On the Southern Literary Trail discussion

Tom chose a great one this month. January is cold and bleak in a large part of the country, so spend some time in Florida with this Pulitzer Prize Winner from 1938. It's a true classic and a beautiful coming of age story.

I've pretty much met my reading goals for 2016 so I'll be starting this very soon. I confess that I have never read it before so I am looking forward to getting to it.

We have an old copy in the kids's playroom which has been covered in visqueen since early October - damage, demolition, construction stuff. I will go excavate it soon - what a book!

I have never read it ... looking forward to this one!

I started yesterday, because I really needed something good after my last read left a sour taste. I have read it twice before, and seen the movie, but it's been years. It was nice to fall into this world and these lives again.

I was wondering if the group read Cross Creek? I remember that fondly, and the movie with Mary Steenburgen and Peter Coyote as well. I would be up for a re-read sometime if there is anyone else who would like to read it. I am waiting for my copy of The Yearling, should be here today. It's been years since I read it, there was a period in which almost all the books I read about animals died, some sick adult belief that being exposed to such heartbreak would be good for children.

Kim, "Cross Creek" was my MOD choice a couple of years ago, and I also have the movie. I just love that whole place and time. We even visited her home on Cross Creek maybe 25 years ago. She left it to the Univ. of Florida when she died, and they were doing tours. Our daughter was 4 or 5 at the time, and they wouldn't allow her inside because of the instability of the floors, which needed shoring up. But they had a lady who kept her outside looking at the chickens and animals. I remember the tour guides wore Rawlings actual clothes to do the tour. I absolutely loved it and would like to go back. It's just outside of Ocala if you ever get down that way.

When you get to the chapter where Jody and his father are watching the whooping cranes dance, there are some fantastic You Tube videos of that very thing.

Tom, many thanks for assigning this one. I am so enjoying it. Here's a little bit of (non-spoiler) dialogue to show you what's in store.

"I jest hate her. She made a face at me. She's ugly."
"Well, son, you cain't go thru life chunkin' things at all the ugly women you meet."

Hah! I'm not that far. So far, my favorite line is:

“Hey, ol’ Ma,” he said at the door. “I like you, Ma.”

“You and them hounds and all the rest o’ the stock,” she said. “Mighty lovin’ on an empty stomach with an empty belly and me with a plate in my hand.”

“That’s the way you’re purtiest,” he said, and grinned.

Starting this one today. Diane that tour sounds so neat.

It was great, Laura. I still remember every detail. This book is right up your alley; Appalachian literature set in Florida.

I just finished the dancing cranes and had time to look up the video. Interesting. Quite accurate in her descriptions of the dance.

Laura wrote: "I just finished the dancing cranes and had time to look up the video. Interesting. Quite accurate in her descriptions of the dance."

I just listened to that this morning. Thanks for suggesting the video. If you haven't seen it, check it out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_O40...

Thanks for posting the link, Tom. I do everything on my Samsung tablet, and I can't do links from this. I finished the book last night. It was a beautiful, beautiful read, and a wonderful book to start the year with. It reminded me of what's important in life.

I pulled my copy of "Cross Creek" off the shelf to take a look at it, and it fell apart in my hands. It was just a mass market paperback, so it's not a tragedy, but I will definitely have to replace it. I wanted to check out the chapter where she goes to live with a Cracker family for several weeks to get a real sense of their daily lives, the food they ate, family relationships, etc. This was while she was in the early stages of writing "The Yearling". Also, the character of Fodder - wing was based on a real child.

Tom ~ I had to get my book out and read some of the beautiful descriptions y'all have been talking about . I loved Cross Creek too . What a book and the movie was glorious . I just visited YouTube to watch the mating dance of the Dancing Cranes ! Oh! How beautiful ! I had never seen anything so magnificent except the lovely way the cardinals remain so loyal to one another as mates . They call for each other and are never far away until they are nesting . Then when the babies hatch they take turns as regular parents in feeding and taking breaks and even teaching them to fly and go about on their own . You usually do not think of cardinals as social birds but I once lived where I had a whole back yard of loyal pairs I called by name . They were paired up and I could tell them apart . They knew when I was talking to them . Birds are so AWESOME ! Deer are magnificently graceful and blessed . That is why I had such a difficult time with the Yearling ! But oh what a beautiful book about the ways of people amongst the beauty of our blessed gift of God's nature to all of us. It adds so much appreciation and joy to our lives if we slow down to notice .

