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Search - Bastard Out of Carolina
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Book Description:
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Greenville County, South Carolina, a wild, lush place, is home to the Boatwright family -- rough-hewn men who drink hard and shoot up each other's trucks, and indomitable women who marry young and age all too quickly. At the heart of this astonishing novel is Ruth Anne Boatwright, known simply as "Bone," a South Carolina bastard with an annotated birth certificate to tell the tale. Observing everything with the mercilessly keen eye of a child, Bone finds herself caught up in a family triangle that will test the loyalty of her mother, Anney. Her stepfather, Daddy Glen, calls Bone "cold as death, mean as a snake, and twice as twisty," yet Anney needs Glen. At first gentle with Bone, Daddy Glen becomes steadily colder and more furious - until their final, harrowing encounter, from which there can be no turning back.
Written in a mesmerizing voice that mingles the languid rhythms of country music with raw, unsparing descriptions of emotional and physical violence, this moving novel marks the emergence of an extraordinarily gifted writer.
"A hell of a writer--tough and loose, clear and compassionate...Allison has turned the rage she describes so brilliantly into a compressed and exacting language that need never raise its voice to grab our attention."--The Village Voice
Greenville County, South Carolina, a wild, lush place, is home to the Boatwright family -- rough-hewn men who drink hard and shoot up each other's trucks, and indomitable women who marry young and age all too quickly. At the heart of this astonishing novel is Ruth Anne Boatwright, known simply as "Bone," a South Carolina bastard with an annotated birth certificate to tell the tale. Observing everything with the mercilessly keen eye of a child, Bone finds herself caught up in a family triangle that will test the loyalty of her mother, Anney. Her stepfather, Daddy Glen, calls Bone "cold as death, mean as a snake, and twice as twisty," yet Anney needs Glen. At first gentle with Bone, Daddy Glen becomes steadily colder and more furious - until their final, harrowing encounter, from which there can be no turning back.
Written in a mesmerizing voice that mingles the languid rhythms of country music with raw, unsparing descriptions of emotional and physical violence, this moving novel marks the emergence of an extraordinarily gifted writer.
"A hell of a writer--tough and loose, clear and compassionate...Allison has turned the rage she describes so brilliantly into a compressed and exacting language that need never raise its voice to grab our attention."--The Village Voice
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Other Versions of this Book: Audio Cassette (2 Audio Cassettes), Hardcover, Audio Cassette (Unabridged multitrac)
Top Member Reviews
Rebecca H. (
49 member(s) found this review helpful.
I'm almost hesitant to give this book up as it easily tops the list of books I love. Well written and emotionally charged without being over the top and trite. I encourage anyone who can to read this book.
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is a heartbreaking and riveting tale of a young girl's coming of age in a cruel, hard world. Very good book that stays with you long after you have read it, but well worth reading. The end surprised me.
Susan D. from WALNUT CREEK, CA wrote on 10/10/2006...
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
Hell of a writer. Tough story. Somehow makes you understand how some people grow up just plain mean. This book deserves all the prizes and accolades the author received.
Marcy M. (
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
I couldn't get into this book at all. I think it's the subject matter that nearly broke my heart. Sometimes I do like to bury my head in the sand, this was one of those times.
Pamela T. (
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
A heartbreaking tale.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Honestly, this is a must read. I loved it and it stuck in my head for weeks afterwards.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book was a National Book Award finalist - I have bought many a book just because it got that award and have yet to go wrong.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This was a very sad, well-written story about an abused little girl. Allison is an excellent writer, so much so that I found some parts too hard to read. I got through the entire book, but I did skip about 3 pages that were particularly descriptive. Abuse is never easy, but it was wonderful getting to know this little girl.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Wow! Just finished the book and I pass it on to you because it should be shared. It will haunt you. Fabulous characters. I wanted to gather up Bone and give her the comfort no one else seemed to be able to. Please read!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is a wonderful book. Bone, although a victim of abuse, is such a strong girl! Each time I put the book down, I didn't leave the story feeling pity on her but hoped for her strength...and knew it would be there. A harsh reality of how many mothers choose men over their children and the children who wish to protect their mothers.
Rate These Member Reviews
A novel about a young girl's emergence into adolescence despite sexual abuse and neglect from her jealous stepfather. The author portrays the main character's mother as a victim of her difficult life. She comes from a family of rough characters who attempt to protect their own though they themselves are also victims of their impoverished and uneducated lives. This is a well-written book that focuses on how an innocent child endures and escapes physical and emotional pain from the man whom her mother cannot leave.
A great read - I could not put it down! I had no idea until recently that it was made into a movie.
Greenville County, South Carolina, home of the Boatwright family.
This is a National Book Award Finalist.
Helene L. from VOORHEES, NJ wrote on 3/17/2007...Compassionate story telling. National Book Award finalist.
Kim P. from FOUNTAIN INN, SC wrote on 11/26/2006...I really enjoyed this book, especially because it takes place in the area where I grew up--shout out G-Vegas, SC--. This tragic story is a difficult one about the realities of incest and abuse in society.
Kay P. from CHARLESTOWN, NH wrote on 9/13/2006...This was a lesbian book club selection. I liked this book a lot! It's about a little girl's thoughts about the world around her.
Set in the rural South, this tale centers around the Boatwright family, a proud and closeknit clan known for their drinking, fighting, and womanizing. Nicknamed Bone by her Uncle Earle, Ruth Anne is the bastard child of Anney Boatwright, who has fought tirelessly to legitimize her child. When she marries Glen, a man from a good family, it appears that her prayers have been answered. However, Anney suffers a miscarriage and Glen begins drifting. He develops a contentious relationship with Bone and then begins taking sexual liberties with her. Embarrassed and unwilling to report these unwanted advances, Bone bottles them up and acts out her confusion and shame. Unaware of her husband's abusive behavior, Anney stands by her man. Eventually, a violent encounter wrests Bone away from her stepfather. In this first novel, Allison creates a rich sense of family and portrays the psychology of a sexually abused child with sensitivity and insight. Recommended for general fiction collections.
LIBRARY JOURNAL REVIEW
Harrowing and riveting read. "Bastard Out of Carolina" is narrated by young Ruth Ann Boatwright aka: Bone. We see the world through her eyes - a world that is poor, where the women all age too soon and her stepfather who's a cruel and evil man, Daddy Glenn. Bone does her best to stay out of the way but always seems to end up right in the eye of the storm when it comes to Daddy Glenn.
This is a very good book. It does have some pretty bad language, though, and some sexual descriptions.
A brutal story, beautifully written. Very gifted and talented author.