was outstanding.
October 24, 2016
Don’t be fooled by the slender appearance of this novel, it is meaty. It speaks to the time in which it is set, 1976 Mayville, Florida, but it speaks to today just as clearly and it teaches lesson about where we have been and also where we are now.
I could not help thinking about all the homeless individuals that crowd our city streets, who are passed by daily and treated like the great unwashed. Beneath each of those faces is a person, an individual, and while some of them might fit the stereotypes we impose upon them, most do not, but if we never look beyond the surface, we will never know that. Selleck’s pecan man is one of those individuals. Ora Lee initially sees only his surface, but as the novel progresses, we are allowed to see beneath it and glimpse the complicated human being who occupies his skin.
And, skin is also a theme. The color of skin is a subject that gets discussed often these days, and in literary circles the tales that involve skin color are often so lopsided that you are only hearing one voice or another. Selleck has managed to allow us to hear all the voices. She has created flawed human beings, who make earth-shattering decisions because they must, and sometimes choose the wrong path and sometimes do not know, even twenty-five years later, if the path they chose was the correct one. Because paths, like people, are hard to define. They are made up of so many twists and turns and unseen corners. I loved all the people in this book: Ora Lee, Eldred Mims, Blanche Lowery, Marcus, Judge Harley Odell, Chip Smallwood...I loved them because if you scratch their skin, they bleed, and if you want to pigeonhole them, they defy you.
One of the lessons I took away from this book was that we can mean the best, be good and kind people, and still we can hurt someone or hold them back with some subtle behavior that we are cognitively unaware of. What makes Ora Lee a wonderful woman is not that she is perfect, but that she strives to see her flaws and when she does to correct them. Can we ask anything more of one another than that?
I could not help thinking about all the homeless individuals that crowd our city streets, who are passed by daily and treated like the great unwashed. Beneath each of those faces is a person, an individual, and while some of them might fit the stereotypes we impose upon them, most do not, but if we never look beyond the surface, we will never know that. Selleck’s pecan man is one of those individuals. Ora Lee initially sees only his surface, but as the novel progresses, we are allowed to see beneath it and glimpse the complicated human being who occupies his skin.
And, skin is also a theme. The color of skin is a subject that gets discussed often these days, and in literary circles the tales that involve skin color are often so lopsided that you are only hearing one voice or another. Selleck has managed to allow us to hear all the voices. She has created flawed human beings, who make earth-shattering decisions because they must, and sometimes choose the wrong path and sometimes do not know, even twenty-five years later, if the path they chose was the correct one. Because paths, like people, are hard to define. They are made up of so many twists and turns and unseen corners. I loved all the people in this book: Ora Lee, Eldred Mims, Blanche Lowery, Marcus, Judge Harley Odell, Chip Smallwood...I loved them because if you scratch their skin, they bleed, and if you want to pigeonhole them, they defy you.
One of the lessons I took away from this book was that we can mean the best, be good and kind people, and still we can hurt someone or hold them back with some subtle behavior that we are cognitively unaware of. What makes Ora Lee a wonderful woman is not that she is perfect, but that she strives to see her flaws and when she does to correct them. Can we ask anything more of one another than that?
December 14, 2016
Rating a 4.5
I am glad I did not write up my best books of the year yet....as this one is sure to make the list. Southern literary fiction at it's finest. The Pecan Man tells the story of "Eddie" Mims, the Peecan Man as the kids call him, and what happened that year to him in the summer of 1976. But more importantly, it introduces the wonderful character of Mrs. Ora Lee Beckworth. Ora Lee is recently widowed and hires the Pecan Man to do mowing and gardening around her house a few days a week. Ora Lee is fiesty and *very* strong willed, yet she oozes that good ol' southern charm. The Pecan Man is accused of the murder of the local police chief's son when he is found near where he camps/lives. But Ora Lee knows that Eddie did not commit this murder.
In the 70's in the south, racism was everywhere, blacks were somewhat segregated still, and when a crime was committed, they were the first to be accused. So no one is shocked when Eddie is put in jail for the rest of his life for his murder. Now, twenty five years later, Ora Lee is telling her story of that fateful night in an effort to clear Eddie's name. More importantly, she learns how one lie spins a web of many lies, in which you must remember each and every one of them, and that there are consequences that you must face for this.
I listened to this one via audio and it was wonderful. One of my top audios of all time. The narrator was amazing and really brought this story to life. I ended up grabbing this one due to all the high praise I have seen about it on GR and I'm so glad I did. It deserves all this praise and more. I strongly suggest if you have yet to read this one, try the audio. A wonderful gem from Cassie Dandridge Selleck that I look forward to re-reading in the near future.
