A review by leighnonymous
The Store by Thomas S. Stribling
4.0
As the cover suggests, this truly is a stirring novel. I expected a dull, tedious story about The Old South and a lot of mean-spirited whippings. Instead, I found myself engrossed in this tale that, although would never be published today, fascinated me with its characters and plot.
Colonel Miltiades Vaiden puzzled me. Should I hate him because he thought black people (referred to by a different name in this) were inferior and that he still felt a sense of ownership of them? Or should I love him because he was the only one in the book who would help them in any way and always be honest with them, giving them the full pound they paid for instead of cheating them?
His wife, Ponny, was amazingly referred to as "fat" in every single mention. She spoke "flabbily" and her girth was basically the character. I cringed at the scene where she moaned for Milt to fix her a baked potato because she was hungry. The drama.
I admired Gracie in so many ways - honest, kind, understanding, and non-judgmental. Stribling frequently referred to her as "the quadroon" and to her son, Toussaint, as "the octaroon" or "the white [n-word]." Like I wrote, this would never be published today.
Lucy reminded me of Sofia from The Color Purple, full of spunk and ready to make a stand.
Milt's pride certainly got in the way of his plans, though. His sense of entitlement, I thought, would be his downfall.
The ending came suddenly and swiftly and left my heart fallen. Literally, it was the last five pages of the book; do not expect a resolution beyond sorrow and anger.
I recommend this book because it gives what I consider to be probably an accurate portrayal of life in Alabama in the time immediately after the Civil War, when ownership mentality was still there but freedom was in the books. It must have been difficult for people to adjust their perspectives -- one month you own another human being, the next they own themselves.
Strange book but worth the read and worth the Pulitzer for '33 because of its honest portrayal of American life during Reconstruction.
Colonel Miltiades Vaiden puzzled me. Should I hate him because he thought black people (referred to by a different name in this) were inferior and that he still felt a sense of ownership of them? Or should I love him because he was the only one in the book who would help them in any way and always be honest with them, giving them the full pound they paid for instead of cheating them?
His wife, Ponny, was amazingly referred to as "fat" in every single mention. She spoke "flabbily" and her girth was basically the character. I cringed at the scene where she moaned for Milt to fix her a baked potato because she was hungry. The drama.
I admired Gracie in so many ways - honest, kind, understanding, and non-judgmental. Stribling frequently referred to her as "the quadroon" and to her son, Toussaint, as "the octaroon" or "the white [n-word]." Like I wrote, this would never be published today.
Lucy reminded me of Sofia from The Color Purple, full of spunk and ready to make a stand.
Milt's pride certainly got in the way of his plans, though. His sense of entitlement, I thought, would be his downfall.
The ending came suddenly and swiftly and left my heart fallen. Literally, it was the last five pages of the book; do not expect a resolution beyond sorrow and anger.
I recommend this book because it gives what I consider to be probably an accurate portrayal of life in Alabama in the time immediately after the Civil War, when ownership mentality was still there but freedom was in the books. It must have been difficult for people to adjust their perspectives -- one month you own another human being, the next they own themselves.
Strange book but worth the read and worth the Pulitzer for '33 because of its honest portrayal of American life during Reconstruction.