The listener is Edna Earle Ponder’s guest at the Beulah Hotel as she tells the tale of her Uncle Daniel’s generosity and simple ways. Sally Darling becomes Edna Earle, her rich, honeyed tones always ready to break into a chuckle. Darling’s unhurried pace welcomes the listener inside the Beulah on a hot summer day to set a spell. The time and place come alive with Darling’s clear, consistent performance. Filled with regionalisms and unique characters, The Ponder Heart is an excellent choice for audio. J.A.H. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine
Originally published in The New Yorker in 1954, The Ponder Heart is easily Eudora Welty's most comic novel, a lighthearted burlesque that rivals Caldwell's Tobacco Road for capturing rural idioms, and the novels of Mark Twain for high farce. Edna Earle, a person of large distinction in Clay County, and the talkative owner of the Beulah Hotel, tells the story of her Uncle Daniel Ponder, a local hero whose over-affection for society compels him to give everything he owns away. The disappearance of Uncle Daniel's second wife, the waifish and willowy Bonnie Dee Peacock, leads to his arrest for murder. The trial, which comprises the second half of the novel, is a masterpiece of courtroom anarchy. A cast of Dickensian characters coupled with Edna's hysterically accurate observations of small-town life, transport the reader, like a raucous family drive, to a truly original conclusion.
1103665381
The Ponder Heart
Originally published in The New Yorker in 1954, The Ponder Heart is easily Eudora Welty's most comic novel, a lighthearted burlesque that rivals Caldwell's Tobacco Road for capturing rural idioms, and the novels of Mark Twain for high farce. Edna Earle, a person of large distinction in Clay County, and the talkative owner of the Beulah Hotel, tells the story of her Uncle Daniel Ponder, a local hero whose over-affection for society compels him to give everything he owns away. The disappearance of Uncle Daniel's second wife, the waifish and willowy Bonnie Dee Peacock, leads to his arrest for murder. The trial, which comprises the second half of the novel, is a masterpiece of courtroom anarchy. A cast of Dickensian characters coupled with Edna's hysterically accurate observations of small-town life, transport the reader, like a raucous family drive, to a truly original conclusion.
12.99
In Stock
5
1
12.99
In Stock
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
BN ID: | 2940170733750 |
---|---|
Publisher: | Recorded Books, LLC |
Publication date: | 09/23/2011 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |
Videos
From the B&N Reads Blog