Paperback, 192 pages
Published April 15, 1985
Description from Goodreads:
Simons Everson Manigault ('You say it 'Simmons.' I'm a rare one-m Simons") lives with his mother, an eccentric professor (known as the Duchess), on an isolated and undeveloped strip of South Carolina coast. Convinced that her son can be a writer of genius, the Duchess has immersed Simons in the literary classics since birth ("Like some kids swat mobiles, I was to thumb pages") and has given him free rein to gather material in such spots as the Baby Grand, a local black nightclub. ("It was an assignment. I'm supposed to write. I'm supposed get good at it.")
My thoughts:
I was looking at books on NetGalley and Edisto caught my attentions. It is set in the South in the 1970's. I love books set in the South when they are written well and truthful. Edisto is one of those books. The narrator is a twelve year old white boy named Simons. He lives with his mother, who surrounds him with literature and wants him to be a writer, and has an absent father. He is very bright and has an incredible vocabulary.He meets a mixed race man named Taurus, and is then immersed in the African American culture of south Carolina.
While it is hard to believe that a twelve year old boys speaks the way Simons does and acts the way he does, the writing style is wonderful. The book is fast paced and fairly short. It is a great coming of age story and it's comparison to Catcher in the Rye is inevitable.
I would highly recommend this book.
More from the Author: Visit his website.
My previous review: The Longings of Wayward Girls
It is important to note that I received this book from NetGalley in return for a book review. That being said, the feelings expressed in this review are my own and were not influenced by an outside source.
does he become a writer in the end?? Sounds like an interesting tale.
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