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habeasopus's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
marianatole's review against another edition
2.0
Such a slog to get through!!!!! I love Eudora Welty’s short stories, but I didn’t enjoy this. The descriptions of characters personalities and motivations were so oblique and grandiose.
honeydewfelon's review against another edition
5.0
This book was pure delight to read (or listen to). Welty's lyrical prose comes to life in descriptions of the Delta, the trees and flowers, the food--oh, the food: Great Aunt Mashula's coconut cake with rosewater almond paste and fresh shaved coconut, cold fried chicken, and cheese straws, and pickled peaches. (Anne Romines has a fantastic article on "reading" and baking Welty's cakes, including Mashula's coconut.) Delta Wedding is a comedy--Welty wrote it with Austen's Pride & Prejudice in mind--but there are darker themes at play, deeper questions the story tugs at. Why do we cling to arbitrary traditions and class distinctions, and how does that play out? What does it mean to be a man? A wife? A mother?
Shelley's thoughts as she watches Troy assert dominance over a Black field hand, stood out to me as a surprisingly modern questioning of the role of masculinity: "Suppose, the behavior of all men were actually no more than this--imitation of other men. ... (Suppose her father imitated...oh, not he!) Then all men could not know any too well what they were doing. ... She felt again, but differently, that men were no better than little children. She ran across the grass toward the house. Women, she was glad to think, did know a little better--though everything they knew they would have to keep to themselves...oh forever!" (CN, 286) Interestingly, we only see into the minds of the women in this book. The narrative flows between little nine-year-old Laura, to Ellen, Shelley, Dabney, and Robbie and back. (And how well Welty is able to write children, as if her consciousness retained part of the wonder, confusion, and curiosity of childhood.)
I like Welty's longer stories and novels because she has room to sprawl out. Her language can stretch its legs, move in all directions. Delta Wedding will be a book that I return to.
Shelley's thoughts as she watches Troy assert dominance over a Black field hand, stood out to me as a surprisingly modern questioning of the role of masculinity: "Suppose, the behavior of all men were actually no more than this--imitation of other men. ... (Suppose her father imitated...oh, not he!) Then all men could not know any too well what they were doing. ... She felt again, but differently, that men were no better than little children. She ran across the grass toward the house. Women, she was glad to think, did know a little better--though everything they knew they would have to keep to themselves...oh forever!" (CN, 286) Interestingly, we only see into the minds of the women in this book. The narrative flows between little nine-year-old Laura, to Ellen, Shelley, Dabney, and Robbie and back. (And how well Welty is able to write children, as if her consciousness retained part of the wonder, confusion, and curiosity of childhood.)
I like Welty's longer stories and novels because she has room to sprawl out. Her language can stretch its legs, move in all directions. Delta Wedding will be a book that I return to.
tschmitty's review against another edition
3.0
"Delta Wedding" was a challenging but interesting read. Welty does get a bit too descriptive at times. The book has no plot so to speak, but once you get adjusted to her style of writing, the book gets easier to read. It gave a true picture of plantation life in the 1920's, and the eccentric family that occupies it.
colty_poore's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
quoththegirl's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of the most insidiously-inside-characters'-heads books I've ever read, if that makes sense. It's almost indecent, to know so much about a person. Her characters aren't characters, they're real people, and you get to know them the way you know a real person: by observing their actions and speech and their relationships with people.