Customer Reviews

The View from Delphi

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I couldn't disagree more with the Publishers Weekly review. I found Odell's story of race, family and mid-century southern life engaging, fast-paced and moving. This is a remarkably literate first novel with an extraordinary sense of place, time and character. Dark humor permeates the story, and yet Odell never concedes to condescention or cynicism. His characters are archetypal without ever becoming stereotypical. Coming at a time when we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Brown v Board of Ed, and when the federal government has agreed to re-open the murder case of Emmett Till, this novel has an immediacy and relevance to the present. If you're looking for a refreshing change from the Hollywood-Action-Movie-Styled blood-and-violence potboilers that fill bookstore stacks this time of year, this is the novel to read.

After running away from her poverty-stricken, hardscrabble family life in the rugged Appalachia mountains, Hazel Ishee finds employment in a drug store, until she meets her future husband, a young man from a similar background, with dreams of his own. The industrious Floyd sells machinery all over the Mississippi Delta, eventually realizing his aspirations, when he moves his family into the upper-class neighborhood he covets, anxious to belong in that society. Meanwhile, Hazel struggles with overwhelming feeling of inadequacy that leaches the enjoyment from her comfortable days. Even their two sons cannot relieve Hazel`s downward spiral, which is only alleviated by the alcohol she drinks excessively. The drinking brings a whole new set of problems for a woman unprepared to deal with a successful marriage and comfortable lifestyle.

Vida's disillusionment is of another kind. A young girl from a prominent black Delta family, Vida gives birth at fifteen to the child of a white man, tormented by her sense of disgrace she brings to her family. Vida's father is the local preacher, full of fine words, until faced with the reality of his daughter's illegitimate child. When the biological father of Vida's baby is appointed sheriff he wants the child out of sight, afraid of the damage to his reputation and his political aspirations. Vida's family's fortunes fail and she is haunted by the loss of her baby. She and her brother are forced to work the land they once lived on.

The years pass, and Vida is hired as a maid to the incompetent Hazel, who has also lost a son; Vida's primary duty is giving Hazel the medication that sends her spoiled charge spinning into oblivion every morning, yet the two women's mutual need is the closest thing either has to friendship. Hazel's remaining son lurks in the shadows, spying on Vida and yearning for the attentions of his self-absorbed mother.

Author Odell concocts enough twists and turns to stand the Mason-Dixon Line on its head as Civil Rights comes to the South; just as the movement begins with Rosa Parks' rebellion, circumstances shift in subtle ways for Vida and Hazel and the two enemies eye each other warily, establishing a shaky friendship. Bone-tired and heartsick, each of them has struggled alone for far too long. Their strange relationship turns into an unexpected bonus for women who are unused to friendship or trust.

The View from Delphi is well-intentioned, with liberal use of local dialect and the colorful phrasing of the Delta, as well as the fallout from years of racial abuse and discrimination. Reminiscent of Tademy's Cane River, this novel has the same folksy dialog, if a few too many too many rambling conversations. Doubtless, this novel will have a popular following, with its unusual assortment of eccentric characters and the historical import of the Civil Rights movement. Luan Gaines/2004.

A member of my book club chose this book and I took it with me on vacation. I was thinking I was going to "struggle" through it since it wasn't the typical quick-light vacation read!

WOW! WOW! WOW!!

I couldn't put this book down. Every night, while cruising the Mediterranean I couldn't wait to read this book!! It is a true reflection of the attitudes of the south, and conveys the subtle dynamics between people. I was transported from my cruise to the south!!

This book is one of our all-time favorites...we have also loved reading Barbara Kingsolver- The Poisinwood Bible, The Red Tent, The Lovely Bones, Anna Karinana, White Oleander, Memoirs of a Geisha, etc.

The View From Delphi stands up to all of these in a mesmorizing and memorable manner! ENJOY!!!

It's been weeks since I finished "Delphi" and it's still with me. The story captured my attention immediately, and the characters jumped from the story into my consciousness to stay. Jonathon O'Dell is one to watch. His next book "The Healing" is due out in February 2012. I will have my copy reserved.

