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Title: Heavenly Days: A Novel by James Wilcox ISBN: 0-670-03247-6 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: 11 September, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (2 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Tula Springs revisited
Comment: "Heavenly Days" is cause for rejoicing among James Wilcox's fans, a new and long-awaited installment to life in Tula Springs, Louisiana. Is it really twenty years since Wilcox introduced us to this quaint little town just across the border from Mississippi (where virtually everyone goes to shop at the mall)?
The pleasure of reading "Heavenly Days", which has all the comedy, eccentric characters and mix-ups as the preceding four novels set in Tula Springs, sent me back to the beginning to re-read those four books ("Modern Baptists," "North Gladiola," "Miss Undine's Living Room" and "Sort of Rich"). Maybe it was the desire to reacquaint myself with Bobby (Carl Robert) Pickens, Mayor Binswanger, the Keelys, the Quaids and Burma (whatever her last name is at the moment), all of whom appear in the newest installment to the drama that is Tula Springs. Maybe it was the desire to experience again Wilcox's enviable ability to find exactly the right word for maximum comic impact. Or maybe it was the desire to go back to visit a pleasant, if somewhat dysfunctional place.
Wilcox's characters appear and reappear as if they are members of a repertory company; the star of one has a walk-on, or perhaps only a mention, in another. That is not to say that one must read all of the preceding books to enjoy this one. As a stand-alone piece, it works beautifully. But reading the preceding books adds another level of enjoyment -- and history -- to the experience of reading each individually.
Maybe that's why Lou Jones, the star of "Heavenly Days", seems so familiar. Her name does not appear in any of the previous installments, (at least not in a form that I recognized) but we just know that she has been there in Tula Springs all along. Perhaps she was one of shoppers at the Winn Dixie or maybe she was at the courthouse paying a fine to the Citizens Patrol (which is now replaced by a security firm). Like Mrs. Coco in "North Gladiola", Lou has reached mid-life and feels a bit left behind. Unlike Mrs. Coco, Lou has perfected the ability to live in a state of denial. Once a month, she gets up at 4.30 a.m. to write a column for the North American Bassoon Society newsletter, even though she has not played bassoon in several years. While she waits and hopes for a job teaching music at the local community college, she works as the receptionist at WaistWatchers, a fundamentalist health spa, all the while doubting the viability of shedding pounds for Jesus. She and her husband are living in separate houses, but they are not -- as she continually and emphatically asserts -- having marital problems. And, Lou ignores signals her body is sending her -- even though the reader can not -- signals that take her right into the final scene. Wilcox treats Lou with humor, but he never lets us loose sight of her bewilderment in the face of a world that seems to be going on without her.
We can always count on Wilcox for zany humor and mad-cap fun. We can also count on him to explore human relationships and foibles. In the first three Tula Springs books, the balance was more towards the former, so that even though the events of "Miss Undine's Living Room" centered on a possible murder, the tone remained light and farcical. In "Sort of Rich" Wilcox turned more dramatic, in a story that had moments of real foreboding and suggestions of foul play. Now, in "Heavenly Days" he has found a new balance. We laugh at Lou, but we also worry about her -- and for good reason. She is a bit lost in a world that she has helped create for herself and, apparently, only sees one way out. Wilcox takes us there with her.
With "Heavenly Days", Wilcox has scored again. Hurray!
Rating: 3
Summary: Just a normal day.........
Comment: I am truly struggling for the right words on this one! I have read almost all of James Wilcox's work, and applaud his brilliance in his humor, perfectly drawn characters, and just plain "people" that populate this town of Tula Springs!This one scared me. AND, most importantly,I did NOT "get" the end!! Was Lou crazy this entire time? Did she crack up at the end? Was she just an overly obsessive/compulsive person who wanted everyone to "do the right thing"? I cannot say that I was particularly fond of her. She was just too naive to be believed. But I also saw the soft, sad, woman who was trying to cope with a new age and a new definition of the Southern woman, smart, saavy,computer literate, and most importantly, one with her OWN VOICE! She just cannot do it!
Those unfamiliar with Wilcox's work may find this one a little too "quirkey". I would recommend starting with "Modern Baptists" or "Sort of Rich". I am STILL baffled!
I am really angry that you expect me to view the reviews of "others"!!! I wrote this review when there were NO OTHERS!!It was "Be the first to review this book" So, How can I "view them"?? And
how did the person before me "View" reviews??
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Title: Modern Baptists by James Wilcox ISBN: 0316940453 Publisher: Back Bay Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 1998 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: L'Affaire by Diane Johnson ISBN: 052594740X Publisher: E P Dutton Pub. Date: 25 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Saul and Patsy : A Novel by CHARLES BAXTER ISBN: 0375410295 Publisher: Pantheon Books Pub. Date: 09 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
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Title: North Gladiola by James Wilcox ISBN: 0807125652 Publisher: Louisiana State University Press Pub. Date: June, 2000 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Little Children : A Novel by Tom Perrotta ISBN: 0312315716 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 2004 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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