I am glad I did not write up my best books of the year yet....as this one is sure to make the list. Southern literary fiction at it's finest. The Pecan Man tells the story of "Eddie" Mims, the Peecan Man as the kids call him, and what happened that year to him in the summer of 1976. But more importantly, it introduces the wonderful character of Mrs. Ora Lee Beckworth. Ora Lee is recently widowed and hires the Pecan Man to do mowing and gardening around her house a few days a week. Ora Lee is fiesty and *very* strong willed, yet she oozes that good ol' southern charm. The Pecan Man is accused of the murder of the local police chief's son when he is found near where he camps/lives. But Ora Lee knows that Eddie did not commit this murder.
In the 70's in the south, racism was everywhere, blacks were somewhat segregated still, and when a crime was committed, they were the first to be accused. So no one is shocked when Eddie is put in jail for the rest of his life for his murder. Now, twenty five years later, Ora Lee is telling her story of that fateful night in an effort to clear Eddie's name. More importantly, she learns how one lie spins a web of many lies, in which you must remember each and every one of them, and that there are consequences that you must face for this.
I listened to this one via audio and it was wonderful. One of my top audios of all time. The narrator was amazing and really brought this story to life. I ended up grabbing this one due to all the high praise I have seen about it on GR and I'm so glad I did. It deserves all this praise and more. I strongly suggest if you have yet to read this one, try the audio. A wonderful gem from Cassie Dandridge Selleck that I look forward to re-reading in the near future.
January 4, 2016
The Pecan Man: One Most Folks Would Rather Not See
The Pecan Man by Cassie Dandridge Selleck was selected by members of On the Southern Literary Trail as a group read for January, 2016. Special thanks to Jane for nominating this novel.
Face it, we pass by others almost daily without giving them a second look. Because they don't look like us. They have no where to go. They make us uncomfortable. They make us fear becoming like them. By their very appearance. And, in our neighborhood, seeing one of those different from us, makes us think they do not belong there. They must be up to something. Lock the doors. Bring it up at the next neighborhood association meeting. Perhaps report the offender to the Neighborhood Crime Watch Program.
Cassie Dandridge Selleck has written a thoughtful tale of one of those "others" in The Pecan Man. It is a simple tale, almost fable like. And I enjoyed it, up to a point.
It is 1976 in the small southern town of Mayville. The residents there embrace their town as a reflection of Macomb, Alabama, of To Kill a Mockingbird. One jokes, "That May sure gets around." It is an indication that not many things have changed since the 1930s. But they have. Mayville seems unaffected by The Voting Rights Acr of 1965. Yet, the Civil Rights Movement was still active in the 1970s. These were the years of school desegregation. The times are changing.
Ora Lee Beckworth, a recent widow, narrates the story.
The Pecan Man by Cassie Dandridge Selleck was selected by members of On the Southern Literary Trail as a group read for January, 2016. Special thanks to Jane for nominating this novel.
Down at the Star Market
The people Jesus loved were shopping at the Star Market yesterday.
An old lead-colored man standing next to me at the checkout
breathed so heavily I had to step back a few steps.
Even after his bags were packed he still stood, breathing hard and
hawking into his hand. The feeble, the lame, I could hardly look at them:
shuffling through the aisles, they smelled of decay, as if the Star Market
had declared a day off for the able-bodied, and I had wandered in
with the rest of them—sour milk, bad meat—
looking for cereal and spring water.
Jesus must have been a saint, I said to myself, looking for my lost car
in the parking lot later, stumbling among the people who would have
been lowered into rooms by ropes, who would have crept
out of caves or crawled from the corners of public baths on their hands
and knees begging for mercy.
If I touch only the hem of his garment, one woman thought,
could I bear the look on his face when he wheels around?
Marie Howe, from The Kingdom of Ordinary Time: Poems, W.W. Norton & Company, 2008
Face it, we pass by others almost daily without giving them a second look. Because they don't look like us. They have no where to go. They make us uncomfortable. They make us fear becoming like them. By their very appearance. And, in our neighborhood, seeing one of those different from us, makes us think they do not belong there. They must be up to something. Lock the doors. Bring it up at the next neighborhood association meeting. Perhaps report the offender to the Neighborhood Crime Watch Program.
Cassie Dandridge Selleck has written a thoughtful tale of one of those "others" in The Pecan Man. It is a simple tale, almost fable like. And I enjoyed it, up to a point.
It is 1976 in the small southern town of Mayville. The residents there embrace their town as a reflection of Macomb, Alabama, of To Kill a Mockingbird. One jokes, "That May sure gets around." It is an indication that not many things have changed since the 1930s. But they have. Mayville seems unaffected by The Voting Rights Acr of 1965. Yet, the Civil Rights Movement was still active in the 1970s. These were the years of school desegregation. The times are changing.
Ora Lee Beckworth, a recent widow, narrates the story.
