The Oysterback Tales [Paperback]

Helen Chappell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 6, 2004

Once you find yourself in Oysterback, you may never want to leave. Nothing beats Desiree Grinch's corn soup at the Blue Crab Tavern. There's never a wait at The Curl Up 'N Dye Salon de Beaute. In season, you can buy your produce (as you pay your respects) at Dreedle's Funeral Parlor. There's bingo every Tuesday at the V.F.D. The Mosquito Festival is next week. And when the moon hangs over Widgeon Marsh as full and yellow as one of Miss Nettie's oyster fritters, you'll know you're in a place like no other.

Since 1988, readers of the Baltimore Sun have delighted in regular visits to Oysterback -- Helen Chappell's mythical town on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Chappell's stories capture the unique charm of rural life on the Shore, and her memorable characters typify the folksy strength and eccentricity of the natives. "In Oysterback," as the town's Captain Saloman observes, "we have characters we haven't even used yet."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Helen Chappell has conjured Oysterback and its denizens for five years on the Op-Ed page of the Sun. Now she's collected her dispatches in the delightful Oysterback Tales. You ought to visit... Singly, any of the Oysterback Tales is a good, if brief read. But it's the way they build in the book, sketch upon sketch, into a full-fledged community that is the genius of what Chappell does." -- Tom Horton, Baltimore Sun

"Helen Chappell -- native of Dorchester County, resident of Bellevue, in Talbot County, author of more than 20 or more romance novels -- has written 40 short tales that satirize the mores and manners of some of her Eastern Shore brothers and sisters... Chappell's stories get high marks all around... Her three dozen line drawings in Oysterback Tales are perfect illustrations." -- John Goodspeed, Baltimore City Paper

"A mix of eclectic characters and delightful backwater tales, Helen Chappell's Oysterback Tales will keep readers laughing until the end." -- Carolyn Devilbiss, Potomac Review

"Helen Chappell's tales of Maryland backwaters are like the oyster fritters fried up on a stormy night in Miss Nettie Leery's kitchen: light, delicate, salty -- and just perfect." -- Van Williamson, Producer, "RFD -- Radio Free Delmarva"

About the Author

Helen Chappell has published more than twenty-five books, including The Chesapeake Book of the Dead, also available from Johns Hopkins. A journalist, teacher, and freelance, she lives on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where she covers the waterfront for several publications.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (October 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801880602
• ISBN-13: 978-0801880605
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,977,086 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of My Favorite Books, February 24, 2011

By 

Judy Jetsam (Pasadena, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Oysterback Tales (Paperback)

I just re-read this book. Each story is like a poem describing the beauty and rouges of Maryland's Eastern Shore. And I feel like I know and love each character from Oysterback. Read it - you'll love it.

5.0 out of 5 stars A delight to read, October 4, 2006

By 

D. Shreve (MD, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Oysterback Tales (Paperback)

I loved it. The stories about the village of Oysterback are a joy. Any time I drive past Red Toad Road in the future I will think of her delightful stories. I started her second compilation right after finishing this one, and all I can say is that I wish she would come out with more.