July 7th

by Jill McCorkle

An unsolved murder at the Quik Pik propels us into twenty-four hours of rich comedy and fast action in the North Carolina town of Marshboro. Two memorable presences are Granner Weeks, a white widow, and Fannie McNair, a black housekeeper. They know that people learn to live by living with each other--in each other's ways and in each other's hearts. "With these JULY 7th and The CHEER LEADER . . . McCorkle emerges as the most exciting young American writer of fiction to come along in years."--Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Genres: Fiction, American, Novels

396 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1984

About the author

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

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great summer read! I would have loved it even if my birthday were not on July 7th.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed bag of a mixed bag. I think I get what the author was trying to do here, but it didn't work.

This started out like a cross between Agatha Christie and Virginia Woolf, a murder mystery that explored the conscious minds of the different characters in the town. We got a lot of different people, all interconnected, and I figured two of them were the two who committed the murder at the beginning. Sadly, I found not one character likeable, they weren't all that interesting, and no one actually solves the murder.

This book made some interesting points and I at least felt sympathy for a few characters, but I did not enjoy it much and it had no central plot. So it fails both as a conventional novel, and as a mashup of two different genres. I guess you can argue that it stands apart as a unique work of literature, fitting into no category yet connecting with the reader, but I wasn't getting that.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I actually really loved this book. It had its not so good parts but overall I’m glad I read it. It’s just so REAL, it’s just regular people living their life and trying to figure themselves out.
It’s definitely NOT a murder mystery by any means, the whole entire book is just one night and one day that’s how much information is in this book. I don’t recommend it for ones who have a short attention span because it’s really just following a lot of characters lives because a friend of theirs got murdered. There’s also not really chapters. The first chapter is probably 100 something pages long or more lol
This book is not for the faint of heart but I enjoyed it very much, I got really attached to the characters and loved being a spectator in their lives

[Brianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I first read this book when I was in middle school and I remember it being so scandalous that I've remembered it for years trying to recall the title, only remembering some events from the book. However, re-reading it as an adult...I didn't enjoy it as much (and realizing how it didn't belong in a middle school library). There were so many characters in the book that I had to keep a list to keep track of their relationship to each other. I also felt like some of the characters weren't needed and a lot of the backstory of the characters weren't needed. Not to mention, all the (living) husbands in the book were terrible to their spouses. I normally like a resolution at the end but I can appreciate the incomplete ending for each character as they end their day.

[Hannah Gampe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written in about 1985 so very outdated with some old-fashioned thinking and ways. I had trouble understanding what was going on for the first ~100 pages. The plot jumps around to about a dozen characters in this small town. Despite the confusion, jumping and 40 year+ mindset, the events of the book took place all in the span of one day (July 7th, if it wasn’t obvious). The ending wraps up at the end of the day. It doesn’t leave you hanging, but I wanted to know more, but it was kind of a nice reminder that: not everything gets wrapped up and resolved at the end of one day.

[Wentworth Boughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

July 7th chronicles the day a murder takes place at the local Quik Pik in a small town in North Carolina. The novel is a hoot, and I loved the characters, whose interactions are improperly guided by class and race. When it becomes known who the killer is, the sweep-it-under-the-rug resolution is sad and pitch perfect.

[MB Shakespeare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interconnected short stories after a murder. Fave quote: "It will all seem the same at first glance, though when given the chance will prove to be so different."

[Shelly Nicholson · Rating 3 out of 5]

July 7, 1983.......... everyone’s lives tangled up that day in Marshboro, NC. What more can I say?

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been on a Jill McCorkle binge all summer, and now as it's turning into fall, I'm finally getting to her book, July 7. Halfway through, I think it's pretty great. She manages to write about multiple characters throughout the course of one day, all of them connected in some way. What amazes me is how she's able to make these characters so realistic. She has a pretty big cast ot keep up with, and another author could easily have muddled it. I think she's one of the best fiction writers I've ever read. She has tremendous skill and definitely a way with words that is deceptively simple. Recommeded if you like contemporary fiction about families, small towns, and quirky characters. Many people think this genre has been overplayed, but I am continually surprised by how some writers can produce heartfelt, funny, and not-cliched works from this same type of raw material.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read of a wonderful character driven novel from a favorite southern author, Jill McCorkle. She is probably better known for her short stories, which I do enjoy, but I prefer her novels. Here, the plot centers around the late-night murder of a convenience store employee and subsequent events that all occur on the same day, July 7, 1983. A small North Carolina community of quirky characters come together following the main event in unexpected ways. I first read this book more than 20 years ago, and it led me to discover the rest of McCorkle's work, including my favorite, Tending to Virginia.

[Galen Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charles Husky is murdered at the all night convenience store in Marshboro, NC, leading to a dramatic day among the town residents as a stranger moves among them, the wealthy try to maintain their power and their illusions, the poor try to get by, and one of the oldest residents tries to maintain her birthday tradition even as her family is carrying out its usual drama.

Interesting, with good human observances, but ultimately a bit unsatisfying and a little stilted feeling. Lives are a little over-intertwined for a one day book. Still, a pleasant read with memorable moments.

[Peg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book by my new favorite Southern writer. See my review of Ferris Beach for author details.

"Just after midnight Charles Husky, the clerk at the Quik-PiK store in Marshboro, NC, is found lying face-down near the Slurpee machine, suffocated with Saran Wrap. For the next twenty-four hours, McCorkle brings us into the lives of a cast of delightful small-town characters as they sort through the facts."

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 Stars: Jill McCorkle is one of my favorite authors and this book is one that I have picked up before but hadn't finished. Glad I picked it back up again. I love that this story is filled with a rich array of colorful characters. There is a murder, but it is about so much more. There is more focus on the lives of a few people in the town; how their lives intersect, their struggles, their hopes and dreams. Brilliant that it is told over the course of events in just one day....July 7th.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel has an interesting cast of characters, but I didn't find the story all that engaging. When I finished reading it I wasn't quite sure why the story had been written or what I was supposed to get out of it. It was written 25 years ago and would have seemed dated back then, and is completely dated now. Just kind of a blah read.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

jill mccorkle is amazing. i love all of her books. the descriptions are as rich and sweaty as the southern towns she writes about, and the stories are so effortlessly interwoven and unspun-dysfunctional. she's one of my writing heroes, actually.

[Kelly Lamb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Introspective, funny, and romantic at the same time. Quirky cast of characters but still a good message behind it. I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

http://www.thewellreadredhead.com/201...

[Doodlz · Rating 4 out of 5]

really great story, multiple povs... small southern town. very great read.

[Robin]

Found this on a bookshelf in store in Santa Fe, NM and fell in love with it. Her wit mixes with many other emotions to make it one of best books I've ever read!

[Caitmarie24 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I hated most of the characters. All racist, all terrible people, so self-centered I'm shocked they even knew what was going on with anyone else. Don't read it.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

McCorkle was one of the first authors to write about the small towns of the New south in a way that felt real and recognizable, not like a pastiche.

[Ann G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe 3 and a half stars. Better read than I expected for a book that I just picked up to pass the time on a plane ride.

[Stephanie]

All in a day.

[Laura]

Sad story about a man who is killed at a Quick Pick store and what everyone in the town has to say about the events on that day, July 7th. Explains how your position in life affects your views and outcome.