Customer Reviews

Hell's Belles: A Tribute to the Spitfires, Bad Seeds & Steel Magnolias of the New and Old South

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

 

 

I admit it, the enchanting cover photo of Vivien Leigh (Scarlett O'Hara) compelled me to buy this book..but I was also intrigued by the sales-pitch blurb on the back cover. Inside, I was pleasantly surprised, with many of my favourite southern gals featured, including Selena, Anne Rice, Margaret Mitchell, Carson McCullers. Hell's Belles is written in exuberant tabloid style (witness the title!)and contains interesting anecdotes and fascinating accounts of Southerners, most of whom I've never heard of but leave me wanting to know more..luckily, Ballenger provides a list of references. The only thing that left me feeling a bit miffed is some blatant Women's press advertisment at the back - as if we need reminding of 'role models' and 'empowerment'and other genderist stuff to feel good about ourselves! Subtle it is not. And one question - drag queens are belles, yes? but Truman Capote?

I bought this book because I loved the cover. Admittedly, I didn't do much research about it, but wish I had. This book is anything but about true Southern Belles. There are a few women in this book who might fit the real description, but even they are marred by the author's insistence on revealing all the negative and dark side of these women. Don't be fooled..this book is not about true Southern Belles. I was born, and raised partially, in the South and was taught that a true Southern Belle is a woman who embraces her feminity, is proud of her heritage, passes on traditions and always conducts herself like a lady. That definition seems to upset the author because she includes many women who are anything but Southern Belles. Just because a person was born in the South doesn't make them a Southern Belle. The author seems to think that just by virtue of being Southern born, that makes one a "Belle." Her book proves just the opposite. Then when I finished the book, I saw that the publisher is located in Berkeley, CA (surprise!) and is associated with a group called The Wild Women Association, also out of Berkeley. If you are looking for a book about true Southern Women, a.k.a, Belles, I suggest you read Ronda Rich's book, "What Southern Women Know (That Every Woman Should)" or Deborah Ford's "G.R.I.T.S. - Girls Raised in the South."

This is a great little find. There are some great quotes and it's just plain fun. Who ever knew that there were pirate belles or native american belles, American revolution and confederate spy belles.

I picked this book up at the Margaret Mitchell Museum in Atlanta. Being a southern woman I found the title and the subject matter interesting. Boy am I ever glad I read this little book! It was pretty intriguing to read 2-3 page summaries about historical and current southern women who've made an impact or just made there presence known. I'd recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It's a quick and enlightening read.

I bought this Book as a GIFT for a relative that read the Margaret Mitchell Books.
If your buying this book, I wouldn't say its for everybody.
Because not everyone has an appreciation for a short BIO. on
a variety of women. And it truly is a VARIETY of women.(even a
few drag queens)
THIS book has a short BIO. on 200 women of the South.
AND ALSO, it does make a BREIF mention of LOTS of other women
(Una Merkel, Cheryl Prewitt)(Susan McDougal, Sally Perdue, Gennifer Flowers Shelnut)(Elizabeth Greenfield Taylor, Tanya Tucker)(Dorothy Shaver, Bette Claire Nesmith)> and others.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The author chose to call them: "BEALLES"
I don't think its a big deal, its better than some other REFERENCE
for a female.
I love the cover. What a great picture of VIVAN LEIGH.
The Front Cover just helps sell the Book because the Book has a
catchy Title. I say: "ITS FITTIN' " (translation: appropriate)

This book may be the perfect thing for a GUEST BEDROOM or whoever appreciates some insight on these particular " BELLES".
Also people that enjoy looking into their family tree may find this
somewhat helpful even though it brings out some of the skeltons some of these women have.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So here are some of the 200 women that fell under this title
" HELL'S BEALLES". ...
PG. 2] FLANNERY O' CONNOR - in a Chapter titled: LITERATURE'S ODD BIRD
PG. 4] HARRIET ANN JACOBS - in a Chapter titled: THE LONG ROAD to FREEDOM
In this chapter, it says some background history on Harriet Jacobs.
" Born of slave parents in North Carolina in 1813, "
" She founded the Jacobs Free School to educate the children of freed slaves" (pg. 5)

[pg.12] MAYA ANGELOU - in a chapter titled: A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH
[Pg. 30] MARGARET MITCHELL

[Pg. 38] NANCY HART - ( a woman possibly related to Daniel Boone)
" born in 1735, who was the scourge of the BRITISH during the REV. WAR."

