Boy, I really didn't like Erskine Caldwell's "A House in the Uplands." It was all melodrama, and not even fun melodrama at that.

Simpering Lucyanne loves her husband, who is a cheating bastard that beats her up. She was such an annoying character that I'm not sure why he would ever have married her in the first place. A series of other one-dimensional characters make weird decisions and declarations to move the story along.

I don't know why this is on the 1,001 list frankly. ( )

Oh, where to start with this amazingly fun southern Gothic romp of a pulp novel? I knocked it over in barely a day (including making time to sleep and go to work), and had a great time reading it. Once the plot kicks in (and it kicks in fast) there's barely a chance to breath as Caldwell throws more drama (drama! DRAMA!) at the reader.

It's not a subtle novel in the least. And amusing to read with modern sensibilities. I had the plot pegged as a 21st century reader, but was taken completely by surprise by the actual reveal, which was very much a product of its times.

It's probably not for everyone, but this was my first taste of anything quite like this (is anything quite like this??) and I loved it. ( )