Book Description
She has as much business keeping a stray dog as she would walking across Egypt–which not so incidentally is the title of her favorite hymn. She’s Mattie Rigsbee, an independent, strong-minded senior citizen who, at seventy-eight, might be slowing down just a bit. When teenage delinquent Wesley Benfield drops in on her life, he is even less likely a companion than the stray dog. But, of course, the dog never tasted her mouth-watering pound cake. Wise and witty, down-home and real, Walking Across Egypt is a book for everyone. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (47)

Surprised delight.
Reading this delightful little story provided me with surprising and pleasing experiences remembering family and neighbors very like Edgerton's characters.Also I found the themes of aging and family intriguing.

Funny and Sweet
Mattie is a little old church going lady who lives alone and gets mixed up with Wesley, a 15 year old jailbird. Her children, a grown son and daughter, are horrified. So are the neighbors,and her fellow church members. But Mattie and Wesley are innocents; Mattie determined to "do good", and Wesley was just there for the cooking. At one point he tried to steal a cake. There is something special about this story, you'd have to read it to understand. And it is truly one of the funniest books I have ever read. The story is wonderful, but the five stars are for making me laugh out loud, not once but all thru the book.

Life in the South of the Past.
Because of that dog, Mattie's life changed from complacency to a purpose which led to a friendship with the local dogcatcher and a fondness for Wesley, the grandchild she'd never have.He wanted to think that she was his grandmother, as he did not remember his mother.

Both her children (daughter and son) had remained unmarried and, like sons today, had little time to attend to her needs.After all, she is aging and having 'problems' coping; that is, until Lamar and Wesley take advantage of her good home cooking.

She not only saves Wesley literally, but the dog also, as she changed her mind about needing a companion in her latter years.She decided maybe it was her time to 'walk across Egypt' and get on with her life.

There were some Southern stereotypes like the Baptist preacher and nosey neighbors, but Wesley was an orphan of the world.He could be anyone's lost child who just needed to feel a bit of love and some direction of right and wrong.Mattie provides both.Each needed the other for different reasons and the ending proves that environment indeed does count more than genes.

Honest, Lighthearted Storytelling
Because I'm a complete and total idiot I read this book and its sequel in reverse order. However, I found that my blunder didn't spoil the plot in the slightest bit. The two plots were completely individual--you needn't read one to understand the other.

Egypt tells a story of an old woman named Mattie who's "slowing down." At 78 she fears she's getting careless and senile, however has too much pride to give up the lifestyle she's become accustomed to: watching her soaps at 1 PM everyday and making sure no one knows it. She won't even keep a dog because she's so set in her routines that she fears she won't have time to mind it.

You know the sort: those Southern women whom would tell strangers fixing their shutters or delivering their mail what time they should stop by on a given day so that they can have a hot slice of pie waiting for them when they come by. Those strangers will inevitably show up, too (wearing a bib and carrying a paper plate and piece of tin foil to take some home with them).

Mattie reminded me so much of my ever-servicing grandmother that I had to cringe. The monkey-wrench that gets thrown into the works is Wesley: a juvenile delinquent who oddly enough is willing to change his heathen ways in exchange for a piece of "the best pound cake ever" and the ability to take a hot bath.

This blend of sinner and saint in novels is nothing innovative, but the extent to which Edgerton stretches it out it seems to be almost hyperbole. (I can assure you from my own experiences that it's not!)

I loved this book. There's so much of the North Carolina I know in it that it makes me giddy

A Fantastic Story for the Whole Family
Mattie Rigsbee, an older woman and mother of two children, lives alone in a small southern town.She is "slowing down" according to her, but keeps up a very lively pace for someone of her age.Her two children are middle aged and still single, something that she just cannot understand or change, no matter how hard she tries.Mattie's enjoyment in life comes from cooking for anyone that stops by, no matter who they are.This little bit of kindness gets her in trouble when she meets Wesley Benfield.

Wesley is the local dogcatcher's nephew and a juvenile delinquent.Mattie cooks him some food and takes it to him in the detention center.This act of kindness towards Wesley makes him believe Mattie is his grandmother.She was only trying to be kind to " the least of [his] brethren" as it says in the Bible, but this little gesture begins a whole lot of trouble for Mattie and the residents of her small town.

This book is a wonderful read for people of all ages.Edgerton does a magnificent job of conveying a story about family values and southern cooking in this outstanding novel.Anyone who has an older grandmother who is "slowing down" will sympathize and relate to this book immediately.Mattie is a wonderfully dynamic character, and this book is filled with delightful humor.This author does an incredible job of displaying old southern values and showing how one person, though a little "out there", can make a difference. ... Read more

Book Description
"This book is too good to keep to yourself. Read it aloud with someone you love, then send it to a friend. But be sure to keep a copy for yourself, because you'll want to read it again and again."
Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey
Raney is a small-town Baptist. Charles is a liberal from Atlanta. And RANEY is the story of their marriage. Charming, wise, funny, and truthful, it is a novel for everyone to love.
"A real jewel."
RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH


From the Paperback edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

People aren't getting the message
The book is a testament too old south racism, and ideals. The author clyde Edgerton is taking a stab at how ignorant these racist belief's were. I find it sad when people read a novel, and focus on only the things they would consider politcally incorrect, or offensive. What planet are you people living on? You think white people living in North Carolina in the 70's weren't racist? Give-me-a-break! Would you rather us censor these types of book out that reflect a culture for the sake of political correctness? The message of the book is actually critical of these stereotypes, and even pokes fun at Free Will Baptist. If anything this book should be offensive to WASP's (white anglo saxon protestant's). I found the book to be filled with humor, and I liked Edgerton's satirical approaches toward's southern taboo topic's like the civil war, and integration. If you don't think outside of the box, or take offense at ideals different than your own avoid this book. If you like good southern literature, or like satirical writing this is totally for you!

