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Eaglesworth
A small Virginia town, long since bypassed by the interstate, has but two claims on historical significance -- a plaque marking the route where General Longstreet's army retired from a defeat and a near derelict Georgian mansion called Eaglesworth. The house sits on a hilltop, neglected and weathered, until an outlander rolls in to bring it back to life. The lively story of the sordid secrets the renovation reveals is told by a pack of local barflies, a ragged bunch of half-cocked civic boosters and gossips who give us history as seen through the bottom of a shot glass.
Funny, bittersweet, and glancingly philosophical, Eaglesworth is a fanciful biography of a place, a latter-day slice of the Old Dominion that the Sage of Monticello would hardly recognize.
Funny, bittersweet, and glancingly philosophical, Eaglesworth is a fanciful biography of a place, a latter-day slice of the Old Dominion that the Sage of Monticello would hardly recognize.
- GenresFiction
263 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 8, 2018
113 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
T.R. Pearson
34 books273 followersThomas Reid Pearson is an American novelist born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He is the author of seventeen novels and four works of non-fiction under his own name, including A Short History of a Small Place, Cry Me A River, Jerusalem Gap, and Seaworthy, and has written three additional novels -- Ranchero, Beluga, and Nowhere Nice -- under the pseudonym Rick Gavin. Pearson has also ghostwritten several other books, both fiction and nonfiction, and has written or co-written various feature film and TV scripts.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 31, 2020
edited 5/10/18.
Well, it's true that 4 starts is the highest I normally a rate a book on Goodreads, but I'm going to make an exception in this case just because the author is so good and so under-read. Changed to 5 stars.
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4 stars is the highest I rate a book on Goodreads unless it changes my life. Eaglesworth didn't change my life, but it certainly brightened it for a few hours. Thanks, Mr. Pearson, for another great read!
This is T.R. Pearson at his best. If you like quirky characters that are rendered in all of their glory, from the simply peculiar to the downright bizarre, you'll enjoy this book. Although almost everyone who populates the book is a little bit weird, they're painted by the author with a brush that is warmly sympathetic. As you would expect if you're familiar with Mr. Pearson's work, the plot takes a back seat to the characters. And, of course, there is a lot of Pearsonesque humor throughout, ranging from poignant to laugh-out-loud.
Well, it's true that 4 starts is the highest I normally a rate a book on Goodreads, but I'm going to make an exception in this case just because the author is so good and so under-read. Changed to 5 stars.
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4 stars is the highest I rate a book on Goodreads unless it changes my life. Eaglesworth didn't change my life, but it certainly brightened it for a few hours. Thanks, Mr. Pearson, for another great read!
This is T.R. Pearson at his best. If you like quirky characters that are rendered in all of their glory, from the simply peculiar to the downright bizarre, you'll enjoy this book. Although almost everyone who populates the book is a little bit weird, they're painted by the author with a brush that is warmly sympathetic. As you would expect if you're familiar with Mr. Pearson's work, the plot takes a back seat to the characters. And, of course, there is a lot of Pearsonesque humor throughout, ranging from poignant to laugh-out-loud.
May 29, 2018
For those of you who love TR Pearson”s strange and wonderful series of novels that he built his reputation on, this book feels like those terrific books.
His beautiful prose is told from a really unique and inventive point of view - one that shares our mounting levels of dread as a local mansion is renovated, unveiling things you wish you had never known happened in your town.
If you like Pearson”s casts of strange, but believable characters then you won’t be disappointed here, if you want a standard who done it, stay away, this is more about “what the hell even happened here?”
I was sorry when it was over, and hope he writes more that this again soon.
His beautiful prose is told from a really unique and inventive point of view - one that shares our mounting levels of dread as a local mansion is renovated, unveiling things you wish you had never known happened in your town.
If you like Pearson”s casts of strange, but believable characters then you won’t be disappointed here, if you want a standard who done it, stay away, this is more about “what the hell even happened here?”
I was sorry when it was over, and hope he writes more that this again soon.
July 9, 2018
Southern writers set your pens down. T.R. Pearson has written it all in his new tale of the modern southern ways and woes. The middle of the night found me laughing out loud. Well done, Mr. Pearson. Please, can you write some more?
Melissa Powell Gay, Author of When Are You Leaving and Every Now and Then.
Melissa Powell Gay, Author of When Are You Leaving and Every Now and Then.
September 18, 2018
If you already dig T.R. Pearson’s nesting table style of storytelling, there’s no doubt you’ll love EAGLESWORTH.