Odell's novel, "The View from Delphi", like "Gone With the Wind" was a time machine that transported me to a society and a world I have been reluctantly curious to visit. Through the eyes of outsiders, Odell contrasted the landowner's life with the life of post-slavery African American sharecroppers / laborers. It took me into the shanty town, under porches, behind bushes, down dirt roads and up the dark stairs of great houses - allowing me to explore the subtle control that was established by slavery and maintained as African American's tried to work off what they owed wealthy white landowners for their sustenance.

I observed how those in power dogged the less powerful white community to assist in maintaining and escalating control of the African American community so as to maintain the wealth and power generated by exploited African Americans labor. I appreciate how well Odell wove several threads into a complex story that involved a cast of more than 20 characters - some lovable and some despicable - that gradually heightened the readers sympathy against the painful oppression. He did it without the use of gratuitous violence, though he carefully steered us past situations, providing us with enough understanding to appreciate the depth of trauma inflicted without dragging us through it or exploiting the harm done to people in order to sell his book.

Odell also provided allowed a glimpse at the balance of power between the men and women of the great houses and provided an amusing example of how a once powerful man who overreached his power could face a quick demise. Though the book was 509 pages, I wasn't ready for it to be over when I turned the last page.

As I continue to reflect, I wonder if this master storyteller could craft a story to help us all understand how we are dogged today to support an exclusive society and thus continue to foster a Eurocentric advantage for economically powerful.

The View from Delphi is one of my favorite novels! The story is moving, the characters memorable, and the writing stellar. The book delivers a profound message about racism and race relations, and the fact that Odell grew up in the South but has also lived many years in the North gives it a unique perspective. While much of the story is understandably sad, there are many light moments and touches of humor. (Having grown up in the 50's, I especially appreciated the description of Hazel's entertaining and interior decorating attempts and the references to real life events like the naming of the Edsel.) Best of all, in the midst of our country's increasing racial tension and hatred, this book, in telling the story of the relationship that develops between Vida and Hazel, affirms the possibility that real friendship can exist across racial lines when people come to understand each other's stories.

Never has a book inspired our book club of 10 years and a church group to engage in such rich discussion regarding race. We shared personal stories of early racial experiences and then reflected on how they impacted our lives today. Just as Hazel and Vida risked sharing their stories, we did also and found, at they did, a deeping of our relationships. Jonathan Odell's story telling will be with you for a lifetime.

I am an historian of the South, and don't often read novels. But when I sat down with Jonathan Odell's story about Civil Rights Era Mississippi, I was transported back to a very real, rather than fictional, period of our past. In short, Odell writes the kind of fiction that makes history come alive. He is a master of dialogue, revealing a keen understanding of human character in its various styles of expression. Can a white southern male write a believable story about white and black women communicating across the divide of racial segregation and violence in the Jim Crow South? Odell does just that, with an achingly sensitive portrayal of Johnny, the white son of Hazel, to help readers make the journey with them. Hard to believe this is Odell's first novel!

I was so happy to order this book after reading a review of it in our Sunday paper. I was sad to finish reading it this weekend because the prose, character development, and story was so addictive. It was so "ordinary" of a plot that it was easy to get sucked in, like they were people in your community or friends. There was no fluff or unrealistic events. It was truly a "slice of life". Something that happens to others, the joy of finding friends in places you didn't imagine, the harsh reality of what the South. I grew up in the South and this is so true to life. That slow paced way of unfolding time and life around you - letting it do the work and you just sit back and let it happen. I hope he writes more. I loved it!!!!

The View from Delphi has become one of my favorite books. It's a beautiful story of two women in Mississippi in the 1950's who start off in conflict because of their relationship (one is a black maid and the other is the white employer's wife) but end up as real friends. It is funny, serious, sad, and downright inspirational. As a native Mississippian, I appreciated the honesty of Odell's story and the artful way he developed the characters, both white and black, in an even-handed manner. I truly think Odell is destined to be a great southern writer.