Not as Charming as I remembered ...
I first read this book back in 1995 while on vacation in the Outer Banks, NC. I obviously loved it since I kept it on my book case for all these years, through numerous moves and all. I picked it up the other day to see if I still find it charming as I did before. Nope. Now that I am married and a mother, I thought, oh, I'd appreciate it even more. Wrong. This time, I found Raney's naivity extremely annoying and so self-centered and Charles' more stubborn and selfish than understanding. I am now questioning why those two even got together in the first place! Oh right, it's a novel!

I love to read about small town life ~~ no matter what part of the country they live in ~~ and I love reading about family relationships. This book falls flat on everything except Raney's relationship with her family. That made the book more tolerable to read this time.

The "N" word bothers me but I know that was how people talked back then ~~ so it's not offensive to me in that sense. I understand that it is a reflection of the times and the area which this book was written in. I am not saying I agree with it but it can be disturbing at times. What really disturbs me is Raney's automatic judgment of anyone who doesn't think like her and Charles' rigidity in trying not to be like his "redneck" inlaws.

It can be a charming book ~~ but apparently, my reading tastes have evolved in the last 12 years or so ~~ so this book isn't as charming as I found it to be then.

6-20-07

"N" word is used
Has anyone noticed Raney uses the "N" word in the section beginning on page 116?That opens a whole can of worms.I live in the South and must say that Raney is a "blabber-mouth!"Raney needs to gain some self-control.She needs to face herself and think, which she obviously hasn't done.Is she funny?Yes, absolutely!I've laughed out loud!But is she over the line?Yes.Do I recommend this to everyone.No.The "N" word section is offensive and uncalled for.

Y'all just don't get it
I laughed out loud all through the book.Those who have been offended just don't get it - and I don't expect them to.You'd have to live in North Carolina or any part of the South to really appreciate the humor.I'm not defending ignorance, racism or intolerance by saying I like the book.What I'm saying is that Edgerton has an authentic ear for small town Southern folk in the mid-seventies.He makes the situations a bit more ridiculous but still relateable, and he does so to make a point.Many of us see the world as little beyond the town we grew up in, or the state line for that matter.Charles tries to force Raney to expand her thinking beyond "that's the way it's always been, and that's good enough for me."She changes only a little by the end of the novel, but she does change.I also get the idea that she and Charles will continue to work together to love and understand each other while each trying to broaden the other's point of view, and that, I believe is Edgerton's point in writing the book.

easy to read southern lit
Raney centers around a young southern woman recently married to an intellectual musician who is both amused by her naivety and frustrated by her southern beliefs and logic. Raney is just a sweet old fashioned girl who loves her unconventional family, likes to sing, and is cautiously aware of her husband's loathing and criticism for the things she says and does. All in all her strong will, laid back ease, and her humorous ways can not be swayed and she teaches her beau a lesson of being true to oneself. Raney is different from other books because its just funny. Edgerton is writing above all a comedy on how different people's views can be. I just love the expressions that Raney uses to describe her thoughts and the way her family just assumes things such as her uncle who in their opinion was made to be a drunk, while Raney's husband examines his psychosis and diagnoses him with depression and stress disorder. Edgerton is not at all making fun of southerners here. If anything he demonstrates how deep family ties are and how loyal members are to each other. Edgerton's books are very easy to read and should be in the same genre as perhaps Fanny Flagg whom I also loved. Please check out this book if you can. Its a light and humerous book about the ups and downs of a young marriage. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Respect for his elders, Southern charm, an ear for authentic dialogue, and a great sense of humor are Clyde Edgerton's trademarks. Lunch at the Piccadilly is no exception. Lil Olive, lively octogenarian, fetches up at the Rosehaven Convalescent Center after a bad fall, but she is not ready to pack it in. Instead, she befriends several of her peers, plans outings which she executes by stealing a car she insists is hers, and starts laying bets on whether or not Clara removes her glass eye at night.

The center of the novel is Lil's middle-aged, never married nephew Carl. It has fallen to him to look after the women in his family: first his mother, then his Aunt Sarah and now Aunt Lil. He is the soul of patience and kindness, looking after Lil's needs, visiting her frequently and taking the ladies to lunch. He befriends L. Ray Flowers, a firebrand preacher who, because of an injury, is temporarily marooned at the Center.Flowers has an idea: "We are about to pronounce the grand fact that nursing homes and churches all across this land must become interchangeable... We need not two institutions... We need one. And it shall be called Nurches of America, Chursing Homes of the United States." In addition to his grandiose idea, he writes music and encourages Carl to take up the bass guitar again. Carl starts writing lyrics for L. Ray's music and, for a short while, preaching and singing rock the porch at Rosehaven.Inevitably, time and the past catch up with Lil and L. Ray, but not before Carl has found a new creative outlet that gives him some purpose in life other than selling awnings.

