Parrish

by Mildred Savage

Vintage paperback

Genres: Fiction

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1958

Reviews

[Marloes Baren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book as it is an old book from my mom, who passed away almost twenty years ago. There is just something really special about going through the same pages she did.

Apart from that, it's just a nice story and not much more than that. It's very accessible and light, probably a bit too much so for many readers.

Despite the book not having much to offer from a literary standpoint, there are some elements in it that did appeal to me. I liked reading about tobacco cultivation. Taking into account the original story was written in 1958, it's interesting to see how themes such as sexuality and relationships are treated. As a coming of age story it also certainly has some charm to it. While perhaps a bit cliche, there are strong character developments which do make you want to read the story to the end.

Overall I'm glad most works from my mother's collection are more down my alley.

[Todd Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading a few novels from the 1950s lately. They deal with young men who reach manhood trying to understand the raw, tough fathers that raised them and the unwavering mothers that love them. There were a set of mores that grown men understood, even if they flaunted them, that young men were trying to assimilate in a much-changed world.

Parrish is a novel of a young man who came with his mother to tobacco country in New England. His mother was a survivor and married the richest man in the valley. Parrish was too rebellious, but fell in love three times. Interesting conflicts throughout the novel, particularly because Parrish is determined not to be controlled by anyone.

It's a fun ride through 1948-1953. A more innocent time, a more determined time, but still a time with men trying to understand the rules of the mature man game.

I liked it.

[Lynn Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book, written in 1958, tells the story of tobacco owners and workers in a series of summers. Today, the book really should get three stars, though in its day, it was a hot seller. But I have a unique connection.
I grew up in Windsor CT and in the sixties I worked on the tobacco farm which Salas Post's farm was based on. Older siblings of my co workers were actually extras in the movie "Parrish". As a fifteen year old, I naturally had no idea the angst that the owners felt throughout the summer...I just knew I made an incredible $1.05 an hour and was able to buy my first pair of Papagolos with my own money!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

1948-1953. Very interesting information on the complexities of raising tobacco. Interesting characters, and the development of adolescents. Also interesting complexities of the dynamics of success and dominating individuals. Must admit I got engrossed, and enjoyed the book far more than I expected.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long a fan of the soapy movie and a Hartford, Connecticut, area resident, I finally read the novel. Savage’s writing is actually quite nice, with memorable turns of phrase. It’s very much of its time and her attempts at Jamaican-inflected speech are cringe-worthy, but the stereotypes of both race and social standing are expected in this period and I have to say that, though well-traveled territory of love and money and land and greed, it’s still an enjoyable read. And far less trite than the movie. But do see the movie. I mean, Troy Donahue, Connie Stevens, Karl Malden, Claudette Colbert, and technicolor. What’s not to love?

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must be about the third or fourth time I've read this book in the past 40 years. I love the main character and the way he thinks about the world, his place in it, and how his behaviors and thoughts mold his character. The setting isn't far from where I grew up in Connecticut, and a couple of high school friends "worked tobacco" in the summer so those two things probably add to my enjoyment of the book.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book so much better than the movie. I did enjoy the movie, but the book really went into the growing of tobacco. Most interesting.

[Auntie Grizelda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually found this book at a thrift store. I have the 45rpm of the theme song from the movie and was always curious since I had never seen it. I enjoyed the book very much. Well written.

[Shawn Shawhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading about 1/4 of the book I realized that I had never finished reading the book when I was 16 years old. I'm glad I finished reading it but I would not recommend it to my friends. It's just an OK read.

[Chris Gager · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I must have read this book. It was written by the mother of a classmate of
mine in prep school and based on the raising of shade grown tobacco in the valley
of the Connectict river around Hartford and near Windsor/Loomis(my school) also. In fact,
some kids in the 1960 summer school were used as extras in the movie in the scene of the shade nets being put up. Just before
my time there... When we used to drive to Hartford from Worcester to visit family
in West Hartford and Glastonbury(in the 1950's) we'd anticipate seeing those fields of white
gauze(or whatever it was) spread over the green plants with the drying barns alongside. Lovely but
gone now forever and replaced by shopping malls and suburban housing along the
Interstate. UGH! Date read is a guess.

[Michele bookloverforever · Rating 3 out of 5]

read in high school. it was made into a movie.