Aunt Arie: A Foxfire Portrait

by Arie Carpenter

Book Overview

Of all the people documented by the Foxfire students since 1966, none has been more appealing to readers than Arie Carpenter. For all those who have read and cherished the Foxfire books, here is a loving portrait of a fondly remembered friend. This book is not just about Aunt Arie; it is Aunt Arie. In her own words, she discusses everything from planting, harvesting, and cooking to her thoughts about religion and her feelings about living alone. Also...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807843776
• ISBN13: 9780807843772
• Release Date: July 1992
• Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
• Length: 230 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

a peek into a different time and lifestyle, through a unique individual

I recently purchased 'Aunt Arie: A Foxfire Portrait,' along with two Foxfire guides, to assist me in establishing an Appalachian setting (and characters)for a story I am working on. I've only skimmed the guides at this point, but I haven't put "Aunt Arie" down! I've still got a couple of chapters left to read, but so far the story of this woman's life, as told by her to the folks at Foxfire, has proven indispensable to my research. The editors of the book have attempted, most successfully (they offer an explanation of ways and means at the beginning of the book)I think, to reproduce/preserve Aunt Arie's dialect and colloquialisms, as transcribed from the hundreds of hours of taped interviews. In this book, HOW she says things is just as important as WHAT she's saying...and what does she say? Where do I begin? Besides offering a virtual treasure-trove of information on the subjects of gardening, healing, economy, and food storage and preparation, she also delves into stories of her friends and neighbors, living and dead, speaks often of her life with her beloved husband, and before that her childhood, and all her talk of the people she's known, whether she loved them or could have done without them, is tinged with her faith, her basic love of and respect for humanity, and her simply ideology: you get what you give. If any of the above appeals to you, get this book. You won't regret it. I'm back here b/c I'm about to get one for my grandmother. Just thought I'd leave a more complete review than the ones I'd seen.

delightful

terrific read - inspirational - one tough and lovable character who will be missed for many years to come

EXCELLENT

WHAT A GREAT "AMERICANA" STYLE BOOK, FANTASTIC ADDITION TO A FOXFIRE COLLECTION OR GREAT ON ITS OWN. AUNT ARIE HERSELF, HER OWN STYLE FROM COOKING TO HARVESTING, THOGUHTS, RELIGION AND HER FEELINGS ABOUT LIVING ALONE! SHE WAS AN HONORABLE WOMAN!

A wonderful book that will touch your heart.

From the cover:, " The students, none of whom had ever been to Aunt Arie's before, were awed, drawn inexorably into the little circle of activity that surrounded this 5' 6" dynamo who laughed and pecked on each of them and tapped their shoulders and grasped their knees and tried to remember their names and loved them, instantly, and without reservation-strangers all". This book is wonder full, and heart full, and shines a little light into a way of being that is fast becoming a just catchy phrase on a hall mark card.