Customer Reviews

No Daughter of the South

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

No Daughter of the South is a bright, funny, insightful, and unconventional mystery about a woman journalist investigating the murder of a black man in the small southern town where she grew up. As a woman who also grew up in the south, but never fit in, I could identify with Cynthia Webb's fiesty, free-spirited protagonist Laurie Coldwater. All Webb's characters are absolutely believable--I felt as though I knew them personally. And the environment she depicts--the south in the '90s, caught between its old prejudices and its new role as a haven for "snowbirds"--is rich and complex. I thoroughly enjoyed this provocative story and look forward to reading more of Webb's work in the future.

I loved the complexity of all the relationships - the love of another woman and how it plays out in her life, and the dilemmas of a Southern expatriate digging around in her roots. Plus it's a gripping thriller - I couldn't put it down! Get it, read it.

I'm not normally clammoring to write a review, but I have to say, this book is awesome. Have you ever finished reading a book and you've got this goofy grin on your face 'cause the journey was that much fun? That's how I felt after reading No Daugher of the South. There were a couple times I laughed out loud so hard, my girlfriend looked at me like I'd lost my mind. So what goes through *your* mind when you get to thinking way too much? Laurie's got to deal with the South, identity, love, sex, an ex-husband, racism, homophobia, coming out, really dysfunctional families, AND the KKK - while solving a mystery, figuring out what the hell is going on in her life, and making me laugh all at the same time. Let's just say I can totally relate to her ability to get into way too much trouble, just by being herself. She's got a hot head, and I had a whole lot of fun going along for the ride. I recommend this book to anyone regardless of orientation, ethnicity, or whether you're a mystery fan. It's just a darn good read!

This is a fun, well-written, unconventional story of a brash, irreverent journalist whose search into her lover's past reveals much about her own. The characters are quirky, complex, and believable. A book you can get lost in. Highly recommended!

Southerners are as well known for spinning a good yarn as for doing what's arguably the best of American cooking; and this tale by Cynthia Webb is no exception, despite the protestation of her title. No Daughter of the South is a gripping adventure/mystery story, but the author also has fresh and subtle insights into her characters and the politics of their world, a great ear for nuances of dialogue, an eye for interior design and its meanings, a sometimes devastaging comic perspective, and the fierce sense of justice and righteous anger of an insider who is also an outsider. I couldn't put the book down, but I was sorry to finish it because I miss having her characters and their points of view in my life.

No Daughter of the South is an intelligent mystery with interesting characters. Laurie Coldwater a fiesty Floridian who has become a New Yorker, returns to her roots to investigate the murder of her black lover's father. The book covers love in so many forms : single motherhood, inter-racial love, bi-sexuality, mothers and daughters, the love of one woman for another. Throw into the pot the KKK, Laurie's ex-husband the sheriff, and a desperate race across the Florida panhandle and you have a boiler you can't put down. This is a well written book. I would highly recommend it - can't wait to read more by this author

Webb manages it all: great story, enormous relevance, superb style. NO DAUGHTER OF THE SOUTH is a can't-put-it-down winner -- Laurie Coldwater is a woman to keep an eye on. And Webb is a writer to watch. Her next book can't come too soon -- she's earned my trust and my admiration. I'd follow her anywhere. You should too.

The locale for this novel is where the author and I went to school, so I found that aspect very interesting and pretty accurate. The content was also somewhat along the lines of what I remember, only much earlier than the when the author and I were teens or young adults. Overall, this novel kept me interested and I would recommend it.