Farewell, I'm Bound to Leave You: Stories

Fred Chappell is as Southern as Moon Pies and Dr. Pepper on a thick, August afternoon. In this, his seventh novel, Chappell revisits the Kirkman family, which appeared previously in his critically acclaimed I Am One of You Forever and Brighten the Corner Where You are.A cataclysmic event approaches. Jess' grandmother, Annie Barbara Sorrells, is near death, and life as the Kirkman family knows it will never be the same. What better time to honor her through remembrances of the people and events that have docorated her years?The stories parade across the pages in the best Southern tradition weaving a luminous tapestry of the mysteries of life and human nature. Annie Barbara has been the sun around which their lives have revolved, and the prospect of going on without her is haunting. Knowing they can't change the inevitable, they cope with their despair by remembering her life with joy and laughter. Their shared histories give them the strength to try to take up the torch being passed to them.Chappell intimately knows the rhythm of his characters' thoughts, actions and speech. He celebrates their eccentricities and vulnerabilities with humor and deeply felt emotion. We clearly hear our ancestors and recognize our roots in his writing. Fred Chappell speaks for and to the Southern heart. This book is an experience that should not be missed.

This ten year transplant to Charlotte continues to be amazed at the acceptance of poverty and the hopelessness attitude of many. This regional portrayal of NC mountain women must be based on some fact since the author is from the rural area of the NC mountains. There must be some thread of truth in this fiction. The women characters in this book are as devious as the figuring woman and as self confidant as the feistiest woman. What is so tragic is the acceptance of the "wearing out" existence of Little Mary in the "Shining Woman". But the easy planned seduction of Joe Roberts in the "Shooting Woman" is not reasonable since both were school teachers.--Ele Mae

Each of the chapters is a tale remembered by young Jess Kirkland, as told to him by his grandmother or mother: tales of the women of their community in the hills of North Carolina. They are tales rich in language, rich in humor, rich in the poetry and music of their lives. Chappell has woven a fine fabric, faithful to storytelling traditions and forms. He will make you believe that there can be nothing finer in this life - and possibly the next - than to sit quietly on the porch watching "the goldfinches glittering in the poplars" while the voices of two loving women sing sweet harmony

I loaned my copy out, so I'm relying on memory. Chappell also connects through memory. Farewell I'm Bound to Leave you is young Jess' recollection of the stories -- even the more preposterous ought to be true in this gallery -- told to him by his mother and dying grandmother of neighbors and relations. The delightful tales are refined from the grim landscape of backwoods poverty. All the stories meld into a novel in the end, but don't try to anticipate a denouement. Cherish each word in silence and discover why peace of mind is the concert hall of melodic prose. Chappell's text ripples aloud and soothes alone.