“The events of that year were the real driving force behind the mass exodus from the neighborhood. It was the year of the Pecan Man. None of us knew how much impact one skinny old colored man could have in our lives, but we found out soon enough.”“When you're as old as I am, it takes a while to make a point. The Pecan Man had a name - Eldred Mims. I called him Eddie. The people of Mayville didn’t know his name at all, until he was arrested and charged with the murder of a sixteen year old boy named Skipper Kornegay.”
Ora Lee, through this short novel, must acknowlege she has looked the other way. In the process she learns a great deal of truth about herself. She surprises us by telling that after twenty-five years, she has decided to tell the truth about the Pecan Man no matter what the cost. Twenty years after Eldred Mims was tried and convicted for the murder of Skipper Kornegay, who just happened to be the son of the County Sheriff.“Once a lie is told, you have to keep on telling it. You not only have to repeat it time and time again, you have to embellish it, layer upon layer until you don‘t even remember the truth.”
Ora Lee is not without her faults. She is a flawed character, which she comes to realize. In her 1970s world, Ora Lee hires Eldred Mims to cut her grass. She has a maid Branch Lowery, whom she requires to wear a uniform. They are servants to her.
But through the course of the story, Blanche, her children, Grace, Patrice, ReNetta, and the Pecan Man become intimately known to her. Ora Lee learns that family does not mean only blood kin. Each of these former servants and the children become an integral part of her life. In sharing Thanksgiving and Christmas with them, she is transformed into a much more loving and caring woman.
Why was Skipper Kornegay killed? Why was the Pecan Man arrested? Why did Ora Lee Beckwith withold the truth for twenty-five years before deciding to tell the truth?
These are the questions that form the central themes of Selleck's novel. To disclose the answers would spoil this nice story for future readers. I won't do that.
As the reader discovers the answers to those questions, a quandary arises. The individual reader must decide whether they find themselves comfortable with Ora Lee's tale, or whether the Truth of the matter makes them squirm with what to me were uncomfortable answers. Perhaps, reader, you find this remark cryptic. Accept it. Each reader must determine their reaction to this story.
Without doubt, this is a poignant story that has the possibility of touching the reader in more ways than one. None of us is perfect. Being human, we make mistakes we regret and wonder whether we or deserving of forgiveness or the hope of redemption. In some ways, each of us owes a debt for each of our mistakes. Eldred Mims sums it up:“I reckon I'm the bes' judge of that. Sometimes the debt you pay ain't exactly the one you owe, but it works out jus' the same anyway. Lord knows I done caused my share of heartache in this life.”
Hasn't everyone? The heart of every fable is the moral of it. Each reader must determine the moral of this one. You may find some truth about yourself when you do. Perhaps, go shopping down at the Star Market.
September 24, 2013
The Pecan Man by Cassie Sellect was an ok read for me I loved the cover of this southern novel and the premise of the story got my attention when I saw it was described as a cross between To Kill a Mockingbirdand the The Help I had to read it.
A very short novel set in 1976. A recently widowed Ora Lee Beckworth hires a homeless old blackman to help her keep her lawns mowed. Known in the area to the children as Pee-Can Man. When the police Chief's son is found stabbed to death the Pee-Can man is arrested and charged with murder.
While the plot had possibilities the writing was not strong and I just never got a sense of time or place from this southern novel. I found myself just reading through the story but never really engaging with the novel or the characters. I normally love southern novels but this one just did not work for me. It has received very good ratings and perhaps I was expecting too much from the book. An ok read but not a story that will stay with me.
A very short novel set in 1976. A recently widowed Ora Lee Beckworth hires a homeless old blackman to help her keep her lawns mowed. Known in the area to the children as Pee-Can Man. When the police Chief's son is found stabbed to death the Pee-Can man is arrested and charged with murder.
While the plot had possibilities the writing was not strong and I just never got a sense of time or place from this southern novel. I found myself just reading through the story but never really engaging with the novel or the characters. I normally love southern novels but this one just did not work for me. It has received very good ratings and perhaps I was expecting too much from the book. An ok read but not a story that will stay with me.
March 2, 2020
“The events of that year were the real driving force behind the mass exodus from the neighborhood. It was the year of the Pecan Man. None of us knew how much impact one skinny old colored man could have in our lives, but we found out soon enough.”
― Cassie Dandridge Selleck, The Pecan Man
4.5 stars.
Book club selection:
I loved the story and fell in love with the atmosphere of this beautiful work of Historical Fiction. The only reason I cannot give it 5 stars is because I misplaced the book halfway through and never got to finish. I could not wait and actually went on the Goodreads site to look up the ending. (I wont tell.)
Everyone in my book club liked this one.
― Cassie Dandridge Selleck, The Pecan Man
4.5 stars.
Book club selection:
I loved the story and fell in love with the atmosphere of this beautiful work of Historical Fiction. The only reason I cannot give it 5 stars is because I misplaced the book halfway through and never got to finish. I could not wait and actually went on the Goodreads site to look up the ending. (I wont tell.)
