The Optimist's Daughter is the story of Laurel McKelva Hand, a young woman who has left the South and returns, years later, to New Orleans, where her father is dying. The items that made me stop and think and feel were often silly items of no real value. Wiederholen Sie die Anforderung später noch einmal. The Optimist's Daughter is a compact and inward-looking little novel, a Pulitzer Prize winner that's slight of page yet big of heart. The story is also imbued with the melancholy and fatalism often seen in good Southern literature. Wanda Fay remarried Judge Mckelva after his wife's death. Or is she supposed to be seen that way because the reader sees everything through Laurel’s eyes? Once the judge dies under questionable circumstances, the old world - Laurel and her bridesmaids - try to fend off the encroaching new one - Fay, and her hayseed relatives. Laurel, a young widow, returns to the South to be with her dying father; after he dies, she and her snotty young stepmother return to her family house in Mississippi. Save this story for later. About The Optimist’s Daughter. Recognizing the richness of Welty's artistry, Mortimer views her through the lens of various literary traditions, including that of Shelley and Yeats. She was 92 when she died. It's about the complexity of relationships, especially the ones we wish we didn't have. The The Optimist’s Daughter Community Note includes chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and … How about this? I really enjoyed this novel and its stylistic departures. Each shows her a different perspective on life, from which she must choose. Achingly beautiful. August 2017. Back in the family home, and surrounded by close friends, Laurel must face the truths about her relationships with her parents, her relation. This won the Pulitzer, but I disliked it. She expects that what she will do. The Optimist's Daughter is a subtle, old-fashioned novel set in the South that explores social class, death, and values through the conflict between the middle-aged, widowed, well-bred daughter of a judge, Laurel, and her ignorant, red necked, younger stepmother, Fay. There is much dark comedy surrounding the funeral and Laurel's father's second wife Faye, who believes she represents the future and has cut all ties with her past (the family from Texas who shows up to the funeral). I’m working a lot and spend a lot of time updating work-related social media and keeping on top of messages and inquiries, so by the time I’m done with that I don’t really have the urge to then take more photos and update here as well. The Optimist's Daughter | | ISBN: 9781399956260 | Kostenloser Versand für alle Bücher mit Versand und Verkauf duch Amazon. To me Fays character seems very underdeveloped. If you have any other question or need extra help, please feel free to … See all 3 questions about The Optimist's Daughter…, Initial Impressions: The Optimist's Daughter, by Eudora Welty- May 2021, Final Impressions: The Optimist's Daughter, by Eudora Welty- May 2021, The Optimist's Daughter: Initial impressions, August 2012, The Optimist's Daughter (Eudora Welty, 1973), What Happened to Offred? Laurel has come home to Mississippi because of her father's illness and finds herself at loggerheads with his new wife, Fay. The Optimist’s Daughter by Eudora Welty on Amazon. I'm sure I missed half the point of this book, but I could not be bothered to read it again to find out exactly what I'd missed. The Optimist's Daughter is a subtle, old-fashioned novel set in the South that explores social class, death, and values through the conflict between the middle-aged, widowed, well-bred daughter of a judge, Laurel, and her ignorant, red necked, younger stepmother, Fay. Read less . Ultimately, Mortimer concludes, Welty comes to see the concept of protective love as a limited one and, in The Optimist's Daughter, for instance, she advocates instead the courage to face even the harshest realities. Storyform. Her characters are generally likable at some level. How can a confirmed Optimist handle this grim reality? It's about what's necessary to survive - a second wife, a slate wiped cle. Her father is accompanied by his silly and trite second wife, who is the same age as Laurel. The Optimist’s Daughter: Synopsis By Suzanne Marrs Eudora Welty Foundation Scholar The Optimist’s Daughter is a short novel divided into four sections. The book is divided into four parts. The structure, however, changes as the book continues. Welty's novel has spunk. The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty is an emotional story about Laurel McKelva Hand who travels to New Orleans to be with her father for an eye surgery. But she doesn't. Eudora Welty is considered one of the great American writers of the 20th century. Closing the door on the sweet, familiar past of a childhood hometown, and stealing ourselves for the possibility of moving on. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published The main character Laurel faces dilemmas and competing loyalties after the death of her father, as she reflects on the deaths of her mother and husband before him. The optimist in question is 71-year-old Judge McKelva, who has come to a New Orleans hospital from Mount Salus, Mississippi, complaining of a "disturbance" in his vision. From there, she embarks on a deeply personal journey to explore her past and her family in order to make sense of her future. Welty's novel has spunk. The Optimist's Daughter is a compact and inward-looking little novel, a Pulitzer Prize winner that's slight of page yet big of heart. Laurel, the titular … 8 Personen fanden diese Informationen hilfreich. This partially autobiographical story explores the subtle bonds between parent and child and the complexities of … Leider ist ein Problem beim Speichern Ihrer Cookie-Einstellungen aufgetreten. There are parts of this book where the prose is just lovely. But it highlights family relationships and how we react to the loss of our parents with subtlety and nuance. This is a quiet little book. The whitened floor, the whitened wall and ceiling, were set with narrow bands of black receding into the distance, along which the Bitte versuchen Sie es erneut. Es wird kein Kindle Gerät benötigt. But its the same idea. I hated it, mainly because I felt the protagonist, Laurel, was bloodless. August 1999. Laden Sie eine der kostenlosen Kindle Apps herunter und beginnen Sie, Kindle-Bücher auf Ihrem Smartphone, Tablet und Computer zu lesen. The stepmother is a flat, unconvincing character of pure selfishness and distrust. Per le mie inclinazioni pero' non cosi' scorrevole ed avvincente. Yet, the past keeps rearing it's disturbing head. 4.5 stars. You are adrift. The items that made me stop and think and feel were often silly items of no real value. As a character study this short book works; as a novel it lacks purpose. Summaries of each section follow. Stattdessen betrachtet unser System Faktoren wie die Aktualität einer Rezension und ob der Rezensent den Artikel bei Amazon gekauft hat. Have you read it? After his death, she and her silly young stepmother go back still farther, to the small Mississippi town where she grew up. Alone in the old house, Laurel finally comes to an understanding of the past, herself, and her parents. Suddenly, your safety net is gone. It's so subtle, gentle, and wise, but my mind was too cluttered to appreciate all the little gestures and observations it was making. Laurel, a young widow, returns to the South to be with her dying father; after he dies, she and her snotty young stepmother return to her family house in Mississippi. 4.5 stars. Wählen Sie die Kategorie aus, in der Sie suchen möchten. When I first read the book, I was in my thirties. Once the judge dies under questionable circumstances, the old world - Laurel and her bridesmaids - try to fend off the encroaching new one - Fay, and her hayseed relatives. September 2014. After he died I had the job of sorting through everything collected in their house for 40+ years. I've wondered if I read this book well. While her 45 year old stepdaughter is her absolute opposite, she’s gracious, polite, intelligent and loving, she’s everything Fay isn’t. Both parents have had vision problems (cataracts) and eye surgery, prior to, though. Start by marking “The Optimist's Daughter” as Want to Read: Error rating book. I don't recommend it, though. 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