Oral History

by Lee Smith

Book Overview

" Delightful and entertaining." PEOPLE When Jennifer, a college student, returns to her childhood home of Hoot Owl Holler with a tape recorder, the tales of murder and suicide, incest and blood ties,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345410289
• ISBN13: 9780345410283
• Release Date: August 1996
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 286 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Appalachian 100 years of solitude

I recently read this again after a hiatus of 11 years. Lee Smith simply delivers stories, characters, and setting that can't be beat. It was only while sitting here, thinking about how wonderful the book was with the multiple voices and circular story line, that I realized the comaprison to Marquez' Solitude was right there. Both are wonderful books that HAVE to be read. I still cannot choose my favorite book of Lee Smith (Fair & Tender Ladies or Oral History). Both have characters that draw you in, along with stories that captivate the imagination. Read both and let me know which one you favor.

Sensitive, touching and chilling

To complete an assignment for a college class, Jennifer takes her notebook and tape recorder to the tiny mountain town in Virginia where her Mother grew up. She meets family members and learns of a mysterious curse that has followed them for generations. Her grandfather and her great-aunt actually left their mountain cabin because of ghostly screams and noctural visitations. Jennifer learns about herself as she chronicles the lives of her ancestors.This is a beautifully written, absorbing story. Characters are fully developed and Smith captures the character and the hard life of the Appalachian mountaineer with sensitivity and empathy, not without sending a chill or two up the reader's spine.Here's a world you may not know but if it's a familiar one, you may see it with new insight after reading ORAL HISTORY.

The start of a love affair with the writings of Lee Smith

This was the first book of Lee Smith's that I read - and still one of my favorites. Two things make Oral History memorable: (1) the accuracy of her portrayal of folk beliefs, the folklore, of the region and (2) a wonderful plot line that is never contrived. It doesn't hurt that Lee Smith has mastered her craft as well. A must read for anyone interested in folklore as a way of life - not a musuem piece. If the Foxfire series is for you, so is this novel.

Provocative look at the often forgotten Appalachian history

This is an in depth, yet interesting look at the rich history of the Appalachian family life throughout the ages. From wichcraft to trailer-trash this book covers it all.

Smith does it again!

In the tradition of her other novels like "Fair and Tender Ladies," this book truly captures the spirit of the mountain people, their lives, and their lore. Smith masterfully creates her characters through the use of mountain dialect, and each one comes alive to the reader in a unique way. The use of details that she has collected from meticulous research on Appalachian lore serves to further the reader's impression that she is truly a master at work. If you liked "Fair and Tender Ladies" then don't miss this one!