The School of Beauty and Charm [Hardcover]

Melanie Sumner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 28, 2001

This is the story of the Peppers family of Counterpoint, Georgia. Henry and Florida Peppers are pertinacious Baptist parents whose dearest wishes are to keep their asthmatic son Roderick alive and their smart-ass daughter Louise from going to hell. Louise, the little hellion, tells the story.

And what a story it is, about how ponderous Henry, hysterical Florida, and hell-bent-for-rebellion Louise, awash in grief after Roderick's death at fifteen, go on living. Steady-at-the-helm, Henry buries himself in his work managing Southern Board, the local cardboard factory. Flamboyant Florida, with a fine-honed knack for losing her cool, redecorates their custom-built house, the Aerie, and takes up painting by numbers. Louise indulges her addictions: at nine, she discovers vanilla extract. After Roderick dies, she adds liquor, food, sex (at sixteen, she seduces a Southern Board laborer), and out-and-out danger, finally, at eighteen running off to join the circus (a carnival, actually). Louise gets to be the clown.

THE SCHOOL OF BEAUTY AND CHARM is a daring novel that walks a fine line between high comedy and real tragedy. But at heart, it is a moving portrait of a father and mother, two good-hearted people doing everything wrong to win back their daughter.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sumner, author of the story collection Polite Society, has written a sure-footed first novel with no idea where to go: her voice is clear, yet the story she tells is anything but. At the outset, the focus is on the fractious, flamboyant Peppers clan of Counterpoint, Ga.: Louise, the narrator; her older brother, Roderick, a boy with severe asthma; her father, Henry, a punctilious, warm-hearted cardboard plant manager; and her mother, Florida, the high-strung, artistic, ambitious daughter of Kentucky hill folk, desperate to make her family respectable. Defiant and deeply troubled Louise has other plans, especially after Roderick's accidental death. But whereas Sumner's rendering of Louise's upbringing is filled with finely observed moments, Louise's downward spiral is loose and untidy. It is never made quite clear why Louise seduces a worker at her father's plant, applies to clown school, rejects religion, runs off to the circus or becomes an alcoholic although Louise insists she's guilty of Roderick's death, the pacing of the novel is so erratic that her grief and growing-up both become hard to follow. The novel's many vivid and provocative characters aren't given much to do other than provide a colorful backdrop, and the book's often uproarious humor tries a bit too hard to entertain. The novel falters until the last bittersweet section, which finds Louise among a loony and lovable group of alcoholic carnies. While not without charm and some strong writing, Louise's story reads as if Sumner discovered the tale she should have written hiding in this novel's last hundred pages. (Sept. 28)Forecast: Sumner, winner of a Whiting Award, is a writer of great promise, but in this first novel she fails to harness her storytelling abilities. Still, a cheeky cover and an author tour should attract some readers, particularly in the South.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-The wry comic narrator of this novel will immediately capture teens' attention with her vivid, figurative language. Louise Peppers is the only daughter of a loving, middle-class family in Counterpoint, GA. However, her grief and guilt over the death of her older brother eventually lead her to abuse alcohol, engage in loveless sex, and drop out of college to join the circus. Louise's parents are also devastated by Roderick's untimely death, but they work hard over the years to help their daughter cope. Her mother is a fashion-conscious, amateur artist who tries to instill Christian values into Louise. Her father is a well-paid and dedicated factory manager who is willing to spend money liberally to satisfy his family's desires. The story takes place sometime during the last quarter of the 20th century. Though her parents don't discuss it, Louise is keenly aware of and disillusioned by the different forms of social injustice and prejudice that she observes throughout the novel. The book jacket is a real draw with its whimsical photos of a young woman wearing a halter and showing off her trendy body piercings. Teens will be interested in Louise's reckless acts of rebellion and rage, and through her story, they will also see the contrast between the warm, unconditional (if sometimes suffocating) love of her parents and the superficial, capricious affections of the circus staff.
Joyce Fay Fletcher, Rippon Middle School, Prince William County, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: A Shannon Ravenel Book; 1st edition (September 28, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565122860
• ISBN-13: 978-1565122864
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,471,976 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Melanie Sumner, a 2010 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Literary Fellowship, is the author of the forthcoming novel, The Ghost of Milagro Creek. Her previous books include, The School of Beauty and Charm, a novel, and Polite Society, a collection of short stories. She won the Whiting award in 1995 and was a regional winner for Granta's Best Young American Novelists competition. Her publishing history includes short fiction and creative nonfiction in many anthologies and textbooks including Best of the South, and numerous magazines and journals including The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, The New York Times, and Atlanta Magazine. She has appeared on NPR and Georgia Public Radio.

Sumner earned her MFA from Boston University and her BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has been a resident at Yaddo and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown and was the final author chosen for the Seymour Lawrence imprint. Currently she lives in Rome, Georgia with her two children, Zoë and Rider, ages 11 and 7, and teaches Creative Writing at Kennesaw State University.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not what I was expecting, February 20, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The School of Beauty and Charm (Hardcover)

Based on an interview I heard with the author on NPR, I expected the book to be a quirky comic romp about a Southern family. While the book seems to start out that way, it completely turns on you and becomes much more. More than any other author I've read recently, Melanie Sumner completely understands the mother-child relationship in America. In the relationship between Louise and her mother, I see almost every mother I have ever met. The extremeness of Louise Peppers' rebellion may seem like it comes out of left field as one reviewer noted. On closer inspection, however, it's a rebellion like many teenagers have experienced. Louise doesn't know why she does what she does - she just does it because she's a teenager and hasn't figured anything out yet. I would recommend this to any parent having a hard time coping with an unruly teenager and any teenager who feels chafed by their parents but doesn't quite know why.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!, September 2, 2005

By 

kathye "Kathye" (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The School of Beauty and Charm: A Novel (Paperback)

The School of Beauty and Charm by Melanie Sumner; Wow! This book is filled with emotions that we are rarely able to confront eye to eye, but is written with a frankness that is not only sought after but often necessary! Take my word; this book is a movie waiting to happen! More books Melanie, Please!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Roaming about..., October 1, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The School of Beauty and Charm (Hardcover)

This excellent story of the roamings and "maturation" of an independent young Southern hellcat has kept me howling for two days now. From flower-eating cats to poodle-eating owls to sneakily thrown devil's paws, to unprotected sex with carnies, the parade of oddities and absurdities called forth by this author will give even the most jaded sense of humor a good workout.
Underneath all this is a sweet story about a rural (kind of) Southern family with the eccentricities of all Southern families, and their attempts to keep sane in the face of adversity. Definitely worth your while.