I grew up in a family of four kids. During the summer, we shared a lakehouse with another large family. Nearby, several other families from our church also had lakehouses. Every day, throughout the entire summer, was largely spent swimming, waterskiing, and biking with a huge extended family of other kids. We played games like spotlight and ghost in the graveyard almost every night. Around the Fourth of July, we had firework wars that were truly epic. No one was ever alone. Each moment was a spontaneous burst of activity.

I have always had a difficult time explaining this experience to people without becoming overly sentimental and nostalgic. If I were to ever try to set this down in words, I would want my story to have a tenth of the power and raw energy of Eudora Welty's Delta Wedding.

I have read half a study's worth of "southern" novels, and none of them have depicted the culture in which I grew up. Eudora Welty's Delta Wedding is a welcomed exception to my reading experience. This masterful novel manages to funnel a massive cast of characters into a single setting. There are nearly one hundred distinct voices running through the narrative in regular intervals. It also weaves in themes of gris-gris, ghosts, and the importance of the land with a style that at times approaches magical realism. It is a highly unpredictable book, commenting on itself in jaunty asides and managing an ephemeral sense of both action and place effortlessly.

That being said, this is also a book of great finesse and manners. It requires an immense amount of concentration and skill on the part of the reader to discover the hidden depths of the characters. Each passage reads like a puzzle with clues secreted away with great care. In a large part, the theme is about the implicit depth of dedicated superficiality, and the plot flies in the face of conventions like conflict and pacing, favoring a surrealist or impressionist approach to more conventional narrative structures. A great number of questions are posed and left unanswered.

In the end, I love this book because it expressed a part of myself I've never had words for, and it gave meaning to a set of experiences that - lacking expression - I had misunderstood as meaningless. It's a book that truly speaks to my soul and helps me understand the unique world I grew up in.

3.5 stars…..This author is truly a unique one for me. It's never a case of "one size fits all." I have ranked her books anywhere from 2 to 5 stars. She has this remarkable ability to make her stories interesting and engaging.

There are at least two more of her books that I am really eager to read, and I hope to get to them sooner rather than later.

To be completely fair, I listened to this particular work in audio format. Perhaps the numerous characters became a bit overwhelming for me as I was listening.

Nevertheless, her writing still holds a certain charm that keeps me coming back for more. I'm curious to see what else she has in store for her readers in those other books that I'm looking forward to.

I believe that with each new book, she might surprise me and offer a different perspective or a new style that could potentially earn her a higher ranking from me.

Overall, I'm still a fan of this author, despite the slight hiccup with the audio version and the variable star ratings.

If you want to hear me wax lyrical on this for about half an hour, I did so for my Patreon book club here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=876Tq...

The descriptions in the book are truly captivating. "Above in an unbroken circle, all those around the wheel of the level world, lay silvery-blue clouds whose edges melted and changed into the pink and blue of sky." (p. 30) This paints a vivid picture of the beautiful sky.

"It is because people are mostly layers of violence and tenderness - wrapped like bulbs, she thought soberly; I don't know what makes them onions or hyacinths." (p. 42) This thought-provoking statement makes us reflect on the complexity of human nature.

"Does happiness seek out, go to visit, the ones it can humble when it comes at last to show itself?" (p. 49) This question makes us wonder about the nature of happiness and how it affects us.

The book is filled with such wonderful quotes that bring the story and the characters to life. It's a must-read for anyone who loves literature.

A marvellous read (at least for those with patience).

Most of the Fairchild family, a diverse clan yet unified in its self-sufficiency, reside on cotton plantations in an area seemingly less than 160 kilometres (100 miles) southwest of Yoknapatawpha County. They are distinctly of their region, sharing some of the attitudes and concerns of the characters in Faulkner's fictional county.

They gather over a few days for a wedding, which is successfully held. And Welty describes them with the same confident and idiosyncratic voice as Faulkner used.

Nothing of great significance occurs during the few days of the story. However, the family's busy life and Welty's digressive narration, both becoming lush like the Delta heat, can make even a few pages of the story seem tiring.

What makes it worth reading is the closely observed and true-to-life interaction of the numerous aunts, uncles, children, and assorted others. The description of a family in an island of rural society is more intense and filled with psychological depth than anything from Jane Austen. The almost second-by-second recording of detail sounds like real life. The sense of reality, of being present in a real physical environment, is as strong as what Faulkner creates.

But Welty presents a remarkable inversion. Faulkner's stories expand into myths and themes covering decades in a wide region. Welty condenses the narrative to explore the life of a single family, though it may be representative. She also gives a significant role to the women; Faulkner generally treats his women characters in a questionable manner, apparently seeing them as somewhat mysterious and incomprehensible.

