Living to Tell: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: A good man is hard to find.....
Review: I've been a fan of Antonya Nelson's for about ten years. It's nosurprise to me she's earned the Flannery O'Connor and PEN/NelsonAlgren awards. Like O'Conner before her, Nelson writes stories filledwith the offbeat, dysfunctional, and neurotic (the DSM III made theterm neurotic passe, but what else is there? ). And, like O'Connor,Nelson has a finely tuned ear for dialogue, which she uses effectivelyto portray the psychological makeup of her characters.

I canunderstand why some people might find this book offputting. People whogrew up in relatively normal healthy homes where alcoholism and it'sattendent dysfunctional behavior weren't the norm might not believefolks like the Mabies exist. But, they do.

Scott Fitzgerald had analcohol problem and a wife Zelda some called zany and others calledcrazy. He wrote about "3:00 o'clock in the morning of thelong night of the soul." I think of him on those nights when Iwake up and the clock beside my bed says 2:46 a.m. I think about himwhen I stumble down the stairs past the night lights placed atcritical junctures between my bedroom and the kitchen. I think abouthim when I switch on the light and pick up a book to read.

Or,sometimes I think about Benjamin Franklin, who said if you can't sleepat night, get up, walk around and flap your arms a bit. Or maybe Ithink about my brother who has suffered from an alcohol and drugproblem ever since he dropped out as a flower child in the sixties. Or,maybe I think about other relatives and friends who've OD'd, died bytheir own hand, or been in bizarre accidents while under the influence.

From now on, I'll think about the Mabies--parents and children--upat four a.m., falling over each other in the kitchen. It's easy todescribe Emily, Mona, and Winston as young adults in various stages ofarrested growth. Through the course of the book, however, each of themmakes an effort to improve. All three Mabie children are doing the bestthey can.

I recommend this book to anyone who is in recovery,knows someone in recovery, or works with people who are trying to getsober. I read passages of the book to a friend who is in recovery andworks with alcoholics and drug addicts in recovery, and he howledwith laughter. Who knows, maybe you will too?

Rating:
Summary: You'll Be a Nelson Fan After Reading This Book!
Review: Long regarded in literary circles as one of America's finest writers, Antonya Nelson has yet to find a wider audience. I suspect LIVING TO TELL will change all this. Winston Mabie returns to his rambling childhood home in Wichita, Kansas after serving five years in prison for the drunk driving accident that killed his grandmother. Always charming and handsome, Winston has become the Mabie family's shame, the one they don't know what to do with, the "alcoholic" of the family even as his siblings, parents, and uncle seek their solace and comraderie through booze. As the Mabies adjust to Winston's return and the changes he represents, they begin to question the direction of their own lives. Nelson has populated her novel with quirky, complex, and decidedly real characters who struggle with their separate, often private dramas and who always return to the shifting terrain of those who have known them the longest. Her prose is clear and detailed, never sentimental or heavy-handed, and it carries this story forward with a surety that is remarkable. Especially if you enjoy Anne Tyler and Alice Hoffman (without the magic realism), you'll love this book.

Rating:
Summary: You'll Be a Nelson Fan After Reading This Book!
Review: Long regarded in literary circles as one of America's finest writers, Antonya Nelson has yet to find a wider audience. I suspect LIVING TO TELL will change all this. Winston Mabie returns to his rambling childhood home in Wichita, Kansas after serving five years in prison for the drunk driving accident that killed his grandmother. Always charming and handsome, Winston has become the Mabie family's shame, the one they don't know what to do with, the "alcoholic" of the family even as his siblings, parents, and uncle seek their solace and comraderie through booze. As the Mabies adjust to Winston's return and the changes he represents, they begin to question the direction of their own lives. Nelson has populated her novel with quirky, complex, and decidedly real characters who struggle with their separate, often private dramas and who always return to the shifting terrain of those who have known them the longest. Her prose is clear and detailed, never sentimental or heavy-handed, and it carries this story forward with a surety that is remarkable. Especially if you enjoy Anne Tyler and Alice Hoffman (without the magic realism), you'll love this book.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Family Story
Review: Nelson's "Living to Tell" held my interest from the first to the last word. Her characters are especially vivid and provocative, drawn with warmth and humor but never sugar-coated; their character flaws and bad decisions are faithfully rendered. Anne Tyler is my favorite author, and Nelson's Mabie family is very "Tyler-esque" which is the highest compliment I can bestow.

I will be aquiring Nelson's previous work post-haste!

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Family Story
Review: Nelson's "Living to Tell" held my interest from the first to the last word. Her characters are especially vivid and provocative, drawn with warmth and humor but never sugar-coated; their character flaws and bad decisions are faithfully rendered. Anne Tyler is my favorite author, and Nelson's Mabie family is very "Tyler-esque" which is the highest compliment I can bestow.

I will be aquiring Nelson's previous work post-haste!

Rating:
Summary: Choosing life
Review: This novel begins with a revelation: a young man has caused his grandmother's death in a drunk driving accident and is now returning home, after his incarceration, to a dysfunctional family that lives mostly under one roof, much like a benign patriarchy. The Mabies, Professor and Mrs., own a huge, rambling home large enough for all their grown children to reside comfortably, enabling each to pursue their interests, including romance, drugs and/or alcohol. It should be noted that the Mabies don't feel dysfunctional; their disagreements are few, and their ways familiar.

The divorced Emily inhabits the upstairs apartment with her two children. Mona lives in the main part of the house, having retreated to the safety of family after a suicide attempt over a broken relationship; the brother returning from jail adds to the curious mix. This family unit, along with assorted relatives and friends, work out their domestic complications with open-hearted kindness. When one of them becomes seriously ill, rather than destroying the family, they find a unity based on the value of everyday life.

I would like to see some of the more wordy passages shortened, but this author writes very believable dialog. Her characters, particularly the siblings, are defined by their loving natures and generosity towards eachother. As families go, this one is "functioning dysfunctional", able to avoid the more serious damage that usually affects this condition.

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