BLOOD FEUD is a terrific novel! I was amazed by the beauty of the prose and the narrative's drive. It has detailed descriptions of hard country and hard characters and often is told in the poetic dialect spoken by the southern Ohio hill people. The characters are credible, intense, and larger than life. They completely capture your imagination and emotions. I'd read Thomas's earlier book of short stories, THE PHOTOTROPIC WOMAN, but although they were small masterpieces, they didn't prepare me for the epic sweep and powerful narrative of her novel. It's a historical family tale filled with life. One of the best books I've read in ages. I recommend it to any serious reader.
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Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 27 years ago
Thomas is a fine short story author, and Blood Feud does not disappoint. It is that rare American work in which the full horrors of the nation's class, regional, and white ethnic (as opposed to non-white races being shown as the sole victims) persecution are displayed. If its truths did not cut so sharply, it would have been more widely reviewed and better known. Blood Feud is an example that the major presses are all too often reluctant to publish fiction that isn't formulaic and isn't in stride with our eras mores and assumptions. Kudos to the University of Tennessee Press for this one.
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