In classic Pearson fashion, the catalyst event of the story … in this case, the discovery of a box of toes buried in the walls of the Eaglesworth Estate … is but a framing device used to tell a dozen other stories, some related to the central mystery, some not at all. It’s a structure that’s served Pearson well since the beginning of his career, and he puts it to wonderful effect here.
Pearson novels are all about characters, and EAGLESWORTH has plenty of good ones. Front and center is Kandy, whose granite exterior and stale biscuit rapport with the townsfolk make for some hilarious interactions. She’s a great protagonist, and her growing relationship with the group of aging bar hounds who act as the story’s narrator is, at times, very moving.
Pearson’s voice is one of his most effective tools. Although his narrators change from novel to novel, their voices are usually pretty similar: dry, a little cynical but prone to flashes of earnestness and detours from the main narrative. That doesn’t change here, but the form the narrator takes in EAGLESWORTH is a little different. Our storyteller is an unnamed member of a group of nosy old men who can’t help but attempt to solve the mystery around their small town’s most prominent property themselves. It’s a funny idea, and Pearson plays the role as well as he has ever has.
Really, EAGLESWORTH is prime Pearson. Occasionally, his novels can blend together in my mind, but that’s because he’s managed to create such a unique, singular style. For the uninitiated, EAGLESWORTH is as good a place to start as any of Pearson’s previous standalone novels. For those who already love the author … and that includes this guy … this novel’s going to feel like home.
In classic Pearson fashion, the catalyst event of the story … in this case, the discovery of a box of toes buried in the walls of the Eaglesworth Estate … is but a framing device used to tell a dozen other stories, some related to the central mystery, some not at all. It’s a structure that’s served Pearson well since the beginning of his career, and he puts it to wonderful effect here.
Pearson novels are all about characters, and EAGLESWORTH has plenty of good ones. Front and center is Kandy, whose granite exterior and stale biscuit rapport with the townsfolk make for some hilarious interactions. She’s a great protagonist, and her growing relationship with the group of aging bar hounds who act as the story’s narrator is, at times, very moving.
Pearson’s voice is one of his most effective tools. Although his narrators change from novel to novel, their voices are usually pretty similar: dry, a little cynical but prone to flashes of earnestness and detours from the main narrative. That doesn’t change here, but the form the narrator takes in EAGLESWORTH is a little different. Our storyteller is an unnamed member of a group of nosy old men who can’t help but attempt to solve the mystery around their small town’s most prominent property themselves. It’s a funny idea, and Pearson plays the role as well as he has ever has.
Really, EAGLESWORTH is prime Pearson. Occasionally, his novels can blend together in my mind, but that’s because he’s managed to create such a unique, singular style. For the uninitiated, EAGLESWORTH is as good a place to start as any of Pearson’s previous standalone novels. For those who already love the author … and that includes this guy … this novel’s going to feel like home.
May 20, 2018
I love TR Pearson's books. They make me laugh and want to read them out loud--and my wife laughs as well. He likes to examine all of our foibles, but he does so with a generous spirit and a terrific sense of humor. This one is a gem!
January 7, 2019
Reading a new TR Pearson novel is like running into a beloved old friend. I've been a fan since his first novel but I took an extended break back when my limited parenting skills appeared to be in demand. Now that they are emphatically not, I am excited to start catching up with the novels I missed. I'm also excited to see what comes next.
If you like one TR Pearson novel you will probably like them all. My only complaint about Eaglesworth is that it was too short. Fortunately many sections of the book produced prolonged laughter, which helped extend my reacquaintance with this wonderful author.
If you like one TR Pearson novel you will probably like them all. My only complaint about Eaglesworth is that it was too short. Fortunately many sections of the book produced prolonged laughter, which helped extend my reacquaintance with this wonderful author.
August 12, 2018
Like any good Southern writer, T.R. Pearson has a sense of place. He’s moved that place from the North Carolina Piedmont to the Blue Ridge of Virginia. He tells the tale of a small town and a mansion. Along the way we have too many idiosyncratic characters, albeit some very well defined characters who are very interesting. There are philosophical quotes a plenty and some hilarious asides. One very good one involves a mature woman remembering sex parties of seventy years ago. Pearson is always a good read. If you have not read him, his masterpiece is A Short History of A Small Place. Enjoy.
July 3, 2020
An excellent tale, as usual!
T R Pearson is a favorite of mine. His story telling is most extraordinary. If you are from the South of have family of that heritage, I guarantee you will love this author. A Short History of a Small Place is one of the best books ever written. Don't miss it and don't miss anything else by Pearson. One read and you are a fan for life.
