She Flew the Coop: A Novel Concerning Life, Death, Sex and Recipes in Limoges, Louisiana [Paperback]

Michael Lee West (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 31, 1995

The two main occupations in Limoges, Louisiana (population: 905), seem to be spreading juicy gossip and consoling the unfortunate with casseroles. And in this early spring of 1952, there is ample opportunity for both—with sixteen-year-old and pregnant (by the Baptist minister) Olive Nepper, currently languishing in a coma after drinking pop laced with rose poison. But the plight of Olive and her family is hardly the only story spicing up the rumor mill in this small Southern community of unpredictable eccentrics, wandering husbands, and unsatisfied wives—and few local sins will be put right by home cooking.

From Michael Lee West comes a beautifully rendered portrait of small-town Southern life, filled with humanity that brilliantly weaves comedy with dark calamity.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When 16-year-old Olive Nepper eschews Jesus and drinks a Nehi laced with rose poison, it is with good reason: she is carrying the child of Baptist minister T. C. Kirby, a man of stolen identity who once didn't know "Jesus from a Junebug." As Olive lingers in a two-month coma, and radios spew updates on Korea, polio and the Rosenberg trial, the town of Limoges, La., flutters with private dramas and the ensuing public whispers. Olive's frowzy mother, Vangie, whose expertise lies in canning, recipe reduction and horticulture, is protected by all but the most vicious gossipmonger from learning of Olive's pregnancy and the affair between her husband, pharmacist Henry, and his countergirl, Dee Dee Robichaux. The story is told with perfect pitch by many voices, including those of transplanted New York artist Edith Galliard, widow-magnet funeral director Cab Beaulieu, and long-suffering black housekeeper Sophie Donnell. As Vangie waits for Olive to waken and Henry to come home, nearly everyone is getting his or her just deserts, and business is brisk for Beaulieu. Vangie's final self-redemption is but part of a feel-good tie-up of small-town life threads. The author of the acclaimed Crazy Ladies has captured the color, eccentricities and tragicomedy that the best Southern writers do so well.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The inhabitants of Limoges, Louisiana, seem to have only two things on their minds-sex and food. The married and the unmarried alike find completely unsatisfactory partners during one long, wet springtime. When 16-year-old Olive Nepper finds that she is pregnant by the local preacher, she confronts him, but he sends her away. In a childish fit to make him sorry, she drinks poison, which puts her in a coma. The many voices of Limoges residents tell her story and the story of the town as Olive lies in the hospital day after day. Some residents also feel the need to share their menus and recipes with the reader. Lives change as the spring ripens, and one by one the ill-fated romances crumble. Poignant and subtle, humorous and direct, West's work represents a cross-section of small-town life in the South. Recommended for general collections.
Joanna M. Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Coll. of Continuing Education Lib., Providence
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; 1st HarperPerennial Ed., 1995, 14th Pr. edition (March 31, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060926201
• ISBN-13: 978-0060926205
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #304,093 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Lee West grew up on the Gulf Coast with a wild tribe of Southern cooks. She is the author of Crazy Ladies, Mad Girls in Love, She Flew the Coop, American Pie, Mad Girls in Love, Mermaids in the Basement, Consuming Passions, and Gone With a Handsomer Man. Look for A Teeny Bit of Trouble in April 2012.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Homespun wit and wisdom, July 17, 2000

By 

Sherrie Martin "sherchez" (Roanoke, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: She Flew the Coop: A Novel Concerning Life, Death, Sex and Recipes in Limoges, Louisiana (Paperback)

This book centered on the womenfolk of 1952 Limoges, Louisiana, will charm the tar out of you while making you think. There is the doomed Olive Nepper, daughter of Henry and Vangie, ignobly impregnated by the ersatz Baptist preacher. And there is the blowsy DeeDee Robichaux, grasping wife of the paralyzed Renny and mother of the utterly charming and guileless Billie. We meet Edith Galliard, Vangie Nepper's widowed sister-in-law who is a transplanted New York artist, and their busybody neighbor Harriet. Little Fannie epitomizes innocence and will break your heart. Sophie Donnell works as a maid for many of the white ladies in town, most of whom love and respect her and pray nightly for the death or maiming of her brutish husband, Burr.

When Vangie learns of Henry's sordid affair with DeeDee Robichaux, she moves out to the cotton plantation she inherited but which Henry never allowed her to spend a penny of her inherited money on. It is a joy to watch Vangie reborn at the age of 40, taking a stand for the first time in her life, learning to drive, modernizing her appearance, siccing her dog on Henry, and doing what has to be done all by herself. This book portrays a microcosm of small-town life with all its banality, sense of community, pettiness, goodness, gossip, and cohesiveness. It is as well a tender commentary on new love, old loves, and illicit love. There is plenty of poetic justice to go around as each woman flies her own unique coop.

The evolutions of Vangie and Sophie were in my opinion the most powerful. Each of the pivotal characters reaches deep within herself in time of crisis to find her strength and courage. The feminist theme is subtle in that these women don't burn their bras and swear off men; rather, they learn to solve their own problems with a little help from God and their friends. This novel is rich and funny and irreverent, to say nothing of chock-full of comfort food recipes. I was completely captivated and didn't come up for air 'til I finished it.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb book, May 4, 2000

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: She Flew the Coop: A Novel Concerning Life, Death, Sex and Recipes in Limoges, Louisiana (Paperback)

Michael Lee West has written a wonderfully insightful book about life in sleepy Limoges, Louisiana. The story takes place in 1952 and opens with the attempted suicide of a pregnant local teenager. It then moves forward from the viewpoint of eight very colorful citizens and you learn all about Limoges town life, secrets and idiosyncrasies. Each narrator's story line moves the plot forward from a different direction and then Ms West ties it all together, very satisfyingly, at the end. The writing is terrific, witty and irreverent. The scenes and settings, vivid. And both really capture the tone of the deep south. And as an added bonus...recipes. For what would the south be without great cooking. All in all a terrific book, chock full of emotions, to read more than once and share with others.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh, how I love Michael Lee West!, August 9, 1999

By 

Dianna Johnston "Compulsive Reader" (Joplin, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: She Flew the Coop: A Novel Concerning Life, Death, Sex and Recipes in Limoges, Louisiana (Paperback)

This is only the second book I have read by Ms. West (first being American Pie) and I was totally enthralled. It took me a few chapters to get the ball rolling, but after that I couldn't stop reading. I loved every single second I spent in Limoges, Louisiana with Vangie, Henry, DeeDee, Harriet and the others. Some of the storylines were quite sensitive (i.e. Reverend Kirby) but I really didn't mind, it only made the book seem more real. I have her other two books, Crazy Ladies and Consuming Passions, and I can't wait to start on them. Thanks and kudos to Michael Lee West!