The novel delves deep into the delta region and the life that thrived around it in the 1920s. It centers on a privileged southern belle and her wedding to the overseer, with an extensive cast of characters being her family and extended family.

Welty's writing is vivid, although I have a greater affinity for her short stories, which are truly her forte. Amidst her descriptive prose, there are some remarkable lines that shine like precious jewels.

On page 206, Ellen, the mother of the bride, remarks, "Other people's presence and absence were still the least complicated elements of what went on underneath." On page 215, it is stated, "the people you love keep you the way you are." And on page 259, "Suppose the behavior of all men were already no more than this - imitation of other men."

The Fairchilds' privileged and unexamined lives and behaviors are underpinned by the ceaseless toil of the numerous black plantation workers who surround them. The dialogue in the novel is particularly excellent, but keeping track of the vast cast of characters and their rather odd names can be quite a challenge. Overall, I would rate this novel 4 out of 5.

Reading this wonderful book was an absolute delight. It was as if I was relaxing in a warm bath, and the story just flowed over me, making me feel completely at ease. I had a deep and personal connection with young Laura, through whose eyes we witness most of the tale. It brought back memories of my own childhood when I used to attend big family parties at Collinwood, the home of my great aunt Marie. It was very similar - a beautiful countryside, a big old family house filled with multiple generations of relatives from all over the South. There were so many cousins that it was hard to keep track of them all. The place was a giant cacophony of people, and of course, there was an abundance of food - food, food, food, and more food!

It's true that in Kentucky, we didn't have bayous, Spanish moss, cypress trees, or cotton. However, we did have plenty of green rolling hills, horses, corn, and tobacco. We also had our fair share of eccentric kinfolk, and our family had lived on the same property as prosperous local farmers for an even longer period. Just like in this book, we had a nearby Indian mound, which was a place of magic. Sadly, this world has now vanished. The old Collinwood house burned down, the farm was sold, and perhaps for the better, there is no more tobacco.

Another positive change is that we have thankfully moved beyond the old social structure described in this book. In the world of Delta Wedding, everybody had a fixed place in an unchanging society. Men and women had their traditional gendered roles. The men were in charge, the rich dominated the poor, and the whites lorded it over the blacks. Everybody knew their place. It may have been fine for those at the top, and in Ms. Welty's telling, most of the people who were at the bottom accepted their positions as comfortable and natural. It presents an idyllic picture of the past, but it掩盖了 a lot of disrespect and oppression. It was fine for those in power, okay for those who submitted and accepted their place in the hierarchy, but it's not a place where I would feel comfortable if I could travel back in time. We still have a long way to go in solving these problems today, but at least we are aware of the issues and are making efforts, with some intermittent successes, to address them.

I read this for the first time almost exactly 50 years ago.

This time around, I found myself enjoying it even more. There is such an exuberant JOY that emanates from it. And, surprisingly, I did not encounter any difficulty in keeping the names straight, either.

The pure energy that this piece radiates has truly empowered me. It's wonderful that it has served as an inspiration. This is especially timely because 40 people are coming for dinner tomorrow and I still have a great deal more to do.

Amidst all this preparation, I want to take a moment to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving! May this holiday be filled with love, laughter, and an abundance of good cheer.

I look forward to sharing this special day with my guests and creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Despite the忙碌 and the challenges that lie ahead, I am determined to make this Thanksgiving a memorable one.

Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty is a unique literary work that doesn't rely on a traditional plot or extensive character development. Instead, it masterfully creates an atmosphere of the lively chaos of a large extended family preparing for a daughter's wedding in the Mississippi Delta in 1923.

The story begins with nine-year-old Laura McRaven, a young cousin of the bride Dabney Fairchild. Laura travels by train to attend the wedding. Her recently deceased mother was part of the Fairchild clan. Laura finds herself in the middle of the frenzied activity of a house full of aunts, great aunts, uncles, and cousins. The house is constantly abuzz with boisterous conversations, where people often talk over each other.

Welty's portrayal of this multi-generational family is immersive. The cast of characters is extensive and can be quite confusing. There's Laura's Aunt Ellen and Uncle Battle with their large brood of rambunctious children, and Dabney, the self-absorbed and spoilt bride-to-be. The elderly aunts are interfering and critical of outsiders, while the uncles defer to the women. The family is supported by African American servants who come and go as they perform various tasks.

