Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady [Paperback]

Florence King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1990

Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady is Florence King's classic memoir of her upbringing in an eccentric Southern family, told with all the uproarious wit and gusto that has made her one of the most admired writers in the country. Florence may have been a disappointment to her Granny, whose dream of rearing a Perfect Southern Lady would never be quite fulfilled. But after all, as Florence reminds us, "no matter which sex I went to bed with, I never smoked on the street."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The damndest adventures in autobiography hilarity to come down the pike in recent years...She is a Bombeck with bite, a female Art Bushwald with Southern sass, an A-one original American humorist down to her wicked, wicked bones." --Susan Brownmiller

"An outrageous commentator on men, women, and other sources of amusement, particularly the Southern variety...Florence King never loses her warmth, her humor, or her ability to be delighted by life's inherent contradictions." --Chicago Sun-Time

"Miss King, who lives in Virginia, is among the few writers who can make you laugh and gasp out loud...She is a social commentator who wipes away the thick-as-molasses layers of Southern sham...Write on, Miss King." --Chattanooga Times

"She lesves more Old South traditions in shreds than Gen. William T. Sherman...Confessions of Failed Southern Lady should appeal to all belles, Southern not, failed or not." --Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Witty, intelligent, freewheeling...Surely the author told these stories before she wrote them, stretching and perfecting them with each telling, mining them for humor." --Newsday

About the Author

Florence King was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Virginia. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (October 15, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312050631
• ISBN-13: 978-0312050634
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #285,120 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful - A unique reading experience, August 28, 2001

By 

F. G. Hamer "MadManxMan" (Isle of Man) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady (Paperback)

Want to know what a Huggybear is? Or a Malkin? Or a Watery Mole? Or a Virago? You'll have to read Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady. Florence King (no relation to Stephen, I would add!) has a uniquely warm humor and a style that she can truly call her own. I roared with laughter in places, I choked back a shiver or two in places, I gurgled with contentment in places, and I reveled in the amazing writing that has become Florence King's trademark. What a remarkable lady. From a Southern family, raised in the racially segregated Washington, D.C. of old, King follows her own life through college, graduation and into adulthood, where she finds she is considerably more attracted to her own sex than the other. Though written in a style that is hilariously funny and relatively light-hearted, Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady also deals with deeper issues, like the definition of femininity. This added dimension makes the book all the more interesting, even for a non-female person (maybe ESPECIALLY for a non-female person!), and for those of us who enjoy something a little more cerebral than 'Noddy meets Goldilocks', Florence King's wonderful insights into growing up (and dealing with her sexuality) is a perfect companion to a blazing fire and a glass of good wine.

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What a hoot!, May 27, 2002

By 

Busy Mom (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady (Paperback)

While this book didn't leave me laughing till my ribs ache ~~ it sure did give me an interesting perspective on southern humor. Florence King is an excellent writer who takes you down memory lane ~~ you cannot help but relate to her descriptions of people in her life. However, I am a pure Yankee ~~ so a lot of the humor about gleaming silver and dusty houses just flew over my head. (Up here in Ohio, we're neat and clean ~~ a Malkin society that Florence describes so wonderfully!) However, I enjoyed reading about Florence's outlook on life and how she handled her disappointments and her realization that family does matter ~~ all done with humor and dry wit.

This is a quick read for me ~~ King keeps me riveted to each page with her descriptions of daily life in the south and with her love affairs. It was nice to read about someone else struggling with the society's mores ~~ and how she dealt with it. Though I may not have come up with the same conclusions as she did ~~ she handles her with lots of grace and laughter. A rare gift anymore in this staid society.

Pick this book up and you'll enjoy it. Be sure to kick off your shoes, drink a glass of lemonade and swing on the porch. Enjoy the sultry summer heat of the southern humor. It's a great book to while away a lazy afternoon.

5-28-02

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wicked, hilarious and rings so true, April 3, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Lincolnshire, Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady (Paperback)

Having grown up in Chicago with a Southern mother and a Yankee father, I always wondered why my family and its "rearing" techniques seemed so different from those of my peers. Then I read "Confessions," and everything became wonderfully, wickedly, and deliciously clear. I laughed out loud and exclaimed in recognition throughout the book as I saw my Mamaw in Granny, my mother in Mama, my father in Herb, and myself in Florence. Ms. King is a brilliant writer whose observations are at once devastatingly, uproariously accurate yet lovingly conveyed. Her ability to break your heart and make you guffaw through the tears is unique. I have read this book over and over and have lent it to friends all over the country (sometimes it never comes back). Today I am ordering my third copy. I recommend "Confessions" to every reader with wit, intelligence, and a touch of lunacy. It will bring out the Southern in your soul.