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Title: The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers ISBN: 0-553-25051-5 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 December, 1984 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 2.85 (55 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: a membership of one
Comment: My husband read _The Member of the Wedding_ in school but it was never part of any of my Lit classes; I only read it now for the first time. As I began to know unlikeable, lonely, awkward, and aggressive Frankie I was struck by the intensity of McCullers' writing and could see that she was/is a great author; however I was unable to understand why the book has become such a classic and that feeling lasted until the final page. We all know someone a little like Frankie or have been somewhat like her ourselves, but she is such an extreme character that I found it hard to sympathize with her even as I recognized her fears and loneliness.
After her brother brings his fiancee home and announces their impending marriage, Frankie decides that she is to be part of their lives after the wedding. Fully believing this imagined change in her circumstances, she dresses up and walks around town, reveling in her story and making serious errors in judgement which put her in danger. At this juncture I was still following along, waiting for the epiphany or turning point, but even after Frankie bravely extricates herself from a very bad situation (which could lead her to believe that she is an okay person on her own) none is forthcoming.
The wedding is very anticlimactic; we learn about it in the words of one of Frankie's only friends, the housekeeper Berniece, and one short paragraph in Frankie's distanced perception. Frankie really seems to be emotionally ill and the reader gets the feeling that nothing will truly help her; especially at the end when it seems that, in my analysis, Frankie is about to repeat her mistakes, having learned nothing.
Rating: 5
Summary: beautifully yet simply written
Comment: My mother first bought me this book when I was 13. Now I'm 18 and I still love it, and I'm still amazed by the beauty in its style everytime I read it. It's the story of Frankie, a twelve year old girl without a mother who does not belong in her town. She feels like an outsider everywhere she goes. It's a concept that I totally related to when I first read the book. Frankie's older brother is planning a wedding, and the novel takes place in the days leading up to the wedding. Frankie, who longs for a way out of her small town and an escape from her life, can hardly wait for the wedding, which will take place in a town called Winter Hill. Frankie imagines how beautiful Winter Hill will be, and she begins to imagine that when her brother and the bride leave for their honeymoon after the wedding, they will take her along. This idea builds up so much in her mind that she can barely stand the anticipation, and she gets into some trouble. Overall, this book conveys Frankie's emotions and confusion so realistically that it's almost painful. But it's a wonderful book. The writing is beautiful, and there is so much imagery. One can picture the sweltering heat, the humidity, and it really helps the reader to get a sense of Frankie's inner frustration. This book is definitely worth reading.
Rating: 4
Summary: bittersweet coming-of-age
Comment: I understand the cultural setting of this novel doesn't translate well into the 21st century, but it seems that perhaps many of the "reviewers" do not grasp the significance of the historical setting of the story.
A young girl growing up, motherless, and only with her father and housekeeper, in the mid-20th century south. Larger, close-knit families were the staple of this time frame, and not being part of one may have contributed to her being outcast and socially inept. Frankie had obviously grown too quickly from grade-school tomboy to awkward adolescent and had no close peers to learn from.
Anyone who can recall being 12 -- at least in a less jaded time -- will understand the feeling of being "special and different." Frankie knew something had to change, but was uncertain where to start. With Jarvis, her adored (and absentee) older brother, she found an icon to follow. It made perfect sense to her, that - now that she was turning the corner to adulthood, and he was returning from the service, she could renew her family bond with him.
Berenice tried to communicate the folly of this thinking to Frankie, but as with any rebellious youth, her advice was ignored. Frankie's father was very much a man of the times...preoccupied with his business and secure in the belief that Berenice would take care of his daughter.
The classical part of the story is the painful revelation of the truth which finally tames Frankie. The sad loss of her small cousin, John Henry, is obviously a metaphor for the loss of her own childhood - followed by the bittersweet acceptance of friends her own age, who Frankie finally "sees" with new eyes.
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Title: The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by CARSON MCCULLERS ISBN: 0553269631 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 June, 1983 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title:Carson McCullers's "The Member of the Wedding": A Study Guide from Gale's "Novels for Students" ASIN: B00006G3MM Publisher: The Gale Group Pub. Date: 23 July, 2002 List Price(USD): $3.95 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $3.95 |
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Title: Ballad Of The Sad Cafe by Carson McCullers ISBN: 0553272543 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 July, 1983 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
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Title: Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene ISBN: 014130636X Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: September, 1999 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Reflections in a Golden Eye by Carson McCullers ISBN: 0618084754 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co Pub. Date: 08 September, 2000 List Price(USD): $10.00 |
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