Delta wedding Book

I have decided to dump this. I have read more than half. I have suffered every minute along the way. The trip has been agonizing.

What is it that I dislike?

Most of the lines go nowhere; little of any consequence is said. Daily chores and occurrences are spoken of over and over and over again. One is drowned by the minutia. Rarely does anything of significance happen.

A reader may consider skipping one paragraph, but you soon discover you cannot. Among all the lines saying nothing, you run across one short, short sentence that says a lot. One assumes, if you miss that, you cannot possibly understand what is to follow. In addition, that which is said, in those few lines of clarity, is often ignored, stuffed under the mat by those in the family. Family harmony must be maintained! This irritates me too.

Yet, the primary stumbling block IS for me the prose. The sentences are never-ending and as a consequence confusing. Dialogs do capture the brogue of the South, but when a reader is unable to make head or tale of what is meant, they fail to improve to the text. I adore Southern literature and I favor those books that incorporate Southern dialects, but not here.

I feel nothing for the characters, and there are way too many of them. In-depth character portrayal has yet to be achieved.

The plot? Well,there isn't very much, but Dabney Fairchld (17 years) is to be married. Her cousin, Laura (9 years), comes to visit the Fairchild family. Their residence is Shellmound in the Mississippi Delta. Laura's mother has just died, so Laura cannot be at the wedding ceremony, but will being with family bring comfort? Relatives gather days before the event. They eat, they prepare for the wedding and retell family stories. With each retelling tidbits of information are (sometimes) added. All may appear rosy on the surface, but underneath lie secrets, calamities and scandals.

Think of a large family gathering extended over several days. Think of those large family gatherings in which you have partaken. If YOU love such gatherings and feel happy and relaxed in such company, you might feel at home here. Me? I wonder if family gatherings are all just fun and games. Consider the tension. Consider the quarrels, jealousies and hurts bubbling underneath. Should such be smothered or hidden?

There is no point in continuing. I cannot get around the prose style; this is not going to change! The non-existent plot doesn't pull me in and I see no sign of in-depth character portrayal.

My suggestion is that you take a peek at the text. The novel is available free online here:
For the test, do not start at the beginning; pick any old paragraph right in the middle. You will then have a chance to taste the writing. If you are happy, go back to the beginning.

I have to be fair. There are descriptions of the land that I do like. Here is one:

"Laura brought up her saved banana, peeled it down, and bit into it."

"Thoughts went out of her head and the landscape filled it. In the Delta, most of the world seemed sky. The clouds were large'larger than horses or houses, larger than boats or churches or gins, larger than anything except the fields the Fairchilds planted. Her nose in the banana skin as in the cup of a lily, she watched the Delta. The land was perfectly flat and level but it shimmered like the wing of a lighted dragonfly. It seemed strummed, as though it were an instrument and something had touched it."

Books I do not want to finish, I give one star.

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I have now tried stories and novels by Welty. I am not going to read her any more. She is just not for me.

Why I Live at the P.O. and Other Stories 1 star
Delta Wedding 1 star
A Worn Path 2 stars
Lily Daw and the Three Ladies 3 stars