Everyone in my book club liked this one.
December 1, 2019
A wonderful self-published novel that managed to break through. It’s short yet powerful, and (as other reviewers have said) is like The Help meets To Kill a Mockingbird.
May 26, 2013
Spent a day at the beach with "The Pecan Man". Loved this book! I'm taking a break from mysteries and enjoying some time spent in the South. The Kitchen House got me started with a story of the south during the 1800s. The Dry Grass of August and The Pecan Man take place in the 50s. If you liked The Help, you'll want to read all three of these. I'm finding the relationships between the whites and blacks most interesting, especially the white children and their maids, who pretty much took over parenting. Unfortunately, the characters in all of these books follow the same stereotypical pattern of blacks-good guys, whites -bad guys with an occasional nice white lady.
July 14, 2020
The Pecan Man by Cassie Dandridge Selleck opens with the MC, Ora Lee, reflecting from her porch rocker, on the events of 1976. She is releasing herself from the burden of a lie that she has carried for twenty-five years. She tells us that a man named Eddy, aka the Pecan Man, was sentenced to twenty-five years or life in the local penitentiary for a crime she knows he did not commit, and now that he has died twenty-five years later, she can and must finally tell the truth even if there are repercussions to be suffered.
Ora Lee is a genteel southern lady. She begins by telling us how she met the homeless Eddy as he rode past her house on his clunky bike, and how she contracted with him to tend to her garden twice a week. Recently widowed, we watch the transformation of Ora Lee from a woman who has always done what is expected of her by others, to a woman who now does what she expects of herself – she follows her own moral compass or, in other words (Yiddish), becomes a “mensch”. Ora Lee and her husband had no children and the two of them busied themselves with social activities and volunteer work. In the year after his death, her life and home bustled with the activity of her maid, Blanche’s family, (who she views more as a friend and companion) and Eddy. These people of color become part of her life at a time when prejudice and bigotry was still openly widespread and prevalent in the southern town where she lived. Residentially, the township was segregated and there were different legal and moral standards applied to the whites and the “negroes”.
The story begins with the vicious rape of Gracie, Blanche’s 6-year old daughter. Ora Lee comes home from shopping to find Blanche rocking on her porch, numb, with tears streaking down her cheeks, rocking and singing to Gracie who has cried herself to sleep in her mother’s arms. The perpetrator is the Sheriff’s son, an older boy from school. The more street-smart Blanche is adamant that there be no investigation stating that her daughter will only be subjected to further cruelty and harm if the matter is pursued. The two women make a pact never to reveal the matter to anyone and Blanche basically convinces her daughter that it was a bad dream (we all can pretty much guess how this façade will finally end for poor Gracie). The first lie.
For Gracie’s safety, Ora Lee insists that the child come to her house from school so that Blanche can watch her and so that she will not be trapped or hurt by any of the kids from her school again. Blanche’s other children start spending more time at the house and by Thanksgiving they are forming a kind of family unit. Eddy is invited to the Thanksgiving dinner and so he is incorporated into the unit.
To maintain the cover-up, of course, more lies are told. Christmastime arrives and Marcus, Blanche’s oldest son, comes home from the army. At dinner Eddy lets something slip. Marcus understands that something serious has happened to Gracie and he pursues the matter after everyone goes home for the night after dinner.
What follows, a murder and cover-up and a death by traffic accident, sets into motion the events leading up to Eddy’s arrest and conviction for murder. More lies and cover-ups ensue. I don’t want to spoil, so if you want to know how this touching (and at times) emotionally wrenching story ends, you will have to read the book! The adult characters are well developed and interesting. The story unfolds so naturally you can feel the atmosphere of time and place. There is also a surprising twist at the end.
Clearly the time for telling the truth was at the end of Eddy’s life, when no one else could be hurt and when Eddy had paid back the debts that he believed he owed. Of course, the person who suffered the most and the longest was Gracie.
Now is the time for me to eat humble pie. I crabbed ungraciously when SUZANNE TOREN took over the narration on Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight Mystery series from book nine (to date) and found her reading gruff and unappealing. I only calmed down and started to enjoy her narration from about book eleven. I now regret my earlier assessment and see/hear that she IS THE MOST AMAZING NARRATOR! Her expressive narration of every voice in the book was magnificent. She caught my attention from the first sentence and transported me to the place and period, lulling me with the individual drawling speech and thoughts of each of the characters throughout the novel.
The Pecan Man is readily available at most libraries and both the ebook and audio are available on Hoopla, if your library subscribes.
