The Laughing Place: A Novel [Paperback]

Pam Durban (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 1995

John and Louise Vess have conducted their lives seamlessly and honorably in the South Carolina home that has been in their family for generations. Upon John's sudden death, their daughter Annie-also a recent widow-returns to comfort Louise. But Annie finds all has changed: a gigantic artificial lake has flooded the woods she remembers, her sensible mother spouts born-again homilies, and her father's reputation is threatened by a long-hidden scandal.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Durban's debut portrays a young widow who returns home to South Carolina after the death of her father, only to find that both the town and its people have changed.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Within a year of each other, Annie Vess and her mother become widows. Thirty-two-year-old Annie moves back home to Timmons, South Carolina, a quintessential small Southern town replete with Confederate war memorials and kudzu vines. Mother and daughter, both fragile and in need of tenderness, create a circle of wariness between them. When Annie investigates her father's past, especially his obsessive campaign to halt a local lake project, she uncovers a trail of betrayal and deception. In her first novel, Durban excels in the richly metaphorical and cerebral portrayal of her main character, Annie. She is less successful in making Annie's once-adored father a believable character. Legree, Annie's new love interest, whom she "leans toward the way you'd lean out of an open window on a beautiful day," is more fully sketched; their conflicts seem contrived, but Annie's resultant intense brooding keeps the reader ensnared. Durban rises above a mire of hackneyed Southern stereotypes and vividly portrays an idiosyncratic world Annie defines as "so broken and so full of promise."-- Keddy Ann Outlaw, Harris Cty. P.L., Houston
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Picador (May 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312131100
• ISBN-13: 978-0312131104
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,919,280 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great story!, November 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Laughing Place: A Novel (Paperback)

After reading this book I went back and highlighted all of the deeply written paragraphs and read them over again. What great insight this author has to our inner thoughts and feelings that are never spoken to anyone. I have recommended this book to my friends and family.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Power of Language On Display!, December 29, 2002

By 

HJ Craver (Rose, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Laughing Place: A Novel (Paperback)

My sympathies go out to reviewers who, for whatever reasons, blame an author for their own inability (perhaps refusal) to work through complex language; it is simply an empty and wholly unfair criticism. The power of this novel is in the richness of the language. That it also tells a wonderful story is all that needs to be said about Ms. Durban's skill as a writer.

DO read this book, it is an excellent, spell-binding novel that will leave you amply rewarded for your efforts, even if you, now and then, need to pull together greater powers of concentration to fully grasp the finer details. For heaven's sake don't embarrass yourself, or ruin the experience, by skimming for action!

Here is something else you can do: Open the book to any page, pick any paragraph, and simply read for the love of language. You needn't have a clue about the characters, plot, or anything else, just a love of discovering language crafted in a way that will, very often, leave you breathless for its intricate beauty. It is similar, in effect, to reading poetry.

One final note to all you English and Writing teachers: Passages from this book are tailor-made to be read aloud and will serve as excellent examples of how rich and powerful words can be coming from the mind of a skilled craftsperson.

5.0 out of 5 stars A richly written, beautifully woven story, March 30, 2008

By 

Windy City Zydeco Woman (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Laughing Place: A Novel (Paperback)

Pan Durban has a way with words ... and that's putting it mildly. She crafts each sentence with the same exquisite detail as a gourmet chef preparing haute cuisine -- and the results are truly delicious. This is a book to be savored and savored again. Rich lush, evocative, this author's style is captivating, lyrical, and a delight to read. Can't recommend it highly enough!