Description
Book SynopsisA literary travelogue into the heart of classic Southern literature.
Trade Review"Well-informed and lively…. This young author is unafraid to hunt big game…. [Eby] demonstrates apt critical insights and offers biographical tidbits from a thorough reading of the authors’ life stories…. This reviewer would happily read a sequel." -- Howell Raines - New York Times Book Review
"[A] fascinating paean to the people and places that inspired some of the most revered chroniclers of life below the Mason-Dixon line…. Eby lyrically uncovers a bit of the magic that makes a southern writer southern." -- Josh Steele - Entertainment Weekly
"[An] engaging journey…. Eby offers something you can’t get on tours." -- Anushah Jiwani - Oxford American
"As Elif Batuman did for Russian literature in
The Possessed and Olivia Laing did for alcoholic writers in
The Trip to Echo Spring, so Margaret Eby does for Southern writers in
South Toward Home." -- Michael Bourne, The Millions
"A delightful love letter to the South and…an apt reminder that the South is no literary backwater but a world of letters all its own." -- Publishers Weekly
"An illuminating journey to the homes, towns, and landscapes that nurtured ten Southern writers…. Eby brings a fine sensibility to her readings…and, in polished prose, offers a fresh look at their lives and literary legacies." -- Kirkus Reviews
"A sweetly personal yet embracingly informative book…. Eby entices us to enjoy their work either for the first time or once again." -- Booklist, Starred review
"Margaret Eby brings an enviable ease and intelligence to this exploration of ten essential Southern writers and the landscapes from which their books were formed. Her travels should offer you either an excellent introduction to these authors or a bracing reminder of their worth, and indeed, turning these pages, I recalled why I first fell in love with those whose books I know well and was persuaded to reinvestigate those whose books I don't." -- Kevin Brockmeier
