Dancing In The Lowcountry [Paperback]

James Villas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

Ella Dubose is a Southern lady of a certain age. By turns charming and ornery with deep wells of sadness and regret, she is a delicate force of nature. And while her two younger children are thinking about limiting her freedom and mobility, she's determined to continue to run her own life as long as she is able.So Ella sets out on a road trip with her long-time companion, Goldie, to a beloved seaside resort where she will meet up with her oldest son Tyler - and with the ghosts of her past. There, Ella will also encounter a gentleman who will renew her faith in romance. And with wilfulness and southern grit intact, Ella may just try for a last stab at happiness.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A journey to Myrtle Beach, S.C., gives an elderly Southern mother the heartrending opportunity to share a painful, long-held secret with her gay son in Villas's eloquent fiction debut. The veteran food and wine writer (My Mother's Southern Kitchen) concocts a savory dish in Ella Dubose, a feisty 73-year-old widow who smokes, drinks, carries a gun in her purse and does what she wants, when she wants—just so long as Goldie Russell, her Cherokee companion, is riding shotgun. While vacationing at a seaside inn, and waiting for her famous author son to join them, Ella stumbles on a romantic surprise, vacationing Yankee Dr. Edmund O'Connor. When her son, Tyler, does arrive, Ella yearns to tell him about his real father—not her husband, Earl Dubose, father of Tyler's two siblings—but a Jewish WWII veteran driven to suicide. Tyler, however, also has a secret and a struggle of his own. Villas depicts Ella's dilemma and relationships with flair and a perceptive eye, capturing the Low Country's nostalgic allure with loving skill. (Oct.)
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About the Author

James Villas was the food and wine editor of Town & Country magazine for twenty-seven years. His work has also appeared in Esquire, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Saveur, The New York Times, and the Atlantic Monthly, among other publications. Two of his cookbooks have been nominated for a James Beard Award. He has also won a James Beard Award twice for journalism and received Bon Appetit's Food Writer of the Year Award in 2003. James Villas is the author of more than a dozen cookbooks and books on food, including My Mother's Southern Kitchen and The Glory of Southern Cooking. He's currently working on his next novel. He lives in East Hampton, New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Kensington Books (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758228473
• ISBN-13: 978-0758228475
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,176,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born and bred in the South, have 3 university degrees in language and literature (Fulbright scholar), and taught in 3 universities before changing careers and becoming Food and Wine Editor of TOWN and COUNTRY (1972-1999). I've published 14 cookbooks and 4 literary books on gastronomy. My first novel, DANCING IN THE LOW COUNTRY, was published in 2008; my second, HUNGRY FOR HAPPINESS, in 2010; and I'm currently working on a dog novel titled NUTMEG: THE BEAGLE WHO PLAYS BRAHMS. My last cookbook, PIG: KING OF THE SOUTHERN TABLE, won the James Beard Award for 2010, and my newest one, FROM THE GROUND UP, will be published in October, 2011. I live in East Hampton, Long Island, where I devote my time to writing cookbooks and fiction and pursuing my love of great music.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Light Stepping, June 12, 2009

By 

A. Reedur "J.R." (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dancing In The Lowcountry (Paperback)

The jacket synopsis led me to grab this book for something to read on a recent flight. The references to North and South Carolina, it's traditions and customs, were what pulled me in. Though it's meant to be a fairly light read, it was too thin in detail for me. I would've thought a culinary writer could really dig in to the smells and sights, sounds and ambiance, that is uniquely The South. The main character, Ella, was not especially likable. There's some who mistakenly think that old fashioned bigotry served up with a side of honeyed hush puppies has a charm to it. I don't. And I don't think it begins to give shape to true belles who are more complex ladies. I wanted to know more about the setting and the people to make it real. It just wasn't.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, January 31, 2009

By 

florida reader "wmp1233" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dancing In The Lowcountry (Paperback)

I'm obviously in the minority, but I did not like this book. I bought it almost without looking because I love his food writing, and have all his books on that subject.
But this was too cutesy (except for one thing I'll mention later)by more than half, and predictable; many characters, while amusing, are too one-dimensional.
But if you liked Jan Karon's NC series, you'll probably like this. The saving grace here is his obvious affection and knowledge of the locale. I thought, once into it, my elderly southern mother might like it---until I got to the sex scenes, which were fine for me, but probably a bit much for her! But those are a big contrast to the rest of the book.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect autumn read, October 15, 2008

By 

Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dancing In The Lowcountry (Paperback)

DANCING IN THE LOWCOUNTRY is a novel about relationships --- those we are born into and those we choose on our own. Set in the warm, lush beauty of the South Carolina Lowcountry, the book centers on Ella Dubose, a Southern lady of a certain age, whose flower may be fading but who still wants to control her own destiny.

When her adult children begin questioning the wisdom of her independence, she gathers up her companion, a Cherokee Indian named Goldie, and drives down to a genteel seaside inn on Myrtle Beach. There, while waiting for her eldest son Tyler, a successful New York City novelist, to join her, she meets up with a gentleman doctor from New Jersey and the romantic sparks fly. But Ella and Tyler each have some unfinished business to attend to with one another, and while she awaits her son's arrival, she relives some memories from times gone by and contemplates the choices we make in our lives that end up defining us.

James Villas, a successful food and wine writer for over 25 years, has an obvious passion for the people, places and details of his Southern heritage. An award-winning cookbook author who has often explored the culinary traditions of the Southern United States (THE GLORY OF SOUTHERN COOKING, MY MOTHER'S SOUTHERN KITCHEN), he has as confident and sure a style with fiction as he does with biscuits. DANCING IN THE LOWCOUNTRY is replete with the essence of South Carolina, from the descriptions of the dining table fare (just reading about the hush puppies is sure to make your mouth water) to the beach fishing to the detailed scenes describing the one and only Carolina Shag --- a unique dancing style typical of the area. (In fact, Villas's descriptions were so intriguing that I had to check it out for myself --- there are some great videos of Carolina Shag dancing available on YouTube.com.) He has an ear for nuance and an eye for detail, and his sense of place is pitch-perfect.

Part of the delight of DANCING IN THE LOWCOUNTRY is its ability to evoke a different place and time --- a time when boys asked girls to shag to the music of bands like the Drifters, and when people dressed up for dinner. The tale moves seamlessly between its modern-day storyline at Myrtle Beach with Ella and Goldie to Ella's reminiscences of growing up in the area. As she steels herself to tell Tyler the full truth about his life, she remembers the two men who most clearly marked her past and tentatively explores the possibility of a future with Edmund.

DANCING IN THE LOWCOUNTRY is a perfect autumn read, when the change in seasons naturally encourages us to be a bit reflective about our lives. Villas's obvious love for his setting and subject matter imbues the novel with classic Southern charm. And like a great beach song, a perfect slow dance, or a special Southern dinner among friends, the memory of these characters stay with you long after you have finished their story.

--- Reviewed by Lourdes Orive