Adding to the confusion, Welty presents simultaneous conversations, dialogues that are at cross-purposes, and sentences that trail off. Children are constantly interrupting and adding to the noise. Throughout this chaos, Welty provides detailed descriptions of the Delta's sights, sounds, and smells. Her use of labyrinthine sentences to pile on minute details vividly brings the place to life.

If you're looking for a novel with a strong plot and fully developed characters, Delta Wedding may not be for you. However, if you want to experience a snapshot of a wealthy plantation family in the 1920s Mississippi Delta, with all its raw energy, shallowness, and privilege, you may find this book an enjoyable read.

Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty offers a unique literary experience.

The Fairchilds, a prominent plantation family in the Mississippi Delta, are gearing up for a wedding during the sweltering September of 1923.

This novel doesn't rely on a complex plot. Instead, it zeroes in on the few days preceding the wedding and the wedding day itself. There is a diverse cast of characters, and at first, I found it a bit challenging to keep track of who was who and how they were all related. However, I managed to sort it out in the end.

For me, the novel truly shines in its vivid sense of place. Eudora Welty masterfully describes the house and its enchanting gardens, the delicious food being readied for the momentous occasion, and the frenzied interactions among the people residing in the house.

Delta Wedding demands focus and commitment from the reader, but it is well worth it, simply to become fully immersed in its captivating world.

I first read Delta Wedding approximately 20 years ago. At that time, I regarded it as rather dull and was quite frustrated as it seemed nothing of significance occurred. Oh, the naivety of youth!

The second time I delved into Delta Wedding, I became completely obsessed. I would rush home from work, pour myself a cold drink, and sit on my porch in the shade, with the evening air still heavy and thick with humidity. The weather, combined with the lyrical writing, transported me to the Delta, allowing me to spend time in the chaotic home of the Fairchilds.

Other than a wedding, nothing momentous transpires during the week in which this book is set, much like nothing momentous happens at your family's Thanksgiving dinner. Delta Wedding explores the family tensions and myths that continuously create an ongoing history. In this family, all but two of the adult men have perished in momentous events. The women own the land but permit the patriarchs to manage it. A Scarlett O'Hara imitation is literally breaking the relics of the older generation as she runs towards her future, and cotton is still picked by hand. Written in 1945, Welty is looking back at the uneventful year of 1923. This is a quiet period in an insular world before the upheavals of a massive flood, the Depression, World War II, and the exodus of cheap white and black labor to the war factories in the north. Did the Fairchilds survive? Did the young boys in this book die in the Pacific and France? The answers to both questions are as unknown to us now as they were to the family when this wedding took place.

(Spoilers below)

I was intrigued by Uncle George, who inherits his elevated and beloved position in family lore after the death of his sainted brother Denis, the previously most adored brother/nephew/uncle/husband. While all the Fairchild women tell us how different, sweet, and wonderful he is, a closer examination of his actions reveals not a hero but a cad. This is a man who admits to having sex (rape?) just off the road with the ghostly lost girl who asks for directions to Memphis and is indifferent to his wife and her emotional and physical needs. Although a new family legend is created about his heroic attempt to save Maureen from the Yellow Dog, it is the simple-minded girl who saves them both. Was this a "suicide by accident" attempt by George? It is the lost girl searching for Memphis who is killed by the train. I'm also curious about the hints Welty drops regarding George's sexuality. This was a very closeted era, particularly in the Bible Belt. She did base the Fairchilds on the family of a beloved friend who was closeted for most of his life.

While aging can present challenges, I am glad it has bestowed upon me the patience and life experiences to enjoy and appreciate the subtleties of Edora Welty and her wonderful descriptions that elevate the ordinary to the sublime.

Read through page 43.

It seems to be dragging a little for me at the moment.

I think I will just let this particular reading go for now.

Interestingly, a Jane Smiley book has just arrived from the library, and I simply can't wait to get started on it.

I have a feeling that this new book might offer a more engaging and captivating reading experience compared to the one I'm currently struggling with.

The anticipation is building up inside me as I look forward to delving into the world created by Jane Smiley.

I'm sure it will be a great escape and a wonderful opportunity to explore new ideas and stories.

Maybe this break from the current reading will also give me a fresh perspective when I come back to it later.

For now, though, my focus is on the exciting new book waiting for me.

