…In the South, you tend your own garden, in your corner of the world. You have to cultivate your own garden, and this is why, as it is well known, Southerners are eccentric…
Ritz of the Bayou by Nancy Lemann; 163 pages, Hardcover; Published August 12, 1987 by Knopf; ISBN: 9780394560373 (ISBN10: 039456037X); Language: English
…These born-again Christians seem to be pretty dim bulbs. The elevator isn’t going to the penthouse level, you might say…
This is not an easy book to review. Charming, yes. Clever, yes. Smidgens of a story, yes. Character development? Not so much. It’s more about the reporter covering the trial and her relationship to New Orleans and New York and what it is she sees and hears and decides what it is, and what it hilariously is all about. But like I said, it isn’t easy.
… “So you’re from Princeton?” said the Governor.”Well, what’s the matter, you couldn’t get into the schools in Louisiana?”
I particularly liked that bit. The dialogue leads us through the entire meaning of the piece, and I’m not really sure it has anything to do with the court case Lemann’s covering. And the meaning I am thinking has everything to do with connecting somehow, and being made to believe you belong. Buit where that idea ever came from is anybody’s guess.
…dead silence in the elevator, while I tell the Governor my entire family tree. I said I was Buddy’s cousin. “You’re too cute to be Buddy’s cousin,” said the Governor…
That southern charm, just dripping with bullshit. I imagine a fake tan. And it must help that the Governor is handsome in light of the glare off those Hollywood lights. Obviously impressed by the wrong coastline. Still, imported and cheap.
…In the South, you tend your own garden, in your corner of the world. You have to cultivate your own garden, and this is why, as it is well known, Southerners are eccentric…
Nancy Lemann is a hard writer to categorize, so I will not attempt to do so. Leave it to say that I am moving on to another of her novels, this one titled Malaise. Perhaps after reading everything she’s written I’ll eventually get what it is she’s doing. And perhaps it’s as simple as having a good time.