The Truest Pleasure [Hardcover]

Robert Morgan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 10, 1995

(see paperback edition for description)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Eloquent, wise and heartbreaking, Morgan's second novel (after The Hinterlands) offers insightful truths about family life and marital relationships through the twangy voice of narrator Ginny Peace, who lives in North Carolina mountain country during the first half of this century. Hill people like Ginny and her family endure dawn-to-dusk labor on the farm and offer thanks for simple pleasures. But Ginny needs another dimension: attending Pentecostal revival meetings where she is moved to speak in tongues is the only way she can satisfy her craving for transcendence. Marriage to hardworking but taciturn Tom Powell and the birth of several children fulfills Ginny for a time, but the intoxicating joy of being "cleansed by the Spirit" lures her again and brings an irrevocable rift with Tom, who despises such uncontrolled behavior. They continue to work side by side while their marriage dissolves in misunderstanding, resentment and spite, until a crisis finally helps Ginny understand the dimensions of their mutual love. Morgan's touch in this novel is deft and assured. Rarely has the experience of religious ecstasy been described with such poetic intensity and lack of condescension. In addition, he combines a keen observation of the natural world with a bone-deep knowledge of the traditions and cyclical rites of country life. Homely scenes of domesticity, with bickering born of family tensions and jealousies, are given depth by episodes distinctive of Appalachian culture. The reader is astonished when, after this somewhat desultory recital of the practical details of farm labor and household routine, the action suddenly accelerates into one dramatic, suspenseful scene after another. Ginny becomes a heroic figure: indefatigable, burning with duty born of desperate hope and, finally, struck by a tragic epiphany. This story of unassuming people striving for goodness but alienated from each other by differences in personality and perception of the world cannot fail to pierce the reader with the same poignant, ironic insight Ginny achieves.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This book by award-winning poet and novelist Morgan (The Hinterlands, LJ 4/1/94) focuses on the marriage of Ginny and Tom, a marriage rich in contrasts. The most significant difference is a source of constant irritation: Ginny is drawn to the ecstasies of Pentecostal worship, of which Tom, a workaholic, disapproves thoroughly. While this central difference precipitates many angry moments, the marriage endures such traumas as a child's death, backbreaking labors, and illnesses that have since been quelled. Narrated by Ginny and set among the Blue Ridge mountains in western North Carolina in the early 20th century, this novel is enhanced by Morgan's fine descriptions. Perhaps not surprisingly for a native of the area, he deftly represents mountain speech and Appalachian folkways. Recommended for public libraries, particularly in the Southeast.?Faye A. Chadwell, Univ. of Oregon, Eugene
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 334 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books; 1st edition (January 10, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565121058
• ISBN-13: 978-1565121058
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,977,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moving, magnificent book not to be missed., August 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Truest Pleasure (Paperback)

This book is a must read by everyone with a soul! Ginny and Tom become a part of your being as you read and live through their struggles of life in the early 1900's. I have reflected many hours about Ginny's revelation of 'The Truest Pleasure' at the end of the book. A wrenching tale about love, spirit, and inner reflection.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars So, you think your life is hard to handle?, March 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Truest Pleasure (Paperback)

Believe it or not, Robert Morgan may be the first man to be in touch with his "feminine side". The Truest Pleasure illuminates life on the farm, motherhood and the complexity of marriage, all too well. This book is a rare gift, which gives the reader an excellent view of how a woman may feel in the everyday life of her marriage. If you are stumbling in your own marriage, bored with a relationship, or tired with the daily grind, give this book a chance to open your eyes.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully written book., May 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Truest Pleasure (Paperback)

The Truest Pleasure is quite simply a pleasure to read. Robert Morgan writes like a dream. I'm going to look for more of his work. It's evident he's a poet, too, but the writing never becomes precious as it may with poets who also write fiction. This is just beautiful writing, pure and simple, with a story that is touching. The ending took my breath away. A real delight.