Under Magnolia: A Southern Memoir Hardcover – Deckle Edge, April 1, 2014

The chance to read another Frances Mayes work, especially her memoir, Under Magnolia: A Southern Memoir, was the equal to putting a good latte and dark chocolate in front of me. No way was I going to pass it up. Enjoyment was found in other of her books, such as Under the Tuscan Sun. And the title had the word "southern" in it.Although somewhat frenetic in plot and pacing, Under Magnolia transported me back to days growing up in the South and spending summer afternoons under the shade of trees, some magnolia, trying to stay cool. Mayes clarifies her frenetic style by explaining memories jump back and forth and thus, our writing of memoir often jumps back and forth."What is stranger than memory, that selects a certain day to remain vivid, when thousands of others are totally lost?" ~ Frances Mayes in Under MagnoliaLike many others, Mayes grew up in a dysfunctional family fraught with alcoholism and depression. I felt the scars left by Mayes's home life, and she expresses her own confusion upon learning some of her friends lived in happy homes. She states she didn't think it possible.And in this last quote, Mayes captures the truth of so many heartbroken people and those who write memoir:"Sometimes you have to travel back in time, skirting the obstacles, in order to love someone." ~ Frances Mayes in Under MagnoliaI believe memoir writers will find Under Magnolia not only a good read but also a memoir that teaches from the life of another writer sharing her life story. We write our best when we learn from writers in our genre.Also, if you love reading about the lives of others and can tolerate the frenetic pace, I highly recommend this book to you as well.

This is a purposefully slow read, a pleasant read.I didn't grow up in the South, any part of it; but I felt a connection to Fitzgerald, Georgia, the author's hometown. Thinking about it now, I think it's a connection to a simpler time that I feel, the kind of life Mayes describes was the life of America's small towns and incipient suburbs of the 1950s. Much of what Mayes describes in terms of social interaction cut across America then.The main differences that I noted were Mayes' emphases on the outdoor life of a Southern girl, the heady atmosphere of Fitzgerald-- the smells of flowers, bushes, rain and river that permeated Mayes' being. This lushness was magnified in her-- and then later in her writing.Outside of the sense of place, Mayes paints a vivid picture of her family. We find out just who her parents were, who her grandfather Jack was,about her beloved maid. These people,most important to her, receive almost microscopic attention so that we really know them and feel what young Frances felt growing up.There's plenty of discord in Frances'young life, plenty of sorrow; but this memoir doesn't come across as bitter, caustic or maudlin. The author mostly escapes her family's troubles through immersion in books, boys and parties. Mayes' early memories and tales will feel familiar in large part, a good life overpowering the bad.

Head for the porch or your favorite chaise with an ice-cold drink and let Frances Mayes transport you to the deep south in this "coming of age" memoir. It's a road trip traveled down during a time of great change in this country and ultimately back again as Ms Mayes gives the reader through her spectacular imagery and sense of place, the sights, the sounds and people that shaped her early world. The volatility of her father, her fragile yet determined mother, friends and loves are all there in amazing clarity, each laying the groundwork for the woman and prolific writer she has become. A pure joy to read as Frances not only survives the dysfunction of her childhood and the era, but goes on to become "The Bard of Tuscany." With a nod to her firmly planted roots in both the south and Italy, Frances integrates connections between both worlds.The story is told in varying length essays that follow the author from early youth until she marries her first husband Frank and ultimately leaves the south for California. The author explains in great detail the lure of the far away and the need to come full circle and return to her roots in the south. A perfect summer read that lends itself well to reading in increments or all at once. If you are not yet familiar with the works of Frances Mayes, let this be a delightful introduction to Georgia, the deep south and ultimately her winning series of books on her life in Italy.

A very interesting book by the author of one of my favorite books. I try to reread Under the Tuscan Sun every summer. Amo l'Italia. This is much darker although written in the same lyric, sensual style of Tuscan. It's a writer's.attempt to use her skills with the written word to reimagine and reframe a very painful and disfunctional childhood and it sometimes doesn't work. Things are often just too raw. In fact, it started to remind me of another writer of the particular dark fascination of the South, William Faulkner. Faulkner, however, wrote fiction, and this book falls into a gray area between autobiography and fiction. It's a bit uncomfortable reading a beautifully written recount about a child essentially lost in the struggle between two parents locked in psychological battle to the death, then finding the winner of the battle (Mom, of course) ends up the vanquished. Glad I read for the insight, but it's not on my reread list.

I love Mayes and her books, magical reads thank you, a wonderful price also !

Not my kind of book. All description, no plot. I didn't finish it, and I always finish books. Well written if you like description.

found it hard going, people were not likeable. Girl has a difficult childhood, glad she grew up and had great success.

Despit buying this product as "new", it appears to be somewhat damages as all page edges were uneven which was disappointing as it was to be a gift for a fan of Frances Mayes

Disappointing.