Tennessee Books

What is most striking about this book is its lack of sentimentality and incisive, sharp language. There has, indeed, been much written about Tennessee Williams, perhaps too much; the endless nonsense of his being a self-hating homosexual, the lurid tales of his promiscuity, the alleged Oedipal complexes, the temper tantrums and paranoia, and other such twaddle have all obfuscated many essential things about the genius who was Tennessee Williams. This excellent book stands out because it reminds us of Mr. Williams' power -as a person and a playwright- and at the same time it is not sycophantic nor is it cleverly bitchy. Smith, the author, meets Williams rather by accident and the unlikely friendship blossoms. I found the writing to be rather enthralling, evocative, and extremely well-crafted, which allows it to stand apart from many of the other (lesser) books on Williams. It is a memoir and does not purport to be anything but that, which allows the reader a keen insight into the life and work and humanity of the great Tennessee Williams. Because it is told from Smith's eyes the recounting of these stories is deeply personal and often effervescent with images and ideas; a far cry from the mawkish, self-consumed memoirs that pass as literature these days. I also liked the fact that Smith names some names and makes clear the case that the critics, PR people, and the various 'powers that be' in the theater and film worlds (i.e. agents, lawyers, producers) all played their part in Williams' miserable and protracted demise as much as the alcohol and pills did. And while Smith does not exculpate Williams from his vices he carefully explains why, he in fact, had them, and elucidates the nefarious forces constantly in conflict with the artist and his creative process.

Make no mistake this is Mr. Smith's story of his friendship with Tennessee, and thank goodness for its uniqueness, honesty, and edge. I think to truly appreciate this book one has to be familiar with serious writing (Eliot, Shaw) and not the Pop pap that sadly passes for publishable literature today. COSTLY PERFORMANCES and its author are both class acts and any writer or artist or person with a soul or fan of Tennessee Williams will love this book.


PS
The comment about grammatical errors is totally wrong and unfounded. And the Braun woman; who is she? "The author needed distance"? If she works in a library, how does she not know what a memoir is, and what the first person POV narrative offers the reader? These types of hit jobs are precisely the type of aforementioned `nefarious forces' to which I referred.

I am a young actor living in London where the plays of Tennesssee Williams are experiencing a great deal of interest within the entire theatre community: schools and universities; theatre companies; theatre media. All fans of his work are turning to background material on Williams and one of the most discussed -- and admired -- is Costly Performances/Tennessee Williams: The Last Stage by Bruce Smith. Mr Smith has, since writing this memoir, become actively involved in London's theatre world, saying he learned "at the master's hand" many enduring and valuable lessons re dramaturgy, play production and, more importantly, playwriting. His play 'Papal Gore' is scheduled for a West End staging. As well, his book about Mr. Williams is now being made into a major motion picture here in England. Real theatre people understand the sensitivity Mr. Smith brought to his portrayal of Mr Williams in his last, very difficult years and value it as a real contribution to 20th Century theatre history. It is highly literate but -- above all -- a very good read. This book, with Lyle Leverich's
The Unknown Tennessee Williams and the gossipy The Kindness of Strangers by Donald Spoto provide an indepth look at the author's life and times.

I would rate this book as a "must-have" for anyone cruising the Tennessee River. We've also used it to help transit the TennTom Waterway from the Tennessee River down to Mobile, and it was quite helpful there as well, although somewhat dated. When the TennTom portion of the book was written the waterway was quite new, and with the passage of 10-15 years some of the recommended anchorages have shoaled and become unusable for boats of anything but very shallow draft. Still, this guide helped us find more than one excellent anchorage that we likely would have missed otherwise.

Narrative cruising guide...but if you're really going to cruise it, use in conjunction with more detailed maps from:

US ARMY ENGINEER DISTRICT, MOBILE CORPS OF ENGINEERS
ATTN: LO-SR
PO BOX 2288
MOBILE, AL 36628

This is truly an all-inclusive "Encyclopedia" about those individuals who were instrumental in making Knoxville the happening place it was and is today as regards bands, writers, street people, clubs, etc.
I was lucky enough to have been interviewed for an article included in this book, as I was active in
the Knoxville rock scene in the '60's and '70's.
Jack Rentfro is the consummate writer/editor, and is to be commended for writing such a riveting,
unique, and complete book.

From a scruffy little town that is rich with good writers and great literature, the msuic scene finally gets its due! This is a wonderful comprehensive history of the music scene in Knoxville, TN. It's suprising how many truly great, well known musicians got their start in K-town. The writers, all of them local, provide plenty of wit and sarcasm, making this an enjoyable read.

A great read, full of Crocketism that I grew up with. Someone should make a proper movie of this book, similar to Last of the Mohicans, with a bit of grunt Disney might have got it right. Maybe Kevin Costner could change his Lincoln Green outfit to Buckskins and give it a go!

A great personal record of historical events in the early 1800's. Colorful language and a first hand look at such timely subjects as politics, politicians, women in the work place, Indians, war, and freedom; before the revisionists have a chance to make history politically correct.

This book is sending a message to investors and particularly small investors that a stock or mutual fund investment has no guarantee of going up. There are highs and lows in the market.

