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My first encounter with Eudora Welty's work was truly a delight. The vivid descriptions of Delta life in the book bear a striking resemblance to the tales my grandmother shared with me. She grew up in the peach country of Middle Georgia during the same era as the setting of the book. Welty's masterful use of Southern vernacular is spot-on. The words and phrases she employs are ones that I was familiar with from my own upbringing in South Georgia. Some reviewers may have found the relationships between the black "servants" and the family a bit uncomfortable. However, based on my grandmother's stories, I suspect they are quite typical of that time period. Thankfully, in our post-civil rights world, the complex and sometimes unfair relationships depicted in the book are difficult to fully comprehend. Nonetheless, the descriptions of the characters, their somewhat careless love for one another, and even the rather off-handed way they deal with the death of Laura's mother all seem authentic for that era. It provides a wonderful portrait of a bygone era, showing how people lived their daily lives and celebrated special occasions like a wedding. Overall, it was a captivating read that offered a fascinating glimpse into a different time and place.
