Do not be intimidated by the length of this book. Miss Lucille Marsden will keep you entertained through every single page. Even when she is telling you about the horrors of war, she will keep you riveted every paragraph. Even when the story is not from her point of view, she will have you glued to the sentences. Within Lucy's monologue Gurganus lays out the entire southern society from before the Civil War up to the mid-1980s when Lucy is almost one hundred years old. History breathes in and out with every colorful sentence; from the recognition of Baby Africa and every aspect of owning another human being to life in a nursing home.
Lucy herself is a treat. Married at a mere fifteen years old, she saw the world with a sensitivity and sweetness. She cared about where people came from (Castalia from Africa) or how displaced a foreigner can feel (Wong Chow from China). Even though her husband was in his fifties when they married, Lucy became a baby factory having nine children in eleven years. Her marriage was painful as her husband could be very abusive. Sleeping with a hatchet was not out of the question for Lucy. But I digress. Take your time with Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All. Know that every character serves a purpose at the moment of introduction but may not need remembering a hundred pages later. ( )

One of my favorite novels. ( )

Wow I am constantly amazed at how much I dislike books I have a fond memory of enjoying decades ago. ( )

I saw the movie years ago and fell in love with the story. When I finally got the chance to read the book, I was very excited. However, the writing style just wasn't my cup of tea and I'm sad to say I wasn't able to get very far into the book. ( )

(43) Yikes. This was quite a long book and took me forever to read. As one who loves literature from the Civil War period and who calls central North Carolina home; even knows some of the same people the author does - by all accounts, I should have loved this. But it was just so incredibly rambling. Lucy Marsden married a 55 year old veteran of the Civil War (he joined as a 13 year old bugle boy) when she was 14 - and now at almost 100 years old she carries her husband's eyewitness accounts of the War with her - in all its absurdities and tragedies. She and her husband are from a Mayberry type of small town peopled with characters, including her best friend Castalia Marsden, a former slave of the family. Castalia remembers Africa and her crossing on a slave ship, and Sherman's march through the Marsden's plantation burning all.

Over 700 pages of small print of detailed stories from Lucy, Cap Marsden, and Castalia's lives - all in a frame of the 100 year old Lucy in a nursing home telling some young author. The chronology jumps around and many stories become - well - tedious. Lucy is a fascinating and hilarious character - evoking pathos and admiration, and she is indeed a good story-teller. At times, I will say, I loved the book and certain images haunt - Ned shot from the tree; Lady Marsden playing with the slave children in The Lilacs; Baby Archie's story. But Gawd - some things just dragged - the Africa part, the Shirley interlude, the last weird War story with the Lieutenant that preened in the mirror - WTF.

I have such mixed feelings - I feel that 3 stars is both a stingy and a generous rating for this novel depending on which part I reflect on. Unlike some other books that have been a big time investment where I haven't felt rewarded, (I am thinking of Helprin's 'A Winter's Tale,' and 'Ulysses' to name a few. . .) I am glad I read this and don't begrudge the time. But I really do feel that at times, you can have too much of a good thing. ( )