Edgerton's Raney and Walking Across Egypt are better novels, with tighter plots and more fully realized characters, but Lunch at the Piccadilly is unmistakably Edgerton, and that's not bad. --Valerie RyanBook Description
Welcome to the Rosehaven Convalescence Center in beautiful Listre, North Carolina. Recuperating after a recent fall, Lil Olive sits on the front porch, chitchatting with and rocking right alongside the regulars. There’s tiny Maudie Lowe with her cane that seems too tall; Beatrice Satterwhite, whose fancy three-wheeled walker is a Cadillac among Chevrolets; Clara Cochran, who cusses as frequently as she takes a breath; and L. Ray Flowers, the freelance preacher who strums a mean guitar, and who reveals his dream of forming a national movement to unite churches and nursing homes (“Nurches of America”). Keeping a watchful eye on them all is Carl, Lil’s middle-age bachelor nephew with a heart of gold and the patience of a saint. But Lil is restless, eager to get back to her own apartment. She wants some adventure. And before long, tranquil Rosehaven is turned upside down. . . . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

A mixed bag
Carl Turnage's lot in life seems to be caring for the old people in his family.His Aunt Lil is the only one alive from his mother's generation and now he is tending to her while she's in a nursing home, trying to recover from a fall.The home is inhabited by a bunch of quirky people, including a foul-mouthed old lady with a glass eye and a preacher who wishes to turn churches into nursing homes (nurches).Some of the book is hilarious, such as a joyride that Aunt Lil takes, and some of it is achingly sad.The ending kind of fizzled for me, and left me with an empty, unsatisfied feeling.

A funny Southern nursing home story
Finding gentle humor in a nursing home setting is a gift Clyde Edgerton has utilized beautifully and lovingly in this book.Amusingly outré characters (always an Edgerton watermark) thrive at life's end in an all-too-real warehouse for the elderly and infirm.There's even a quirky preacher (not at all in the southern fundamentalist tradition) with a mildly sordid past and the grand idea of combining churches and nursing homes into one institution and inviting all faiths to participate. His small sermons throughout the novel are a definite high point as are the songs he composes with protagonist Carl during visits to his dying aunt. Again as with all Edgerton tales, the dialogue and descriptions redole Southern grace and charm.Readers of earlier Edgerton such as RANEY, WALKING ACROSS EGYPT, and THE FLOATPLANE NOTEBOOKS know what to expect and will delight in this work, which to new readers, will serve splendidly as an introduction.If you enjoy gentle humor, well-written, such as is found in the novels of Miss Read, Philip Gulley, and Jan Karon, you'll like Edgerton too.

A Wonderful and Different Kind of Book for Someone My Age.
I can totally see this as a Hallmark film presentation, because all the qualities of their brand of entertainment are there.I used to visit my grandparents in nursing homes with my mother when I was younger, but the author of this book reminded me of everything I tried desperately to forget during those visits:the undeniable, inescapable truth that a lot of us soon come to know at some point in our lives.Clyde Edgerton paints a painful and very often whimsical verbal portrait of senior citizens and the many plights they are burdened with.Full of sometimes annoying characters (such as Reverend L. Ray) and lovable ones like sweet Aunt Lil and her loyal nephew Carl, this book will have you laughing, crying, and thinking all at once.It may also remind you of someone you know all too well in this bevy of colorfully delightful characters.This was my first Clyde Edgerton novel, and surely not my last.He made me see the retirement home set in a new and respectful light.:-)

Why are her feet outside?Well there's no need to bring them back in
Really I give it a 3 1/2

What I enjoyed about this novel were all the funny, quirky (many true)comments from Aunt Lil, Maudie, Mr. Flowers, Beatrice, and Clara.The tangents and the out of no where questions kept the topics (aging, nursing homes, and loss of independence and functions) from being too depressing.Some of my favorite moments was the initial driving scene (why are my feet outside?), stealing the car and wanting to buy a flag for Mr. Flower's movement, the escalator, William and Lee, and the crow tattos.

Altough at some points these comments/scenes crossed the humor side and sadded me b/c they showed readers instances of dementia.Like when Lil did not know who Carl was and when she insisted she was in a jail in South Carolina that looked exactly like her room at Rosehaven. Carl handled this situation so beautifully and sweetly.He never belittled her, always made time for her, and treated her with respect and kindness.At times Carl did feel burdened and felt guilty for thinking these thoughts, but the author and readers understand these are natural feelings.

What I did not like about this novel was there were too many loose ends and characters.I didn't really understand Mr. Flower's mysterious and criminal past, what was true, especially with Mr. Flowers and Darla as a young teenagers.And I didn't understand how eventually he was kicked out.I also did not understand what was the point of bringing up conversations with Carrie and Latricia.I saw some interactions with Carrie and the residents but not enough for me to care about her.Same with the physical therapist and Darla. I felt like these extra scenes distracted from the main part of the novel.I would have preferred it if the author had dropped these characters and focused more on the main group of characters in the novel.

