Cakewalk

One of the best short stories i have ever read is by Lee Smith (Live Bottomless, in News of the Spirit). So i was really looking forward to this book. I have to admit that short stories are not for everyone. Sometimes, especially if they are too good, you may feel let down when they finish. But the stories in this collection are great. Each one of them, though, would make great preludes to a novel. Lee Smith writes about Southern characters without the common fallback of making them seem lovable hicks. There's many an author (and especially movie writers) who love to portray Southerners as a bunch of illiterate adorable rednecks. This is not the case with her. The stories could be set anywhere, except that there is always an air, a scent of all things Southern, percolating the narratives. Some of the common themes throughout the stories are the ability to see the future, the stigma of being a "fast" woman, and the curse of being artistic. I'd recommend this collection to anyone!

Lee Smith continues to be a unique voice of the south. Cakewalk is a collection of short stories that bring together a diverse group of people that only Lee could create. Debbi has left her old life behind and has started a life with Bobby who has a job with dolphins at hte Seaquarium. It is just a matter of time before Debbi and Bobby are able to get things on track. Lauren and her friend georgia Rose and the terible gift Georgia Rose had...the gift of foresight. Florrie, the cake lady who is married to Earl Mingo and their unconventional marriage. Florrie's cakes keep her family together and her home safe. Martha Resnick is writing a letter to Phil Donahue, the only adult she feels she has a constant connection with in her life, at least she can count on him to show up every morning. All these people and many more are like the people you may know and Lee Smith is able to bring each of their stories and many more to the page with humor and a keen ear to the south.

I love short stories and I really love Lee Smith's short stories, especially in Cakewalk. I feel like she is writing about my relatives and my friends. And about me. Every story is a small gem that sparkles on its own. The short story is a vastly underappreciated art form these days, but if more people read Lee Smith's, I'm sure that short stories would make a comeback. I hope she continues to write novels, but not give up on her short stories. They would be sorely missed.