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Summary: Just read it. It was her last gift to us.
Review: Anne was a dear personal friend. She sent this book to me shortly before her death. She told me that she felt that it was her best work and referred to it as her book about forgiveness. It has been a very long time since a book has moved me so deeply. I recommend it highly. Don't expect to find the wonderful, silly Southern Sisters anywhere in these pages. DO expect to find grace in all its guises-- as beauty, as elegance and, yes, Anne, as forgiveness and redemption. It grieves me that we lost this magnificent writer before she could write more books like this one. DO read her poetry, as well.
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Summary: Anne George is no longer the South's best kept secret.
Review: Fully hooked on Mrs. George's "Sister Series" mysteries, I was anxious to read this gem of a book. I was captivated by her portrayal of those brought to life in what must have been a labor of love for Mrs. George. I eagerly anticipate the release of her next book in June. Mrs. George is a master storyteller and when combined with her ability to both listen to and portray life (as well as death), she must learn to cope with her growing reputation outside of her native South.
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Summary: This One and Magic Life
Review: I had read all of Anne George's Southern Sister mysteries, so was anxious to read "This One and Magic Life". She didn't disappoint me -- I truly loved this book. How sad it is that we will no longer be able to enjoy any of Anne George's books -- she was a wonderful writer!
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Summary: This One and Magic Life
Review: I had read all of Anne George's Southern Sister mysteries, so was anxious to read "This One and Magic Life". She didn't disappoint me -- I truly loved this book. How sad it is that we will no longer be able to enjoy any of Anne George's books -- she was a wonderful writer!
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Summary: What a story!
Review: I have read all of Anne George's "Sister" mysteries and loved them all. When I discovered this book, I could not wait to read it. She did not disappoint me. I was touched by the characters and transported to Harlow, Alabama by Miss George's words. While "This One and Magic Life" is very different from the sister mysteries, you will find it to be a delightful read. Miss George will be sorely missed by this fan as will her lovable characters.
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Summary: read it!
Review: If you read Anne George mysteries you know she is an intelligent and witty writer....this book raises her to the higher pantheon of great southern genre writer.
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Summary: Excellent Southern life tale
Review: In Harlow, Alabama, fifty-eight years old internationally renowned artist Artie Sullivan dies from cancer. Her family comes to the small Gulf of Mexico town to pay their last respects. However, everyone is upset because Artie wanted to be cremated. Though abiding by her wishes, her relatives host a funeral for appearance sake. Though accompanied by his spouse, Artie's twin brother Donnie and their younger sister Hektor are esepcially shook. They begin to ponder about their fractured childhood caused by their mother's affair with the neighbor and the early deaths of both their parents. Other darker memories surface as the surviving Sullivans struggle with the loss of one from their generation. THIS ONE AND MAGIC LIFE is a lyrical yet metaphorical look at a Southern family at a time of grief. The well-written story line demonstrates Anne Carroll George's ability to provide a poetic glimpse into a homespun tale. Some readers may find the changes from first to third narration and the switching between the characters relating the tale distracting. However, that technique adds to the overall feel of individuals struggling to cope with long buried, semi-forgotten, but clearly ugly secrets. Ms. George is a poet disguised as a novelist. Harriet Klausner
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Summary: A true-to-life look at a Southern family
Review: Readers of This One and Magic Life are in for a rare treat-a trip inside the hearts and minds of the members of a true Southern family. Ms. George manages to endear us to her characters even while exposing their weaknesses, insecurities, and guilt. When the tears began to flow after the first two pages of the book, I knew this was no ordinary novel. The beauty of the words, the depth of the characters, and the strong sense of place all combine to form an unforgettable experience in which we all recognize parts of ourselves and our own family members. Much as the live oak trees in Harlow, the Sullivan family stands tall even while shrouded in the Spanish moss of mystery, hate, sadness, and yet beauty. This family illustrates well how much the past is a part of us, and how much we love this place. Our roots are planted deeply in this soil, and just as the Spanish moss, many of us could not grow north of Montgomery, Alabama. This book has something for everyone, male or female, young or old. It is one that I will reread many times. The warm breezes and starry nights of the Gulf Coast beckon. On every page, I was there, and it touched my heart.
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Summary: Laden with Happiness and Tears
Review: Spaces and overlaps and the time space continuum. Family, heart, soul, southern fiction at its very richest. Voices from the grave and a meeting of the generations as a family icon passes through this world. Mortality, as seen through a veil of overlaps and spaces, quirks and characters. Sunrise, Sunset - flows through the chapters like the water of Mobile Bay. Bittersweet beauty woven through the pages with language artistic and lyrical. Confusion and chaos, childhood secrets and the furtive secrets of love and life. One season following another, and don't forget the devil either. This is NOT a light hearted beach read, although the bay beckons and glimmers and the dunes reflect the dimming light. The depth and intensity of this book left this reader breathless and weeping. The characters are as authentic as the Spanish moss and the scent of almonds and are a glimpse in our own humanity. And, perhaps a literal glimpse into the author's own sunset? Let me HIGHLY recommend this book, it goes to the very top of the scale.
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Summary: This One and Magic Life
Review: This book grabbed me by the heart as it revived long-forgotten memories and dreams of family, friends,life and living in the South. This book will join my select group of favorites and I will be telling all my friends about it. Thank you, Anne Carroll George!
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