Review of This One and Magic Life

This One and Magic Life by Anne C. George
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the story of a not necessarily typical Southern family. Possibly one of the best examples of Southern Lit I've come across in a long time. Ms. George creates an ensemble of memorable characters. Sarah and Thomas, the first generation of Sullivans in Harlowe, Alabama. Artie, Donnie, and Hektor, their children, who share a horrible secret. Mariel, Donnie's wife, who feels that Artie "stole" her daughter, Dolly. The story opens with the last moments of Artie's life and unfolds after her death. Emotions are stirred when the lawyer reveals Artie's last request. She wants to be cremated. Her family divides on the subject, as they are Catholic. Each of the second generation deal with Artie's death through their own lens. Donnie honors her last request and has her cremated in Birmingham. Mariel fakes the funeral with a closed casket. Hektor has his own private funeral with some of Artie's ashes and a questionable priest he drags out of the swamps of Mississippi.

As with most families, there are triumphs, tragedies, misunderstandings, and varying degrees of dysfunction. Through flashbacks and dialogue, Ms. George reveals slowly and precisely the events and relationships that create dysfunction in this family. The roots of jealousy and misunderstanding which began with Sarah and Thomas are revealed as each character examines their relationship with the deceased. Perhaps, the character that grows the most throughout the experience is the sister-in-law, Mariel, as she redefines and rebuilds her relationship with her daughter.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves Southern Literature.

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Live Without Apology

Living is vital

beyond breathing

surviving

struggling

coping

Live

the small things

large things

in-between things

Happiness is fleeting

Joy

fundamental

essential

transcendental

Relish

sweet things

hard things

mundane things

Live

the moment

not forgetting the past

looking to the future

without apology

Read more One Single Impression at

http://onesingleimpression.blogspot.com/

The Light

Photo by Talon


dark

without light there is no dark

without dark there is no light

one defines the other

yet one rules the other

penetrating the night

piercing the darkness

dark, the absence of light

light, the blending of color

to subdue the light

is to cover it or destroy it or

hide it or turn it off

dark is vulnerable to the light

light abuses the dark

pushing its tentative, reaching fingers

into the corners and dark spaces

and far reaches and hiding places

dark cannot abide in the presence of

light

Read more Theme Thursday at

http://www.theme-thursday.com/

Read more Imaginary Gardens with Read Toads
at http://withrealtoads.blogspot.com/

Friday Yum Yum - Jambalaya

In honor of my Daddy, who loved all things Southern. This recipe comes from the heart of Bayou country.

2 lb boned Chicken                       
salt and pepper
3 T cooking oil
2 C celery
2 C green onions
1 C chopped green peppers
1 C uncooked rice
2 C boiling chicken broth
1 t salt
1/2 t garlic salt
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t red pepper
1 lb hot ground sausage (optional)

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown in cooking oil in Dutch oven. Remove chicken and pour off all but 2 T of oil. Add celery, onions, and peppers. Saute until tender. Stir in rice, broth, and seasonings. Return chicken to pan. Cover and bake at 375 degrees (F) for 30 minutes or until rice is done. Fluff with fork. Browned hot sausage may be added now. May substitute 1 1/2 lb beef or pork for chicken. Serves 6.

To Tweet or Not To Tweet

My life changed for the better last week. I signed with Still Moments Publishing. If you're a writer in today's techno-savvy world, you know that promotion is the name of the game. After I finished doing a happy dance, I had to get serious about my internet presence.


I started this blog months ago, actually years ago. I've deleted the original and reinvented it and tweaked and twisted the thing until it resembles the loveliness that is now Suspense, She Writes.

But my next challenge was defeating the dreaded Twitter. I'd heard about the popular social networking feed with its constant twitting and tweeting. I'd read about how celebrities reveal every detail of their sordid little lives on a series of tweets. But was this for me? My daughter experimented with the site until she posted a picture of her cutely painted toenails and got hit on by a guy with a toe fetish in Venezuela. She was so freaked out, she promptly deleted her Twitter.


So here I was... to tweet or not to tweet. So I tweeted. That's when things got really interesting. Because a tweet is limited to 140 characters, there's a lot of abbreviating going on in cyberspace. I had to catch on to the lingo and quick. I found a nice reference post on Brent Ozar PLF at http://www.brentozar.com/archive/2008/08/twitter-101/.


So I've tweeted a grand total of 15 times. I've even retweeted. What do I think of modern technology? I haven't thought about it, I've been too busy trying to catch up and hang on.

Read more Pondering With a Purpose at
http://brendayoungerman.blogspot.com/

The Excess

control the razor
slicing away the excess
desires of the flesh

Read more Three Word Wednesday
at http://www.threewordwednesday.com/

Bitter Fruit

reach for the forbidden fruit again

the apple at the end of the branch

stretched arm, fingers twitching with desire

the last bitter lesson lost in instant gratification

the heart wants what the heart wants

that beating, thumping deceitful organ

ignore the cost of indulging the itch

the sticky, sweet moment of satisfaction

turns sour, dripping the acrid aftertaste

regret swirls and then dives and pierces

consequences crammed into deep wedges

of experience, should haves and could haves

Read more Imaginary Gardens With Real Toads
at http://withrealtoads.blogspot.com/

Read more Sunday Scribblings at http://sundayscribblings.blogspot.com/