Ora Lee is a genteel southern lady. She begins by telling us how she met the homeless Eddy as he rode past her house on his clunky bike, and how she contracted with him to tend to her garden twice a week. Recently widowed, we watch the transformation of Ora Lee from a woman who has always done what is expected of her by others, to a woman who now does what she expects of herself – she follows her own moral compass or, in other words (Yiddish), becomes a “mensch”. Ora Lee and her husband had no children and the two of them busied themselves with social activities and volunteer work. In the year after his death, her life and home bustled with the activity of her maid, Blanche’s family, (who she views more as a friend and companion) and Eddy. These people of color become part of her life at a time when prejudice and bigotry was still openly widespread and prevalent in the southern town where she lived. Residentially, the township was segregated and there were different legal and moral standards applied to the whites and the “negroes”.
The story begins with the vicious rape of Gracie, Blanche’s 6-year old daughter. Ora Lee comes home from shopping to find Blanche rocking on her porch, numb, with tears streaking down her cheeks, rocking and singing to Gracie who has cried herself to sleep in her mother’s arms. The perpetrator is the Sheriff’s son, an older boy from school. The more street-smart Blanche is adamant that there be no investigation stating that her daughter will only be subjected to further cruelty and harm if the matter is pursued. The two women make a pact never to reveal the matter to anyone and Blanche basically convinces her daughter that it was a bad dream (we all can pretty much guess how this façade will finally end for poor Gracie). The first lie.
For Gracie’s safety, Ora Lee insists that the child come to her house from school so that Blanche can watch her and so that she will not be trapped or hurt by any of the kids from her school again. Blanche’s other children start spending more time at the house and by Thanksgiving they are forming a kind of family unit. Eddy is invited to the Thanksgiving dinner and so he is incorporated into the unit.
To maintain the cover-up, of course, more lies are told. Christmastime arrives and Marcus, Blanche’s oldest son, comes home from the army. At dinner Eddy lets something slip. Marcus understands that something serious has happened to Gracie and he pursues the matter after everyone goes home for the night after dinner.
What follows, a murder and cover-up and a death by traffic accident, sets into motion the events leading up to Eddy’s arrest and conviction for murder. More lies and cover-ups ensue. I don’t want to spoil, so if you want to know how this touching (and at times) emotionally wrenching story ends, you will have to read the book! The adult characters are well developed and interesting. The story unfolds so naturally you can feel the atmosphere of time and place. There is also a surprising twist at the end.
Clearly the time for telling the truth was at the end of Eddy’s life, when no one else could be hurt and when Eddy had paid back the debts that he believed he owed. Of course, the person who suffered the most and the longest was Gracie.
Now is the time for me to eat humble pie. I crabbed ungraciously when SUZANNE TOREN took over the narration on Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight Mystery series from book nine (to date) and found her reading gruff and unappealing. I only calmed down and started to enjoy her narration from about book eleven. I now regret my earlier assessment and see/hear that she IS THE MOST AMAZING NARRATOR! Her expressive narration of every voice in the book was magnificent. She caught my attention from the first sentence and transported me to the place and period, lulling me with the individual drawling speech and thoughts of each of the characters throughout the novel.
The Pecan Man is readily available at most libraries and both the ebook and audio are available on Hoopla, if your library subscribes.
January 18, 2016
I almost didn’t read The Pecan Man, pronounced PEE-can, but several friends whose judgement I have come to trust convinced me to give it a shot. The fact that it was pretty short and a good candidate for a book that I could read with my teenage daughter tipped the scale. I’m very glad that it did.
The Pecan Man takes place in the fictional town of Mayville, in Central Florida in 1976. It tells the story of Ora Lee Beckworth, an elderly white woman, Blanche Lowery, her friend and maid, and Eldred Mims (aka the pee-can man) , a homeless black man who tends Ora Lee’s yard. It is a story of racism, a horrific crime and brutal revenge but mostly it is the story of family and a wonderful friendship that crosses the color line. Although it is fiction, it reads very much like a true story. Too often in fiction the trauma caused by evil deeds is washed away by the story’s resolution. The urge to wrap things up in a neat package often takes place at the expense of reality. It is truly remarkable that the first thing my daughter said when I finished reading it to her was, “Is this a true story?”
Bottom line: I owe a great debt to the friends who recommend this beautiful book. I would really like to pay it forward and convince other friends to pick this book up. You won’t regret it.
FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star - The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.
The Pecan Man takes place in the fictional town of Mayville, in Central Florida in 1976. It tells the story of Ora Lee Beckworth, an elderly white woman, Blanche Lowery, her friend and maid, and Eldred Mims (aka the pee-can man) , a homeless black man who tends Ora Lee’s yard. It is a story of racism, a horrific crime and brutal revenge but mostly it is the story of family and a wonderful friendship that crosses the color line. Although it is fiction, it reads very much like a true story. Too often in fiction the trauma caused by evil deeds is washed away by the story’s resolution. The urge to wrap things up in a neat package often takes place at the expense of reality. It is truly remarkable that the first thing my daughter said when I finished reading it to her was, “Is this a true story?”
