John Chancellor Makes Me Cry

by Anne Rivers Siddons

A year in the life of a woman is poignantly rendered in a collection of twenty-eight essays, first published twenty years ago and now appearing in a new edition. By the author of Outer Banks. Reissue. National ad/promo.

Genres: Fiction, Southern, Essays

214 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Born Sybil Anne Rivers in Atlanta, Georgia, she was raised in Fairburn, Georgia, and attended Auburn University, where she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority.

While at Auburn she wrote a column for the student newspaper, The Auburn Plainsman, that favored integration. The university administration attempted to suppress the column, and ultimately fired her, and the column garnered national attention. She later became a senior editor for Atlanta magazine.

At the age of thirty she married Heyward Siddons, and she and her husband lived in Charleston, South Carolina, and spent summers in Maine. Siddons died of lung cancer on September 11, 2019

Reviews

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not used to non-fiction by this author.

Another book with a turtle.

Summer Reading Program at the library.

Costumes as Christmas gifts - I remember this from the mid-70s.

"She can't fit into her cheerleader uniform anymore, but she certainly hasn't been sidelined yet."

"Indeed, I think my grandmother disliked those mules as much as she did Republicans and shiftless people."

[Claudia Cheyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was originally published in 1975, then updated a bit and brought back in 1992. I enjoy reading Anne Rivers Siddons so I picked up this series of essays which had previously appeared in Atlanta Magazine, House Beautiful, and Georgia. I began flipping through and randomly choosing some that looked interesting. Then I realized that they were grouped by season so I went back to the beginning and read through to the end. These portray Anne's life on a private level. We learn about her husband, home, vacations, job, stepsons and parties - just to name a few of the topics she covers. Each episode is presented in her original and humorous style. I was looking for something a bit different than my usual mysteries and romances - this was the perfect choice for me.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of essays/articles by ARS. This was a good vacation book, easy to pick up and put down. I enjoyed this book, almost as much as I like Anna Quindlen’s similar type books. ARS wrote this book, her first I think, in the 70’s and it was “reissued” in 1992. I enjoyed reading about the thoughts of one of my favorite authors.

[Gretchen Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book of stories that give you a true sense of Anne. Having met her years ago, when I owned one of the country stores she loved to shop at and she lived in that summer “Colony”; the essays written long before we met, filled in some of her and Heyward’s story.

So well written, her descriptions of the South and of course Maine jump from off the page. The people, the parties, the food, the places, are described so well, you can see feel and taste them.

I read a rather yellowed and crumbling paperback copy as this book is out of print. I need an edition I can keep with my copy of Colony, to pick up and enjoy when I need a touch of Anne.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered this gem on my overflowing bookshelf with no recollection of buying it. Having loved most of Siddons’s books, I settled in with my cup of Joe on a chilly morning to dwell with one of my favorite authors. I was not disappointed. I love the way Siddons writes. Her descriptions are fresh, and her stories candid and relatable. I appreciate her willingness to be vulnerable. I relate to the fears and anxieties she shares in this collection of vignettes, and at times I laughed out loud. Reading Siddons is like conversing with a friend over coffee and biscotti.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I miss looking forward to new books by this wonderful author, this small gem was a delightful surprise!! Full of thoughts & frequent laughs, I highly recommend to Anne's fans who may have missed this, as I had.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful, wonderful writing, a pleasure to read. Nevertheless, this was easy to set aside and ultimately abandon. It just seems to me if you are going to muse about nothing in particular you have come with a fresh perspective. Great writing just is not enough.

[Vickie Marton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I have enjoyed Siddons other books, this was a disappointment. It seemed her heart was not in it, and a deadline loomed.
I was hoping for so much more from one of my favorite writers.

[Samidha Goel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the vibes. Loved the writing. But that's all.

[Julie Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

g read

[Treasure Island Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very dated essays. For fans of this author, this would be a treat.

[Mbarkle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been trying to read some local authors, and I scanned my mom's shelves and found a couple of books by Anne Rivers Siddons, which are set in Atlanta. I really liked this series of essays from the 1970s. They reminded me a little bit of Erma Bombeck, which I read when I was a kid. Very funny and sweet.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still and always one of my favorite books - this is a perfect collection of essays, written with style, humor, and an obvious love of life. ARS was, to me, the absolute high priestess of adjectives. I read her books over and over simply for the way she describes things, people, places, feelings, etc.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insights into the author's life, including her incurable habit of adopting lost cats, sometimes to her husband's chagrin. Depicts life in the South. Sometimes sweet and sentimental, a favorite, easy, comfortable read.

[Terry Tschann Skelton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the author wrote a new preface to this edition 20 years after the original publication saying that she thought these light essays had held up well, I found them less relevant that I expected. I love her fiction, but was not as enchanted with stories of her own life.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books.

[Chamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never knew she had such a sense of humor,I love the cat part.

[Lucinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved these essays! As a Southerner, I could relate to much of what Mrs. Siddons describes.

[Becky]

Pretty good...so far

[Ryann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet, enjoyable collection of short nonfiction stories about the author's life.

[Laura Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to know the 60's in the south...this is the book.

[Leigh Stroud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable essays - like an invitation into her home. Some of the stories made me laugh out loud!

[M Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful series of essays drawn from the author's life in Atlanta in the mid-Seventies. Mrs. Siddons' work is wry rather than comic and, as seems so often the case with Southern literature, elegiac. But readers will undoubtedly smile and occasionally snicker and even swallow a lump in the throat. Best savored in small bits (one or two essays at a time), a perfect book for a quiet five minutes or last thing before bed.