Customer Reviews

Floatplane Notebooks

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

 

 

"The Floatplane Notebooks" tells the story of the Copelands, a typical Southern family that gathers every year to clean up the family cemetery. Using the narrative structure of Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying" (a series of single-narrator chapters), the family experiences a devastating event that threatens to unravel the family fabric. In the end, all is well, and powerfully bittersweet.
The story has what is easily one if the funniest scenes I've ever read (regarding a well and a flashlight), and the way the story is resolved at the end is truly touching (the careful reader will see that the two scenes are closely related). Another notable feature is the observations of one of the book's main characters - a wisteria vine. This may seem strange, unless the reader realizes that the vine is essentially the theme of the story, for it represents death (a ubiquitous theme in all great Southern literature). The Copeland family could easily solve the problem of cleaning the family graveyard by just killing the wisteria vine. But, if they do, they then have no real reason to gather every year. This is a family that is united by and finds strength in death.
This is a truly unique and great story, though not appropriate for younger readers. Skilled readers will find much to appreciate. "The Floatplane Notebooks" is Southern Lit at its very best. READ THIS BOOK.

This was one of the few Edgerton books that I had not read. It is an enjoyable story with a bit more sadness than the typical humorous Edgerton tale. The characters are still quirky southerners. The play against brothers reminded me of Jim Harrison's Legends of the Fall - I even pictured Meridith as Brad Pitt (the movie version). The use of all the different narrative voices was creative ( especially the vine) Thinking back I can't believe so many stories were woven together so effectively. I'll remember this story always.-It's one of those.

This is absolutely my favorite book, I truly wish it was my family he was writing about.
Edgerton is by far the best Southern author writing today.

I believe this book to be truly underappreciated. Most people tend to think it is just a story about some quirky southern folk. It is that but it is also much more. It is "Our Town" reborn. It should definitely be studied in our classrooms instead of all the novels that are so hard to grasp and seem irrelevent. This one has a meaning to each and everyone of us, no matter how young, old, rich or poor. It is life.

I would like to find this book in a hardbound edition, or at least find the person I loaned it to and demand it back. How can you explain the difference between a paperback edition and the permanence of the complete edition in hardbound?? I still think of this story after more than ten years; Edgerton has a uniquely warm way of presenting characters and life that few authors today have. One of his best and one of the best books I've ever read.

The Floatplane Notebooks is one of those rare novels that truly mananges to captivate the reader. The novel, told from different viewpoints of a Southern family, has much to teach us about life, love, and loss.

Nothing happens in this awkwardly constructed little book. The characters just talk (for a page or two)...and talk and talk. If you like this sort of thing (plotless yammering) you should hang out at the local diner and listen to the folks carry on.