Dawn

Boohoo! The whole scene and naming of the fawn....gosh, this is emotional....walking away for a bit.

Thank you for the link. Can you imagine coming across something like this and watching it for real? No wonder they were so awed that they could not speak at the table. What is lovely about this book is the way the characters are so much a part of the nature they live in. We have stepped so far away from that ourselves.

Sara ~ it is never too late to start to go back to slow down a bit and enjoy the beauty of the world around you . Big city or rural area there are always spots you can find to sit and watch the birds or the water in ponds or puddles as it rains and as rainbows appear. Pigeons in the city are the funniest birds to watch . In my Mississippi I live 10 miles from town and off a major highway. Once you turn off , I go deep back into the seclusion of our subdivision in the wooded area around a pond . We are all a great bit apart , but not too far to not know one another. It is lovely and it is just enough nature to keep me satisfied until I can have a break for more . We have so many deer . They eat our hastas every year ! HA! We have found a secret to keep them away but this past year the drought was so bad we let them eat away . When we first moved in we had a pack of red fox in our back yard . They were so cute . There are tons of birds . Our cardinals are beautiful . But, we see hawks all the time and they are such predators . This past year , with both parents having cancer , I realized some important things about life : 1) you must live in the present as best you can to best utilize your time 2) you must always make time for you to have alone time to meditate, gather thoughts, think of the past , pray, be thankful, write about your experiences and in general do things that matter to just you 3) you must make time for your loved ones to give of your life and undivided care and attention to them as they would you 4) you need to devote some time to serve the purpose in life for which you feel God has intended for you for you do have special gifts and should not let them waste 5) take care of yourself physically , mentally , spiritually, socially, and nurture your spirit among nature to share with others your joy and spread peace , hope, and love...

That is the end of my philosophy lesson for this is all I know to be keeping me sane right now . Most important to me of course is developing #3 . If I did not have the kindness, care, love and support of every wonderful person that touches my life , I could never be so strong or nearly feel half the person I am now . ALL the people I have in my life contribute to the makeup of the person I call "ME" ! I also have to include ALL OF THE BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ INSIDE OF ME TOO ! And I have read so very many since I was so small and I am so grateful for the writers and people and imagined thoughts that inspired those books that inspired the "ME" I have become !

I probably should have written this rambling statement under my reason for reading in my life ! HA! Oh Well ! It's out there now !

Sincerely Sorry !
Dawn

I'm not sorry! You have expressed yourself beautifully. Think how much better life could be for everyone if we only practiced #3 or #4 all of the time, without fail. I share your belief that we are each an amalgamation of those we meet, those we love, those who hurt us or help us or just touch us and pass on, and all those thoughts and beliefs we encounter within the pages of books that rise from the psyche and the soul of another person. We take all of that and we shape it and digest it and use it as we will. Blessings.

Thank you Sara - you made me feel better about taking so much space . I do tend to get very passionate about my reading habits !

Bless you too!
Dawn

Dawn your post was just what I needed, thank you

I finished the book this morning. I really enjoyed it but I was not all that taken with Flag. That fawn was nothing but trouble. I couldn't help comparing the story to that of Old Yeller. In doing so I came to realize that while Old Yeller was the story of a dog, The Yearling is the story of a Boy. Jody is the real yearling that Rawlings referred to and he is the main subject of the story. That's also probably why Old Yeller had so much more of an emotional impact on me than this did.

Towards the end I there was a scene the struck me as very biblical. When Jody was talking about how he would fight dogs in a kennel for their food it struck me that Rawlings was making a prodigal son reference. (view spoiler)[As soon as I read that I knew that he would go home and that everything would be alright. (hide spoiler)]

You are so right, Tom, Jody is the yearling. He is the one who has to grow up and leave childhood behind. I love your comparison to Old Yeller. Rawlings did an excellent job of keeping this story from dripping into the sentimental.