What I found uplifting about this book is this strong desire for these women to live life.All wanted adventure.As soon as Carl let Aunt Lil drive in the initial scene, she said "Where's the exit?.....I've got to get on the highway."She didn't want to play it safe and just drive around the parking deck.That's boring and it leads nowhere.She wanted adventure.When the women and Mr. Flowers were talking on the porch about his movement, the women all wanted to know when they would be traveling.Aunt Lil pictured herself going on an adventure to the Everglades.What I found thought provoking was these women wanted this excitement and adventure but were physcially unable to go, yet characters like Carl and Annie could go on these adventures yet were too scared to try and led these unfulfilled lives.

very depressing....
This book was my book club's selection for the month.It was one month I wished I would have skipped.Where the book is well-written, the story itself is very sad.There is a saying...."don't judge a book by its cover"...The cover is very misleading.The lives of the elderly women are far from quaint lunches and a wild joy ride.For someone with an elderly relative with declining health and who knows the toll that it has on caregivers, this was too much realism. ... Read more

Book Description
The Copeland family of Listre, North Carolina, goes back a long way. Each family member has a story to tell, and stories to be told about one another. Albert Copeland, the head of the family, writes it all down in the notebooks he started once to track the progress of the floatplanes he built, though they never did fly. Everything about the Copelands is in these books. And every one of them has his say. Funny and poignant, a family album of talk and tales, The Floatplane Notebooks shares the best-kept secrets of love, loss, and learning to let go. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Literature at its best!
The Floatplane Notebooks is one of those rare novels that truly mananges to captivate the reader.The novel, told from different viewpoints of a Southern family, has much to teach us about life, love, and loss.

My All-Time Favorite
This is absolutely my favorite book, I truly wish it was my family he was writing about.
Edgerton is by far the best Southern author writing today.

Southern Lit at its Best
"The Floatplane Notebooks" tells the story of the Copelands, a typical Southern family that gathers every year to clean up the family cemetery. Using the narrative structure of Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying" (a series of single-narrator chapters), the family experiences a devastating event that threatens to unravel the family fabric. In the end, all is well, and powerfully bittersweet.
The story has what is easily one if the funniest scenes I've ever read (regarding a well and a flashlight), and the way the story is resolved at the end is truly touching (the careful reader will see that the two scenes are closely related). Another notable feature is the observations of one of the book's main characters - a wisteria vine. This may seem strange, unless the reader realizes that the vine is essentially the theme of the story, for it represents death (a ubiquitous theme in all great Southern literature). The Copeland family could easily solve the problem of cleaning the family graveyard by just killing the wisteria vine. But, if they do, they then have no real reason to gather every year. This is a family that is united by and finds strength in death.
This is a truly unique and great story, though not appropriate for younger readers. Skilled readers will find much to appreciate. "The Floatplane Notebooks" is Southern Lit at its very best. READ THIS BOOK.

Pretty Gosh Darn Awful!
Nothing happens in this awkwardly constructed little book. The characters just talk (for a page or two)...and talk and talk. If you like this sort of thing (plotless yammering) you should hang out at the local diner andlisten to the folks carry on.

A future classic
I believe this book to be truly underappreciated. Most people tend to think it is just a story about some quirky southern folk.It is that but it is also much more.It is "Our Town" reborn. It shoulddefinitely be studied in our classrooms instead of all the novels that areso hard to grasp and seem irrelevent.This one has a meaning to each andeveryone of us, no matter how young, old, rich or poor. It is life. ... Read more

Book Description
A New York Times Notable Book. For his seventh novel, Clyde Edgerton returns to the setting of his own childhood--rural North Carolina at mid-twentieth century. This beguiling novel tells the story of a tight-knit crossroads community and what happens when a quick-change artist stops for gas and an oil check, sees opportunities, and decides to stop there for a while. "You'll spend a lot of time laughing and wiping your eyes and reading passages aloud to anyone who'll listen."--Boston Globe; "This may be Edgerton's best novel ever. I say that each time I finish one of his books."--Newark Star-Ledger ; "Edgerton, evoking Flannery O'Connor, composed chatty, tone-perfect tales of small town life that illuminate the knife edge between satire and nostalgia." --Entertainment Weekly; "A slyly satiric and artful story . . . Edgerton reveals the innocent, the deluded, and the hypocritical with an unerring sense of humor and truth."--Publishers Weekly; "In the pitch-perfect tradition of Flannery O'Connor and William Faulkner, Edgerton spins things wildly, masterfully, hilariously out of control."--Maxim. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Hugely Disappointing
I read this book from a recommendation in Honey for a Woman's Heart and I was appalled. It is so crude in so many places. I was hoping for a story full of funny characters that satirized Southern culture. Instead, I saw some of the very worst of human nature and the unfair view that all "good" Christian folk are like the characters in this book. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. I didn't laugh once. I cringed.

Too quirky for me
This was a quirky book about a small southern N.C. town.They have a strange visitor (Jack Umstead) who has come to scope out the place and maybe steal something.The author introduces several people who live in the town, however, he doesn't really develop them.They just play the parts of simple town folk.The stranger tries to fit in and even gets friendly with some of the people in town before he does his evil deed.The book is suppose to be funny and it is in some parts. I just didn't think it was hilarious.I wish it was, it might have made for a better read.

Creates Nostalgia for a Place I've Never Visited
Clyde Edgerton's loving and funny evocations of the rural South capture the charms and strengths of the South.

