On the Southern Literary Trail discussion

Here's the place to kick off our discussion of Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Ed Tarkington.

Enjoying the writing, taking his time with setting up the situation and introducing the characters. Interested to see where we go from here.

I have my copy ready. This one is up next after i finish Strange Fruit. Picked up a signed first print of this one at Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi.

This one arrived before Strange Fruit, so I went with it...reasonably pleased, so far. It captures the culture of the time and place beautifully. Just had a triggering event, think things are beginning to rapidly devolve into disaster and tragedy.

Thought he did very well with the atmosphere. I really enjoyed this book.

I'm beginning Chapter 14 at page 169. This novel wraps you in nostalgia connected by music of the time period. It is a curious combination of coming of age tale, mystery, and Southern gothic. There's something happening here. What it is ain't exactly clear. However, Tarkington has the talent to make you keep turning the pages. The novel bears a tone of what could possibly happen next. There seems to be a little too much packed into one novel. There's a Gordon Lightfoot song called "Too Many Clues in This Room." In it there's a line,

"Praise the lord there's a train leavin' soon
From dusk until dawn they have searched all day long
But there's too many clues in this room" (1976)

Since this is the era that Tarkington is insistent on capturing.

Someday I'll be retired and will be able to read as fast as you, Mike. I started on the 14th and just finished part I this morning. So far I am really enjoying it.