Rate this book

Under Magnolia: A Southern Memoir (2014)

by Frances Mayes(Favorite Author)

3.44 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0307885917 (ISBN13: 9780307885913)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Crown

review 1: I should have known that Under Magnolia would be incredible as soon as I saw who wrote it. Frances Mayes has a pretty incredible resumé. Ever heard of Under the Tuscan Sun? That's what I thought. Mayes has a beautiful vocabulary - one that makes you feel the sticky heat of the South, hear the dialect of her family's maid, taste her mother's homemade dessert, and smell the sweet magnolias that always seem to be present.Her dysfunctional family life is one that many readers can relate to, I think - much older sisters who want little to nothing to do with her, a father with anger problems and health problems, a mother who slips into depression and alcoholism after her husband passes, and grandparents who reign over all the chaos. Through all of it, though, they love each oth... moreer - and passionately.This memoir isn't like any other that I've read. It moves quickly, in snapshots. It keeps a pretty steady chronological order, for the most part, but don't be surprised when Mayes jumps to the future and then back to her childhood in a single paragraph. This makes sense, though, because it is largely based on memories, which seem to bounce around here and there.I especially loved this memoir because I am so in love with Southern culture. Currently, I am in a Southern literature class, so reading this was a great supplementary text to balance out the more "traditional" works. I left this book feeling like I had just had a conversation with a childhood friend. I felt fulfilled, but still wanting more.
review 2: Under Magnolia is terrific. I really loved Maye's story. It's no wonder she waited into her 70's to write this memoir. I am sure it took much reflection to be able to reconstruct such memories. There aren't many fiction novels that would have held my attention of a Southern family as this one did. I almost want to describe her family as tragic but I guess Mayes is the proof that it wasn't a tragedy after all. I think she was insightful about her father having stayed behind and therefore missing WWII. This really could have scarred him. Her mother seemed disappointed mostly. Disappointed they didn't have more money. Disappointed she was under thumb of her in-laws. Disappointed in Frances--generally. It is always surprising to me to hear of whole families using alcohol to deal with their lives. My only disappointment in the book was the tiny snippets she would throw out occasionally and not expand upon them: her parents not drinking on Sundays, the huge parties on Fridays for the mill workers are a couple off the top of my head. I thoroughly enjoyed her family saga--actually it was her story of perseverance. less

Download links for: Under Magnolia: A Southern Memoir

Advertising