The Kentucky Anthology: Two Hundred Years of Writing in the Bluegrass State

Book Description

For over two hundred years, Kentucky has inspired many of the nation's finest writers, both natives of the Bluegrass State and outsiders who were entranced by its rich natural wonders and culture. Now, for the first time, celebrated Kentucky literary historian Wade Hall has assembled a comprehensive collection of writings embodying the hopes, concerns, and aspirations that have made the state unique and yet so typically American.

Hunters, soldiers, adventurers, tourists, farmers, lawyers, preachers, educators, journalists, historians, playwrights, poets, and novelists offer readers an unparalleled literary tour of Kentucky. Early descriptive and political writings by such figures as George Rogers Clark, John James Audubon, and Henry Clay give way to the flourishing body of poetry and fiction by such authors as John Fox Jr., Irvin S. Cobb, James Lane Allen, Elizabeth Madox Roberts, and Robert Penn Warren.

The concerns of contemporary nationally known Kentucky writers Bobbie Ann Mason, Silas House, Sena Jeter Naslund, Sue Grafton, Frank X Walker, Barbara Kingsolver, and Maurice Manning center on the struggle to reconcile the place they call home with an increasingly global community.

The Kentucky Anthology is the ultimate celebration of the state's literary heritage, which Wendell Berry once described as "local life aware of itself."

Customer Reviews:

Thankful for what's here. But I have to point out what isn't. .......2005-11-24

As I type this, it is the day before Thanksgiving. Among the many things for which I am truly thankful is this new anthology of Kentucky authors and excerpts related to this Commonwealth over the last 200 years.

The excerpts are arranged by historical eras, and the emphasis has been on a sample offering, not a ranking or "best of" volume, which would have been edited differently no doubt. While most authors here will be new discoveries for general mainstream readers, there are some national names here that most Americans will probably recognize.

The works of Robert Penn Warren and Wendell Berry will always be national treasures, and a new movie of Warren's ALL THE KING'S MEN will soon be released, no doubt prompting many to take up the novel, to experience it for themselves. Wendell Berry has a new book of essays out this month (he is pro-agrarian, pro-peace, pro-local autonomy), and perhaps those relishing the included samples in here will turn to that splendid volume next.

This is a weighty tome, 879 pages, but it opens easily with print that is easy on the eyes. The dustjacket design is from Wade Hall's quilt collection, a splendid choice, and while it has a good share of Kentucky blue, several other colors weave into this quilt. So too, the writing inside represents the different regions of Kentucky, different eras, different worldviews, different ethnic groups.

The one section of Kentucky that I feel is greatly under-represented is the limestone bluegrass, the Kentucky hardboots. Horses have long been one of the attractions of the state, with Kentucky Horse Park, Churchill Downs, Keeneland, a large number of horse farms, etc., and there is a wealth of quality Kentucky horseracing literature unaccountably not represented in this volume.

Where is Kent Hollingsworth, lawyer, wit, longtime editor of THE BLOOD-HORSE, author of THE ARCHJOCKEY OF CANTERBURY? Where is Mike Berry, the funny editor of the IRISH AMERICAN and longtime horseracing writer? How about Earl Ruby (author of THE GOLDEN GOOSE) or Jim Squires (author of HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR, one of the best Kentucky horseracing titles of recent years, full of humor and grace)? I could name a dozen other Kentucky authors of equine-related works, worthy but missing.

Not that contemporary authors are left out. Sue Grafton is in here (although her father, Kentucky lawyer and novelist C. W. Grafton is not mentioned). I was glad to see many of my other favorites here: Chris Offutt (an heir of the Warren/Berry tradition), poet Frederick Smock, Ed McClanahan, Guy Davenport, Bobbie Ann Mason, and many others. Among the missing favorites were Terry Bisson (author of the Nebula and Hugo Award winner, BEARS DISCOVER FIRE, a Kentuckian writing about Kentucky), Anne Shelby, historical author Ted Franklin Belue, longtime comic columnist and author Richard Des Ruisseaux, and many other good ones.

