Fair and Tender Ladies

De: Lee Smith

Narrado por: Kate Forbes

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

Reseñas de la Crítica

"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)

Profoundly moving

I have just finished listening to this remarkable audiobook and I am so tenderly moved. I want to grieve over losing Ivy, as her life came quietly to an end. No, her life itself wasn’t quiet- it was far from it – but I fell as though I have lost a friend. The fact that the narrator, Kate Forbes, read with a perfect Appalachian accent (the book takes place within an hour of where I now live), helps make it even more authentic. This book, told entirely by letters written by Ivy Rowe, gives a true voice to the Appalachian life that exists still today. This is a wonderful book, rich and full, and I highly recommend it to anyone to read. A real piece of Americana and excellent writing. It made me laugh many times (I rarely laugh out loud while reading or listening), and I shed a tear or two as well. Lee Smith is from Grundy, VA (near my hometown), and I do hope one day to be able to meet her. She is a magnificent writer, in my opinion!

slow start, great finish

I had a little difficult maintaining my interest in the beginning, but about a 3rd of the way in I was hooked! The descriptions were so vivid, I felt like I was there with Ivy, that I knew her. By the end, I really cared about her.

Remarkable reader, great book

I think I might listen to this book again just to hear Kate Forbes read it. She's THAT good. And the characters in this novel will make your heart bleed and then smile and then bleed again. I love epistolary novels, and this is one to savor.

Fabulous Book

I absolutely was absorbed into the letters and didn't want this to end. Excellent narrator, I highly recommend this book!

Entertaining

Ivy is an inspiration to all women. Her letters describe growing up poor in an isolated rural area without feeling sorry for herself. Just the opposite! Her observations of the countryside and people around her are delightful.

Beautiful yes, tough as an old shoe

Tough, had to be. You were strong or you died either in soul or body. The beauty of so many of these mountain people was inside and out. I feel this to be a complete picture of the women and men of the Appalachins lost in the photographs that often make them appear to be worn out and down. The book is a jewel and I hated to have it end. Ivy Rowe had the intelligence and spunk needed to make her life worth while. Lee Smith,
Kate Forbes, you made Ivy live for me. In so many ways I was reminded of a favorite Nova Scotia heroine of my youth. If you liked Anne of Green Gables, I believe you will also fall in love with Ivy of Virginia.

Simply wonderful

A simple life story, told beautifully and performed magnificently. Such a delightful journey into another person’s life in a unique way, through letters. Love it!

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.