His old women are especially memorable: drawing their confidence from their religious faith, they don't need a shotgun to assert themselves (and, if they DO need a shotgun, they know how to use that, too). Contrary to his publicist's ads, Mr. Edgerton is not out to mock the religious hypocrisies of his characters. Yes, they are only human and don't always live up to their ideals, but it is also very clear that they draw strength from their faith.

Where Trouble Sleeps is a parable of temptation and how a small town can be corrupted. Whether the corrupter is "Satan" or just a conman is up to the reader's interpretation, but it is a delightful read either way. The story manages to introduce you to what seems to be most of the population of Listre, North Carolina and keeps them fresh in your mind with a few deft strokes of the author's pen.

Not Heaven on Earth at Listre, NC
This writer had fun remembering the fifties with inspiration and real-life events to draw from in a whimsical way at a stop-in-the-road place which didn't even have one right light.A small town has at least two.Some way, they managed to get a flashing yellow light out in the middle of nowhere.Dominated by the church and its activities, particularly the elderly secretary Dorothea who really thought that Jesus had visited her there in the church one night when she gave him ten dollars.

"Jesus" actually was Jack, a criminal who accidentally found the place and stayed around long enough to cause a bit of mischief at the church and found himself in hot water looking down the barrel of a shotgun.Jesus loves Chuck, but he had a whole of a good time fooling the old woman.Preacher Crenshaw was tempted by a young, shapely woman, a sex kitten of sorts with loose scrumples.He thought foolishly like old men tend to do tht she sorshipped him.In fact, he felt that way about all of the good-looking women, but he tried to deflect the worship of himself toward God and Jesus.Saving lost souls, bringing "lost sheep" to Jesus Christ was dead serious business, involving eternal life in heaven or hell.His onerous plump wife was a burden he had to bear, so as to appear humble.There were lots of prayers and hymn singing as in all tiny churches all over America.

The motel where Jack made his headquarters was identical to one I always wanted to explore in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, birthplace of Senator and actor Fred Thompson.There was an office, and little one-room cabins for the tired and weary to rest. You must read the joke about remembering; it is worth a thousand dollars."In spite of illness, one can remain alive past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity, interested in big things, and happy in small ways."

This was the kind of delightful "nonsense" incidents which Sam Venable would write.It takes an expert writer to carry it off.Clyde Edgerton also wrote WALKING ACROSS EGYPT which was turned into a funny, clever movie.He is a native Southerner, which means he's extra special.

Entertaining, but
What was the purpose of the story? It kept me entertained on a flight to the UK, but if the in flight entertainment system had been working, I'm not sure if I would have finished it.

The version I read had questions for discussion which I found interesting, unfortunately, my book club was unable to find any meaningful answers to the questions raised.

Throughout the book he wrote little blurbs about characters living in the town or near by.You expect them to have some relevance to the story, but they are never heard from again.It's almost as if these blurbs were put in to meet a page quota.

I'm not usually a book snob, but I would turn my nose up at this one. ... Read more

Book Description
Preston Clearwater has been a criminal since stealing two chain saws and 1600 pairs of aviator sunglasses from the Army during the Second World War.Back on the road in post-war North Carolina, a member of a car-theft ring, he picks up hitch-hiking Henry Dampier, an innocent nineteen-year-old Bible salesman.Clearwater immediately recognizes Henry as just the associate he needs--one who will believe Clearwater is working as an F.B.I. spy; one who will drive the cars Clearwater steals as Clearwater follows along in another car at a safe distance.Henry joyfully sees a chance to lead a dual life as Bible salesman and a G-man.During his hilarious and scary adventures we learn of Henry's fundamentalist youth, an upbringing that doesn't prepare him for his new life. As he falls in love and questions his religious training, Henry begins to see he's being used--that the fun and games are over, that he is on his own in a way he never imagined. ... Read more

Book Description
When Clyde Edgerton was four years old, his mother took him to a local airport to see the airplanes. Eighteen years later, she would take him to the same airport to catch a plane to Texas for Air Force pilot training. She’d been his first passenger when he got his aviator’s license. She’d supported his decision to join the Air Force. All the same, she wished he’d kept up his piano lessons instead.

But Truma Edgerton’s only son had fallen in love with flying, and had fallen hard. His plan was to pilot the newest, sleekest, fastest aircraft available. The first time he soloed in a jet, he felt “a strange pride and power.” By then, the only access to the cockpits of fighter jets was via the war in Vietnam. So he spent a year flying combat reconnaissance over the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and he won the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Back at home, he took up another passion—writing. By and by, he bought himself his own airplane, a Piper Super Cruiser that he named Annabelle. Now, thirty years after Vietnam, Clyde Edgerton looks back at his youthful passion for flying, at the joy he took in mastering it, at the exhilaration—and lingering anguish—of combat flight.

Solo is a story told with empathy and humor—and with searing honesty that will resonate with every pilot who remembers the first take off, the first landing, the first solo. For those of us who always choose the window seat, it’s a thrilling story to experience vicariously. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Not well written or particularly interesting.
I suppose if you are a pilot, hearing Edgerton re-tell his own experiences learning to fly would be pretty interesting. If you're just interested in planes, the book is just OK. If you're looking for a good story you'll be deeply disappointed.

About 1/3 of the book is learning to fly one plane after another. About 1/3 is an attempt to make sense out of his service in Vietnam. The remaining 1/3 is filler with an occasional anecdote, sometimes interesting.