T R Pearson is a favorite of mine. His story telling is most extraordinary. If you are from the South of have family of that heritage, I guarantee you will love this author. A Short History of a Small Place is one of the best books ever written. Don't miss it and don't miss anything else by Pearson. One read and you are a fan for life.
August 2, 2018
The story told in this novel is compelling. But as with all of T.R. Pearson's works, it is the digressions that make Eaglesworth so interesting. There is a mystery centered around the titular estate, but it is secondary to the characters and the journey they take trying to solve it.
August 13, 2018
All right, I admit it. I'm hooked on T.R. Pearson. This one of his best in years. His flair for story telling is always on point and the characters he creates are those you hope to be lucky enough to claim as one of your own. Thank you, Mr. Pearson, for another enjoyable weekend.
September 26, 2018
Not his best
I really love his first book and I’ve read a few of the others that immediately followed. This one didn’t grab me. I see what he was getting at, but the charm didn’t come through for me. I suspect it would make a great movie though.
I really love his first book and I’ve read a few of the others that immediately followed. This one didn’t grab me. I see what he was getting at, but the charm didn’t come through for me. I suspect it would make a great movie though.
September 15, 2019
He is one of my favorite authors. His early books are my favorite. This captures some of his first writings (he started a mystery series that just was not for me.) He is a great storyteller. His dry sense of humor kept me smiling. I read it in a three day marathon.
January 13, 2020
Eaglesworth
Well that was some story. Got a kick out of all the characters and finally did figure out the mystery. Have to admire writers who can think up a story and keep all that straight in their head while writing it down. Good read!
Well that was some story. Got a kick out of all the characters and finally did figure out the mystery. Have to admire writers who can think up a story and keep all that straight in their head while writing it down. Good read!
February 17, 2022
This is a fun read about a group of older guys hanging around in a small town and the occurrences that amuse them . It's not a complex read. The end is kind of flat but I recommend it. The banter and thoughts of these older guys bored stiff in a small town are just hilarious
March 18, 2023
A weird story, several old men sit around a town bar gossiping like townies do, discussing an odd mystery up at the old town mansion called Eaglesworth. Readable, some catchy prose, but ultimately just okay.
August 17, 2018
A nice return to form for T. R. Pearson. Memorable characters and hilarious prose.
November 17, 2020
No plot
ITS HAS NO PLOT AND NOTHING REALLY HAPPENED. Some mildly interesting quirky characters but it was still a boring waste of time.
ITS HAS NO PLOT AND NOTHING REALLY HAPPENED. Some mildly interesting quirky characters but it was still a boring waste of time.
November 10, 2019
I worked for many years at an independent bookshop. Whenever a customer would ask for a recommendation, the question would inevitably follow, “What's it about?” It's a reasonable question and usually an easy one to answer. I would start with something such as “It concerns a group of folks from Oklahoma moving to California during the Depression”, or “It's about a group of American ex-pats suffering from ennui after WW1 and then they go to Pamplona for the bulls”. Certainly it was often a superficial synopsis but at least I provided prospective readers with a general idea of “what it is about” without overburdening them (at first) with detail. However, I noticed that some books are resistant to a snappy answer to the “what's it about” question.
Eaglesworth is one of those books. And this, I think, is because “what's it about” is an irrelevant question for this book. It does not matter what the book is about, what matters here is the way it is told. And the way it is told is engaging, funny, perceptive and sympathetic --- a very enjoyable experience which should not be trivialized by reduction to a pithy plot synopsis.
Eaglesworth is one of those books. And this, I think, is because “what's it about” is an irrelevant question for this book. It does not matter what the book is about, what matters here is the way it is told. And the way it is told is engaging, funny, perceptive and sympathetic --- a very enjoyable experience which should not be trivialized by reduction to a pithy plot synopsis.
July 30, 2018
I've been a huge TR Pearson fan since I first read A Short History of a Small Place way back in the 80s, and this may be my favorite yet. It's like a slightly less word-packed Short History, with characters who are just as vivid and real, and a slowly unfurling murder mystery to boot. It's hilarious, sad, and slightly creepy, and I couldn't put it down. TR Pearson's people and places (that are so vivid they are like another character) never fail to leave a huge impression that never quite goes away.
July 25, 2018
As always, T. R. Pearson has treated us to some hilarious examinations of human nature in this story. I can't get enough of his books. The only bad thing about them is that you eventually have to get to the last page. If you've never read a Pearson book, try this one. You'll be hooked, too.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews