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Sweet Tea and Jesus Shoes
Deborah Smith, Donna Ball, Nancy Knight, Sandra Chastain, Debra Dixon and Virginia Ellis
2000, Women's Fiction
Belle Books, $14.95, 192 pages, Amazon ASIN 0967303508
| Grade: |
B+ |
| Sensuality: |
N/A |
Women's Fiction
I began Sweet Tea and Jesus Shoes with the intention of reading one or two of its short stories in between some of the thicker novels I have sitting in my daunting "to be read" pile. But after I finished the first story, I had no wish to put the darn thing down and shoved all of my other books aside.
Sweet Tea is a trade paperback consisting of sixteen short stories about life in the South, ending with a neat personal touch, the inclusion of several Southern recipes that relate to the stories. I can't vouch for the taste of the recipes, since my culinary skills are nonexistent, but they sure do sound delicious! This is a beautifully put together book, but it doesn't come cheap. The type is big and for $14.95 you only get 171 pages of storytelling. I believe it's worth splurging on, but those on a tight budget may want to borrow (i.e., steal) a generous friend's copy.
Each story is an author's memory and, although they're all different in voice, style, and subject, together they create a fascinating portrait of life in the South. From the shortest to the longest, it's obvious that each piece was written with a great love for its subject. The best of the bunch are both funny and heartwarming, but all will transport you to another place where life was simpler and family relationships were just as complicated as they are today.
There's a little bit of something here for everyone. One story deals with a young girl learning an important lesson about human kindness, others deal with quirky relatives and neighbors and Southern traditions, and there's even a story about a man who loves pets so much that he decides to nurse a family of homeless squirrels when his wife refuses him a pet. The book is broken up into sections called "Precious Memories," "Family Portraits," and "Beloved Critters."
I have a fondness for big, goofy dogs and for this reason Donna Ball's Up Jumps the Devil was the stand-out story for me. It tells the tale of an underappreciated shepherd/black lab mix whose penchant for trouble and overabundant affection for humans manages to disrupt an entire town and leaves most of the townsfolk with a "love" scar or two. If you're in desperate need of a good, soul-cleansing laugh, read this story first.
These stories are short and to the point and are storytelling at its best. Of course a few stand out a bit brighter than the rest but there weren't any real clunkers. Bellebooks has started its publishing career with a winner and I look forward to reading the next offering from this talented group of ladies.
-- Laurie Shallah
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