Customer Reviews

Mississippi Flyway

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The first two chapters of Mississippi Flyway move slowly, as if both main character and author are struggling to find their inner voices. Ellie's inaction stems from her senses being thrust into `lockdown position.' Rand is just trying too hard, as a new writer must, I suppose. Once the adventure begins, the reader is transported to flyways and byways reminiscent of Tom Sawyer and Huckelberry Finn's Mississippi. The pace becomes lively, the plot intriguing. Descriptions are downloaded high-speed: here's a one-room shack beside Kentucky Lake, here's a no-nonsense '67 Chevy pickup sporting twelve pairs of shoes and boots.

From back roads to childhood places revisited, the reader experiences life, and life's questions, alongside Ellie and Tiny. The provincial flavor of Mississippi Flyway reminds me of one of Barbara Kingsolver's shorter novels; the inner journey of Ellie Moon calls to mind The Secret Life of Bees. Mississippi Flyway is a good read, and a good introduction to a promising writer. A solid 3 1/2 stars!

Mississippi Flyway is a powerful work from first-time novelist Nel Rand. It begins with young Ellie Moon running to Mass, afraid to be sent to Hell for another of her many infractions. Her Catholic Church serves pastries and issues rules, but for Ellie's corrosive internal pain, it has nothing to offer. Ellie must find her way to wholeness herself. In her case, that means in the company of her father, the gigantic Tiny Moon, who has previously deserted the family after inflicting the psychic pain Ellie carries with her, affecting everything she does. Like the innocent Huck Finn who rafts down the same river, learning as he goes, Ellie makes her own journey, meeting an assortment of characters-gamblers, con men, hustlers, a voodoo queen, and the unforgettable psychopathic sheriff who follows them, driven by a pathological need to revenge himself on Tiny when he finds him. As we follow the journey and the river to New Orleans, we are kept in suspense. Will the sheriff exact his revenge before Ellie can find the strength and wisdom to assuage her pain? The river carries many secrets and will divulge them only to those who are deserving. Readers who make and complete this journey with Ellie will find themselves similarly rewarded

When Ellie's father returns from his long abandonment of her,he convinces her to join him in his meanderings into their past along the wild Mississippi. In a state of emotional turmoil, Ellie joins Tiny Moon, hoping to understand why he left the family so many years ago. As they make their way from St. Louis to New Orleans, Ellie uncovers the many threads of her life and they begin to weave together, some with great pain. Along the way, Tiny foils a sheriff at his own con, wins his wrath and sets Tiny and Ellie on the run. Rand is a poet in prose. Her writing punctuates the raw emotions, amazing adventures and ultimate outcome of the journey. She brings her characters to vivid life with word choices that build on one another. Rand is a recent Willa finalist for her second publication: THE BURNING JACKET. I believe MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY is also deserving of honors.

3.75 stars! "Bottom soil is the richest sewing ground," says Ellie Moon, a 31-year-old woman, recently divorced, whose grieving is interrupted by the sudden appearance of her long-lost father Tiny. An enormous man with a voracious appetite for great cigars, bar-b-que and high stakes poker games, Tiny whisks Ellie off on a picaresque road trip from St. Louis to New Orleans.

Tiny abandoned his family when Ellie was still a girl. Ellie hopes to find out why. Together, they ramble down the great Mississippi via gambling halls, hidden moonshine stills, illegal eating contests and the magnolia draped home of the nicest ex-hooker turned retired suburban angel named Ludine. Amidst the smell of "Wild Root Creme Oil" and illegal Havanas, Ludine hosts $100,000 poker fests and counts backyard birds in her kitchen. She believes kindness and having fun and keeping things light are all that's required of us in this life. But Ellie's life, like the Main Street of her old hometown Cairo, Illinois, is "currently in a stagnant drift."

As sidekick in her father's dangerous, reckless flight from poker game to poker game, with an angry bent-hearted sheriff chasing them, Ellie confronts the forgotten demons from her past. She does this in the company of her selfish, life-gulping, repentant father. And Tiny gives his daughter a gift at last--an infusion of life lived hard and wild. In "Mississippi Flyway," you will meet a few wild-flying women and delve into the muddy hearts of men who live for gambling. It's a Southern tale, after all. Pack up, jump in. Nel Rand is your steady guide.

The greatest fascination for me as reader was the life of big-stakes gamblers. We all long for complete immersion in something we love, and Rand paints the sweaty long gambling scenes with real understanding. These men took me out of my world and offered another in its place. Sites, sounds, smells, attitudes--their non-traditional lives made sense to this rather traditional woman. "Mississippi Flyway" holds moments of genuine grace. I really look forward to Rand's next novel!

Nel Rand's soaring prose transports the reader over time and space like the birds of her Mississippi Flyway. Her richly imagined characters--Ellie Moon, the brave protagonist who needs to confront her past, Tiny Moon, her vile-but-lovable father, and the despicable Sheriff Dover, one of the more evil antagonists in recent memory--crawl up inside you and latch on. With a voice that stirs echoes of the river itself, Rand weaves a flowing tale of hope, self-discovery, and forgiveness. This is one 'road trip' you can't afford to miss. Salmon Run

A WILD RIDE DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI IN A BUNNY BREAD TRUCK BEING CHASED BY A DEMENTED SHERIFF WITH A BOOT FETISH! BARBECUE, GAMBLING, EATING CONTESTS, MOONSHINE, VOODOO AND ALL KINDS OF UNEXPECTED TWISTS AND TURNS MADE THIS BOOK HARD TO PUT DOWN. I WANT TO SEE THE MOVIE WITH JOHN GOODMAN AS TINY.

I loved this book! I felt has if I knew Ellie (looking for love) and Tiny (a gentle giant). Like a "fly on a wall" I picture Tiny in his white suit playing cards in the heat and sweating like no tomorrow! Taking a hanky, removing his hat, and wiping his forehead. Going on a joy ride with Tiny and with him taking care of Ellie in his own way - proved his deep love for his daughter at any cost.

You'll love this book. The characters, with all their human flaws, are compelling, as is the journey Ellie Moon takes with her larger-than-life father Tiny. Ellie's inner journey is as captivating as her travels with Tiny. Read this!

Nel Rand's prose flows like the river she writes about with such familiarity and love. The first few chapters were slow to get into because the story seemed to be more of a woman's book, but then Tiny, the truant father came into the picture and I could't put it down until I finished it. The road trip was a great adventure well-told. Mississippi Flyway has turned out to be one of my favorite books! If you like character-driven fiction and a great story line read this book.

The adventures Of Ellie and Tiny Moon on their road trip down the Mississippi Flyway in the Bunny Bread truck is propulsive, with characters that capture your heart. I read Mississippi Flyway three times and it got better each time. I can't wait for the movie!
A similair book I recommend is Secret LIfe of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.