What is so surprising is how clumsily the text is written and how little he has to say. I think maybe he wrote this book too long after the fact. The Vietnam war was a long time ago, and his memories have faded.

A healthy dose of military aviation insights.
You may recognize Clyde Edgerton's name: he's written eight previous novels but here provides a compelling saga in SOLO: MY ADVENTURES IN THE AIR, a biographical memoir which provides the true account of his flying experience, from Air Force training and combat missions in Vietnam to his own personal plane. The joy Edgerton holds for planes and flying shines from every chapter: any with an affection for planes will love this celebration of flight, which holds a healthy dose of military aviation insights.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

It should have been great.
Solo, by Clyde Edgerton, could have been a great book about flying.Edgerton's experience in aviation along with his obvious life long passion for flight, combined with his post-flying resume entry of Professor of Writing and the University of North Carolina (Wilmington) should have been the recipe for the best book of flying since Rinker Buck's Flight of Passage.Unfortunately, it is not.That stated, this is a good book that aviation enthusiasts will likely forgive Prof. Edgerton's flaws and enjoy its quickly passing pages.

Solo begins slowly with a rather poor explanation of flight and flight controls for the non-pilot reader.It reads as some dated and poorly written instruction manual.Edgerton should have just stuck with his suggested reading mentioned in the Author's Note of Wolfgang Languisher's timeless "Stick and Rudder".My sense in that most who will want to read this book either know about the basics of flying or don't care and just want him to get to his jet training and his rediscovery of the joy of flying general aviation "taildraggers" later in his life.A good one third to one half of this book reads more like a diary then a work of a military pilot, trained also as a writer.Ah, but the second half . . .

Solo literally soars in the second half, dealing with the writers training in military fighter aircraft in the Vietnam Era and of his experiences in that environment.Edgerton also nails the rediscovery of flight later in life in small and slow general aviation aircraft.He writes clearly and beautifully on what all of us in the aviation community know about flying - it almost doesn't matter what you fly, as long as you fly.Here is a fighter pilot accustomed to F-4 Fantom jets, the premier fighter of its day, falling in love with a Piper 2 seater with an engine half the size of most of today's cars.Unfortunately for all readers, just when building to this crescendo and dénouement he falls back to listing seemingly nonsensical and peripheral logbook entries and spoils the end.

As a pilot and flight instructor, my predisposition was to enjoy this book and, by and large, I did.But that was only because my blinders allowed me to get past his very obvious poor and disjointed writings.As with too many books a couple of more critical edits could have made this a must read.I would say it is a fun, quick read but only for those who have a real passion for flight.

How low can you go?Solo
My father and I have the same last name, we are both pilots and we have both read SOLO by Clyde Edgerton.That's were we parted company.My dad liked it.I did not.

Imagine the movie AMERICAN GRAFFITI after you cut out hotrods, drive-ins, and cute girls and replaced them with characters rehashing their collective driver's training experiences.Then you would have SOLO: MY ADVENTURES ON THE GROUND.

SOLO is a dull book so stuffed with filler that it could have been sold as a pillow.It contains pages of walking around a plane and explaining every part; pages of flying a plane and explaining every control; pages of the author's old letters home; pages of transcribed audiotapes; pages of anecdotes that never quite become interesting, pages of dialog that convey little meaning.

Only two stories were memorable:

The first story struck me because it typifies the style of book and underlines its major fault: only cookie-cutter characters populate Edgerton's universe.Readers are first introduced to fellow fighter pilot Rob on page 150 only because Edgerton needs to tell of his death on page 151.Worse, Edgerton tells the story as a laundry list of facts without apparent emotion or empathy.The sum total of Edgerton breaking the news to Rob's fiancé on page 152 is, "I sent a telegram to Lynda and then wrote her a letter."

The second story suprised me because it demonstrated that Edgerton can tell a story well when he wants to.Taking nine pages instead of his usual nine sentences, Edgerton does a great job of conveying the tale of two downed pilots he helped search for while on duty in Vietnam.Neither pilot was found.Much later in life, Edgerton discovered that one of the missing pilots had survived the war as P.O.W. while the second remains missing to this day.

Unfortunately, one interesting story does not make a book or justify its purchase.I gave 2 stars out of respect for Edgerton's service to his country and because I save 1-star reviews for the truly awful.If I were giving it a letter grade though, I would give it a D- because Mr. Edgerton earns his living as a professor of creative writing and should know better.

In short, a more accurate title would have been: SOLO: MY SINGLE INTERESTING ADVENTURE IN THE AIR.

An Insight into the Dream of Flight
This book is probably the best written book I have read this year. It is an example of a book written by someone who knows their subject matter well. Edgerton has a way of making you feel as though you are a fly on the wall of the cockpit.
He used this skill to guide us through his flying years, be it when he was watching planes at the local airport or when he was commanding pilot over the jungles of Vietnam.
I would recommend this book for anyone who has an interest in aviation or good writing. I particularily enjoyed this book because I have an interest inflight and it is always great to hear and read about someone who has done something with the dream.
This is one great book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Good Read
I found this book an entertaining read.There is more to it than that, but you can enjoy it on any level you like.It offers good prose, a plot that moves along at a comfortable pace, and an interesting historical setting.This is my first exposure to Clyde Edgarton but it will not be my last.

