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)

Love Lee Smith

Never disappointed by Lee Smith’s storytelling. Audible did an amazing job with the reading of this one!

Enchanting

I believe I have a new favorite author in Lee Smith. I highly recommend this book.

one of the very best

because of the narrator, I could not stop listening. And learning. the author has it nailed down on the deep-southern psyche, regardless of the era. Explanations of customs and procedures were immensely helpful and integrated so seamlessly that I hardly noticed I was learning something new. The style of the writing as well as the accent of the narrator is perfect. Absolutely 5 stars.

Loved every minute

This is the best book I've never read. I loved every minute and was sad to come to the end. The narrator was wonderful and the story (letters) is beautifully written. I am now a forever fan of Lee Smith and will search out audio books narrated by Kate Forbes. I listened to this book while walking in the mornings and evenings and was so captivated that I found myself walking longer, further and more often than ever to hear more. I finished the 13+ hour audio in one week. I give this book my highest recommendation.

All-time Favorite!

I guess I'm a bit biased, because this is my favorite book, but it was just as good when I listened to it as when I read it. Again and again! Smith has a way of cutting through the cr*p and getting to the heart of how the character feels.

Outstanding piece of nostalgia for a by-gone time

This beautifully written, gorgeously read book is set in the early 1900s in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia. It is a one-sided narrative, the letters of the main character Ivy, who is a precocious 12 year old when the book begins, and an elderly lady in her 80s as it ends. What a treat this book was! Like many other readers, I was sorry to bid Ivy goodbye, and grateful for being able to spend so many happy hours in her company.

Loved this story!

Very well written and read! Being from upper East Tn, I could visualize all the scenery and recognize characteristics of some of my mountain relatives. My grandmother was from Lynchburg area and I though reader’s accent was dead on!

Stunning Southern Story

Beautifully descriptive with interwoven narratives. Enjoyed every word and mood. Ivy now reigns on my personal heroine throne.

Loved this book!

I bought this book some time ago, but for some reason just got around to listening to it. The narrator was wonderful! She WAS Ivy and the tone of the book, written as Ivy's letters to her friends and family, just drew me into the story,

Lee Smith is a terrific writer and listening to her book brings it out even more, I think, that reading it.

I was really sorry when the book was finished. I'd highly recommend it.

Great audio!

I read this book about fifteen years ago, and it became one of my favorite books of all time. I decided to get the audio version, but was a little afraid that the narrator wouldn't do justice to the voices in the book. I shouldn't have worried. The narrator does an excellent job with the dialects. Listening to the book was as wonderful as reading it.