ePub Dimestore: A Writer's Life by Lee Smith in History

Review

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful. Dimestore: A Writer's LifeBy C. YatesWhen Lee Smith writes you want to get to know her characters and you do as she develops them completely. Along with character development her settings are as well developed to make you think they are characters also. This is so true with the book DIMESTORE set in far southwest Virginia in a small area almost no one knows.. Grundy is/was a coal mining town with both boom and bust years and living there one did not know the outside world was so very different. Of course many of us were living to the age when we could vacate the county into that world of 'culture' Lee talks about getting somewhere else. Little did we know we were stuffed full with Appalachian culture as we heard Doc Stanley and his boys sing on top of the refreshment stand at the local drive-inn theatre...not in Grundy per say but a suburb (haha) of the county seat called Vansant. Anyone who went to Grundy High School was considered from Grundy. Lee actually lived in n area called Cowtown and her Dad had his dimestore in town limits of Grundy across from the court house square. The county was run by Democrats and the dimestore had all the latest gossip even before the courthouse. Daily trip to the dimestore was shoppers paradise even f it was for a bag of candy; a tube of Tangee lipstick; a yard of fabric for that home ec project; or a new doll for that birthday present for that sweet lil girl.Lee goes into detail as to where her culture came from on that Levisa River...from cousins across the road (not street..it was a road) to her winning the Miss Grundy pageant; to her days lovingly taking care of the dimestore dolls. Her caretaking never ended as she aged; had a family; wrote her awesome fiction and nurtured those Grundy roots. This is all told so vividly written; you will swear you are riding in your car through the area. I was right back on her neighbors' porch hearing her talk..accent and all. As her words openly discussed mental illness and divorce and death and being seventy.You are gonna' fall in love with Lee Smith AND her DIMESTORE book. She is as she presents in her writings and this is not fiction.My book came from onto my Kindle..please get you a delicious read with Lee Smith.49 of 51 people found the following review helpful. Must read...By C. SelleckI purchased this book in hardcopy from Malaprops in Asheville and would give a lot to be able to take it back for Lee Smith to sign when she visits there; but I can't make it. This collection of essays or memoir; depending on how you look at it; was absolutely riveting. I read most of it while flying from South Carolina to Burlington; VT and was horrified to realize I was crying my eyes out on the plane. I love Lee Smith's fiction; but I experienced a much deeper connection with this work of non-fiction. As a writer of Southern fiction myself; it is a MUST READ...and I'm glad I did.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy SuzyQI have been a fan of Lee Smith for years. I have read all of her books and have never been disappointed. Dimestore; an autobiography; was such a good read that I completed it in one day. Reading this book gave me the feeling that I was having a conversation with the author. Ms Smith disclosed numerous things that; prior to this book; were unknown to her readers. I learned what the inspiration was behind several of her novels; novels that I immensely enjoyed. The author also shared details about her son's mental illness and his death. I am sure that her disclosure of information about her son has been extremely helpful to many of her readers who are struggling with; or have family with mental illness. I applaud her courage in sharing something as personal as loosing a child.Excellent read highly recommended for all ages; and to both men and women.