March 21, 2025

Looking Back - South of Reason

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.



South of Reason by Cindy Eppes
Fiction
2002
Finished on March 10, 2002
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Everybody wondered why the Sanders family had come back to Rosalita, Texas, and moved in next door to Lou Jean Perry. It was apparently the absolute last place they should want to be, though thirteen-year-old Kayla Sanders had no idea why. As the summer heat intensified, Kayla's brittle mother's motives for moving next to bright-spirited Lou Jean would become clear, but not before Kayla discovers that passion listens not to the mind's reason but to the heart's demands. Writing with poignant intensity, Cindy Eppes draws on her Southern roots in a coming-of-age story told by a narrator straight out of Eudora Welty, yet indelibly stamped with a distinctive, contemporary style.

My Original Thoughts (2002):

Complex. Rich in detail. Mystery of sorts. Set in 1968. For those who like coming-of-age stories. Fans of The Secret Life of Bees will enjoy this one.

My Current Thoughts:

Try as I might, I can't remember a thing about this book!

10 comments:

  1. I don't even remember seeing this book when it came out!

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    1. Deb, I thought of you as I was typing up this post. Maybe because it's set in Texas? I wonder if you'd like it.

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  2. I'm not sure I remember ever seeing this one. I can't always remember anything about books I've read way back (or even more recent - ha!) either.

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    1. Kay, I'm not sure how I stumbled upon this one. I probably got it at a library sale or on a bargain book shelf. Or, maybe it came in one of the book boxes that used to make the rounds through one of my online book groups. Who knows!

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  3. Well originally you gave it a high mark for enjoyment but isn't that funny you don't remember it!

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    1. Teri, well it has been just a few years... I can hardly remember details of books I read last fall! ;)

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  4. I am always amazed when I loved a book as I read it then years later don't remember the details. Glad to know it isn't just me.

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    1. Helen, it's definitely not you. I can usually remember my overall feeling about a book, but not always the details. I really don't have any recollection about this particular book, which is a little baffling given my high rating.

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  5. I feel like I forget details about books pretty quickly, even books I loved. I usually retain a sense of whether I liked it or not though.

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    1. Jen, I feel that way, too. I was at book club on Thursday and I had forgotten so many details about the book we were discussing. I finished it on February 17th! Granted, there were lots of characters and twists & turns, but still!

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