Well, I guess everyone could not possibly be included. Again, I'm thankful for what we do have here. At the tag end of the anthology, an appendix of author biographical sketches is provided along with a helpful bibliography and an index. Wade Hall, who prefaces and introduces his selections, has done a tremendous job with this. He dedicates the volume to the late Dr. Thomas Clark, a monument to the man and to the literary history of the land.

Amazon.com

Oprah Book Club® Selection, September 1999: Against all odds, two newlyweds manage to buy the house of their dreams. In 1982, property speculation is beginning to be a big, big thing in Dublin--and their street is very much in an up-and-coming part of town. "They laughed and hugged each other. Danny Lynch from the broken-down cottage in the back of beyond and Ria Johnson from the corner house in the big, shabby estate were not only living like gentry in a big Tara Road mansion, they were actually debating what style of dining table to buy." But for its various inhabitants, the street is to become a boulevard of dreams--some broken, others created anew. Maeve Binchy has long proved herself a secure hand at multiple story lines, and over the course of 500 satisfying pages she focuses on Ria; her best friend, Rosemary Ryan, a beautiful, endlessly selfish career woman; Gertie, the battered wife of a drunkard; and several other intriguing women, each of whom has secrets not to be shared. There is even an all-knowing fortune teller who early on hints that Ria will travel and start a successful business--two things she knows are definitely not in the offing.

Yet after our supposedly happy housewife and mother of two is confronted by some inexorable home truths, a chance phone call from America will change her life, forcing her to discard her illusions about men, women, and marriage and start all over again. At the same time, the Connecticut caller, Marilyn Vine, has her own lessons to learn when she and Ria swap houses for the summer. Yet there's nothing remotely preachy about this novel--even the bad guys (and yes, they're usually guys) and beautiful mistresses get to maintain some appeal. Instead, Tara Road is a stirring look at the reality behind our consuming fantasies, and a page-turner to boot. --Siobhan Carson

Book Description

A Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club

New York Times bestselling author Maeve Binchy has captured the hearts of millions with her unforgettable novels. Binchy's graceful storytelling and wise compassion have earned her the devotion of fans worldwide--and made her one of the most beloved authors of our time. Now she dazzles us once again with a new novel filled with her signature warmth, humor, and tender insight. A provocative tale of family heartbreak, friendship, and revelation, Tara Road explores every woman's fantasy: escape, into another place, another life. "What if..." Binchy asks, and answers in her most astonishing novel to date.

Customer Reviews:

Tara Road.......2007-07-18

This book had a thread of commonness throughout the theme and was quite predictable. It was a fast read and is one to read if you just want to read and not think deeply.

Escape from Realty.......2007-07-03

I struggled with the first 200 pages of Ms. Binchy's story of life in Dublin and Connecticut, which seemed more like an extended article on real estate and interior decorating in Ireland than a novel. Just in time, some serious husbandly philandering puts Irish protagonist Ria in Connecticut and her Connecticut counterpart Marilyn in Dublin, as the two women trade houses for a summer.

At this time, the intrigue among the characters improves, and we get a look at the comparative cultures (at least in Binchy's eyes) of Ireland and New England, both of which heighten my interest in the story. At the same time, Binchy makes the point that while some demons of human nature are universal, each person must discover and deal with them in their own way, even to the point of pretending they don't exist.

In summary, "Tara Road" was much more than the boilerplate romantic novel I expected when I picked it up for my wife; an easy and eventually enjoyable read that I'd recommend to readers seeking an engaging story without encountering a serious literary challenge.

Disappointed.......2007-06-04

I so enjoyed bits and pieces of this book. There was a lot of honesty about people's lives, how others let you down, how we rewrite our own histories sometimes. But overall it was vapid, detached, irregular, and depressing. You never felt part of their lives. It was extremely frustrating to me to have to read through in detail 280 pages to get to the point where you know on page 3 the story is going anyway. Ridiculous. But what blew my mind the most and let me down was the lack of closure. There simply was no feel-good ending, no happiness at the end. Just loss and a feeling of waste. No rejuvenation was I felt the story needed.