Read other Clyde Edgerton
Not the best of his works.Try Raney or Walking Across Egypt to know why there are Clyde Edgerton fans who will even read Redeye: A Western.And don't ever miss an opportunity to hear him talk and tell tales.

Creative style but ...
I read it on a business trip because that's all I had to read, but once I got access to a different book- only a few scant pages from the end, I happily traded it in.

Different but great.
Read it. Not much more to say

Topnotch Light Fare
It must be said at the outset that "Redeye" is not only slim but lightweight, and its storyline a fragile structure indeed. Having said that, I have nothing left but praise for this book.Edgerton deftly weavestogether an adventurous present in 1892 Colorado, a tragic past from 1857,and a framing text from 1915, by which time historic sites and scenicgrandeur have degenerated into new ways to separate the unwary tourist fromhis money.He draws his characters, from the sweet and naive to the mostdastardly, with a light and loving touch.He knows and appreciates hissetting, and can instill this appreciation in his readers.He hasworthwhile things to say on important matters--multi-ethnic society, therole of archeology, the profit motive--but makes his points without beingmoralistic or pedantic.And, oh yes, the man can be very funny.Edgertonknows what he's about, and has the talent and humanity do it well.Anevening with "Redeye" is time well spent. ... Read more

Book Description
"An American treasure...Edgerton s a mater of the old-fashioned American art of tale-spinning. His literary line goes back straight as an arrow to the likes of Sherwood Anderson and Mark Twain."

THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE

Join the folks in Summerlin, North Carolina, as they attend to the sad, crazy, but inevitable business of passing on--and passing down. For a whole pack of relatives is waiting to see who dies first. Will it be Glenn or Laura Bales? The order will determine which children from which marriage will get the land. And if tha tisn't enough intrigue, hell-raising black sheep Uncle Grove McCord has decided that Summerlin should be his final resting place--and he's about to arrive still very much alive.... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Dreary and Dry
My relationship with Edgerton's books is usually hit or miss. I keep going back and reading more of them because a) I have a fierce loyalty to North Carolina writers, and b) I really enjoyed _Walking Across Egypt_ and _Killer Diller_.

That said, I must confess that I really disliked _In Memory of Junior_. ["Hate" is such a strong word and I shall reserve it for a book that really makes me grind my teeth in disgust.]

This, as well as other Edgerton books, are marked as being humorous. I found nothing to laugh at in this work. While _Lunch at the Piccadilly_ was lighthearted in its handling of old age and the inevitability of death, I found _Junior_ almost tacky.

I didn't bond with any of the characters,so I won't bother picking them out here. They all seemed ridiculously shallow and so poorly expounded upon that they seemed to be almost afterthoughts in the writing process.

For once, this Edgerton title has a conclusive ending, however by the time I got to it, I really didn't care.Making it to the ending was a real accomplishment.

The humor in this book is almost sterile compared to the gut-busting bawdiness of _Egypt_ and_Killer Diller_, and honestly, I miss that.

Great humor......great story.
I have liked all of Egerton's books and this one is very good. His books are good to read and I love the auido versions.

Down home fun!
Twisted-my one word description of the author, Clyde Edgerton.He's a Dave Barry from the deep south.Just when you think you've figured out the plot, he adds a new twist to the story.Did you ever think you'd see a pink tombstone?Or a circular runway?And who would ever think to steal a grave...not the stone, but the spot.Great reading!

You'll laugh out loud & what's better than that?
I've read all of Clyde Edgerton's books & whereas I like them very much primarily for their humor, this is by far the funniest. Not just the funniest Edgerton book, but perhaps the funniest book I've ever read & I'm a voracious reader. There's a book called "Scoring in Heaven." It contains photos of tombstones & other memorials which seem like subject matter that shouldn't be that funny but the pictures are highly amusing. This book deals with death but while the characters are still alive ... Read more

Book Description
"Wonderful...Clyde Edgerton tells us another of his lovely tall tales."--Los Angeles Times Book Review

Listre, North Carolina, is jumping. The Sears twins, Ted and Ned, who run a Baptist college, have opened Nutrition House for overweight Christians. Meanwhile their Project Promise is busy matching the educationally disadvantaged with wayward youth who want to share their talents. Enter Wesley Benfield, a prime candidate for Project Promise, with a special place in his heart for Baptist songwriting, preaching, and a wide, iron-pumping girl over at the Nutrition House. The Lord only knows where Wesley will go from here... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

If you went to Campbell University...
you will enjoy this book. Edgerton taught there and the similarities between the fictional Baptist university and CU are difficult to miss.

Sequel Outshines the Original
Eight years after the events of Walking Across Egypt, Edgerton resumes the story of now twenty-four-year-old Wesley Benfield, ex-con resident of a Baptist halfway house called BOTA (Back On Track Again).This sequel does what few sequels can: it outshines the original.I frequently laughed out loud and near the end, I was moved almost to tears.Edgerton is a Christian who can respectfully mine the foibles and humor of organized religion, specifically of his fellow Baptists, and more specifically of the men running Baptist colleges.The pompous Sears twins, Ted and Ned, are brilliantly drawn in their endless fund-raising and insensitivity to the genuinely disadvantaged.I was so pleased to find out that Mattie Rigsby was still alive at age 86, and that Wesley had promise despite his rocky start.As in Walking Across Egypt, though, Edgerton leaves us with a less than satisfying conclusion.Will Mattie be able to resume taking care of herself?Will Wesley end up back in jail?This time, there's no sequel, at least not yet.

