A death in the family (original 1957; edition 1969)

This book was beautifully written and although the subject matter was sad and bittersweet, it was one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a long time. I honestly would have never heard of this book if it wasn't a group read choice for my On the Southern Literary Trail reading group. I am so glad I took the time to read this book. This book will remind you to cherish even the tiniest moments with people you love because one never knows when your precious time on this earth will be up. This book will also remind you to be happy with what you have and to slow down, simplify and appreciate everything you can and the people in your life as very precious and important. I loved this book. ( )

1958 Pulitzer Prize winner [A Death in the Family] was published 2 years after author [[James Agee]]'s death and I think it might have been better if he had been able to do more editing. It's a small book but packs in so much that it seems a bit scattered at times. The main story line is the death of Jay Follett, a young father, who is called out in the night because his own father is ill only to die in an auto accident on the way home. The impact of this death on the family is told from various perspectives including his wife and his two young children. The parts that don't seem to fit are an early part about his own family (who don't figure into the rest of the book), sections on bullying that his little son endures before and after his father's death, a brief touch on race relations in 1915 Knoxville and evidence of the religious tension within his wife's family. The parts about the confusion of the children about what death is where brilliant, however, and even though I had a hard time getting into the book at first after about 50 pages I was so hooked I didn't want to put it down. ( )

Another of my book club choices.
I did not enjoy this book. I found it very dull and I hated the way the author took pages to express whatever was happening. It seemed to me that in those 3-5 pages he would just say the same thing over and over sometimes using almost the saeme words. I found myself wanting to skip ahead ( but didn't because this was a book club choice so I wanted to do it justice) .
I know this book won awards but it wouldn't be a book that I would recommend to my friends nor talk about as something you just have to read! ( )

As the title suggests, this is an account of the reaction by family members to the sudden death of Jay Follett. The semi-autobiographical novel - Agee’s father died when the author was a young boy - takes place over a period of a few days and the story weaves back and forth, both in time (directly before and after the event) and from the perspective of each family member. I loved the style of the writing which is evocative and almost dreamlike. Though very understated and quiet, the book delves most poignantly, into the thoughts and confusion of Jay’s young son, Rufus. The story is book-ended by walks Rufus takes, first with his father and finally with his uncle. More than anywhere else in the book, it is in these walks that the reader is able to see Rufus’ past and present relationship to both his family and to the world around him. The walks he takes appear to augur his development as a person in his own right, always connected though, to the protection and love of his family. ( )

This is a lovely but quite sad and a bit perplexing modern literary classic which I have finally read. Set in Knoxville Tenn. in 1915, a man leaves his wife and children in the middle of the night to see to his dying father and is killed in an automobile accident. The novel tells of that night and the immediate aftermath in fine, emotionally excruciating detail from multiple viewpoints. His wife's; his wife's aunt who comes to stand vigil as they wait for news; his brother; his two young children, especially his young son Rufus.

The writing is poetic; sometimes sparse with much Southern dialect. Sometimes elliptical especially when coming from young Rufus' stream of consciousness. There is a bit of that Joycean, Faulkner-like thing going on here but it is not too difficult to decipher by any means. It is actually quite beautiful and certainly poignant. I was nearly breathless myself waiting for someone to arrive and tell Mary the news. The tension was palpable.

I cannot quite give it my highest rating as I felt the ending was a bit weak. Seemed to stop at a random point and the religiosity dragged a bit for me. I could certainly appreciate that that was a central conflict within the family but I thought it was a bit overdone. I did like how the family's past was not necessarily laid out for you; you could only surmise events from the character's thoughts. I marveled at the intensity of emotion and the strength of characterization portrayed with relatively little narration.

I respect the Pulitzer prize given to this novel and was reminded of the fragility of life. Recommended for connoisseurs of awe-inspiring prose who can tolerate a bit of a wandering construction. Nicely done. Melancholy. ( )