Confederate Jasmine and the Fat Tuesday Tree: A Poetic Herbarium

by Ann Lewis

A book for gardeners, travelers, and anyone who loves the lush landscape of the deep South, Confederate Jasmine and the Fat Tuesday Tree is an exquisite combination of delicate images and rich memoiran illustrated volume that is as beautiful as it is unique. Long haunted by the legacy of the South, writer and artist Ann Lewis returns, this time to draw links between the plants and settings she loved while growing up and the individuals and events she encounters as an adult. Collecting "specimens" of the varied plants of the area and weaving them into enchanting miniature collageseach of which is accompanied by evocative, humorous, and often touching proseLewis has created an artistic, lyrical homage to the South that charms and captivates.

Genres: Nonfiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1997

Reviews

[NancyL Luckey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good travel book introduction to deep South.

[Maria Boynton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the author’s voice and incorporation of life experiences, plants, and lack of fear when addressing the more difficult parts of what it means to be southern.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don’t you love it when you find a jewel of a book by accident (or fate as the case may be)? I went to a local dramatic performance with a friend and as a fundraiser there was a book sale during intermission. I admit that I bought my 2 or three books just to support the cause and to bulk up my hardcover bookshelf. Confederate Jasmine and the Fat Tuesday Tree had an interesting title and a nice looking cover.

It took me a long time to read this book (because I did so intermittently) but when I finished it I was sorry there wasn't more. Is it a travelogue of the South, a catalog of Southern vegetation, a memoir or a meditation? Whatever it is, it is wonderfully written with descriptions that are gentle and small but that pack a powerful punch to the mind’s eye.

“Thanks to our friends the signs, we learn the stumps are actually “knees” which help feed oxygen to the roots. The knees jut out of the water like so many sunken fishermen whose legs are forever bent above the surface….Or like an odd jumble of orderlies sucking in the air, little druids, little pagan seekers, stalagmite foundlings cult members , devotees at Lord Cypress’s feet. (pg. 110)

There is magic in the book contained somewhere in the odd plants, odd people and the odd names of both that the author so lovingly documents. The magic spilled over into my life when, on an afternoon trip to Home Depot after reading a few chapters, I came upon a Confederate Jasmine bush for sale. Of course I bought it and it is a loved addition to my plant collection. Most of my plants have stories but the Jasmine has two magic ones.

When I saw the movie “The Help” I thought about this book and how it does a much better job at describing in rich, respectful and realistic detail the “southern women” without the romanticized rigidity.