Bottom line: I owe a great debt to the friends who recommend this beautiful book. I would really like to pay it forward and convince other friends to pick this book up. You won’t regret it.
FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star - The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.
June 25, 2017
I'm sure the author had good intentions with this book, but sometimes that's just not enough. This story didn't sit right with me mainly because of the emphasis it had on a white person acting as savior to all the black people around her, as if they couldn't manage their lives on their own or make correct decisions for themselves or even make mistakes without her interference and her money helping them along. And even though there is a certain amount of kindness shown by the main character, Ora, and enlightenment gained on her part as she's looking back on events to set the record straight about a murder, I still felt the author went as overboard as Ora did in trying to make her into someone admirable, and it had the opposite effect.
I think this story was supposed to be, in equal parts, a heartbreaking and heartwarming tale. But it did very little for me in either area. The story did hold my interest, as did certain characters such as Blanche, Ora's maid and eventual friend. But the author was trying too hard to influence my emotions and she manipulated her characters to achieve it. Consequently, I never bought into this story or the believability of many characters, excluding "The Pecan Man" himself, an old black man whose real name was Eldred "Eddie" Mims.
The bulk of the story takes place in the summer of 1976 in Mayville, Florida, a small town where racial prejudice resides. Ora Lee Beckworth, 57 and a recent widow, lives in a neighborhood she feels has gone downhill since a rehab center was built there. And many of the residents have been relocating because of it ever since, and because of Eddie Mims who lives in the woods on its outskirts and regularly passes through town on his bicycle. He always seems to have two sacks of pecans attached to the handlebars, nuts he's gathered from the ground so as not to steal from anyone's trees. Against everyone's advice, Ora takes pity on him and asks Eddie to mow her lawn and do small gardening chores for her, having seen how skinny he is and thinking he must be going hungry. A meal each workday is part of the deal she strikes with him along with the wages she offers an initially reluctant Eddie. Things go well until an unthinkable act of violence occurs and retribution for that act takes place, with Eddie caught up in the middle of it. What follows is a tale of regret, sacrifice, and a search for justice and atonement, a number of the characters' relationships shifting gears along the way as they come to see each other as people first and not by their skin color or position in town.
For these elements alone, I have rated this book three stars. And had the author simply gone this route and told this story as such without Ora overcompensating outrageously with her benevolence for something only she could fathom was lacking in herself, the book might have been worth more than an average rating to me. One thing is for certain. This was no To Kill a Mockingbird, a book some people have compared it to. It doesn't have the depth, emotionally or otherwise, nor does it preserve the dignity of many of its characters. Instead, it's a story told by Ora from 25 years in the future so she may clear her conscience and achieve some closure and a sense of peace for herself and others. Unfortunately, this brief story left me wanting much more, and it left me with more than a little unease concerning Ora, something I'll be discussing with my book club when we meet to share our perspectives.
I think this story was supposed to be, in equal parts, a heartbreaking and heartwarming tale. But it did very little for me in either area. The story did hold my interest, as did certain characters such as Blanche, Ora's maid and eventual friend. But the author was trying too hard to influence my emotions and she manipulated her characters to achieve it. Consequently, I never bought into this story or the believability of many characters, excluding "The Pecan Man" himself, an old black man whose real name was Eldred "Eddie" Mims.
The bulk of the story takes place in the summer of 1976 in Mayville, Florida, a small town where racial prejudice resides. Ora Lee Beckworth, 57 and a recent widow, lives in a neighborhood she feels has gone downhill since a rehab center was built there. And many of the residents have been relocating because of it ever since, and because of Eddie Mims who lives in the woods on its outskirts and regularly passes through town on his bicycle. He always seems to have two sacks of pecans attached to the handlebars, nuts he's gathered from the ground so as not to steal from anyone's trees. Against everyone's advice, Ora takes pity on him and asks Eddie to mow her lawn and do small gardening chores for her, having seen how skinny he is and thinking he must be going hungry. A meal each workday is part of the deal she strikes with him along with the wages she offers an initially reluctant Eddie. Things go well until an unthinkable act of violence occurs and retribution for that act takes place, with Eddie caught up in the middle of it. What follows is a tale of regret, sacrifice, and a search for justice and atonement, a number of the characters' relationships shifting gears along the way as they come to see each other as people first and not by their skin color or position in town.
For these elements alone, I have rated this book three stars. And had the author simply gone this route and told this story as such without Ora overcompensating outrageously with her benevolence for something only she could fathom was lacking in herself, the book might have been worth more than an average rating to me. One thing is for certain. This was no To Kill a Mockingbird, a book some people have compared it to. It doesn't have the depth, emotionally or otherwise, nor does it preserve the dignity of many of its characters. Instead, it's a story told by Ora from 25 years in the future so she may clear her conscience and achieve some closure and a sense of peace for herself and others. Unfortunately, this brief story left me wanting much more, and it left me with more than a little unease concerning Ora, something I'll be discussing with my book club when we meet to share our perspectives.
