Customer Reviews

Walking Across Egypt

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

All to often, "Southern" novels seem to dwell upon the darker side of humanity and to be fascinated with the macabre. Faulkner and O'Connor immediately come to mind. Walking Across Egypt is the antithesis of this reputation. The novel is sweet, full of wholesome characters, set in a Mayberry RFD-like community where even criminals have their good side, and is full of descriptions of good home cooked Southern meals.

Mattie Rigsbee is in her seventies "and slowing down." She is the mother of two unappreciative (and unmarried) children, goes to church regularly, and loves to cook for anybody who happens to drop by. She also has a propensity for helping the unfortunate and gets another chance to help when she becomes involved in the life of a juvenile delinquent. The story of that encounter is told with humor and with a genuine affection for the characters involved. If the story is somewhat schmaltzy and the ending is predictable right from the start, this only lends to the charm of the novel.

The book is very simply written and can be read by readers of all ages. Edgerton doesn't have one bone of pretentiouness in him and his story is related in a straightforward manner chiefly through dialogue and the thoughts of his characters. The dialogue is excellent -- it is as if the author turned on a tape recorder in his grandmother's house during Sunday dinner and later transcribed the conversation.

I've read several of Clyde Edgerton's novels. While the man is gifted with the ability to develop wonderful characters, my experience is that his characters often far outshine his stories--you are often left with the sense that the character deserved a much better story than the one they ended up in.

This is not the case with Walking Across Egypt, a book where the story is the equal to the characters--which is good because the characters are among Edgerton's best.

Mattie Rigsbee is an independent, strong-minded senior citizen of 78 years who might just be slowing a bit--after all, it does take her two days to mow her acre of lawn these days.

In short order Miss Mattie has picked up two strays--a moth eaten mutt of a dog and Wesley Benfield, a young delinquent on the lam. Miss Hattie, lonely as she can be, sees it as her Christian duty to see to these two strays--with hilarious consequences.

The book has a fine sense of comedic flair and is wonderfully paced. The dominant story is both quaint and heartwarming without getting schmaltzy or overly sentimental. And, for once, there is a genuinely serious side to this book as it examines how Mattie's friends-all good, Christian church going ladies, react to her acts of Christian charity.

Edgerton has a good feel for the nuances of small town life and the characters who live there.

This is a little gem of a book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The voice of the Southern writer, Clyde Edgerton, will dance a jig across your heart in "Walking Across Egypt." Edgerton's characters are more than realistic. They're alive and kicking and most definitely of the Southern persuasion.

The widowed Mattie Rigsbee's belief that she must follow the Lord and "love the least of these my brethren," nearly gets her in a heap of trouble when she meets young Wesley Benfield, a pie-lovin', biscuit-eatin' juvenile delinquent who's not yet seen the error of his ways but relishes her cooking and likes taking a bath in her tub anyway. Mattie decides to help reform the boy, but only after she's finished watching her daily dose of "All My Children," gone casket shopping with her sister Pearl before it's too late for either one of them, and worriedly wondered whether her own two children will ever settle down and have families of their own.

The book made this Southern transplant long for good ol' Southern meals and the pitch and timbre of the Southern accent. Even if you're not a Southerner, these are voices you'll want to hear

First I read Raney. Then I read everything Clyde Edgerton has written. And I don't know why this book is classified as YA; I'm a good 5 decades removed from YA status, and I loved this book.
Walking Across Egypt, the title of church-going Mattie's favorite hymn, is southern folks, southern setting, southern cooking, and southern humor at their best. Once she's finished watching her soap operas, Mattie Riggsbee, a 78yo widow, decides to take in Wesley, a small-time juvenile delinquent, and determines to see if her pies and biscuits can make an honest young man of him. They need each other in wildly different ways, as rapidly becomes apparent. The plot gathers speed when Wesley high-tails it to Mattie's house when he escapes from a detention center - and the sheriff comes a-calling.
Highest recommendation - for adults, and yes, for YAs, too.

When I finished this book, I must have bored everyone I spoke to in the next few days with the story of Mattie getting stuck in that rocking chair! It was as if it had happened to one of my own neighbors. A funny, sweet, and spiritually uplifting book, and it takes a lot to lift my cranky spirits! Read this book if you are feeling down, way better than Prozac!

Mattie is a little old church going lady who lives alone and gets mixed up with Wesley, a 15 year old jailbird. Her children, a grown son and daughter, are horrified. So are the neighbors,and her fellow church members. But Mattie and Wesley are innocents; Mattie determined to "do good", and Wesley was just there for the cooking. At one point he tried to steal a cake. There is something special about this story, you'd have to read it to understand. And it is truly one of the funniest books I have ever read. The story is wonderful, but the five stars are for making me laugh out loud, not once but all thru the book.

Because I'm a complete and total idiot I read this book and its sequel in reverse order. However, I found that my blunder didn't spoil the plot in the slightest bit. The two plots were completely individual--you needn't read one to understand the other.

Egypt tells a story of an old woman named Mattie who's "slowing down." At 78 she fears she's getting careless and senile, however has too much pride to give up the lifestyle she's become accustomed to: watching her soaps at 1 PM everyday and making sure no one knows it. She won't even keep a dog because she's so set in her routines that she fears she won't have time to mind it.

You know the sort: those Southern women whom would tell strangers fixing their shutters or delivering their mail what time they should stop by on a given day so that they can have a hot slice of pie waiting for them when they come by. Those strangers will inevitably show up, too (wearing a bib and carrying a paper plate and piece of tin foil to take some home with them).

Mattie reminded me so much of my ever-servicing grandmother that I had to cringe. The monkey-wrench that gets thrown into the works is Wesley: a juvenile delinquent who oddly enough is willing to change his heathen ways in exchange for a piece of "the best pound cake ever" and the ability to take a hot bath.

This blend of sinner and saint in novels is nothing innovative, but the extent to which Edgerton stretches it out it seems to be almost hyperbole. (I can assure you from my own experiences that it's not!)

I loved this book. There's so much of the North Carolina I know in it that it makes me giddy

The widowed Mattie Rigsbee's belief that she must follow the Lord and "love the least of these my brethren," gets her in a lot trouble when she meets Wesley Benfield, a pie-loving, biscuit-eating, juvenile delinquent who's not yet seen the error of his ways but loves her cooking and likes taking a bath in her tub anyway. Mattie decides to help the boy, but only after she's finished watching "All My Children," gone casket shopping with her sister Pearl before it's too late for either one of them, and worriedly wondered whether her own two children will ever settle down and have families of their own. This book was good, I've rradi it twice, I recoomend it to anyone who enjoys easy reading and southren authors.

Get out your bowls, mix well: One humorous 78 year old female, Mattie, who strongly believes that no day should go by without 3 full, solid meals a day, who even in the height of crisis encourages any and all responding police, neighbors, juvenile delinquents, and her family to just have a "bite to eat before you go." (and they all do!) Nosey paranoid neighbors who sleep with armed weapons under their pillows and WILL use them. A dog catcher captivated by free meals and her charming 78 year old ways. A juvenile delinquent who can't decide to steal her silver, her pound cake or her heart. Her two unmarried 30 something children, who believe the worst is happening, Mom is going senile.. An entire church congregation who must cope with a christian soul going awry.

Sit down and enjoy the results!

Anyone who did not enjoy this book, never lived in the South and had relatives like my great-grandmother. I could feel the flakes of crisp apple pie crust in my mouth and hear the grease crackling while Mattie cooked.

Tears rimmed my eyes at the conclusion and I laughed out loud about the Reader's Digest and the casket purchase.

Thank God for books like these. They ought to make a movie.