Oral History [Paperback]

Lee Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 27, 1996

"Delightful and entertaining."

PEOPLE

When Jennifer, a college student, returns to her childhood home of Hoot Owl Holler with a tape recorder, the tales of murder and suicide, incest and blood ties, bring to life a vibrant story of a doomed family that still refuses to give up....

"Deft and assured....[Lee Smith] is nothing less than masterly."

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW


From the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"Delightful and entertaining."

PEOPLE

When Jennifer, a college student, returns to her childhood home of Hoot Owl Holler with a tape recorder, the tales of murder and suicide, incest and blood ties, bring to life a vibrant story of a doomed family that still refuses to give up....

"Deft and assured....[Lee Smith] is nothing less than masterly."

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW


From the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Lee Smith was born in Virginia. She is the author of ten novels and four story collections. She lives in North Carolina and Maine.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (August 27, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345410289
• ISBN-13: 978-0345410283
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #300,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smith does it again!, August 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Oral History (Paperback)

In the tradition of her other novels like "Fair and Tender Ladies," this book truly captures the spirit of the mountain people, their lives, and their lore. Smith masterfully creates her characters through the use of mountain dialect, and each one comes alive to the reader in a unique way. The use of details that she has collected from meticulous research on Appalachian lore serves to further the reader's impression that she is truly a master at work. If you liked "Fair and Tender Ladies" then don't miss this one!

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The start of a love affair with the writings of Lee Smith, May 9, 2000

By 

M. J. Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oral History (Paperback)

This was the first book of Lee Smith's that I read - and still one of my favorites. Two things make Oral History memorable: (1) the accuracy of her portrayal of folk beliefs, the folklore, of the region and (2) a wonderful plot line that is never contrived. It doesn't hurt that Lee Smith has mastered her craft as well. A must read for anyone interested in folklore as a way of life - not a musuem piece. If the Foxfire series is for you, so is this novel.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sensitive, touching and chilling, July 5, 2002

By 

R. Tiedemann "Sunnye" (Bellevue, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oral History (Paperback)

To complete an assignment for a college class, Jennifer takes her notebook and tape recorder to the tiny mountain town in Virginia where her Mother grew up. She meets family members and learns of a mysterious curse that has followed them for generations. Her grandfather and her great-aunt actually left their mountain cabin because of ghostly screams and noctural visitations. Jennifer learns about herself as she chronicles the lives of her ancestors.

This is a beautifully written, absorbing story. Characters are fully developed and Smith captures the character and the hard life of the Appalachian mountaineer with sensitivity and empathy, not without sending a chill or two up the reader's spine.

Here's a world you may not know but if it's a familiar one, you may see it with new insight after reading ORAL HISTORY.