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Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady is Florence King's classic memoir of her upbringing in an eccentric Southern family, told with all the uproarious wit and gusto that has made her one of the most admired writers in the country. Florence may have been a disappointment to her Granny, whose dream of rearing a Perfect Southern Lady would never be quite fulfilled. But after all, as Florence reminds us, "no matter which sex I went to bed with, I never smoked on the street."
Paperback: 278 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (October 15, 1990)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312050631
ISBN-13: 978-0312050634
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #428,294 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #221 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Women Authors #281 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Women's Studies > Women Writers #1324 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Regional & Cultural > United States
Want to know what a Huggybear is? Or a Malkin? Or a Watery Mole? Or a Virago? You'll have to read Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady. Florence King (no relation to Stephen, I would add!) has a uniquely warm humor and a style that she can truly call her own. I roared with laughter in places, I choked back a shiver or two in places, I gurgled with contentment in places, and I reveled in the amazing writing that has become Florence King's trademark. What a remarkable lady. From a Southern family, raised in the racially segregated Washington, D.C. of old, King follows her own life through college, graduation and into adulthood, where she finds she is considerably more attracted to her own sex than the other. Though written in a style that is hilariously funny and relatively light-hearted, Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady also deals with deeper issues, like the definition of femininity. This added dimension makes the book all the more interesting, even for a non-female person (maybe ESPECIALLY for a non-female person!), and for those of us who enjoy something a little more cerebral than 'Noddy meets Goldilocks', Florence King's wonderful insights into growing up (and dealing with her sexuality) is a perfect companion to a blazing fire and a glass of good wine.
Having grown up in Chicago with a Southern mother and a Yankee father, I always wondered why my family and its "rearing" techniques seemed so different from those of my peers. Then I read "Confessions," and everything became wonderfully, wickedly, and deliciously clear. I laughed out loud and exclaimed in recognition throughout the book as I saw my Mamaw in Granny, my mother in Mama, my father in Herb, and myself in Florence. Ms. King is a brilliant writer whose observations are at once devastatingly, uproariously accurate yet lovingly conveyed. Her ability to break your heart and make you guffaw through the tears is unique. I have read this book over and over and have lent it to friends all over the country (sometimes it never comes back). Today I am ordering my third copy. I recommend "Confessions" to every reader with wit, intelligence, and a touch of lunacy. It will bring out the Southern in your soul.
While this book didn't leave me laughing till my ribs ache ~~ it sure did give me an interesting perspective on southern humor. Florence King is an excellent writer who takes you down memory lane ~~ you cannot help but relate to her descriptions of people in her life. However, I am a pure Yankee ~~ so a lot of the humor about gleaming silver and dusty houses just flew over my head. (Up here in Ohio, we're neat and clean ~~ a Malkin society that Florence describes so wonderfully!) However, I enjoyed reading about Florence's outlook on life and how she handled her disappointments and her realization that family does matter ~~ all done with humor and dry wit.This is a quick read for me ~~ King keeps me riveted to each page with her descriptions of daily life in the south and with her love affairs. It was nice to read about someone else struggling with the society's mores ~~ and how she dealt with it. Though I may not have come up with the same conclusions as she did ~~ she handles her with lots of grace and laughter. A rare gift anymore in this staid society.Pick this book up and you'll enjoy it. Be sure to kick off your shoes, drink a glass of lemonade and swing on the porch. Enjoy the sultry summer heat of the southern humor. It's a great book to while away a lazy afternoon.5-28-02
I am truly a southerner, and Ms. King's irreverant approach to the traditions and ways of the south in the mid-twentieth century are so on target that it will startle the reader who is not from the south, and will sound all to familiar to the southern reader.I found her covert feminism during this time in her life very interesting and educational. It almost seemed like the fact that she was a feminist during this time in her life was unknown to even herself.Her honest talk about her sexual life I found startling.The way she challenged the cultural norms of that time is educational for anyone who is living under a cloud of opression, real or just real to you.it's a great read!
I am a Northen Oregon girl (31 years old *lol*) transplanted in the buckle of the bible belt and boy has it been one heck of a two year trip with two years still to go!I haven't read anything depicting life in the Southern states nearly as funny as this since reading Daisey Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg. This is one book that I share with everyone (while I firmly hold onto my own copy!!) The characters come alive with such wit that you cannot help but reread parts that you just read but could not believe. Florence King has a knack for making you see the lighter funnier side of what is still an obsession er "tradition". Rest assured, here in the South the southern "lady" or modern day "belles" are alive and well.Another great read in this genre is "Hells Belles" which will equally make you laugh till you cry or send you running for the bathroom. Enjoy!
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