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Generations of Southern women deal with hard times and heartless men in this "joyous" novel by the New York Times-bestselling author of Ellen Foster (The Washington Post Book World). In "a witty and explosive story about men and women, bad girls and good girls, love and laundry," Kaye Gibbons paints a portrait of shrewd, resourceful women prevailing through hardships and finding unexpected pleasures along the way: gossip, gambling, and the quiet satisfaction of knowing more than they're supposed to (The Houston Post). In A Cure for Dreams, the acclaimed author "once again demonstrates her extraordinary talent . . . Utterly engaging and convincing" (The Boston Globe). "This episodic novel, Gibbons's third, is set during the Depression in back-country Virginia and Kentucky. In 19 vignettes, Betty Davies Randolph reveals her childhood and her mother's life along Milk Farm Road. Gibbons, winner of several literary awards for her first novel Ellen Foster, has captured magnificently the dailiness and sense of community of rural life--from midwives and WPA ballads to suicides and men gone wild. Southern, and full of the folk wisdom of generations, Gibbons's voice reveals life's truths." --Library Journal "Years from now, [these] women's clear, strong words will still be resonating in my mind." --Anne Tyler, Chicago Tribune "What a good ear Kaye Gibbons has, and what a good heart. A Cure for Dreams takes the reader down the back roads, and then points out what incredible lives are lived in those ordinary places." --The Washington Post Book World … (more)
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This book made me think about the relationships between generations and the effect they have on our lives. It also made me feel sad for the current generation of young parents. Due to the transient nature of our country, many, including my own, are far from home places and family. They do not get to know the sense of place that comes from having several generations within an easy commute. I think their lives are poorer for it.
I definitely want to read Gibbons' better-known works.