Pretty near as good as Mattie's home cookin'
Personally, I liked Raney and Walking Across Egypt better than this one, but it's still pretty damn good. Wesley , the delinquent sort of adopted by Mrs. Mattie Rigsbee in Walking Across Egypt, is now 24, and still a bit of a handful. He's a resident in a Christian halfway house in rural North Carolina. There's a love interest, a band, and there's Vernon, who 'bout steals the show when he appears on the page. And of course Mattie herself, who is older still but still cooking up a storm.
Good story, great author; sequel to follow, surely.

Lacked the Mattie Spunk
I anticipated this novel to capture the uniqueness of Walking Across Egypt.Unfortunately, I was disappointed.

WAE introduced me to Mattie Rigsbee, an energetic, high-spirited senior that loves to cook and bake her way through life.She took in Wesley, a juevile delinquent, and gave him the love and encouragement he needed to become a fine, young man.Which is where _Killer Diller_ takes up.

Wesley is now at a strict Christian School, enrolled in a Project Promise Program that restructures, rehabilitates, and reprograms disadvantaged youths in the "only" way, the Baptist way.He attends classes, is in a band, and is a preceptor to an autistic boy named Vernon (who says "Killer Diller", hence the title) teaching Vernon how to lay bricks as part of another administration inspired program.

Influenced by Mattie to the Christian life style, Wesley enthusiastically embraces their philosophy without question. His remarkable "recovery" attracts the attention of the manipulative Christian College Administration.They scheme to use him and his band to advertise their Christian college and ultimately, orchestrate fund raising to fullfill their self-serving purposes. He begins to ask questions and seek answers to the confusing and conflicting interpretations of the bible and the self-serving actions of thecollege administration.

What seems to be lacking is Mattie's presence in the story.While she is "there"her character is minimized. The ending feels rushed and somehow unfulfilling.Christian and Bible hypocrisy is explored deeply in this story as Wesley searches for answers. While I feel Mr. Edgerton explored this aspect very skillfully, somehow it collectively fell flat in the end.

KIller Diller Is OK
Killer Diller is another book about Mattie and Wesley, almost a sequel toWalking Across Egypt. Wesley is in a home that places strict rules andcurfews on him. He is in a band. He is in love with an overweight woman,who is staying at the Nutrition House on Ballard University campus. Wesleyis searching for the meaning of the bible and he begins preaching. He'salso become a part of Project Promise, a chance to teach a mentallychallenged child his talents. He gets this boy in his band playing bass.Then Mattie has a heart attack and Wesley tries to sneak out. He ends up inthe hospital with Mattie! Mattie gets put in a nursing home, and Wesley'sroommate, Ben, has been talking about escaping... This novel is prettygood. I enjoyed reading it, even though Mattie seems to have lost herspunk. If you've read Walking Across Egypt, then you should read KillerDiller, just to catch up with old Mattie and Wesley. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Clyde (Carlyle) Edgerton, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 4548 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Product Description
"It was like food. Blues music, good blues music, was like Mrs. Risbee's pound cake and apple pie, except he ate it with a different part of himself. He had to have it. He had to have the sweetness of it. Blues tasted sweet like her food and it was sad sometimes and there was something about it that sounded like a part of the feeling, the sweet ache in his body when the horses were twisting in the air, getting shot through with hot gold."---from Killer Diller "Wesley Benfield was already a Christian when he chanced upon a shiny white Continental with a tan interior, the keys left behind and beckoning in the ignition. Shuttled among orphanages, houses of detention and foster homes since he was eleven, Wesley has been trying to make good ever since. But two things are keeping him from a strictly straight-and-narrow kind of existence: just for Phoebe Trent, who is the most in the world woman he's ever met, and a National Steel Dobro, bottleneck guitar. Wesley's progress toward the sanctified life is temporarily waylaid while he's a resident of BOTA a halfway house near the campus of Ballard University. Ballard is one of the bible-belt's finger examples of Christian education. But there's more than one way for an ungainly white boy to find a little soul. When Wesley discovers what Ballard is all about, he strikes out on his own path of redemption. "Clyde Edgerton is a miner of considerable skill, burrowing into the hillside of humanity to find the ore of characters os pure and so real they might just sit down beside us and tell us a tale."---The Washington Post "Clyde Edgerton lives in Durham, North Carolina with his family. His previous novels are Raney, Walking Across Egypt and The Floatplane Notebooks." [from case] ... Read more

Product Description
UNABRIDGED, 5 audio cassette tapes. Clyde Edgerton's ear for regional voices and his eye for life's small but significant details enable him to crreate characters who are charming and utterly convincing. Beginning with an engagement announcement and ending with the birth of a son, Raney is a snapshot of the first few years of a modern Southern marriage. As Raney tells us about Charles' beliefs and habits, and thus reveals her own, her honesty and gumption will capture your heart and tickle your funny bone. Narrator Ruth Ann Phimister's soft voice beautifully captures the emotional tides that rise and fall in Raney's life. ... Read more