Pleasantly surprised.......2007-05-22

I read Circle of Friends, another of Binchy's books, in high school and I was a little disappointed; the story seemed to get a little lost around the many number of characters. So, I didn't read anything else of Binchy's. But, recently, I read the back cover of Tara Road and was persuaded to purchase it. I am so glad I did.

Tara Road is a wonderfully easy read and it is honest with its readers about the way love and life sometimes happens - falling in love, falling out of love, betrayal of friends and of lovers, death, anger...You are truly rooting for Ria, Tara Road's heroine, to find something that makes her happy, something that makes her definable as Ria, not wife (or ex-wife) of Danny Lynch or mother to Annie and Brian.

Because of my great respect and admiration for Tara Road, I will definately reread Circle of Friends and other works by Binchy. If you have never read anything by Binchy, I recommend that you start with Tara Road. Such a lovely story with a lot of heart and a very strong dose of reality.

A Masterpiece.......2007-05-13

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It's an interesting idea- but not just cheesy and half baked.
The book is a powerful love story, unpredictable, and breath-taking.

I read a lot of books that I love, but this book- the characters stick inside my head. There are a lot of characters in this book, all baked tenderly into a story that is painful, and believable, and shocking. Binchy ties the story together perfectly, and develops the characters (and so many) so well. Each character has a struggle to overcome, all very different struggles.
Many books with this much happening, get confusing, tiring, but this book remains delicous. I could not put this books down, and still will not forget the wonderful story of love, loss, growth, gain, and struggle for a long time.
Tara Road is a beautiful street in my mind that I feel like I have walked down. I've been to Ireland through Binchy's eyes and eaten from a garden on Tara Road.

Average customer rating:

good overview with complex characters
For GWTN Collectors Only
Tops--or bottoms--"The Tara Treasury"
Burning The "Bridges"...

On the Road to Tara
Aljean Harmetz
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Direction & Production | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Genre Films | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0810936844

Customer Reviews:

good overview with complex characters.......2003-12-23

Overall, ON THE ROAD TO TARA gives dozens of wonderful anecdotes about the making of the epic film GONE WITH THE WIND, using Selznick as the focal point. The real life characters seem much larger than life here, and not the one's you'd expect. Issues of that time resonate in our own, including racism, Hollywood's role in shaping national morality, ageism, drug addiction, homophobia and meglomania.

Unfortunately, David Selznick is a very unsympathetic character. He's troubled, undisciplined, unwittingly cruel, irrational-and those are his endearing qualities! Though the author takes pains to show that Selznick was always apologetic after he flew off the handle, there is no soft side to warm this character up a bit. He is reminiscent of Charles Foster Kane but with no love interest but a wife who stays completely out of sight.

Vivien Leigh is just as complex, living a life filled with scandals-she was living out of wedlock with Laurence Olivier, which had to be kept a complete secret from press and public. She was British, and many thought it a crime that a non-Southerner, let alone a non-American play Scarlett. But her determination closely mirrors Scarlett O'Hara's in single-mindedly getting just what she wanted. Over all, a good overview of the making of a classic.

For GWTN Collectors Only.......2002-12-30

This book is seriously lacking. The pictures are not great and the text is uninteresting. There is nothing here that you haven't seen before.

Tops--or bottoms--"The Tara Treasury".......2000-02-12

Surprisingly, considering Harmetz's previous books, this volume is, without a doubt, the WORST book ever written on "Gone With the Wind." The text is riddled with mistakes, and many of the illustrations are mislabeled. Thank goodness, the book apparently has been a huge failure in the sales department, so there should be NO trade paperback edition. May it soon be "gone with the wind" ...

