I gave up after a few pages. My own shortcomings as a reader turned me off at the weird relationshhip the teenage boy had with his grandmother.


From Library Journal
Chappell (Brighten the Corner Where You Are, LJ 8/1/89) begins this novel (and although it could appear to be a short story collection, it is a novel, held together by themes, songs, and stories from the past that a young man tries to interpret into the present) with a brilliant death bed set piece, as Cora Kirkman tends her dying mother, the women sharing intertwined reminiscences punctuated by "true" dialog, the mundane courtesy ("Is that enough water?") of the sick room. As full of mountain lore, music, and myth as the Sharon McCrumb Appalachian books, Farewell is also graced with uncommonly fine prose that is lyrical yet restrained. And the stories themselves (all with "Woman" in the title?e.g. "The Feistiest Woman") are superb, ranging from comic pieces and love stories to mystery and ghost stories ("The Shining Woman"), all deeply imbued with the sounds and smells of the hills. Simply stated, Southern fiction at its best; highly recommended.?Robert E. Brown, Onondaga Cty. P.L., Syracuse,