The Floatplane Notebooks (Ballantine Reader's Circle) (Paperback)

by Clyde Edgerton (Author) "The dogs breathe in my face..." (more)
Key Phrases: natural suspension, wood thing, wisteria vine, Uncle Hawk, Uncle Albert, Aunt Scrap (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The voices of various narrators produce a composite family portrait that takes the Copelands, a blue-collar North Carolina family, from the placid summer of 1956 to the Vietnam War years. "This is a mature novel in which Edgerton's subtle mastery of his craft is made increasingly clear," said PW.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Despite their diversity, the Copelands are drawn together twice each year by recurring rituals of family unitythe spring grave cleaning and the winter trip to visit Uncle Hawk in Florida. By skillfully using six different first-person narrators, Edgerton recounts the family exploits between 1956 and 1971 and provides significant glimpses of family history as far back as the Civil War. The book's focus is on the family as an abiding unit, but a single character who does stand out is Meredith. His mischief provides much of the outrageous humor in early chapters, and his war injuries in Vietnam lead to a painful but moving climax. Like Edgerton's two earlier novels ( Raney, LJ 4/1/85; Walking Across Egypt, LJ 3/15/87), this one should have wide appeal.Albert E. Wilhelm, Tennessee Technological Univ., Cookeville
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; Ballantine Trade edition (September 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345419065
• ISBN-13: 978-0345419064
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #713,428 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Southern Lit at its Best, June 4, 2002

By	Winston Smith (Locust Grove, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Floatplane Notebooks (Mass Market Paperback)

"The Floatplane Notebooks" tells the story of the Copelands, a typical Southern family that gathers every year to clean up the family cemetery. Using the narrative structure of Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying" (a series of single-narrator chapters), the family experiences a devastating event that threatens to unravel the family fabric. In the end, all is well, and powerfully bittersweet.
The story has what is easily one if the funniest scenes I've ever read (regarding a well and a flashlight), and the way the story is resolved at the end is truly touching (the careful reader will see that the two scenes are closely related). Another notable feature is the observations of one of the book's main characters - a wisteria vine. This may seem strange, unless the reader realizes that the vine is essentially the theme of the story, for it represents death (a ubiquitous theme in all great Southern literature). The Copeland family could easily solve the problem of cleaning the family graveyard by just killing the wisteria vine. But, if they do, they then have no real reason to gather every year. This is a family that is united by and finds strength in death.
This is a truly unique and great story, though not appropriate for younger readers. Skilled readers will find much to appreciate. "The Floatplane Notebooks" is Southern Lit at its very best. READ THIS BOOK.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A moving story with memorable characters., March 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Floatplane Notebooks (Mass Market Paperback)

This was one of the few Edgerton books that I had not read. It is an enjoyable story with a bit more sadness than the typical humorous Edgerton tale. The characters are still quirky southerners. The play against brothers reminded me of Jim Harrison's Legends of the Fall - I even pictured Meridith as Brad Pitt (the movie version). The use of all the different narrative voices was creative ( especially the vine) Thinking back I can't believe so many stories were woven together so effectively. I'll remember this story always.-It's one of those.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My All-Time Favorite, September 5, 2003

By	Noel Sutton (Indianapolis, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Floatplane Notebooks (Library Binding)

This is absolutely my favorite book, I truly wish it was my family he was writing about.
Edgerton is by far the best Southern author writing today.