The Revolution of Little Girls [Paperback]

Blanche Mccrary Boyd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 1992

No matter how hard she tries, Ellen Burns will never be Scarlett O'Hara. As a little girl in South Carolina, she prefers playing Tarzan to playing Jane. As a teenage beauty queen she spikes her Cokes with spirits of ammonia and baffles her elders with her Freedom Riding sympathies. As a young woman in the 1960s and '70s, she hypnotizes her way to Harvard, finds herself as a lesbian, then very nearly loses herself to booze and shamans. And though the wry, rebellious, and vision-haunted heroine of this exhilarating novel may sometimes seem to be living a magnolia-scented Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman, Blanche McCrary Boyd's The Revolution Of Little Girls is a completely original arid captivating work.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Boyd's vigorous narrative of a young girl's South Carolina upbringing entertains, but proves too disjointed. Author tour.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Funny...lively and wry, insightful and poignant. [A] psychedelic and unsettling journey into a Southern heart of darkness."-- Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Funny and touching...Ellen's voice is immensely likable, start to finish-deadpan funny, smart, and on to herself." -- Boston Globe

"Blanche Boyd is irreplaceable. There is no cast of mind with quite the same savor, no humor quite so droll, no insights which reverberate in quite the same pitch. Her style [is] sure, true, and vastly pleasurable." -- Robert Stone

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; First edition. edition (June 30, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679738126
• ISBN-13: 978-0679738121
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.5 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,155,752 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, July 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Revolution of Little Girls (Paperback)

I found this to be a great book, and a good balance of humour, articulate writing, and honesty that cuts to the core. Boyd never ceases to amaze me with her ability to describe the intangible, or hint at things without really using words to describe. She leads you on with the essence of true experience and a gorgeous play of words.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly an amusing story which almost everyone can relate to., December 9, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Revolution of Little Girls (Paperback)

This is a brief overview through the life of Ellen Burns. As a little girl, Ellen finds herself to be a tomboy, for she perfers to play in a rough manner. As an adult, she realizes she's a lesbian. She also feels as if her life is incomplete, but the "little girls" help her realize what she's missing in life. This book is full of interesting and amusing situations that Ellen goes through while becoming a woman. Situations that almost everyone goes through.

4.0 out of 5 stars a good, quick read, December 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Revolution of Little Girls (Paperback)

i enjoyed this book thoroughly until i got to the last chapter--the "visions" didn't work for me. i thought the realistic nature of ms. boyd's South and the humorous manner in which she approached some exceptionally difficult subjects were very well developed and well presented. i would definitely suggest this book to any of my midwestern friends who are interested in the societal expectations of southern women. all in all, it was a good, quick read.