January 3, 2020
Three stars does mean I liked this book, please don't forget that.
I found the first half of the book better than the last half. In the beginning I felt it was atmospheric and well depicted the complicated relationship in the South between black servants and their white employers. Feelings of love and deep family relationship coexist with white supremacy and power. Feelings of love do easily grow, but it is clear who decides. Never was there real equality in the relationships between black servants and their white masters. It is interesting to note the story unfolds in 1976. For me this doesn’t seem all that long ago. Something happens then and we watch the decisions made and the consequences that follow. I like considering what I might do in a given situation. I enjoy a moral dilemma where it feels impossible to decide what would be the right thing to do. I like it when opposing choices can be argued for. This is what the first half of the book has in spades.
The story is told by Ora Lee Beckworth twenty-five years after the event spoken of. That is the first problem. We are being told what happened. She has decided to write down what occurred. She doesn't want to go to her grave with the secrets she has kept hidden for these twenty-five years. In the beginning we are drawn into the dilemma and we are torn. In the latter part of the book a long time period is covered quickly. We are told what occurs, but we don't get inside Ora’s head or feel her emotions. We understand with our intellect but don’t feel with our heart. The character portrayals are dead.
If you are a realist as I am, there are at least two aspects of the story that are not believable. Please, do NOT read this spoiler if you intend on reading the book. It is very explicit.
The audiobook narration is totally marvelous. Suzanne Toren is one of the best narrators I know of. Her intonations for the different characters are marvelous and totally believable. You feel you are watching rather than listening.
I can recommend this book even if it isn’t perfect.
I found the first half of the book better than the last half. In the beginning I felt it was atmospheric and well depicted the complicated relationship in the South between black servants and their white employers. Feelings of love and deep family relationship coexist with white supremacy and power. Feelings of love do easily grow, but it is clear who decides. Never was there real equality in the relationships between black servants and their white masters. It is interesting to note the story unfolds in 1976. For me this doesn’t seem all that long ago. Something happens then and we watch the decisions made and the consequences that follow. I like considering what I might do in a given situation. I enjoy a moral dilemma where it feels impossible to decide what would be the right thing to do. I like it when opposing choices can be argued for. This is what the first half of the book has in spades.
The story is told by Ora Lee Beckworth twenty-five years after the event spoken of. That is the first problem. We are being told what happened. She has decided to write down what occurred. She doesn't want to go to her grave with the secrets she has kept hidden for these twenty-five years. In the beginning we are drawn into the dilemma and we are torn. In the latter part of the book a long time period is covered quickly. We are told what occurs, but we don't get inside Ora’s head or feel her emotions. We understand with our intellect but don’t feel with our heart. The character portrayals are dead.
If you are a realist as I am, there are at least two aspects of the story that are not believable. Please, do NOT read this spoiler if you intend on reading the book. It is very explicit.
The audiobook narration is totally marvelous. Suzanne Toren is one of the best narrators I know of. Her intonations for the different characters are marvelous and totally believable. You feel you are watching rather than listening.
I can recommend this book even if it isn’t perfect.
June 11, 2016
4.5 Stars
The Pecan Man is Cassie Dandridge Selleck’s self-published debut novel. Several people, I believe, mentioned that it was part To Kill a Mockingbird with various secondary novels. I can see the comparison, the easy, flowing prose, the narrator’s, Ora, voice, her style of meandering through days. Honestly, Ora’s voice reminded far more of the movie version of “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café.” Ora’s voice, to me was very similar to Jessica Tandy’s / Ninny Threadgoode. The Pecan Man has it’s own little mysterious interwoven stories that create the same kind of easy dialogue involving at least one dark secret.
Ora Lee Beckworth, a widow, lives in a charming house near downtown; she can sit on her front porch and watch life pass by. Since she’s recently widowed, she hasn’t done much but do just that. With her husband gone, though, she does need a man to tend the yard work, and maybe a few odd jobs around the house. When she notices the “Pecan Man,” a somewhat raggedy-looking, homeless man on with a beat-up old bike wandering in her neighborhood, she asks him if he’d be interested in doing some yard work on a weekly basis. She already has a housekeeper, Blanche, who helps with everything else she needs inside.
Needless to say, at least one neighbor, Dovey, across the street, of course, has to step in after a few weeks of the Pecan man being seen in their neighborhood, it just isn’t safe, she says. He makes her uneasy, scares people, and well, after all, you wouldn’t want people driving through here thinking he actually lived there, would you?
This was a short, delightful read. I really look forward to reading more from Cassie Dandridge Selleck.