It is 1923, and the rather large Fairchild family is busily preparing the plantation for a wedding. This is the plot of this story, and on Shellmound plantation in the Mississippi Delta, not much else truly happens. Ellen and Battle Fairchild have eight children, with a ninth on the way. Their 17-year-old daughter, Dabney, is marrying her father's overseer, who is twice her age and not precisely the kind of man they had expected her to fall in love with. However, they don't really discuss it. A cousin, 9-year-old Laura McRaven, whose mother has just recently passed away, has come for the wedding festivities on the Yellow Dog, the name they've given to the train.

Delta Wedding is really a portrayal of a close multi-generational family. They have some of the most wonderful names ever - Bluet, Little Battle, Ranny, India, Orrin, Aunt Tempe, and spinster sisters Jim Allen and Primrose. A family consists of all types of personalities and characters, with many different tempers and ideas. The Fairchilds demonstrate how real life can be a bit chaotic and disorderly with so many people involved. Welty enables the reader to witness the chaos from the perspective of young cousin Laura, who simply desires to be a genuine member of the family, from the eyes of the eldest sister, Shelley's diary, and from the viewpoint of Robbie, related by marriage and not really accepted. The women are the ones who manage this family and take care of things. Battle is the head of the family, but his brother George is truly the emotional center of the family. He appears to be the one around whom all the members revolve their conversations. He is the best of all the Fairchilds - and we hear the story about the day he risked his life to free his niece from a railroad track from everyone's perspective.

This one took me a little while to get into the rhythm and figure out that nothing was really occurring except for the bantering and amusing conversations of the inhabitants of Shellmound. Once I got into the concept of the story, I simply allowed the characters to show me and tell me what they wanted to say and do, and it all worked out quite well.

I read this article a long time ago.

However, I still remember that I had some difficulties when reading it.

Perhaps it was due to the complex language or the unfamiliar subject matter.

Nevertheless, it left an impression on me.

I think it would be interesting to revisit the article and try to understand it better this time.

Maybe I will discover new things or gain a different perspective.

It's always good to challenge ourselves and expand our knowledge.

So, I'm looking forward to reading it again and seeing what insights I can gain.

Who knows, it might even become one of my favorite articles.

Only time will tell.

I had a dreamy quality that I truly enjoyed.

The atmosphere was kind of beautiful, and the descriptions were great, making the scenes feel real. I really liked it.

However, there were some weird or bad points. There was pretty much no conflict involved in the book, even though quite a bit was set up, which was rather bizarre. For example, there are constant references to Troy's seeming unsuitability as a husband, but nothing comes of it, and there's not really much explanation of why people talk about him as unsuitable. Near the end, Shelley witnesses him apparently shooting a black worker who's threatening him with a knife. The scene lasts maybe a page, and she says it shows some sort of extreme unsuitability, but the event is never referenced again, and Shelley makes no further comments about Troy, in thought or otherwise. The event itself is incredibly confusing, and I have no idea what went on. It's really weird. There are a couple of other similar scenes, which presumably have deeper implications or ones that aren't the obvious but aren't referenced again and don't seem to have an impact. George talking about "sleeping with" the vagrant girl Ellen finds in the woods - Ellen seems shocked, but again, nothing else happens. It doesn't affect their relationship, and the girl is referenced once again in an ambiguous context. There are several times the author seems to be describing some sort of romantic tension between George and other people, but maybe I'm reading too much into it. Every character is prone to going into deep reflection at every opportunity, which is pretty ridiculous but adds to the dream-like quality of the book and really wasn't bad. There are a lot of named characters that it's impossible to keep track of and don't really have a point.

Bigger things: I note an event regarding violence above - violence is treated as tainting someone in this one case. Yet Battle beating children happens often and is treated incredibly casually. He also threatens extreme violence casually, and the one reference to this plays it off as a "oh haha our Battle!!" thing. None of the Fairchilds are ever shown engaging in any work. Yet at the end of the book, several describe how "draining" and "tiring" the wedding has been. The disconnect between words and experience is noticeable. The only reason I can see Troy being unsuitable, in fact, is in his job as an overseer - in doing their work, the work of the plantation owner running their lands, he's somehow "unclean". His presence impinges on the "paradise" of the Fairchilds' life - they have no experience of the reality of where their (obviously absolutely massive) income comes from. The thing is, this theme is hardly developed and shows mostly in omission, making me curious how the author felt about this.

