Meet Me in the Green Glen

There is no author who can so exquisitely capture the elements of small southern towns as well as Robert Penn Warren (1905-1989). Years ago I read "All The Kings Men" and considered it the best book I had ever read. I've always meant to read more of his novels and recently picked up this 1971 "Meet Me in the Green Glen" in a used book store. Well, I started reading it about 7 p.m. last night, and couldn't put it down until it was finished at about midnight. It's rare that a book grabs my attention this way. It's times like this when I am reminded of the pure joy of reading. This novel is set in the 1950s in rural Tennessee. It's a sad story with an overcast of melancholy throughout. This author is a master of the use of words though and I was constantly reminded that he made his name in literature as a poet. The main character is Cassie Spottwood. She's 42 years old and lives on a run-down farm where she has been nursing her paralyzed husband for the past 12 years. But then a young Italian man comes walking down the road. He's 24-year old Angelo Passeto who has his own problems to escape. He happens to be an ex-convict and needs a place to disappear to. Soon he fixing things and bringing life to the farm. And, naturally, as always in stories like this these two lonely people get involved in a romance. But the story not as simple as that. Eventually there is a murder and a trial. How it all plays out is the crux of the story. The author uses the perfect details to set the time and the place. I felt I was actually going back in time and living the lives of these people. There's also a lawyer who has plans on running for office, a neighbor who once hoped to marry Cassie and a negro woman and her daughter who was fathered by Cassie's husband. Each character is brought to life through descriptions, through dialogue and through the situations the author sets them in. It's like a great big spider web as everyone in the town has memories and relations with everyone else. There are no real secrets although there is much that is unsaid. Little by little the author drew me into this world. It was not a pleasant world. But it was so well done that I was captivated by his use of words and the seemingly simple but yet complex plot which brings out the nuances of moral choices that constantly have to be made. This book might not be for everyone, but I loved it and highly recommend it.

This is a riveting murder mystery/love story that keeps the reader guessing "who done it" even after the last page is read. A stranger (Angelo Passetto), an ex-con, comes to the small Southern town of Parkerton, where he becomes involved with Cassie Spottwood. Also "involved" with Cassie, though more in his imagination than in reality, is Murray Guilfort, her friend and "caretaker" since Cassie's husband Sunderland is bedridden and unable to oversee the farm they operate. One day Sunderland is murdered. Angelo is captured after leaving town, tried, convicted, and executed. But is he the real murderer? Both Cassie and Murray had motivation and means to commit the crime. Warren refuses to show his cards in the book. It's a most compelling story and is more than just a murder mystery: Warren delves deeply into the characters he created, especially Cassie, who is one of his most fascinating characters in all his novels. An intelligent, entertaining book, certainly worth checking out.

This is a very good book, and the writing, particularily in the final chapters, is heartbreaking. The narrative arch is a little disjointed, though. Warren's Flood or The Cave are much more powerful.

Warren is a master with words. The quality of the writing will keep you glued to the book until the very last page. This complicated tale of love gone bad is truly gripping. This book is no Jackie Collins or Harlequin Romance - it's REALLY REALLY GOOD.