The African-American characters are more numerous than in Faulkner, but are described solely by surface details rather than by any attempt to explore their inner lives. Welty published this in 1946 and set the story in the early 1920s, so that approach is perhaps not unexpected, but it is notable. Then again, for the Fairchilds, nearly the entire world, anything beyond the realm of cousins, is of secondary importance.

The heat,

that sweltering, oppressive heat that seems to blanket everything in a thick, humid haze.

The clothes,

light and airy, designed to combat the warmth, yet still managing to look stylish and graceful.

The food,

rich and flavorful, a symphony of spices and tastes that dance on the tongue.

The house,

with its wide porches and tall ceilings, providing a haven from the scorching sun.

The way sisters talk to each other,

full of love and laughter, but also with that hint of sisterly rivalry and teasing.

This is the south,

a place that comes alive in this gorgeous, lyrical novella.

It's not just a story,

but a poem, really,

capturing the essence of a region and the people who call it home.

Is there any writer with a better sense of place?

Perhaps not,

for this novella transports the reader to a world that is both familiar and enchanting.

First read in 2001.

It was in 2001 that I first had the opportunity to read this particular piece.

The experience was truly remarkable.

As I began to turn the pages, I was immediately drawn into the story.

The words seemed to dance on the paper, captivating my attention and imagination.

It was as if I was transported to another world, one filled with vivid characters and exciting adventures.

The author's writing style was engaging and fluid, making it easy for me to follow along and become fully immersed in the narrative.

From the very first sentence, I knew that this was a book that I would not soon forget.

It left a lasting impression on me and sparked a love for reading that has continued to this day.

Looking back on that initial reading in 2001, I am grateful for the discovery of this wonderful piece of literature.

It has enriched my life and opened up a world of possibilities.

Not her youthful existence with her composed mother and Battle, but her middle years—having a better acquaintance with all the Fairchilds and witnessing George set himself apart from them—had revealed to her the profound intricacies of the ordinary, of the family. It had shown her what hidden caverns lay within the mountains, what blocked chambers existed, and what crystal-clear rivers remained unseen.

I sense the powerful influence of Woolf here (Welty penned an outstanding foreword to To the Lighthouse). However, when comparing this novel to Woolf's works, the potency of such a dreamy and lyrical approach to a plotless family drama seems to wane. Welty, without a doubt, captures the magnificent cadences of Southern speech with unrivaled skill. Yet, I found this less captivating than her short stories. The racist plantation mindset of the 1920s family was also disconcerting.

“It was a gentle day, teeming with the light of the afternoon. It was the fifth beautiful week, with only that one menacing day. The golden mass of the distant shade trees appeared to dance and sway beneath the plum-colored sky. On either side of their horses' hooves, the cotton sparkled like stars. Then a red-pop bird flew up from its nest in the cotton. Above, in an unbroken circle all around the wheel of the level world, lay silvery-blue clouds whose edges melted and transformed into the pink and blue of the sky. Girls and horses raised their heads like swimmers. Here and there, and far away, the cotton wagons, painted green by hand, stood up to their wheel tops in the white cotton and were loaded with it, like cloud wagons.”

I first read this remarkable piece two years ago, and upon rereading it this time around, I found myself loving it just as deeply.

It presents a big, multi-generational, and delightfully chaotic family. There are aunts, uncles, cousins - everyone is a part of the Fairchild clan. Interestingly enough, now that I think about it, there are no grandparents.

The wonderful, sweet, old maid aunts Primrose and Jim Allen, the busybody take-charge Aunt Tempe, the saintly mother Ellen with her 8 children, all spoiled rotten in a charming way.

Daphne, the second oldest daughter, decides at 17 to marry the plantation overseer Troy. No one wants her to marry beneath her station, but she is determined, and so a wedding must be planned.

All of the action unfolds in the week before and a few days after the wedding. The Mississippi Delta is not just a setting here; it is as much a character as anyone else. Eudora Welty's profound love for the natural world is vividly evident in her descriptions of the place.

She transports you right into the middle of this huge family, with conversations overlapping and flowing freely. Her depiction of children, their actions and ways of thinking, is incredibly realistic, perhaps the most so that I've ever read.

Favorite quotes: "You never had to grow up if you were spoiled enough. It was comforting, if things turned out not to be what you thought....." "She felt again, but differently, that men were no better than little children. Women, she was glad to think, did know a little better - though everything they knew they would have to keep to themselves....oh, forever!"

Women do have the upper hand in this book, at least around the old plantation house in 1923, especially when it comes to planning a wedding and keeping the men out of the way so things can get done. It was a very satisfying read for me.

I don't believe the ending happened just because the wedding was over. It happened because Welty finally ran out of aunts and houses.

