Caveat Book

It's actually a 3.5 star, at least. But I could not round it up because I also think it is a bit too long. Robert Hellenga could have left out some of the excess embroidery and third row of trim on this quite substantial coverlet.

Reading this only because the title included "Little Egypt" which is a name give to a portion of lowest Illinois- I found a new author that I like. I will definitely be reading more of his.

This has great "eyes". And extremely diverse and incredibly quirky characters. But not at all of low intelligence. Any of them. They may be a snake handling preacher and ex-husband of our protagonist who now operates out of a deserted gas station turned Church, or a returned from the Congo anthropology professor who becomes your landlord and lover. Or his professor friend who becomes the new BFF. There's a great character called DX too. And those are only some of the people characters. We have a dog, squirrels, and many snakes as part of the story. One of the timber rattlers has two heads. He becomes a kind of star.

It's about triumphant or calming ceremony and human love for ritual. Within and/or without a religion. It's about love and bonding for a couple in a marriage. Or not. It's about finding your life's work. And each and every one of the characters has good qualities. Even Earl.

There's tons of meat for such a backward and scrumptiously described location on top of it. TF is Southern Illinois University. Sauger is the fishing. Deer is the hunting. But that is only in majority. Sunny (renamed herself after she quit being Willa) is ON THE RISE.

Before I started this book, I had an inkling I was entering a grit lit piece. Not at all. This is nearly the opposite. Good intent people here within not always great or optimal circumstances. And yet, like in life, there is almost always a point where there is "trouble in the forest".

Almost 4 stars. It would have been completely 4 star if the drag had not occurred about 2/3rds of the way through during the DX service. Or if the entire timpani lesson and descriptions were not so verbose. Yes, we get the point that Sunny has very numerous and inexhaustible interests to grow.

Here's a great "WOMAN is rising piece"- if that's what may interest you. I do recommend this one. It's got a lot of verve and the type of aspiration that left most novels back in the 1990's, never to be seen again. Inspiration and aspiration being so out of favor.

So come back to 1999 and the turn of the 21st century. Come down to Little Egypt. Learning French, how to play the kettle drums, and all means of heavy equipment or earth moving machines may also be in the works.