A Death in the Family

I had never heard of this author or this book- so glad I stumbled upon it! Moving, thoughtful- a great story told by a fantastic narrator

Excellent story, excellent performance. Narrator nailed the East Tennessean accent without condescension. Very highly recommended.

I've read this book twice, but got such wonderful added dimension from Lloyd James' reading. Kudos!

In the 2d half of my 40s, I've been on a kick to read as many prized literary novels as I can. I've been particularly interested in reading such novels set in the South. This novel, set in Tennessee, won the 1958 Pulitzer Prize for Literature. It has caused me to question whether I should do a cost-benefit analysis before reading certain prized novels.

In my literary endeavor, many times I've enjoyed what I've read and some novels have required hard work and a second reading to appreciate (e.g., The Sound and the Fury). And, then there have been a couple like A DEATH IN THE FAMILY, that made me wonder why I should force myself to experience a story of an event and aftermath so painful to endure in reality, a story that nearly all of us suffer through at least a few times in our life if we are lucky enough to make it to middle age. This novel, as you can tell from the title, is a story of a rural family dealing with the death of the father and husband and brother and son to the respective surviving family members.

I have had a hard enough time surviving the painful ordeal of the death of an immediate family member. While I can appreciate the literary quality of this novel, I've come to the conclusion that life is just too short and my reading time too limited to spend hours and hours of my time vicariously living through such intimate agony and sadness at and as the story's very center.

There was only five minutes of the book. Where is the rest of it, dude?

Written back in the first half of the 20th century, this slow moving but powerful story tells of a rural family facing a death of one of its members. It starts out very slowly but soon it completely hooked me and I found it hard to put down. Not a whole lot happens but it is nevertheless completely absorbing and true to life. I highly recommend it.

IT WAS A GOOD STUDY ON THE THE DAYS AFTER A LOVED ONE'S DEATH.

IT WAS WAY TOO DULL.

THIS WAS MY FIRST.

I DON'T KNOW. THE NARATION WAS GREAT.

PROBABLY...I ASSUME THE TV WOULD ADD SOMETHING TO MAKE THE STORY MORE INTERESTING.