Love in a Dry Season

Shelby Foote is a revelation and a wonder. I knew him, as do most people, from the K. Burns Civil War PBS series; I had no idea he wrote fiction, and had turned out several novels. "Dry Season" was the first one I read, and I think the best. This is Faulkner's material and place without all the Faulknerian drunken excess: Foote stays on topic, makes sense on every page, is not in love with the sound of his own voice, and tells a story that is not predictable. When you read "Absalom, Absalom", is there any doubt after the first fifty pages or so who Charles Bon really is? I mean come ON ... that plot is as guessable as any by-the-numbers TV drama. Not so with Foote: he tries harder.
I disagree with the reader who said there is no "identifiable" character for the reader in this book. First of all, liking a book because you "identify" with the characters is the stuff of English 101, and better suited to those novels with raised letters on the covers, in the supermarket rack. Secondly, who could not empathize (a better word than "identify") with poor blind Jeff and his horribly curtailed existence? What woman, and I include myself, would not be tempted to cheat on a blind, helpless, and impotent husband, just because it would be so easy? (Of course, acting on the temptation is another matter altogether -- but that's what fiction is for, isn't it). Both main protagonists are fully human, fleshed out to where one can almost see their pores, a welcome contrast to Faulkner's lurid cardboard cutouts and ambulating Symbols. As the accumulation of catastrophes became an avalanche, I began to wish -- perversely, I know -- that the book would never end. I know no higher compliment.

This book is hard to put down. Foote's characters are so detailed and fascinting that I found my self totally drawn into the story --even though some of the characters are completely unlikeable and almost pathetic in their selfishness. Foote tells the story of two families affected by the same man (a virtual con-man, who sees himself only as ambitious -- and justified in everything he does). The book was written almost 50 years ago, but it still reads like a modern character study. I'll admit that some of the historical references where too obscure for me, but the characterizations are timeless.

Most people seem to come to Shelby Foote's novels after becoming aware of him through his Civil War books. For me it will be the other way around. If anything will get me to read his Civil War histories, it will be because I loved this book so much. I love that he subtly acknowledges towards the end of the novel that he cribbed Amanda from Faulkner, James, and Balzac, giving a kind of knowing wink to his readers. As one reviewer said, I never wanted this book to end. It had a fascinating and well written combination of plots that intersected poignantly, and it had intense, colorful characters ranging in scale from the introverted and soft hearted to the sociopathic and exploitative. This book reminded me at times of East of Eden, which was published a year later. I can't say why exactly. I suppose just the spectrum of human nature played out against a bygone time in America.

This is a fascinating examination of the courtship of a well heeled spinster in a small Mississippi town. Young Shelby Foote turned down his flame a little for this one, having just been stung when told by his moonshine hunting pal and idol, William Faulkner, that he should "try to do better" next time after finishing Follow Me Down. Following the lurid and colorful courtroom drama of that first mature work, the prose of "Dry Season" is indeed about as dry as it gets. Those few pithy words from a master are paid up fully here, as a plot virtually without significant action proceeds with extraordinary tension, as the reader almost literally waits for the next pin to drop.

The male lead is a classic American archetype, the confidence man, already explored by luminaries such as Faulkner himself, Melville and Twain. The reader is in little doubt about the character, although Foote's direct statements about the fellow are few. Nor is it an absolute matter; he is gainfully employed and there is room for him to grow or change. So all the drama is on the level of deeper morality and character. The social fabric is what is being explored here, finally, the delicate surface tension of the remnant of Southern aristocracy persisting into century 20 and holding things together in straightened circumstances.

This is classic fiction, perhaps as old fashioned in theme as Thackery and Austen, but fully informed stylistically by Foote's incredible melding of the best of two modern masters, Hemingway and Faulkner. It is finally an odd book, no doubt -- one of a kind but unforgettable.

I am a huge Shelby Foote fan, and have read most of his non-fiction historical works. I know he began as an author of fiction, but I think his change to non-fiction was smart. In "Dry Season" there is no one to "root" for, and most of the characters are very vanilla. I realize that this book was written decades ago, and for that reason it is hard to identify with. It was depressing, and by the middle of the story I was hoping for some kind of calamatous event to perk things up. A tornado, or perhaps a nice flood. I mourn the loss of Mr. Foote--he was an absolute genious. But fiction wasn't his thing.

after watching PBS's The Civil War, I fell madly in love with Shelby Foote and with his voice! I could practically hear him reading this book in my mind's ear, so it took me awhile to read it. His use of the English language is superb, his characters fascinating, and the plot is engrossing.

Shelby Foote brought Ken Burns's documentary "The Civil War" to life with his rhythmic, honey-voiced narration; and his prose in "Love in a Dry Season" is the written extension of it. As I read it, I felt as if the author were sitting next to me on the veranda in a comfortable rocker on a warm summer evening relaying the story in his soft, Mississippi delta drawl. The Barcroft family, the Carruthers family, and the scoundrel Harley Drew all stepped off the page and came to life. There are no two dimensional, cardboard characters here.

Quite simply, it is a good story which is well told. The influence of William Faulkner is apparent but not overwhelming. For the reader who enjoys the varying degrees of personalty light and shadow which comes with well designed literary characters "Love in a Dry Season" is a success. The story flows logically and is put together like a well-designed building where each element has a purpose with no superfluous parts.

I immensely enjoyed this well written book. It was such a treat to read a book of this caliber and the depth of the characters made them come to life. Shelby Foote has always been a favorite of mine, but now I appreciate him even more.

An attention holding 250 page novel about life and love in a small southern town decades ago. The novel provides a glimpse of life when times were simple and a sense of community was strong among townsfolk. Foote's characters are strong and emotions run high as individuals deal with the mores of their era. An enjoyable novel which made me remember and yearn for the past.

Not one of Shelby Foote's best, but still a good book to add to the collection.