Eat, Drink, And Be From Mississippi (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
I loved the characters in this book, but the writing left me wanting. It's hard to put a finger on, but perhaps it needed more dialogue, at least at the start. It reads a bit "and then...and then...and then" instead of deep story. I also felt the ending left me hanging. I want to know how things work out for SOMEBODY. Even if it is only Tay-Ann (great name). The characters had me hooked, but, again, I wanted much more from the story. Do read it, though! When I saw this title at the library, I immediately picked it up since I am from Mississippi. With that said, I'm very torn about this book. I was amused by this book and enjoyed it, and I don't feel like I wasted time in my life reading this book that I would really like to have back. At the same time, I feel kind of ashamed for not hating the book more. It was extremely problematic. The characters were stereotypical - the blacks, the white southerners, the cheaters, the women, the born-agains. In some ways, it seemed like a rip-off of the true story _Blind Side_ about Michael Oher. It also had too many threads going that she seemed unsure of how to tie up, so she just let them kind of dangle and let us draw our own conclusions. I knew she wanted the message to be that family is what we make it, despite blood lines and color. But she never actually said it or demonstrated it. What she instead essentially said was that Mississippi is one giant brain drain and it's a fun place to reminisce about, but not to stay in and be successful. Also, whites can make blacks successful if you just inject enough money into the problem or situation. I did, however, enjoy the mentions of Mississippi in the book, since I could relate to them and know where/what they were talking about.
What do You think about Eat, Drink, And Be From Mississippi (2009)?
I've really loved Nanci Kincaid's other books, but this one was only so-so.
—CZIENELLE
did not finish. totally lost me halfway through...
—rohit933