Burning The "Bridges"..........2000-01-02

Finally, a new and interesting book on the film Gone With The Wind! For years a certain Gone With The Wind "Authority" has published book after book containing the same fuzzy and out-of-focus photographs...many mislabeled !

Furthermore, Aljean Harmetz provides the reader with FRESH & NEW information...and does not, as other's have done, plow the same old field of familiar"facts" regarding this film .

Book Description

Road Rage provides a detailed and integrative summary of the existing literature on aggressive driving as well as detailed assessment information on the aggressive drivers from a variety of perspectives?standardized psychological tests, psychiatric diagnoses, and psychophysiological measurement, among others.

Average customer rating:

Margaret deserves better!!
Margaret Mitcell's life surprised me
If you love Gone With the Wind, you have to read this!

Road to Tara
Anne Edwards
Manufacturer: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Southern Daughter: The Life of Margaret Mitchell

ASIN: 0340323485

Customer Reviews:

Margaret deserves better!!.......1999-10-09

This book reveals a great deal of information that relates Margaret Mitchell, the woman, to "Gone With the Wind", the book. Sadly, this could have been a wonderful book but the author's lack of sympathy with the subject is a noticable. The author's disrespect for a courageous and talented woman only made me think less of the author and more of Peggy Marsh. Perhaps if there had been a better editor......

Margaret Mitcell's life surprised me.......1999-08-30

I had an image of Margaret Mitcell as a very cool person. But reading this book, I was greatly surprised to find that she was an alcoholic,a flirt(as stated explicitly in the book) and had two marriages and seemed to be very non-traditional. She reformed herself after becoming famous with GWTW, but she couldn't cope up with the recognition and the crowd always surrounding her. I admire her second husband for inspiring her to write a novel which she had no idea of publishing since she always felt she was only an amateur because of not having completed her study in the university. Yes, she is a complex character and it seems that she was always in two minds. Gone With The Wind is the novel which I have liked the most.

If you love Gone With the Wind, you have to read this!.......1999-03-04

Much of Gone With the Wind was taken from Margaret Mitchell's own life experiences.

Average customer rating:

Not much romance in this romance novel
I cannot recommend this book.
Not as good as they say....
She leaves to find her son...and finds herself.
An emotionally complex and powerful novel.

Where The Road Ends
Tara Taylor Quinn
Manufacturer: Mira Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1551667061

Customer Reviews:

Not much romance in this romance novel.......2006-12-24

From the back cover:

There are some things only a mother can feel...there are some things only a mother can do...

At one time, Amy Wainscoat had it all--wealth, control of her family's Chicago business, a handsome and loving husband, a child she adored. But her husband was killed in a boating accident a year ago. And now, most devastating of all, five-year-old Charles has been kidnapped, apparently by the nanny she'd recently fired.

Despite the involvement of the police and the FBI, despite the fact that she's hired one of the best private investigators around, Amy's determined to be part of the search.

When Charles and his ex-nanny are spotted in Michigan, Amy drives across the state, following every conceivable lead, following each road to its end. As she and her detective grow close, their shared quest engenders an intimacy that's more real than anything except her love for Charles.

Then, one day, the search is over. And what they find shocks Amy as nothing has ever shocked her before.

And my review:

I'm afraid I've yet to read a book by this author that was worth keeping. I just don't find that I can connect with her characters, and the stories never seem to touch my emotions.

And I don't think that this book should be labeled as a romance novel. It's a contemporary fiction novel, with a flimsy love story tacked on, possibly to boost sales. This book is more about a bunch of other themes (family, obsession, overcoming loss, a woman's search for her abducted son) than it is about romance. The reader has to wait FOREVER to meet the hero, and his character is so poorly drawn he might as well not be there. I never got any kind of idea what kind of a person he was, or what made him tick. He was just there, taking up space. There was zero chemistry between him and the heroine.

