Nanci Kincaid

Even though I really enjoy college football and I am a tiny bit obsessed with the television show Friday Night Lights, I didn't actually expect this book to be as good as it was. I think I have sports on one end of my brain and good books on the other, and ne'er the twain shall meet.

But Nanci Kincaid, an author I picked up in my Read Local campaign, proved me wrong. With razor-sharp insight most likely gained through her own experience as the wife of a college football coach, she narrates show more the story of Dixie and Mac Gibbs through the voices of Dixie, their daughter Sarah, their mothers, and other women who are connected in various ways to the Gibbs' lives. The book follows Mac and Dixie from high school and college, when he is the quarterback and she is a cheerleader, into marriage, parenthood, and Mac's continually evolving career in coaching. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say that this is a story of how football--and winning--can become the other woman.

Kincaid did a great job of bringing us into the world of college football in the southeast, using the story to peel back the facade on the pressure coaches are under to cheat, the pervading culture of sexism and racism, and the absurd bedfellows made by church and college ball. Folks outside the SEC may have a hard time suspending disbelief for much of this book; but for those of us down south, it almost seems like a work of non-fiction. show less

Eat, Drink, and Be From Mississippi is a slow moving and beautifully written Southern novel. It is an extremely rich story about the meaning of family - those you are related to by blood, as well as those as you adopt as your own. I first heard about it from an Entertainment Weekly book review, in which the reviewer says that the novel isn't believable (and then goes on to give it an A-). And, upon reflecting, its true - stripped down to the bare bones plot, the novel doesn't have a very show more believable storyline. But the triumph of Eat, Drink, and Be From Mississippi is that it doesn't matter. It doesn't have to be believable to be utterly charming and completely readable.

Though I said that Eat, Drink, and Be From Mississippi is a slow moving novel, that doesn't mean it's slow. There's a careful distinction there. Though the novel moves at a lazy pace at times, it is always gripping. It never loses its forward momentum or the interest of the reader. Instead, the novel takes its time, meandering through Truely's life. Kincaid makes sure to firmly establish Truely's character before really beginning his story. Even if the book weren't about a Southern boy from Mississippi, Eat, Drink, and Be From Mississippi would remind me of the South because of its lazy playfulness. If you like Southern novels, you'll adore this book as much as I did.

Kincaid's writing is part of what makes the novel such a gem. It's beautifully whimsical - she doesn't take herself or the characters too seriously. I'm honestly not sure what it is about the writing, but it completely sucks you into the novel. I think the writing is what makes the difference for this novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed Eat, Drink, and Be From Mississippi; I think it was an exceptionally well-written novel that kept me hooked from beginning to end. It's a great read for a lazy day; you won't be disappointed!

From S. Krishna's Books show less

This was a little slow-moving for me at first, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. The characters rang painfully true, and the setting was so real to me. I swear I felt like I was sweating along with the town of Pinetta every time I sat down to read it.

If this book contained a subtitle, it would be "The Rise and Fall of Mac Gibbs." The rise and fall are told from the perspective of several women in Mac's wife, including his wife and daughter, his mother and mother-in-law, the wives from the various football coaches and the mothers of several black athletes. The novel begins with Mac as the quarterback of a winning Alabama college football team. Although good, he wasn't good enough to be picked up by the NFL. However, this did not seem to show more bother Mac because his desire was to coach. Beginning as a high school football coach, he advances to an Alabama university and eventually becomes the head coach. As a coach, he continues the reputation as a winning football team through the recruitment and development of the team players. Much of his time is spent with public relation opportunities and courting monies from sponsors. However, his passion for football is at the expense of his relationship with his wife and children. It is also a novel how a man's love for football costs him his integrity.

This novel's structure reminded me of Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible in that a primary character's story is told through the perspective of those who love him. The various voices included in this book provided a clear description of these characters as well as Mac Gibbs. If your hesitation of reading this book was like mine because football is central to the plot, please don't let this defer you. It is actually about a man whose obsession causes him to lose perspective regarding what is truly important, your family. show less