Tending to Virginia [Paperback]

Jill McCorkle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 21, 1997

"A profound picture of the legacies of families, one that will stay in the reader's mind."
--The Memphis Commercial Appeal

Virginia Suzanne Ballard is going home to Saxapaw, North Carolina, to sort things out--and to have the people she loves best help her through a difficult pregnancy.

The reunion is bittersweet. For as three generations of marvelous women tend to Virginia, long-held secrets are revealed, half-hidden truths confessed, and precious wisdom gained--of letting go and moving on. . . .

"Celebrates human connection, not the sort of passionate and exotic connection that all these women imagine, fear and desire, so much as the steady comfort of the familiar, the known, the reliable, which is perhaps synonymous with family."
--Atlanta Journal & Constitution

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Letting go is the theme of McCorkle's funny, wise and accomplished third novel, following The Cheer Leader and July 7th. Virginia Suzanne Ballard is 28 years old, eight months pregnant and not at all sure she wants to leave her family and move "North" (to Richmond) with her young lawyer husband. When stricken with toxemia, Ginny Sue is tended for a week by three generations of her family's women: Her favored grandmother Emily and great-aunt Lena, cantakerous and large-hearted widows not always willing to distinguish between past and present; her mother Hannah with her cousin Madge; and her own contemporary cousin Cindy, a brash and vulnerable, quick-spoken divorcee. Conversation among the women is woven of memories and half-remembered recollections, current misunderstandings, wishes, disappointments and a dark secret concerning Cindy's father, a Chevrolet salesman with an Egyptian obsession., With a sure touch and impeccable comic timing, McCorkle leads her characters to revelations and emotional relief during an afternoon when a tornado adds its own bit of havoc. As the family's history emerges from a flood of interrelated experiences, the narrative achieves coherent drama. This novel confirms McCorkle's place among other talented Southern storytellers. 25,000 first printing.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Fears and insecurities about her future and a sense of detachment from her present life drive young, married, pregnant Virginia Sue Turner Ballard to the people and places most familiar to her. Threatened by toxemia, Virginia stays at her grandmother's house for several weeks, surrounded by the women of her family. McCorkle takes us into the house as three generations of women unfold their secret dreams, wishes, disappointments, and experiences for the first time. With humor, mystery, and insight, she portrays the bonds that tie the women of a family together. Laced with Southern dialogue and a bit of folklore, Tending to Virginia is an important addition to the works of a promising new writer (The Cheerleader, July 7th ). Recommended for general fiction collections and academic collections featuring women's literature. Jeris Cassel, Rutgers Univ. Libs., New Brunswick, N.J.
Copyright 1987 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: 328 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (October 21, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449912531
• ISBN-13: 978-0449912539
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 4.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #774,348 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars moving atmosphere of feelings & memories of 3 generations, July 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Tending to Virginia (Mass Market Paperback)

I first started this book several years ago and couldn't get interested in this pregnant woman's problems. However, this time I was glad I perservered, as that is really barely the topic of the book at all. This book explores the emotions, secrets, and memories of a group of related women whose ages span nearly 70 years. The style, which is often memories described in an almost stream of consciousness style that moves freely through time, depicts what happens to thoughts in people who are simply re-exploring their past, are victims of Alzheimers or of physical illnesses. I enjoyed the mood created by their thoughts and memories and the way the author gradually revealed more and more bits of difficult events in these women's pasts. In summary I rank this a good book, but not quite memorable enough to deserve 5 stars.

5.0 out of 5 stars Read This Book!, April 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Tending to Virginia (Mass Market Paperback)

This book brought me in touch with the generations of women in my own family...those I adored but took for granted. Recommended to anyone who is looking for a connection to themselves and those they love.