When I read romance, I want to read about the struggles of a developing relationship. Everything else should be secondary. This means I shouldn't have to wait for much of the book to be over before the hero is even introduced. And I need to know who the hero really is, in order to believe that the heroine should fall in love with him. That just didn't happen here.

Once I've worked through the last couple of this author's books on my to-be-read shelf, I won't be buying any more. I'm afraid I can't recommend this. Buy it only if you're already a fan of the author; otherwise, save your money for something better.

I cannot recommend this book........2004-05-05

This book was very disappointing. All characters were wishy-washy and uninteresting. This story could have been told in a novel half the size. It was drawn out with meaningless dialogue. I've never seen a hero and heroine with less chemistry than the two in this book.

What exactly was the point of the heroine having sex with a man who contributed nothing to the story line? He and his son came in and out of the story without a purpose. If there was a purpose then Ms. Taylor Quinn failed to deliver it.

Ms. Taylor Quinn should stick to writing for Harlequin Superromance. This book was truly her worst work.

Not as good as they say...........2004-04-04

I was quite disappointed with this book and do not agree with the previous 5 star reviews.
This is my first Tara Taylor Quinn and I'm not eager to read another. Where The Road Ends is the story of a rich CEO Mom, who's only son is kidnapped. I found the first half to be long, drawn-out, boring and repetitive. Every town Amy went to sounded like the last one and they continued for at least 100 pages. Then, suddenly, about halfway through, the action picked up. I really only finished the book to see what would happen. In other words, the action and plot drove me, not the characters.
You may find this weird, but I can usually tell how much depth and character development there's going to be judging by the size of the print in a paperback. No, I'm serious! When the print is small and the pages packed, I know there's going to be good detail, great story and rich characters. I opened Quinn's book and I saw wide margins and lots of dialogue. Uh-oh, I thought. This may not be so good. And it wasn't. So many characters were made of cardboard, or so it seemed.
The character of Amy was decently done, in that she was a focused ( Ok, obsessed) guilt-ridden Mom, determined to get back her cute 5 year old son, who she feels she neglected. She runs herself into the ground looking for him but never gives up. I liked her and admired her.
But I had problems with many of the other characters, especially Brad. Who was he? We hardly found out a thing about him. He also seemed very cold and distant, and only a bit warmer than that to Amy. And he was supposed to be the Love Interest! Then her friendship with Kristen was soooo warm and cuddly, that I started to wonder if this was going to veer off into a girl-girl relationship. But no. It was just a Best Girlfriends scenario. And then this weird diversion with Josh and Danny - what a great couple of guys!! But they came out of nowhere and disappeared just as quickly. Were they added strictly as a device for Amy to understand she still wanted to be part of a family?
Anyway - I found this novel to be slow, disjointed and certainly not romantic. Too bad - it had potential and could have been really good.

She leaves to find her son...and finds herself........2003-11-28

Amelia Wainscoat's son is missing. It's every mother's worst nightmare. She tosses her old life aside and sets out to find him. On her journey, she finds out things about herself...things she never imagined. In the end, her journey teaches her about what's really important.

A page-turning story that will make every mother's heart turn cold.

An emotionally complex and powerful novel........2003-08-05

Amelia Waingate had it all, an upstanding husband, an inherited fortune, and a darling little boy, Charles. Her non stop career kept her so busy that she needed a nanny to care for her son, and though she loved Charles, was able to spend little time with him. How she regrets that when, a year after she is widowed, the nanny, who she has decided is becoming too close to Charles, kidnaps the boy.

Thus begins her odyssey to find her son again. The process will cost her all stability, her identity, and at one point, possibly her life. Amelia reinvents herself as Amy Wayne, a wandering young woman, desperately seeking any clue about a boy and his "mother." Her only supporter for a long time is the detective hired to help her. Brad grows to admire and love the woman who he protects, as much as she will let him.

