Particularize Books During I Am One of You Forever
| Original Title: | I Am One of You Forever: A Novel |
| ISBN: | 0807114103 (ISBN13: 9780807114100) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Fred Chappell
Paperback | Pages: 184 pages Rating: 4.1 | 1248 Users | 126 Reviews
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Wonderfully funny and also deeply touching, I Am One of You Forever is the story of a young boy's coming of age. Set in the hills and hollows of western North Carolina in the years around World War II, it tells of ten-year-old Jess and his family -- father, mother, grandmother, foster brother, and an odd assortment of other relatives -- who usher Jess into the adult world, with all its attendant joys and sorrows, knowledge and mystery.Jess's father is feisty, restless, and fun-loving. His mother is straitlaced and serious but accepts with grace and good humor the antics of the men of the family, a trait she learned from her own mother. Johnson Gibbs is the orphaned teenager who comes to live with them on their mountain farm. Life on the laurel-covered mountain is isolated and at times difficult, but for Jess it is made rich and remarkable through his relationship with his father and, especially, Johnson Gibbs.
Visiting the farm from time to time is a gallery of eccentric relatives who are surely among the most memorable creations in recent fiction. Uncle Luden is a womanizer who left the mountains years ago for a job in California that "paid actual cash money." Uncle Gurton has a spooky way of appearing and disappearing without ever seeming to enter or exit, but it is his flowing beard, which he has apparently never trimmed and which he keeps tucked inside his overalls, that is of most fascination to Jess.
Uncle Zeno is a storyteller. With the words "That puts me in mind of..." everyone around knows that he is about to launch into another of his endless tales. Uncle Runkin, who always brings his handmade coffin to sleep in whenever he visits, spends his time carving intricate designs into the coffin and trying to find just the right epitaph for his tombstone. Aunt Samantha Barefoot stops by for a brief spell, too. A country singer and cousin to Jess's grandmother, she is a woman of uncensored speech (Jess learns a lot from her) and honest emotions. Chappell tells the story of all of these characters in a series of chapters that range from fantasy and near farce to pathos. As notable for its lyrical descriptions of the rural settings as for its finely honed vernacular dialogue, I Am One of You Forever shows us a world full of wit and wisdom and the sadness at the heart of things. As one would expect from a poet like Fred Chappell, every line offers its own pleasures and satisfactions.
Describe Epithetical Books I Am One of You Forever
| Title | : | I Am One of You Forever |
| Author | : | Fred Chappell |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 184 pages |
| Published | : | July 1st 1987 by Louisiana State University Press (first published 1985) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. American. Southern. Magical Realism. Historical. Historical Fiction |
Rating Epithetical Books I Am One of You Forever
Ratings: 4.1 From 1248 Users | 126 ReviewsDiscuss Epithetical Books I Am One of You Forever
How do I explain a book like, "I Am One of You Forever"? It was deeply satisfying - the luminous prose, the tying up of loose ends...just tight enough...the mix of strange and commonplace. There are few books that cause me to make audible sounds when I read them (unless I'm reading aloud of course). This book made me laugh outloud as well as gasp at the pure genius of how Chappell strings words together. His writing is filled with unique similes and metaphors, creating clear pictures for myThis has been in and out of my "to read" pile for close to 15 years. I am so glad it made it to the top of pile when I needed lots of laughs. Another title might be "Men (and the Boys Who Love Them) Behaving Badly in a Kinder, Gentler Time." Pick this one up when you need to be reminded of one universal truth--families, whether they have all the advantages or not, are only as strong as the love, patience, and acceptance they give each other.
This was enjoyable, albeit a bit self-conscious as a novel of the Storytelling in the American South. Still, Chappells often poetic language is enjoyable, and the occasional drifts into the supernatural are often quite effective.
Fred Chappell tells a tale of a young boy living in a mountain town of North Carolina around the time of World War II. Jess is no older than a third grader, and as most young boys do, he admires his farmer dad and the family hand, Johnson Gibbs, a young man who was pseudo-adopted by the family via employment as a helper on the farm. Johnson and dad are mischievous, and Jess yearns to partake in the mischief, though oftentimes, he is a mere bystander or the object of the tricks. In this novel,
It has been a while since reading but remember just loving every part of this book.
My all-time favorite book. It is a masterpiece of Appalachian story-telling, seamlessly blending the fantastic with harsher realities. I have never wanted so much to read a book aloud, as it needs a mountain twang to be heard properly. Amazing imagery, vivid characters (real people? who can say?). A book with great heart.
"The bright happy days darted past us like minnows."Jess Kirkman, is a ten year old boy, growing up on a "scratch-ankle mountain farm", in western North Carolina. It is the early years of World War II. He lives with his parents, grandmother and an, older foster brother, he idolizes. Revolving through this wonderful coming of age novel, are a cast of visiting uncles and aunts, each more colorful and eccentric than the next, keeping Jess wide-eyed and awestruck.The prose is gorgeous; poetic,
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