PG. 43] VARINA JEFFERSON DAVIS - " THE FIRST LADY of DIXIE"
Pg. 47] BELLE BOYD - " SIREN of the Shenandoah"
PG. 58] Hattie McDaniel - - " HONORARY SOUTHERNER"
"hattie, born the youngest of thirteen children of former slaves around 1895 in Kansas.."

[Pg. 64] KIM BASINER --- "BOXED into a Corner"
[Pg. 71] AVA GARDNER
( in this chapter - I loved the background info. given about how
she was discovered. (pg. 71-Ava Gardner)
" When she was 18, a MGM scout saw a photo of her in the window of her brother in law's photography studio in New York City..."

[Pg. 76] Oprah Winfrey " THE PRIDE of KOSCIUSKO"
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[Pg. 95] LILLIAN CARTER
" In 1923, at age 25, the feisty Lillian Jackson married James Earl Carter, ..."
-------------------------------------------------------
[Pg. 103] HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
-------------------------------------------------------
[Pg. 106] DOLLEY MADISON " ADOPTED BELLE"
"born into a PENNSYLVANIA QUAKER family, ... became a Southerner by Marriage"
----------------------------------------------------------
[Pg. 119] DOLLY PARTON
----------------------------------------------------------
Pg. 161] MARY LOU RETTON

[Pg. 173] COINCOIN
" Former Lousiana slave..long time concubine of Claude Metoyer with whom she had 10 children..."
This short bio is kinda impressing since it is mentioning a woman
that lived roughly between 1770-1844.
The only year that gives a glisp into her ERA is 1786.

[pg. 174] (this is an example of what makes it a FUN read)
ELIZA LUCAS PINCKNEY --- (a teenager in the 1740 era)
Okay here's a teenager home alone with Dad's 5000 acres.
She has to take over and manage things. Well, Dad tells her
try some new "crops" because he has to go away on business.
So she does. Somehow lucks up on the INDIGO seed. Certainly a wise choice - was said to be the 2nd most Vital EXPORT.

PG. 185] Priscilla Beaulieu PRESLEY
pg. 192] HARRIET TUBMAN
" the bravest and most daring conductor on the Underground Railroad"
" born around 1821... her parents, descendents of the ASHANTI, named her Araminta.."

Pg. 201] (just a title-for this native ammerican woman)
QUEEN of the CORACHIQUI (in the 1540 era)

Pg. 210] HELEN KELLER

Pg. 220] ANNE BONNY
(1720 era); a "Buccaneer Belle" - was a daughter of a SC. attorney -deceided be apart of a pirate crew
------------------------------------------------------------------
pg. 222] ERMA ABRAHAM
a brief bio about a SOUTHERN murderous Belle in 1966 Leland, MISS.
"killed her husband,... claimed he was impotent."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Pg. 222] RUTH DICKINS (another murdering Souther Belle)
" 1948 chopped her 70 yr old mother to pieces with hedge clippers" (claiming someone else did it)
" she got life imprissonment, but was granted 2 (10 day Holiday Leaves)
to attend the presentation of her daughters at the DELTA Debutante Ball"
and she was granted a 3 month MEDICAL LEAVE because she was allergic to the Prison diet."
--------------------------------------------------------
Pg. 226] BLAZE STARR (pka: FANNIE BELLE FLEMING)
" Born during the depression"; left home at 16 to Washington D.C. and became a FAMOUS stripper named: Blaze Starr"
eventually moving to New Orleans, still in the stripping business, "buys a CLUB and Hires many of her neices and siblings to work for her."
---------------------------------------------------
[pg, 229] BONNIE PARKER
----------------------------------------------------
pg. 233] MARIE LAVEAU
'married in 1815. died in 1881'; By 1830 "she was the dominant voodoo force in the city ( NEW ORLEANS).."
----------------------------------------------------
Pg. 242] TAMMY FAYE BAKKER

----------------------------------------------------
AT THE END OF THE BOOK- a note about the WILD WOMENS ASSOCIATION
(located: Berkeley, CA.)
"Conrai Press founded the WILD WOMEN ASSOC. The Associations primary purpose is to rediscover and rewrite our wild foresisters back into history."

A glorious book - a celebration of southern women, and all that they stand for, from their notorious southern charm to their unique and equally-infamous 'darker' side. They're all here - Tallulah Bankhead, Scarlet O'Hara, Priscilla Presley, as are many lesser-known but just as 'potent' southern belles. Photos, tributes, anecdotes, photos. The entertainment quotient is high and what a history lesson!!!