The View from Delphi

Rating:
Summary: BOOK CLUB FAVORITE & PERSONAL FAVORITE
Review: A member of my book club chose this book and I took it with me on vacation. I was thinking I was going to "struggle" through it since it wasn't the typical quick-light vacation read!

WOW! WOW! WOW!!

I couldn't put this book down. Every night, while cruising the Mediterranean I couldn't wait to read this book!! It is a true reflection of the attitudes of the south, and conveys the subtle dynamics between people. I was transported from my cruise to the south!!

This book is one of our all-time favorites...we have also loved reading Barbara Kingsolver- The Poisinwood Bible, The Red Tent, The Lovely Bones, Anna Karinana, White Oleander, Memoirs of a Geisha, etc.

The View From Delphi stands up to all of these in a mesmorizing and memorable manner! ENJOY!!!

Rating:
Summary: A contrast in black and white
Review: After running away from her poverty-stricken, hardscrabble family life in the rugged Appalachia mountains, Hazel Ishee finds employment in a drug store, until she meets her future husband, a young man from a similar background, with dreams of his own. The industrious Floyd sells machinery all over the Mississippi Delta, eventually realizing his aspirations, when he moves his family into the upper-class neighborhood he covets, anxious to belong in that society. Meanwhile, Hazel struggles with overwhelming feeling of inadequacy that leaches the enjoyment from her comfortable days. Even their two sons cannot relieve Hazel's downward spiral, which is only alleviated by the alcohol she drinks excessively. The drinking brings a whole new set of problems for a woman unprepared to deal with a successful marriage and comfortable lifestyle.

Vida's disillusionment is of another kind. A young girl from a prominent black Delta family, Vida gives birth at fifteen to the child of a white man, tormented by her sense of disgrace she brings to her family. Vida's father is the local preacher, full of fine words, until faced with the reality of his daughter's illegitimate child. When the biological father of Vida's baby is appointed sheriff he wants the child out of sight, afraid of the damage to his reputation and his political aspirations. Vida's family's fortunes fail and she is haunted by the loss of her baby. She and her brother are forced to work the land they once lived on.

The years pass, and Vida is hired as a maid to the incompetent Hazel, who has also lost a son; Vida's primary duty is giving Hazel the medication that sends her spoiled charge spinning into oblivion every morning, yet the two women's mutual need is the closest thing either has to friendship. Hazel's remaining son lurks in the shadows, spying on Vida and yearning for the attentions of his self-absorbed mother.

Author Odell concocts enough twists and turns to stand the Mason-Dixon Line on its head as Civil Rights comes to the South; just as the movement begins with Rosa Parks' rebellion, circumstances shift in subtle ways for Vida and Hazel and the two enemies eye each other warily, establishing a shaky friendship. Bone-tired and heartsick, each of them has struggled alone for far too long. Their strange relationship turns into an unexpected bonus for women who are unused to friendship or trust.

The View from Delphi is well-intentioned, with liberal use of local dialect and the colorful phrasing of the Delta, as well as the fallout from years of racial abuse and discrimination. Reminiscent of Tademy's Cane River, this novel has the same folksy dialog, if a few too many too many rambling conversations. Doubtless, this novel will have a popular following, with its unusual assortment of eccentric characters and the historical import of the Civil Rights movement. Luan Gaines/2004.

Rating:
Summary: Story Telling At Its Best!
Review: As I contemplate the dizzying pace at which most of us race through our everyday lives, I am grateful to Jon Odell for giving me pause to deeply breathe in the richness of this poetic and profoundly inspired novel. Jon Odell is simply a masterful story teller! He ranks among a dying breed of writers who are gifted and thoughtful enough to tell the stories of ordinary people in a way that intimately and vicariously takes us to where they are while introducing us to ourselves. Nowhere is this more needed than in human relationships across racial stratifications.

I am so incredibly excited about this book because although set in pre-Civil rights Mississippi it is not just about the south. It poignantly tells the untold story of race in America through the intriguing lives and relationship of two complicated heroines, one white and one black, (As an African American this is refreshing to me because rarely have I read a book by a white author in which there is a black main character who is not being rescued by benevolent white characters). By honestly and vividly telling their stories-as well as a whole cast of provocative characters, Jon Odell has invited us all into a honest dialogue about our own race stories, our relationships across race, and ultimately our shared history and future as Americans. I guarantee you that, "The View From Delphi," will make you laugh, weep, and think deeply no matter what your race. Enjoy!!

Rating:
Summary: This Is A Great Read!
Review: I couldn't disagree more with the Publishers Weekly review. I found Odell's story of race, family and mid-century southern life engaging, fast-paced and moving. This is a remarkably literate first novel with an extraordinary sense of place, time and character. Dark humor permeates the story, and yet Odell never concedes to condescention or cynicism. His characters are archetypal without ever becoming stereotypical. Coming at a time when we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Brown v Board of Ed, and when the federal government has agreed to re-open the murder case of Emmett Till, this novel has an immediacy and relevance to the present. If you're looking for a refreshing change from the Hollywood-Action-Movie-Styled blood-and-violence potboilers that fill bookstore stacks this time of year, this is the novel to read.