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marget's review against another edition
4.0
I love this time frame/era. Caldwell writes as if he IS the characters in the book...You really get a feel for what life was like during the depression.
margaridascarlos's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kcrouth's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. This short but powerful story reads like a cross between a Steinbeck novel of social commentary and a Coen brothers black comedy/tragedy film. In it, we get a raw and disturbing view into a family and small farming culture that has been all but destroyed by those holding the money and the power; the banking industry, evangelical religion, corporate farming, and the industrial revolution, have literally left these desperately poor people in the dust. All that is left is a destitution so deep and irreversible that it has reduced the family and surrounding community to a barely human condition, dealing with hunger, lust, superstition, and fear. Yet to their last breath, they are able to hang on to their dream of farming and their love of the land. This story is even more disturbing and sad in that we can still see this pattern of money, religion, and power controlling and crushing the poor in spirit playing out in today's society and culture. One would have hoped that this country could have made more progress toward justice and equality in the last 100 years. So it goes.
nikkipierce's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant writing as it brings you back to the struggles of the early 20th century farmers.
brandonadaniels's review against another edition
4.0
Caldwell certainly needs to be acknowledged as a pioneer of the Southern Gothic genre in the same way Faulkner and O’Conner are. This book is short, grim, and sometimes as funny as it is tragic. The audiobook by Mark Hammer was amazing. The book feels like it was written to be read aloud, which explains why it became such a successful play.
catcervone's review against another edition
3.0
Most of the time while I was reading this book, I was either feeling sorry for the characters, laughing at the characters, or being annoyed at how ridiculous and unrealistic the characters were being. Still, it told the story of a family riddled with problems.
kevin_shepherd's review against another edition
5.0
“Look at them two big holes running down into her face - how does she keep it from raining down in there, you reckon?” “I’ll be damned if I know. Maybe she puts cork stoppers in them to keep the water out.”
Welcome to Hillbilly Hell.
The Lester’s are poor, ignorant, and sexually degenerate to the nth degree. They live in abject poverty brought about by the perfect storm trifecta of wretched judgment, blind faith and unchecked procreation.
Caldwell’s characterization of America’s lowest class may have been published in 1932, but its legacy (and their progeny) still abounds. U.S. pop culture is rife with representatives: Ernest T. Bass, Jethro Bodine, Junior Samples, Larry the Cable Guy…
The paradox of Tobacco Road is that it is both darkly comedic and sadly realistic. Anyone who resides in the American Midwest or South can attest, these people are still with us. They populate trailer parks, drive broken down jalopies and congregate at Walmart, Kmart and Trump rallies. They are our neighbors, our coworkers, and MY relatives. I laugh because Caldwell’s depiction seems grossly exaggerated and then cry because I know it’s not.
Welcome to Hillbilly Hell.
The Lester’s are poor, ignorant, and sexually degenerate to the nth degree. They live in abject poverty brought about by the perfect storm trifecta of wretched judgment, blind faith and unchecked procreation.
Caldwell’s characterization of America’s lowest class may have been published in 1932, but its legacy (and their progeny) still abounds. U.S. pop culture is rife with representatives: Ernest T. Bass, Jethro Bodine, Junior Samples, Larry the Cable Guy…
The paradox of Tobacco Road is that it is both darkly comedic and sadly realistic. Anyone who resides in the American Midwest or South can attest, these people are still with us. They populate trailer parks, drive broken down jalopies and congregate at Walmart, Kmart and Trump rallies. They are our neighbors, our coworkers, and MY relatives. I laugh because Caldwell’s depiction seems grossly exaggerated and then cry because I know it’s not.
jetia13's review against another edition
3.0
The story was super weird, but I enjoyed the rhythm of it.
soniapage's review against another edition
1.0
Some reviewers thought this was funny but I failed to find any humor in poverty, starvation, physical deformities, elder abuse....and the list goes on. It was like the author was looking at these miserable wretches through the bars at a zoo and writing about them like they were not human.
Maybe I missed the point but, after years working for social service agencies, I have met people like the characters in this book and they are too real to me to laugh at.
Maybe I missed the point but, after years working for social service agencies, I have met people like the characters in this book and they are too real to me to laugh at.