The Legend of Quito Road [Paperback]

Dwight Fryer (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sepia | Publication Date: June 1, 2006

Brand new book!

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Kimani Press; Original edition (June 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583147063
• ISBN-13: 978-1583147061
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #306,664 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Southern Family Drama Debut, September 10, 2006

By 

Phyllis Rhodes (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Legend of Quito Road (Paperback)

The Legend of Quito Road is a multi-generational tale rooted in 1930's Shelby County, Tennessee. Legacies from the slave and antebellum eras reveal familial relationships that cross racial lines and produce enough secrets to fill Victoria' s closet.

The legend refers to a runaway slave who took money from his owners. The slave felt he was entitled to the money for his services as a distiller and from the owners selling his family. He eludes his captures by hiding during the day and only emerges at night earning the title of the "Ghost of Quito Road." Ironically, the legend is seemingly reborn via Gillam Hale, a renowned bootlegger whose skill at the still makes him a legend in his own time. Born free to parents who were free, he is kidnapped and forced to "cook" on command for his owners while they enjoy all the profits from his labor. He becomes embittered; flees, but is recaptured on a fateful, rainy night. Hale narrowly escapes the noose but during the struggle, one of his pursuers is not so lucky and an untimely death occurs.

In an abrupt transition, Hale is pretty much dropped from the story. We then meet Hale's sixty year old sharecropper son (Gill Erby) and teenaged grandson (Son Erby). The book then delves into the complicated racial disparities of the townsfolk and their families. Even with the supplemental family histories (tree diagram) that were provided in the back of the book, it was still very confusing to keep track of the familial relationships. At some point I took additional notes to keep it straight but abandoned the effort and kept reading on faith that it would become clearer as I kept reading.

As mentioned earlier, from this reader's perspective, there seemed to be some guesswork required to fill plot holes. For example, how after killing a white man, Hale surviveS seemingly in the same town to father children and pass his bootlegging skills to his son. Another drawback - the author spent pages on inconsequential passages (how to build a barbecue pit, how to build a still, the mash recipe, etc), but would quickly breeze over key plot components. Another point of concern - there was a LOT going on (jealous spouses, infidelity, bribery, envy, and murder), but when the same "twist" was applied twice, the author lost a point for creativity.

The story's flow was a bit disjointed and there were some choppy starts and stops at the chapter breaks. I did not find the characters endearing, in fact, a few were so one-dimensional and underdeveloped I questioned what purpose or value they added to the story. Nonetheless from a drama-filled perspective, the book itself was interesting enough to keep me reading. I wanted to see where the author was taking me and how the story would end.

I would recommend this book to patient readers who are willing to overlook (or tolerate) the technical glitches and simply enjoy the story.

Reviewed by Phyllis
APOOO BookClub

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rosewood meets Jungle Fever in this high concept novel..., December 23, 2006

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Legend of Quito Road (Paperback)

Dwight Fryer's debut novel is a scintillating mixture of love, betrayal, hope and redemption disguised in the incredible human condition of a sleepy little 1930's Tennessee town. Raymond "Son" Erby is his father's shadow, learning at the feet of the wily, enterprising man who's own father left him a legacy that is a blessing and a curse: knowing how to "cook" whiskey.

Gill Erby is determined to teach his son about life and survival as a black man in a time when slavery is barely a generation behind them. Staving off eviction, Gill agrees to distill whiskey for his creditors, never realizing the legacy he's passing on to his son will once again change the flow of history in their lives...

Needing to feed his family and pay off the family farm, Raymond turns to the only lucrative trade he knows--whiskey making. Every batch of his whiskey is made with the determination to carry on his father's dreams ...But, life is often not fair and never what it seems. Raymond's idealism is forever lost when he discovers that every family, even his own, has its secrets...secrets that will haunt them until the day they leave this earth.

Set against the backdrop of segregation, pre-World War II, bootleg whiskey and Jim Crow law, THE LEGEND OF QUITO ROAD reveals the lives of black and white, alike, at a crossroads where their betrayal and shame simmers; and revelation blows the lid off the boiling pot of a dysfunctional American community. THE LEGEND OF QUITO ROAD is one of those rare books that not only has a compelling plot, incredible re-creation of the time period and unforgettable characters, but the author's style--literary fiction with a commercial feel--is truly remarkable and makes for a quick, smooth read. This book is a keeper.

Reviewed by Cxandra
for The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read, July 21, 2006

By 

Sharon (Memphis, Tn) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Legend of Quito Road (Paperback)

I enjoyed reading the book! You brought prohibtion times alive for me. Thanks, Dwight Fryer for being a part of our Book Club discussion. What a treat to have you on the phone as we shared our thoughts on your book. I am looking forward to books 2, 3, and 4!!