The fawn was a lot of trouble, but Rawlings did not sentimentalize him. He was a wild animal that that had been turned into a pet, but she never let us forget that he was a wild animal. Flag never did anything out of character. I read that Max Perkins (her editor) asked her to write it as a children's book, and she refused. She said it would be a book about a boy, but for adults.

Just watched the movie, and Hollywood got it right with this one. It's worth watching for the scenery alone, but they stuck pretty close to the book as far as the action, and a lot of the dialogue was straight off the page. If you can get hold of a copy, do it. My library had it.

Diane wrote: "If you can get hold of a copy, do it. My library had it. ..."

Great idea! one of my local libraries has it. I'll check it out.

I know I would not have done well living then and in those conditions. Working for my food especially hunting for my food would not be for me although I know it was a necessity at that time. I gave this four stars. This was a very good book and I liked most of it. (view spoiler)[I did not like how Flag died. I just made me so sad! I have a daughter who is a veterinarian so I know very well that it is not wise to to take a wild animal and try to make it a pet but I was just hoping that Flag could live out his years somewhere in the woods far away from Baxter's Island. I am glad there are animal sanctuaries today . (hide spoiler)].

Beverly, I found that scene interesting because I am finding raising my 12 year old daughter there seems to be alot of negotiating, simply because I allow it. Not so with this situation. It was spoken and then it was done.

My dad did a lot of hunting and trapping to put food on the table during the Depression. His family was very strict, no drinking, no dancing, no cards, no swearing, no smoking...once he got away from them, he embraced all the "thou shalt nots" forbidden by his family.

I think we all forget, or never really knew, how hard life used to be. Ultimatums had to be given because there was no other choice. Laura, I well remember the negotiations my daughter and I were involved in when she was a teen-ager. I used to get so tired of it, and wished I could just lay the law down and be done with it. We all want to save our children some of the disappointments and heartbreaks of life, but in modern times we are not dealing with the survival of the family, like Penny Baxter had to do. As a parent, my heart broke for him as well as Jody.

After the speech from father to son that diane you have shared previously, I had no hard feelings towards the parents for the measures that were taken out of necessity. Speaking of parents, I'm reading The Glass Castle....utter shock. I'm also surprised we haven't read this on The Trail or I missed it in the past.

I don't think the glass castle is considered Southern. Funny story: After I read the book I sent it to my daughter, who was about 19 or 20 at the time, thinking that it would make me look like a great Mother by comparison. When I asked her what she thought, she said, "Those kids had it made! No one checking on them all the time, they could do anything they wanted and stay out as late as they wanted. They were totally free!". She completely missed the point. Sigh.

I think it's southern influenced.....alot takes place in West Virginia. Nonetheless, a good memoir. Funny story Diane about your daughter's thoughts on the book.

Always a day late and a dollar short.... this is one of my all time favorite books. I love Rawlings. When I read it a few years ago I boo hooed at the end. When I read it again recently- was a whole new book to me. I live in Fla and visited her house up near Ocala. Great place! She just has a way of reaching my soul. Her characters are so realistic and of a time gone by. She allows herself to be a stranger in the wilds of Fla back a long time ago. Ahhh.

Barbara, I visited her house near Ocala a few years ago, and felt like I could move right in. I had the same experience re-reading this as you did.

This thread just popped up in my notifications. I wasn't here when it was being read and discussed. I saw the movie first as a child and it stuck and stuck and stuck with me. In 1970 I found a hard copy in a specialty book store with the picture plates done by N. C. Wyeth and read it for the first time. Years ago I got tired of carting all my heavy books around after moving many times and one day donated almost all of them but had to hold on to this one. I still pull it out and look at the beautiful illustrations from time to time. I too loved the movie Cross Creek but cannot remember if I read the book. My selective memory is not dependable these days. I'm going to go see if I can stream one or both movies soon. It's been long enough. Thanks for the memories you thread people :-D