The Book of Marie [Hardcover]

Terry Kay (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 271 pages
• Publisher: Mercer University Press (September 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881460826
• ISBN-13: 978-0881460827
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #501,150 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterful, caring portrait of the South and its people, September 1, 2007

By 

James Stevens "outsource11" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book of Marie (Hardcover)

Terry Kay has crafted a beautiful, realistic look at the people of his native state of Georgia and their reactions to the arrival of integration and the many changes it brought to their lives. The citizens of Overton, GA, a small rural community with a class C high school, are seen as teenagers in the 1950s, and again at their 50th high school reunion.

Marie, an outsider from the North who joins the senior class in 1954, is an outspoken critic of all things Southern, and is shunned by her class members except for Cole, the popular football quarterback and very traditional Southern male. Despite their cultural differences, an unexplained attraction emerges.

After their graduation and separation, their strange friendship is continued and revealed through the letters they exchange as the years pass. The arrival of the 50th Reunion vividly shows the changes that have occured in Overton because of integration and civil rights, and the direct effect it has had on the lives of the class of 1954.

Through his many brilliantly developed characters Kay also addresses the issues of male aging, and the importance of place and friendship in creating a satisfactory life.

The Book of Marie has captured a sometimes forgotten generation and its role in history.It is a stunning discovery.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book About Marie is as much about individual bonds and knowing a place as home as it is about turbulent history, January 4, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book of Marie (Hardcover)

Written by Georgia Writers Hall of Fame author Terry Kay, The Book of Marie is a novel centered upon the fiftieth reunion of the Overton High School class of 1955. Protagonist Cole Bishop remained friends with high school classmate Marie Fitzpatrick well after graduation, yet has been struck by her surprisingly accurate predictions. Each of them witnessed America itself changing, sometimes violently; in 1962, a young black girl was killed at a civil rights demonstration, and the next day a Georgia home was burned. These and many more events reveal the at time painful tribulations a nation went through, as changes were made in the lives of whites and blacks alike. The Book About Marie is as much about individual bonds and knowing a place as home as it is about the turbulent spectrum of history, and evokes emotion, connection, heartbreak and hope. Highly recommended.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book of Marie, September 25, 2007

By 

DMNaumann (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Book of Marie (Hardcover)

This is by far the best book I have read in a long time! I was not able to put it down, finally finishing it at 3:30am. Wow what a great book. Terry Kay is an awesome writer.