Fair and Tender Ladies

By: Lee Smith

Narrated by: Kate Forbes

Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Author of many novels and short stories, best-selling writer Lee Smith has received numerous awards for her works, including two O. Henry Awards. Fair and Tender Ladies is an epistolary novel that traces the life of Ivy Rowe, born in the isolated Virginia mountain community of Sugar Fork.

Twelve-year-old Ivy writes her first letter to a Dutch pen pal, who never replies. She also writes many more to her sister Sylvaney, who is mentally disabled and illiterate. Gaining more from writing than receiving any replies, Ivy continues a colorful stream of letters during her long life. Through births and deaths, marriages and funerals, the decades of Ivy's life are captured in a rich dialect that carries the sounds and sights of the Appalachians in each syllable.

Lee Smith's genius lies in her ability to create the landscape of a character's mind with economy and grace. Perfectly complementing Smith's talent, narrator Kate Forbes provides a unique voice for Ivy.

©1988 Lee Smith (P)2004 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Readers will be thoroughly captivated by Ivy Rowe, the narrator of this epistolary novel, and will come to the end of her story with a pang of regret. Smith has produced her best work here, creating a fully rounded heroine and other vivid characters who inhabit Virginia's Appalachia region....In the old tradition of oral storytelling, Smith has fashioned a dramatic, magical, poignantly true-to-life tale." (Publishers Weekly)
"Ivy writes with a verve and immediacy which prove that her creator, Lee Smith, is a storyteller supreme." (School Library Journal)

Timeless

I read this twice 15 years apart and loved it as much listening the second time as reading the first time. The main character is a person I'd like to know. She makes poor choices but doesn't let those choices identify her. She grows and faces adversity well. I am not one who normally underlines passages, but I seriously wanted to this time (except it's hard when listening).

roots

I love mystery books and would not usually choose a fiction book. I am so glad that I chose this one.
I do not care how worldly we women get. You scratch the surface and there is an Ivy there.
A very well written and well read book.

Charming!

I believe the reader really brings this book to life. The book introduces you to the Heroine Ivy and the people in her life, thru the letters that Ivy has written throughout her life. This is the reason the reader is critical in the a book like this one and I am happy to say, this reader does a fantastic job. You feel as if you're privy to Ivy's thoughts as she writes each letter--and you hear her innocence, her incredulity, her sadness, her frustration, her anger and her happiness. I really enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who is a lover of people and their individual stories.

Unforgetable!

This was not my first Lee Smith novel, but by far my most favorite. Ms. Forbes is a tremendously talented narrator who not only makes Ivy Rowe come alive, but also become a cherished friend. This is a book you won't want to end, but in the end, will be embedded in your memory forever.

My favorite southern writer

Lee Smith never disappoints. She crafts such believable characters. This is a winner start to finish. Highly recommended.

Exceptional!

I loved the way the narrator transports you to Sugar Mountain, and portraits the main character Ivy Rowe.
Loved the story of a young woman who had a strong sense of herself and how she loved to tell her story of long ago through her letters

I fell in love with Ivy Rowe! TY Smith + Forbes!

This is a GEM of a book which I am so grateful to have listened to rather than read on pages of paper, because Kate Forbes so beautifully narrated the accents and phrases popular in Appalachia. I know very little about the region, but when my nephew married a girl from West Virginia this summer I was the guest at the sweetest and most fun wedding I have ever attended. It was filled with music, humor and fun. I fell in love with his new family and I think I have decided that part of their loveliness comes from their home state. All of this led me to pick up a book that I probably would have never bought otherwise and I am so glad that it did. I am hoping that some of them will listen so that they can share with me their thoughts.

The story of Ivy Rowe is told through her letters to friends and family over the course of her life from the late 1800s until the mid 1900s. We meet the people she loves and we see the places she knows. It is a story that unfolds quietly and lyrically. It encompasses many, many characters -- all people that Ivy loves -- and not once did I ever confuse one character with another. Both world wars and the Great Depression are part of the history visited in the story. The mining industry plays a part too. And still, the story isn't about any of that. It is about LOVE -- and Ivy is a fierce, strong, stubborn, uneducated, funny, loyal girl/woman who enchanted me with her zest for life and taciturn acceptance of the difficult moments.

The story is about love. Ivy loves well. And I love Ivy.

Great Story, even better performance!

I have been a recorded books listener for decades and this may be the best performance I've ever heard. Kate Forbes is outstanding reading in the first person of Ivy Rowe, a Virginia mountain girl born at the turn of the twentieth century. The story takes us from Ivey at 12 until she is approximately 75.

Ms. Forbes Does a magnificent job of voicing the 12 year-old as well as the elder Ivy.

Fantastic!

A great story told in letters

Would you listen to Fair and Tender Ladies again? Why?

I would listen to this story many times, Kate Forbes narration is excellent and once I got over the form the story is told in I absolutely loved the book. Such an honest book which tells of a hard life lead by the main character, however she is not one to be pitied. I was disappointed when the story ended. This is one that must be read and re-read.

If you’ve ever lived in the south……listen

If you’ve ever lived down south and have time to listen closely, you will not be disappointed. This story is so familiar and true to the southern ways in that era. I absolutely loved it. I listen to hundreds of books of all genres and this one is top 5. Ivy Rowe is every kids mamaw. She is so spunky and loveable. I already miss her and I just finished the book.