Amy lets only a few people become close to her. Once, she thinks she has found the two she is looking for, only to find that the nanny is dead, her son gone. Just when it looks like she will have to give up and start her life over again, alone, hope is reborn. With the renewed hope, the danger she is in heightens. In a surprising and shocking end, Amy has one shot at achieving her dream, one that will break her heart.

With this emotionally complex and powerful novel, Ms. Quinn achieves the greatness that her past series work has hinted that she possesses. Moving and deep, this book has much to say about priorities and love. It is the type of book I almost hate to review for two reasons. First, I want to tell you all about it, but that would spoil the book for you, and second, the next few books I read will pale in comparison. Look for a great future for this author. Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

Average customer rating:
Tara Road
Maeve Bincy
Manufacturer: Delacorte
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HL5B42

Average customer rating:

From Back Cover

Interesting and Informative

Road to Tara
Anne Edwards
Manufacturer: Dell Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0440174651

Customer Reviews:

From Back Cover.......2006-06-05

The rebellious daughter of an Atlanta lawyer and his suffragette wife... a Jazz Age beauty with a genius for shocking society, Margaret Mitchell was at once emancipated woman and true Southern belle. She wrote only one novel - Gone with the Wind - the manuscript she believed would never be published.

Now critically acclaimed biographer Anne Edwards takes us into the very private world of Margaret Mitchell, a woman first seduced, then abandoned by fame... a woman whose novel made publishing history and has remained a phenomenon, continuing to fascinate fans, readers, and moviegoers for more than four decades.

Interesting and Informative.......2001-05-02

This Margaret Mitchell biography is very good. Ms. Edwards knows her subject and manages to supply the reader with interesting details, both on Margaret Mitchell herself and on the writing of her only novel as well as the making of the film and Ms. Mitchell's involvement in that project.

The book is easily read and written in a very entertaining and descriptive style, making the reader feel as if he or she were really there.

Book Description

Just in time for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, here is a double biography of the two young women at the center of the hottest rivalry to shake the ice-skating world since Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. It all began last year when 14-year-old Tara Lipinski unseated then-champion Michelle Kwan, first at the U.S. Championships and then, a month later, at the World Championships. With eight pages of full-color photographs, this timely, behind-the-scenes book highlights both girls' hard work, fierce dedication, and good sportsmanship as it sets the scene for the battle for the gold medal in Nagano--and in the hearts and minds of readers around the world.

Customer Reviews:

I'm an ice skater and I am really inspired by the book........1998-04-13

I ice skate too. I have been ice skating since I was 8 or 9 years old, and believe me I know what it feels like to be at the rink 4 days a week!! This book has really inspired me to keep up my goals for ice skating.

Great book! About 2 of the best skaters ever!.......1998-03-17

I am a normal 12 year old girl,so I think that this is a great book that shows what the the life of a young famous skater is really like.

Shows rewards when one overcomes challenges........1997-12-24

If you ever think about giving up before you achieve your goal, then you should read this because this book shows value of keeping at it, despite many hardships and difficulties one encounters. Both of these young girls can be real inspirations for others, and not necessarily girls. Do read this book!

AWESOME.......1997-10-18

The book was very good. I am a girl the age of 12, and I have a normal life. This book showed me what the life of a skater is like. Different! Every girl my age should read this book beofre the winter olympics to see what Tara and Michelle went through. Write a review telling me what you think!

The Road to Disillusion: From Critical Marxism to Post-Communism in Eastern Europe

Average customer rating:

The Road to Disillusion: From Critical Marxism to Post-Communism in Eastern Europe

Manufacturer: M E Sharpe Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

20th Century | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Lobbying | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0873327918

4 Book Set By Maeve Binchy; Quentins; Scarlet Feather; Tara Road; Circle of Friends

Average customer rating:

4 Book Set By Maeve Binchy; Quentins; Scarlet Feather; Tara Road; Circle of Friends
Maeve Binchy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WHVMAI

Product Description

4 Book Set By Maeve Binchy; Quentins; Scarlet Feather; Tara Road; Circle of Friends.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books