After further rumination of this unsatisfying novel, I came to the realization that something was missing:

Zombie Delta Wedding

Eudora Welty did not have good luck with her editors. Here she had written the first cross-genre teen romantic paranormal novel (well, second, if you count Little Undead Women as first.) Her concept was brilliant. What starts out as a presumably boring trip of a little girl named Laura being sent to a strange place for a relative's wedding soon ends up in horror. But the editors ripped out all of the good Lovecraftian stuff and missed the whole point of the novel.

The editors seemed to think that the wacky tale of a loony Southern extended family in the Delta consisting of 7392 aunts was titillating enough for that time's readers. But did they ever miss that hanging Kudzu curveball that is all melting pork fat over the plate. The Delta? Voodoo! Duh! Graveyards and abandoned houses? Zombies! Double Duh!

The editors tried to excise all the references to Zombies and Voodoo, but like the brains that preternaturally untidy zombies leave behind, the clues are out in the open. Laura doesn't drop in on Shellmound (!) and her Zombified aunts, uncles, cousins and servants to visit - no, like Buffy, she has come to slay.

Forgetful (because she has no brain?) Aunt Ellen? Bully Aunt Tempe? Drama Queen Dabney? Mad Aunt Shannon? All are zombies created by Aunt Partheny's voodoo spells. The clues still remain in the book. Aunt Partheny (\\"I ain't studyin' you\\" - in other words, she hasn't zombiefied you yet) gives a patticake baked with animal blood to one of her girl zombies. Hello? Was the editor himself stupified when he let that one go?

Laura is overwhelmed and seduced by the Fairchild Zombie clan. She is vulnerable because her own mother has died and will very probably come back as a zombie, as her grave is still fresh. But after concluding that the Fairfield's obsession with Death and the Delta is too much, Laura decides that she will have to leave, but she won't destroy them. But it is too late! Somehow Aunt Partheny's spells had got to Laura! The last line is one of the most horrific in Zombie Lit to date:

\\"She turned again to them, both arms held out to the radiant night.\\"

AAAHHH! THEY GOT LAURA TOO!

This reinterpretation of the novel adds a whole new layer of excitement and horror. It makes you wonder what could have been if the editors had understood the true potential of Welty's work. Maybe we would have had a classic zombie novel instead of a somewhat lackluster family drama. The idea of a southern family being turned into zombies by voodoo is both creepy and fascinating. It's a concept that could have been explored in much more depth. We could have seen more of Laura's struggle against the zombie horde, or the backstory behind Aunt Partheny's voodoo powers. Overall, this expanded version of the article makes a stronger case for the importance of understanding and respecting an author's vision.

I completely concur with others regarding the chaos that prevails. There is, at times, a rather perplexing number of characters, which can make it a bit challenging to keep track. Moreover, it seems that not much really happens throughout the story, apart from the wedding.

However, despite these drawbacks, this narrative holds a special place for me as it represents my South. It is set in an earlier era than the one I myself have experienced, yet it contains numerous similar occurrences of family life.

The description of the family dynamics, the relationships, and the everyday happenings bring back memories and a sense of familiarity. It makes me realize that although time may have passed and circumstances may have changed, some aspects of family life remain constant.

Even with its flaws, this story offers a unique glimpse into a bygone era and a particular way of life that I can identify with and appreciate.

I only got half way through this before I abandoned it.

The writing is truly beautiful, with a certain elegance and charm that draws you in. However, it seems there are an overwhelming number of characters in it, perhaps even more than in the Old Testament.

While it does a great job of setting the scene, creating a vivid and detailed world, I found it extremely difficult to know what was going on.

When you don't really know who to root for, it becomes a bit of a struggle to stay engaged.

Maybe I was being lazy and gave up too quickly. Or perhaps, deep down, I just had a feeling that this particular piece wasn't meant for me.

It's possible that with more patience and a closer examination, I might have been able to understand and appreciate it better. But for now, I'll have to leave it as it is.

I read Delta Wedding over a few still and hot summer days. Welty’s words seem to glow on the page, and it is truly wonderful.

The story unfolds in a rich and vivid manner, transporting the reader to a different time and place.

The description of the nights is particularly enchanting. “She remembered the nights—the moon vine, the ever-blooming Cape jessamines, the verbena smelling under running feet, the lateness of dancers.” This passage evokes a sense of nostalgia and beauty, painting a picture of a magical summer evening.

It makes me think of warm summer nights long past, filled with the sweet smell of flowers and the sound of laughter and music.

For fans of HGM, this quotation might hold a special significance, perhaps triggering memories of their own favorite works.

Overall, reading Delta Wedding was a delightful experience, one that I will not soon forget.