Bastard Out of Carolina - Dorothy Allison

Bastard Out of Carolina

By Dorothy Allison

  • Release Date: 1992-04-30
  • Genre: Fiction & Literature
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 379 Ratings

Description

A profound portrait of family dynamics in the rural South and “an essential novel” (The New Yorker)
 
“As close to flawless as any reader could ask for . . . The living language [Allison] has created is as exact and innovative as the language of To Kill a Mockingbird and The Catcher in the Rye. —The New York Times Book Review

The publication of Dorothy Allison’s Bastard Out of Carolina was a landmark event that won the author a National Book Award nomination and launched her into the literary spotlight. Critics have likened Allison to Harper Lee, naming her the first writer of her generation to dramatize the lives and language of poor whites in the South. Since its appearance, the novel has inspired an award-winning film and has been banned from libraries and classrooms, championed by fans, and defended by critics.
 
Greenville County, South Carolina, is a wild, lush place that is home to the Boatwright family—a tight-knit clan of rough-hewn, hard-drinking men who shoot up each other’s trucks, and indomitable women who get married young and age too quickly. At the heart of this story is Ruth Anne Boatwright, known simply as Bone, a bastard child who observes the world around her with a mercilessly keen perspective. When her stepfather Daddy Glen, “cold as death, mean as a snake,” becomes increasingly more vicious toward her, Bone finds herself caught in a family triangle that tests the loyalty of her mother, Anney—and leads to a final, harrowing encounter from which there can be no turning back.

Reviews

  • Heartbreakingly Good

    5
    By lsmarquez
    I loved this book in all it’s innocence, pain and violence. It’s not a story untold but it is so well written it’s worth reading. This is not a happy story but the main character is resilient and brave, each emotion easily relatable. The author truly took care to make each character feel real, so much so I really felt I was slowly growing up with the characters as they navigated the hardships of life.
  • Great Book

    5
    By Fladaddy
    I’ve waited years to read this don’t quite know why but it hit me with full impact. When you’re considered white trash and looked down on it sticks with you. When you have alcohol and violence it’s lethal. Great writing.
  • An incredible, life altering book.

    5
    By Hachiyobo
    This is a must read! Although a work of fiction, this story contains such powerful truths. The questions raised are hard, but need to be confronted.
  • Bastard out of Carolina

    5
    By Barbarella ten
    Full of feeling....and now , reading the author's incredible afterward....I will reread this book. Meaningful.
  • Engagingly real

    5
    By Stephanie in So. Cal
    I saw the movie years ago and the saw the book and had to read it! The characters are so real you can almost imagine "Bone" growing up before your eyes. Not for the weak of heart as it has some tough scenes played out but with the writers skill of story telling it is just amazing to read
  • You won't want to put it down.

    5
    By Miguelante
    I had to read this book for my first college English class and it was amazing. You get so in tune with all the characters and the ones you love in the beginning might be the same ones you hate in the end. When you find yourself wishing you could read faster just so you know what happens next is when you realize that this book is a great read.

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