Wilkinson's sixth novel tells the story of two brothers, beginning in the days of the dirt track and ending the year NASCAR ran its last dirt track race. She vividly captures an era when a country boy with a fast car and an ounce of natural talent could hope to become a hero.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The Chevrolet in question is not the family car that Dinah Shore exhorted Americans to use to see the U.S.A. but a gaudy, souped-up, candy-red and pearl-white devil destined for the racing circuit. Wilkinson's sixth novel is based on a combination of interviews she did for her oral history of early stock-car racing ( Dirt Tracks to Glory ) and her own experience as a timer for various race teams. Set in rural North Carolina in the early '60s, the novel concerns Tom Pate and his younger brother Zack. Although Tom's obsession with race-car driving is supposedly the primary story, it is Zack and his rich, warm and hardly predictable evolution that is the better one. Lacking a clear plot line, this overly long novel takes the reader around and around, not unlike a race track going nowhere. Wilkinson does occasionally score, as in her hauntingly beautiful description of the death of a young child, his mother's grief and the women who comfort her. The world seen through the eyes of male characters, on the other hand, is typically superficial, although the dialogue is grittily authentic. Unfortunately, what Wilkinson says of one of her characters could be applied to her novel as a whole: "Words ran out of her mouth like a radio disc jockey who was afraid of a moment of silence. . . ." Author tour.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Handsome Tom "Pole Cat" Pate is a born risk-taker who swims during lightning storms and is hellbent on becoming a race car driver. His homely brother Zack, though less adventurous, follows Tom when he leaves the family farm to lead the North Carolina NASCAR racing life. Largely composed of scenes presenting Tom's pit crew (including Zack as a welder) preparing for races, as well as a secondary story line following the family left behind, the novel suffers from a muddled time frame and the overambitious use of flashbacks. Wilkinson works as a timer for race teams and has previously written Dirt Tracks to Glory (Algonquin Bks., 1983), an oral history of stock-car racing; her copious use of authentic detail will dazzle enthusiasts, but mainstream readers may feel themselves buried under the repetitive, revved-up vignettes. However, libraries serving communities where racing is a major enthusiasm will want to take this out for a test drive.
- Keddy Ann Outlaw, Harris Cty. P.L., Houston
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Keddy Ann Outlaw, Harris Cty. P.L., Houston
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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