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Walking Across Egypt
Walking Across Egypt
Author: Clyde Edgerton
She has as much business keeping a stray dog as she would walking across Egypt–which not so incidentally is the title of her favorite hymn. She’s Mattie Rigsbee, an independent, strong-minded senior citizen who, at seventy-eight, might be slowing down just a bit. When teenage delinquent Wesley Benfield drops in on her life, he is eve...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780345419071
ISBN-10: 0345419073
Pages: 240
Rating:
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 24

3.4 stars, based on 24 ratings
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

quackers avatar reviewed Walking Across Egypt on + 45 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
A funny, heartwarming story about Mattie, a 78 year old Southern Baptist lady in North Carolina, and how she opens her life to a teenaged delinquent boy. My family is from the south and these characters seemed so familiar to me, I feel like they must be related somehow. The dialog and colloquialisms ring true, as do the people themselves. Mattie urges every visitor to her house to sit down and eat something, whether they be neighbor, family or dogcatcher. The author really makes you feel like you are standing right in Mattie's kitchen with her as she goes through the day. I loved Mattie and this book. I used to know so many gracious, old-fashioned southern women like Mattie (most I was related to), but ladies like her are rare nowadays. It was such a treat to spend time with one. And this is a laugh-out-loud funny story.
jazzysmom avatar reviewed Walking Across Egypt on + 907 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
This southern fiction is really a funny read. By page 9 i was laughing out loud and continued to laugh out loud to the end. I loved Miss Mattie. This is a book to make you smile, was well worth the time it took to read it.
darcyjo avatar reviewed Walking Across Egypt on + 79 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
For those of us in the South, Miss Mattie might be the elderly lady next door. Seventy eight, and still mowing her own grass and picking butter beans. She's known as one of the best cooks in little Listre, NC. But now, her children are worried that she's getting a bit too old and odd to be living on her own. And almost as if to prove their point, she decides to step into the life of a local juvenile delinquent (Wesley) to help him change his ways. Some might say she's living out her faith. Some might say she's just getting strange in her old age. Either way, Mattie is determined for things to change, much to the surprise of the neighbors and her family!

Highly recommended, a wonderful slice of living in the small-town South.
Chinagirl avatar reviewed Walking Across Egypt on + 14 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Lighthearted, with Christian flavor, yet dosed with some reality. A great read!
reviewed Walking Across Egypt on + 469 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
"A beautiful story of determination,made more poignant by a Southern small-town setting." Library Journal
Read All 31 Book Reviews of "Walking Across Egypt"

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reviewed Walking Across Egypt on
Funny, touching and thought-provoking. It may challenge the way you think about the choices we make and how it's never too late to reinvent your life story.
reviewed Walking Across Egypt on + 628 more book reviews
Walking Across Egypt is a delightful, funny, heart warming fast read. It reminded me of Lake Wobegone, and Fannie Flagg's books and fell into the southern literature genre I love so much. Definitely worth a quick read about a gutsy, independent 78 yr old woman and her adventures and family and friends.
reviewed Walking Across Egypt on
once I got into the book - I couldn't put it down!
reviewed Walking Across Egypt on
I give it 5 stars.

Excellent! One of my favorites. One of the only books I've laughed out loud reading; plus, it has such a redemption message. The characters are truly unique; and Mattie is someone you want to know personally by the end of the story.
imapuma avatar reviewed Walking Across Egypt on
I realize that many people really like this book, but I did not. I found that I didn't really like any of the characters; an issue I rarely have. I did not find the book very funny either, just a reminder of what I don't like about the south.
reviewed Walking Across Egypt on + 275 more book reviews
I enjoyed this homey tale of a woman who takes people at face value, nurtures, trusts and shows the goodness of human nature.

Book Wiki

People/Characters
Mattie Rigsby (Primary Character)
Robert (Major Character)
Wesley Benfield (Major Character)
Alora Swanson (Major Character)
Lamar Benfield (Major Character)
(Show all 15 People/Characters)

Genres: