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A girl is watching mold grow on all sorts of hosts inher closet - fruits, donuts, etc. This novel tells the story of the Bean family, a poverty-stricken, incestuous, ever-breedingclan of Maine folks who have always been there. It should tell you a lot aboutthe characters in this book. This is how she got pleasure. It tells of the horror and rage of people and their plight. The book is very hard-hitting and powerful.One incredible scene really got to me.
The message, the atmosphere and the characters would not suffer if some of the chaff was cut.In other words, the book is a great start for a beginning writer, but the book is in need of a good editor and an organized re-write. Some appeared in a different guise. I recommend that you read the second chapter twice or three times, before going on. We would call this a "blog" today. Seems like the characters changed names or characterazations between the beginning and the end. Ms Chute writes what she knows, her life, and for one I neither condemn nor otherwise judge.
However, it is not a page-turner. The author should concentrate on a few main characters from beginning to end. On content, the book flies. Some dropped out, and were never heard from again. But go ahead and buy it and read it anyway. I read from cover to cover.
Just to get to know the names of the characters and such.
It succeeds because of those things. I see it as an extremely well written portrait of a class of society; written without one iota of prejudice pro or con; written without any moralizing or any higher purpose than story itself. I truly don't believe Chute would categorize her book that way at all.
The episodic plot. I agree with another reviewer that it has something in common with the Grapes of Wrath. I loved everything about this book.
I did find it amusing reading the critique, here, from one of Chute's friends. The population of characters.
The brilliant writing.
It's embarrassing. And that cover is deceptive as all get out.Don't be deceived by the cover. Personally I think men and women like that, some how some way, should be surgical sterilized. She lived in a filthy dive motel with her 2 year old son and white husband. This is a story about abusive, ignorant-beyond-belief, incestuous white trash. If Carolyn Chute had taking the subject to the next level. This book brought all that back. You want to cry for the children and slap some sense into the women.
It's sad. I think it would of been better served published as non-fiction. She didn't like that. The nerve of anyone messing with HER baby. I knew a Mexican woman, heroin addict/dealer.
The human animal at it's cruelest. The next morning I went to the Methadone clinic and never looked back. It still and always will make me sick inside. I didn't find it funny or see any dignity, truth, honor, respect, love or honesty as others did. I almost threw up watching all this. It's too real for fiction.
I remember seeing her 8 months pregnant, big as a barn, slamming heroin in the kitchen with her 2 y/o hanging off her leg watching, complaining about how when she gave birth the hospital would keep the baby in order to detox it. Carolyn Chute for writing about them, yes. It's gross. Not in the characters in the book anyway.
Every last one of them has come back and told me how much they enjoyed it. I first read this book years ago on recommendation of a friend. This is a damn fine novel. Beans of Egypt Maine is gritty, it's uncomfortable, it's amusing, and it's realistic. This is a powerful story about "white trash" America, with characters that jump off the page and come to life. To this day I still recommend Chute's book to friends who love to read.
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