The Pecan Man is Cassie Dandridge Selleck’s self-published debut novel. Several people, I believe, mentioned that it was part To Kill a Mockingbird with various secondary novels. I can see the comparison, the easy, flowing prose, the narrator’s, Ora, voice, her style of meandering through days. Honestly, Ora’s voice reminded far more of the movie version of “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café.” Ora’s voice, to me was very similar to Jessica Tandy’s / Ninny Threadgoode. The Pecan Man has it’s own little mysterious interwoven stories that create the same kind of easy dialogue involving at least one dark secret.
Ora Lee Beckworth, a widow, lives in a charming house near downtown; she can sit on her front porch and watch life pass by. Since she’s recently widowed, she hasn’t done much but do just that. With her husband gone, though, she does need a man to tend the yard work, and maybe a few odd jobs around the house. When she notices the “Pecan Man,” a somewhat raggedy-looking, homeless man on with a beat-up old bike wandering in her neighborhood, she asks him if he’d be interested in doing some yard work on a weekly basis. She already has a housekeeper, Blanche, who helps with everything else she needs inside.
Needless to say, at least one neighbor, Dovey, across the street, of course, has to step in after a few weeks of the Pecan man being seen in their neighborhood, it just isn’t safe, she says. He makes her uneasy, scares people, and well, after all, you wouldn’t want people driving through here thinking he actually lived there, would you?
This was a short, delightful read. I really look forward to reading more from Cassie Dandridge Selleck.
January 14, 2016
Although it is a short novel, "The Pecan Man" is a gem to be remembered. Ora Beckworth, a widow in central Florida, hires a homeless black man to weed her garden and mow her lawn. He's called the Pecan Man by the neighbors. The police arrest him for murdering a man near his makeshift home in the woods, but Ora feels that he's innocent.
Ora narrates her story about living in a 1970s Southern town, her friendship with the housekeeper Blanche and her family, race relations, and justice. The book explores secrets, lies, and moral gray areas. The story also shows there are lots of ways of caring, sharing, and being a family.
This is a self-published debut novel that has been getting a lot of buzz. I'll be looking forward to Cassie Dandridge Selleck's next work. 3.5-4 stars.
Ora narrates her story about living in a 1970s Southern town, her friendship with the housekeeper Blanche and her family, race relations, and justice. The book explores secrets, lies, and moral gray areas. The story also shows there are lots of ways of caring, sharing, and being a family.
This is a self-published debut novel that has been getting a lot of buzz. I'll be looking forward to Cassie Dandridge Selleck's next work. 3.5-4 stars.
December 24, 2015
As I was reading this short novel, up until mid-point I was pretty sure this would get 3 stars. I got more and more invested in the characters the further I read, and I loved the ending, which moved it up to 4 stars for me. Ora Lee was a jewel, the old lady I hope to become.
A good story, well told, and perfect dialogue for the time and place.
A good story, well told, and perfect dialogue for the time and place.
February 11, 2017
Do not ask me why it took me so long to read this novel! I could now kick myself!
Told in the broken dialect of the deep south, this story divides a family - long before the truth is told. As most of the world's evil plays out in this story - rape, murder, drug and alcohol addiction, an unjust imprisonment and lies, you meet the Lowery family, Ora Beckworth and Eldred Mims, The Pecan Man. The story mostly told in the voice of Ora Beckworth, was actually about the life and death of Eddie, the Pecan man, and the truth that finally prevailed at the end.
Told in the broken dialect of the deep south, this story divides a family - long before the truth is told. As most of the world's evil plays out in this story - rape, murder, drug and alcohol addiction, an unjust imprisonment and lies, you meet the Lowery family, Ora Beckworth and Eldred Mims, The Pecan Man. The story mostly told in the voice of Ora Beckworth, was actually about the life and death of Eddie, the Pecan man, and the truth that finally prevailed at the end.
January 22, 2023
Wow, what a story! Ever since I saw this book coming by on my timeline, I had to read it. The story grabbed me right from the start. This is an easy read and a fantastic story with well written characters. Even though the story is a really sad one, it will get you sucked in and you will feel for the people in it. I thought about it long, it gets 5 points from me because it has a well written end. A must read!
January 2, 2016
Struggling with your own conscious can be a tough battle. Ora Lee , a childless widow in a small Florida town recounts her story which revolves around her longtime housemaid Blanche, Blanche's children, and a homeless black man she hires to do yard work one summer. This is a short simply stated story that packs a big punch. Is it possible to do the wrong thing for the right reason ? Just to add more insight, some reviews have called this To Kill A Mockingbird meets The Help. The best thing I can say is that a few times I actually forgot I was reading fiction. It's a rare book that feels so real. 5 stars
August 27, 2015
I understand that Ora Lee is a "flawed" character, however I love her and I forgive her for all her shortcomings. She was a fascinating narrator. I loved this little book. It's a story of love and tragedy, so it's about life. Thanks to GR friend Leanne for the great recommendation. Highly recommend.
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