Customer Reviews

Cakewalk

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

Almost without exception, I loved every character and every story Lee Smith introduced me to in "Cakewalk". From Joline Newhouse and her dark secrets, to Georgia Rose and her hidden powers, and to Martha Rasnick and the stranger she kept hidden in her garage, Ms Smith kept me entertained. But for the very reason that I am not a fan of short stories, I felt cheated by the time each story ended. Just as I grew to know each new character and to be baited with each new plot, it was over. In every story, Ms Smith has the groundwork to write an entire book - complete with plots full of potential and a cast of new and diverse characters. I have read several of her novels and look forward to reading those I have not managed to get to yet, but I'm simply not into short stories.

If you are a fan of short stories and a fan of fiction set in the Deep South, then I do recommend "Cakewalk". But if you are like me and like to really settle in for a while with a novel, then try one of Lee Smith's full-length works instead.

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!

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.

The stories were good but I think I've been spoiled by Lee Smith's novels. I like more depth but as I said, the stories are cute.

I heard about this author (actually I read about her in The Oxford American) and liked her so much that I ordered more books by her. This is just ONE of them.

NT