mjmettle's review against another edition
2.0
This is a novel about white sharecroppers during the Depression. I read it because Erskine Caldwell was involved in another famous project I read called "You Have Seen Their Faces," a collection of prose and photos (in collusion with the photographer Margaret Bourke-White) of sharecroppers in the South.
This story may be a good portrayal of poverty, of the wish to escape poverty through miraculous means (digging for gold in the back yard), and of the sexual politics of the times. But the story is over the top. I simply didn't believe it. I think non-fiction accounts of sharecroppers' lives, such as James Agee's Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, are more worthwhile.
This story may be a good portrayal of poverty, of the wish to escape poverty through miraculous means (digging for gold in the back yard), and of the sexual politics of the times. But the story is over the top. I simply didn't believe it. I think non-fiction accounts of sharecroppers' lives, such as James Agee's Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, are more worthwhile.
ireadslow's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bundy23's review against another edition
4.0
The first half is a hilarious comedy about half-wits and then it becomes very dark, very quickly... They're still a bunch of half-wits though. I think I preferred the comedy.
sparksinthevoid's review against another edition
liked this quite surprisingly, dragged a bit in the middle but the last paragraph was very nice
book 5 for my american south module
book 5 for my american south module
sjchaima's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
eilyk97's review against another edition
1.0
Subtitled: In Which the Author Inserts Himself into a Fictional Work So He Can Live Out His Kinky, Misogynistic Fantasies At the Expense of Women Everywhere
0/5 stars, would never recommend
0/5 stars, would never recommend
appletonkelli's review against another edition
1.0
My favourite part of this book is the very last sentence. I don't remember what the sentence was about, I was too busy celebrating that id come to the end of this soap opera of a novel to notice the content.
Honestly, this is the worst book I've read in a long time. In fact I can't remember reading a book to the end that was as disgusting as this one. There was not one likeable character in the entire book. There was no plot or subplot that did not disgust me. Just a thoroughly wretched reading experience.
Honestly, this is the worst book I've read in a long time. In fact I can't remember reading a book to the end that was as disgusting as this one. There was not one likeable character in the entire book. There was no plot or subplot that did not disgust me. Just a thoroughly wretched reading experience.
loris's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. I read some reviews who do not like the way sexual relationships are portrayed in this book, but there is the underlying concept (voiced in the novel) that humans have animal instincts but are expected to behave better. I think it is hilarious that Ty Ty keeps moving his acre, but seems to truly believe setting that acre aside is a form of tribute. The characters in the book are living in the moment throughout.
lgcullens's review against another edition
It must have been in the 1960s that I read this book, but I don't remember it very well. I recall the movie (even Robert Ryan in the starring role) more clearly, which makes my memory of the book less reliable. I seem to remember enjoying the book.