The message is sent in a folksy, homespun, satirical and entertaing manner. The messenger is a mythical hermatic type character who creates a story that mixes travels and rendevous' as the means of delivering the message.

This book is sending a message to investors and particularly small investors that a stock or mutual fund investment has no guarantee of going up. There are highs and lows in the market.

The message is sent in a folksy, homespun, satirical and entertaing manner. The messenger is a mythical hermatic type character who creates a story that mixes travels and rendevous' as the means of delivering the message.

Owens extensive research is always apparent in this work. A wonderful read. Provides great insight to Bierce's life as a solider. Is a great source of new lines of thinking regarding Bierce's work. Highly recommend to anyone interested in the Civil War or Ambrose Bierce.

The Devil's Topographer: Ambrose Bierce And The American War Story tells one who was billed 'the first writer of fiction ever to treat war realistically'. This realism came from Bierce's experiences as a Union soldier in the Civil War, where he moved from soldier to cartographer and saw major battles of the war. Any interested in Bierce's background must have The Devil's Topographer: it outlines an important part of his life and sets over twenty of his war stories chronologically according to the story's action.

If you love autumn and fall colors, and if you especially love rural East Tennessee, this book is a must read!! HUNDREDS of little known facts about the small towns. A book that has history and geology in it doesn't usually hold my interest for long, but this book is so well-written and filled with humorous and interesting tidbits of information about all sorts of things, I couldn't put it down. And you will find lots of backroads to explore for autumn foliage viewing. It maps them out in day trip type format, with a starting point, and descriptions of sights along the route...Great if you like auto touring or motorcycle touring. I highly recommend it.

Harry Moore and Fred Brown form a wonderful team as they combine their diverse talents to offer both the "over" and "under" story of Eastern Tennessee's spectacular fall colors. Brown, a reporter for the Knoxville News-Sentinel, provides the sonorous phrases which perfectly frame Tennessee's reddish, golden autumn foliage. Moore, a Tennessee state geologist, offers a unique geological perspective on the ancient geological features that define the lands that stretch from the Cumberland Plateau all the way to the Blue Ridge Mountains.

With Discovering October Roads in hand, those who wander Tennessee's fiery hills will have the opportunity to view them through a lens of wonder and knowing normally reserved for just a few geology and biology majors. Moore and Brown's book is a delightful, easy read that offers days of pleasure to novice and professional alike.

Doctor To The Front: The Recollections Of Confederate Surgeon Thomas Fanning Wood 1861-1865 is the latest addition to the University of Tennessee Press Voices of the Civil War Series and an outstanding contribution to Civil War studies. Military doctors labored through the smoke of battle where impossible conditions and fear of infection compelled them to resort to amputation -- an operation most often performed without painkillers. Thomas Wood's account of his wartime experiences as a Confederate Army surgeon and his recollections of those events provide the reader with a vividly narrated "window in time" to those harrowing days. Very highly recommended for personal, professional, and academic Civil War reading lists and reference collections, Doctor To The Front combines historically significant information with human interest accounts to reveal still another horrific facet of the civil war.

This is a terrific book that discusses the life of a Confederate army surgeon. Thomas Wood wrote his "recollections" nearly twenty-one years after the war ended. Wood wrote of his adventures in the third North Carolina Regiment. He saw Chancellorsville,Gettysburg,and many others. He gives interesting biographic sketches on different members of the regiment. Wood's letters home are included in the book to make it very interesting. The medical situation was very inadequate. There was very little knowledge of sanitary laws. Wood did not truly have any medical degree,nor was he recommended by a medical school,he began to practice medicine after developing an interest in it after recovering in an army hospital.
I enjoyed this book because Wood writes well. His detail of the battles are interesting.
Though it may interest the historian,I think that a book like this should be enjoyed by anyone who loves a good book.
One other book on medical history is Kate: the Journal of a Confederate Nurse by Kate Cumming.

Ms. McKenna has created a story that will keep you guessing till the very end. The story is set in Memphis, Tennessee and utilizes some of the more well known locations such as the South Main Art District, The Med and the Rendezvous restaurant to create a wonderful setting for this suspense. Her hero is flawed but strong. Her villians are incredibly mean. This story unfolded like a flower revealing detail after detail that still kept me guessing till the surprise ending. A great read!!

Ive never done a review on Amazon before but I read maybe two or three books per week and this is the best one I've read in months. In the other review Renee Russell said this was a great read that keeps you guessing and she sure was right!! I stayed up all night because I couldent put it down and go to sleep I was that hooked!! THis is a truly great writer who shuld be on the NY Times "List" clear at the top. When Hollywood directers get a hold of this story its going to be an *OSCAR* winner for sure. The story is just so tricky and it has great twists and characters. With this book Darcy Makenna is right up there with my favorite writers of all time and I cant wait for the next one!!

Our family thought this book was wonderful. My mother grew up in the Cumberland area while the dam was being built and we still have relatives there to this day. This book gives a delightful "feel" to the feeling of family and love that was so typical there during that time. It also gives an accurate depiction of the pain that progress may cause for those in it's path.

I think this is a great book! It talks about Lake Cumberland being formed. It made me realize what life was like before the Wolf Creek Dam was built. I enjoyed reading this book very much and think you will too, especially if you live near where the setting was like me.