Resurrecting Virgil [Paperback]

Dorie LaRue (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2001

Winner of the Omaha Prize for Novel for the year 2000, selected by Mark Spencer. A modern comic-romance with a generous dollop of Southern Gothic, Resurrecting Virgil will keep readers turning the pages long into the night.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dorie LaRue is Professor or Creative Writing and Composition at Louisiana State University at Shreveport. Winner of numerous prizes and awards, she has also published two books of poetry.

Product Details

• Paperback: 249 pages
• Publisher: The Backwaters Press (November 1, 2001)
• ISBN-10: 0967714966
• ISBN-13: 978-0967714967
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,754,718 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in a small town in the south--I knew what Praying For Sheetrock meant before reading it. I graduated from Louisiana University in creative writing and American literature. I have published two novels, and short stories, poetry, book reviews, and essays in various, mostly academic, journals, some prestigious, some not so much. I have always had a craze for the academic or campus novel; there is something eternally fascinating about Americanus Professorious. As a college professor I suppose that interest is not abnormal. I first wrote a book on a subject that also fascinated me, death, and a bumbling lovestruck funeral home worker; then I turned to my first love, the campus novel, fervently believing to this day it recreates a microcosm of the real world. My postmodern protagonist is a cross between Miss Jane Brodie and Lucky Jim--hey, wait a minute--that describes me. I live and teach and love it at a small university in the south, LSUS, Shreveport.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best I've read in a while., December 17, 2001

By 

Paul Mosley (Shreveport, LA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Resurrecting Virgil (Paperback)

Dorie Larue's "Resurrecting Virgil" is an excellent book. It is well written, entertaining and thought provoking. Ms. Larue managed to keep a constant reader in suspense right to the very end. This is not "stock" fiction. The characters are people we know, yet the masterfully executed plotting and story telling combined with the unpredictability of events keep the reader's attention throughout.
The book is as original a work as I have seen in many years of reading. I will no doubt read this book again and cannot say that for very many.
To Ms. LaRue, a much deserved "WELL DONE!"

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charlotte On Books: City Lights Magazine, January 2, 2002

By 

[e-mail] (Shreveport LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Resurrecting Virgil (Paperback)

Charlotte On Books
-Charlotte Rice

The only thing more fun than reading a good book is reading a good book that is loosely based in Shreveport and features a variety of familiar places and faces. Therefore, it was my pleasure to purchase local author Dorie LaRue's new novel, Resurrecting Virgil. I bought the book because I am a former student of LaRue's (at Louisiana State University in Shreveport) and a current good friend. However, I read and decided to review the book by merit alone. It was incredibly good.
Resurrecting Virgil centers around Virgil Matthews, a quiet, nerdy fellow who works in a funeral home and is obsessed with golden-girl Lorna Jean Gibson, who, despite their small town, barely knows he exists. Lorna Jean dates Speed Maxwell a handsome, yet crafty post-highschooler who drives a red Bronco...and who can compete with that? Therefore, Virgil's closest connection to Lorna Jean is through Lorna's cousin, Daisy, a spitfire with a sarcastic tongue, who is, nevertheless, nice to Virgil. While the girls were initially creeped-out over the nature of Virgil's occupation, the three of them become serendipitously involved in a situation that is half-funny and half-horrific. I mean, taxidermy is involved. The deceased are referred to as "Beloved Ones" and the mourners are "Bereaved Ones." All of LaRue's characters are comic and charming, and she plays their weaknesses lazily and laughingly, like dominos on a Sunday afternoon.
There are also plenty of delightful tidbits about Shreveport in the book, although the town is called Harrisonville. There are references to former Shreveporter Van Cliburn, trips to the Duck Pond and Poverty Point, Louisiana, treks down Highland and Stoner avenues, and mention of LSU-S colleague Dr. Tom DuBose, who is named after a Beloved One. Good thing DuBose doesn't scare easily. Especially since his character is switched with another Beloved One, with the funeral employees hoping to bejeezus the Bereaved Ones won't find out.
LaRue studied creative writing under University of Southwestern Louisiana professor Ernest Gaines, who is best known for his works A Lesson Before Dying and Miss Jane Pittman. In addition to teaching all over the state, LaRue has written two poetry books, Private Frenzy and Seeking the Monsters.
LaRue's poetry background and maxing out of English degrees has lent her some pretty confident writing. The familiar characters and vivid images will have readers nodding in recognition and appreciation over LaRue's talent of capturing the quintessential Southerner and underlying quirks therein.
Resurrecting Virgil, published by Backwaters Press, was the recipient of the 2000 Omaha Prize as well as being supported by numerous grants and fellowships.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Among the Greats, January 19, 2002

By 

JULIE P MOODY (Mer Rouge, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Resurrecting Virgil (Paperback)

When was the last time you threw back your head and laughed out loud? If you feel like your life is getting a bit mundane, don't despair! Read Resurrecting Virgil by Dorie LaRue. This comical and profound book will take you on a romp through a local funeral home that is guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes. I laughed until I cried. John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces, Ernest Gaines' A Gathering of Old Men, and now Dorie LaRue's Resurrecting Virgil. Who could ask for more!
Happy Reading
Julie Moody, Art Lover