The black workers have very little presence, even though they should be a constant presence around the house as domestic servants. The scenes that feature them show them as personality-less - they just obey orders happily - with 2 exceptions. Right at the end of the book, one says they don't like roses. This upsets Ellen, although we're not given much more than that. One character is visited at her house to ask about something lost, and the Fairchilds who visited treat her vaguely dramatic searching as malicious - the one example of personality is shunned and considered bad. In fact, I could think of only two other instances of things being treated as malicious or wrong in the book - the first is the mentally disabled preteen Maureen (who is referred to in rude terms), and the other is George's wife Robbie, who is again considered "unsuitable", but especially for leaving him when she feels hurt. Their real crime seems to be that they disturbed in some way the Fairchilds' untroubled existence. I don't know if my view of the Fairchilds as horrible people who live an incredibly happy life merely by ignoring or shunning things that disturb it is an unreasonable one, but to me, it was the only one that made sense and still let me enjoy the book.

I'm reading this for a book club, and I can't help but sense a feeling of familiarity. Back in 2021, our group delved into another of Welty's works, The Optimist’s Daughter. I decided to check my review on Goodreads and saw that I gave it four stars. However, my initial thoughts were quite different. I started my review by saying that the writing was the complete opposite of a page-turner. I had to take a break with just 14 pages left in the book, and it took a great deal of willpower for me to go back and finish it. There was just something about Welty's "telling" that didn't engage me. Maybe it's a matter of personal taste. But the "showing" she did was strong enough, and the overarching theme was good enough for me to give it four stars overall.

Bingo! The same goes for Delta Wedding. Although I enjoyed the story in The Optimist’s Daughter very much, I found the writing style in both books to be insufferably dull. Delta Wedding was a chore to get through. I just couldn't give this one four stars.

I understand that Welty wasn't aiming for a complex plot or a thrilling story here. She was focused on depiction and characterization. The book covers a week before the wedding of Dabney, the second oldest daughter of the southern Fairchild clan. It's told partly through the eyes of Laura, a nine-year-old cousin from out of town whose mother has passed away. The Fairchild clan is enormous, with many people in Laura's generation, from Shelly, the eldest, to the unborn baby carried by the matriarch Ellen. There are also many in the generation of the patriarch-father Battle and Ellen.

Not much happens other than all the people, of all ages, interacting with one another. Little of it was memorable or worth writing about. I'm not necessarily against what Welty wanted to do. But doing it well is incredibly difficult. Endless descriptions and recitations of the ordinary require the author to be a master wordsmith, almost a poet. Balzac and Dickens come to mind. Welty is not that, not even close. Her word usage and sentence construction are at best pedestrian. In contrast to the likes of Dickens, there wasn't a single sentence or paragraph that made me linger or want to reread. And if the story lacks expressive excellence, it really needs to be carried by its story or plot.

I was tempted to give this one star. But there were some redeemable and potentially excellent things that led me to give it two stars. Uncle George, the adorable uncle that everyone has or at least thinks they have, and the situation between his wife Robbie (supposedly George married beneath him, as did Dabney) kept me hooked until Welty wrapped it up and went back to the trivial monotony. Oh, what Balzac or Tolstoy would have done with the sense of insular superiority of the Fairchilds! Welty hinted at it here and there but had other boring things to focus on. One suspects there could have been amazing inner dialogue from Ellen (who married into the Fairchilds), but we only get a scant hint, with no development. Laura's outsider/insider thing was only touched on superficially. Welty had the material for and occasionally hinted at a five-star masterpiece. But instead, she chose to write a two-star snooze-fest.

Eudora Welty is widely regarded as one of the great and defining authors of 20th Century America. However, to be completely honest, I simply couldn't persevere with this particular book.

Although the writing was undeniably beautiful, after reading just two chapters, there seemed to be no significant events or developments. The book jacket promised "drama upon drama, revelation upon revelation", but thus far, I had read nothing that would lead me to believe that such things were about to occur.

Moreover, the highly rated reviews from other readers predominantly focused on their childhood experiences. I have a sufficient understanding of growing up in a southern family, and I don't require a detailed, blow-by-blow account of summer in the south. Instead, I would much prefer a book with a more engaging plot. Once again, while the descriptions were almost flawlessly evocative of summer in a sleepy southern town, this book simply didn't resonate with me.

Perhaps it's a matter of personal taste, but for me, this book failed to capture my interest and hold my attention.