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My Drowning : A Novel [Hardcover]

Jim Grimsley (Author)

4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews) |

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Product Details

Hardcover
Publisher: Algonquin Books, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (1997)
ASIN: B002JHOUYY
Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces

Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,357,358 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Jim Grimsley Page

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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.9 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite simply, the best book I have ever read, June 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: My Drowning (Paperback)

I have never seen a more convincing portrayal of a female narrator by a male author. Nor have I ever been so completely drawn into a narrative. I began to feel what Ellen felt. The ending, where the mystery of the opening chapter is revealed is nothing short of perfect. I loved Winter Birds, but this book is even better.

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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't resist., April 23, 2000

Nicholas Montemarano (Northampton, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Drowning (Hardcover)

Even though I make it a point never to review books online, I cannot resist with My Drowning. If you find most contemporary fiction unexciting, as I do, and if you are looking for work that takes risks, is devoid of sentimentality, avoids the all-too-trendy irony, and tells a story in spare but careful prose written by an author who pays attention to the subtlety of language and syntax, then read this book. I mean what I am about to say: This book should have won (or at least been a finalist for) the National Book Award. It's that good.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great writing, rich in detail, captivating, February 22, 2000

christinemm - The Thinking Mother (Houston Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: My Drowning (Paperback)

Wonderful story of a dirt-poor Southern white family. So captivating I didn't want to put it down. Easy to read. While of a depressing nature of lifes struggles, verbal and physical abuse, it was not so depressing as it had me in tears, as often is the case with me and sad stories. This may be in part because the character realizes the abusive behavior is not acceptable and doesn't repeat it in her own life. Main character has a wonderful narritive voice and it is hard to believe a male author has captured the essence of an innocent girl so well.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Potent Stuff!!!
MY DROWNING is a haunting portrait of southern poverty and abuse by one of today's most gifted writers. Read more

Published on November 20, 2004 by Owen Keehnen

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the darkest yet most brilliant books I have ever read
This is definitely not a feel good book. The author narrates the life of Ellen, a southern woman growing up in horrific circumstances. Read more

Published on November 12, 2004 by Erika R.

4.0 out of 5 stars No "Mystery," No Publication
This is indeed a well-written book. It combines a Proustian dredging through the mystery of time and memory with a Faulknerian sense of the harsh poverty of the South and its... Read more

Published on February 19, 2001 by Daniel Myers

5.0 out of 5 stars Captures the feelWonderful portrayal of poor Southern female
When you finish reading a book, put in the trash because it hurts and then retrieve it for a second, and third read..it is powerful. Read more

Published on January 16, 1999 by Elizabeth, the Traveler (Atlan...

5.0 out of 5 stars A VERY moving novel and a MUST READ!!!
Grimsley, writing through Ellen, is truly fantastic. It's so hard to believe that a man wrote this novel to be in touch with a woman's feelings. Read more

Published on May 22, 1998

5.0 out of 5 stars Brutal,poetic tale of a family lost in poverty and ignorance
Jim Grimsley's newest novel is an achingly beautiful tale that exposes the lie of the noble savage while still offering hope that the human spirit may be strong enough to overcome... Read more

Published on March 20, 1997

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Inside This Book (learn more)
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First Sentence:
I CAN STILL remember the whiteness of my mother as she slips beneath the surface of the river. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
dead baby boy, slop pot, johnny house

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Joe Robbie, Uncle Cope, Aunt Addis, Nana Rose, Alma Laura, Aunt Tula, June Frances, Little Store, Moss Pond, Uncle Bray, Miss Ruby, Frog Taylor, Low Grounds, Roe Yates, Lyle Yates, Villa Ray, Miss Tate, Sunday School, Deputy Floyd, June Taylor, Nina Holland, Norbit Holland, Albert Taylor, Miss Sterndale, Uncle Mack

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Citations (learn more)

13 books cite this book:

Southern Excursions: Views on Southern Letters in My Time by George P. Garrett on 5 pages
My Drowning by Jim Grimsley on 4 pages
Hear Us Out: Conversations with Gay Novelists (Between Men~Between Women: Lesbian and Gay Studies) by Richard Canning on page 115, and page 116
Comfort and Joy by Jim Grimsley in Front Matter
The Ordinary by Jim Grimsley in Front Matter

See all 13 books citing this book

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