The Member of the Wedding

Good Novel. Carson is a beautiful writer. This is another book that I had to read for class. It was good. I also learned that apparently Alaska has a ton of mosquitos just like the South, lol. Other than that it is about an awkward girl basically finding herself. Carson McCullers did a lot of her writing in my hometown, which is why I think the professor wanted us to read this book. Again as with most of the books on here, this is not something that I would normally choose for myself to read. I am more of a Chaucer lover myself and a lot of the older works such as Beowulf, and a lot of the satires and such from Pope, Lady Montague, etc. I was able to read through this book though relatively easily, and I do not have any complaints about it being a hard read. I was very well updated throughout by the writer about what was happening so I didn't get lost anywhere in it. There is a little bit of a tear jerker within the pages, however that is common in a lot of books. Overall, I would read it again if I had more free time. I kept the book so that says a lot

“But a part of her was with them, and she could feel this part of her own self going away, and farther away; farther and farther, so that a drawn-out sickness came in her, going away and farther away, so that the kitchen Frankie was an old hull left there at the table.” I think we can all identify with being young, wanting adventure, and being part of something big and momentous. In Carson McCullers’ The Member of the Wedding, twelve-year-old Frankie longs for something outside of her current life situation. As her brother will married soon, and onto his honeymoon, this perhaps opens the window to Frankie’s hopes… Among other themes and morals, perhaps the most prevalent is Frankie’s pursuit of finding her place and her identity. In many respects, she is at a crossroads in her young life, caught between youth and adolescence, between life at home and the world outside. The novel zeroes in on Frankie’s inner turmoil and exploration of these two boundaries. One of the aspects McCullers handles so well in her novels is exploring the human condition in a uniquely original way, and this is exemplified to a tee in The Member of the Wedding. McCullers takes the reader along with Frankie and we also get to contemplate the struggles of acceptance, understanding one’s self, and finding one’s place. It’s easy to see how this story would work well in a drama format and be converted to a play. In short, The Member of the Wedding is a very contemplative and reflective novel, a coming-of-age story that we can all readily identify with in some manner. It is a very quick and concise read that flies by, and one of those novels that will have you thinking long after you read the final page.

I thought this would be a quick read, but took longer than expected. It was kind of cute, but nothing happened until the very end. This was drawn out for being such a short book.

The pure magic that McCullers creates with the written word makes this worth 4 stars right off the get go. She gives us the character of Frankie or F. Jasmine who is so ready to leave 12 years behind and move forward that she is a bundle of nerves and dreams. She doesn't feel like she fits in her skin any more and is so anxious to shed it and find out who she is suppose to be. That terrible angst of adolescence, the feeling that you are suppose to be doing something else, while not quite sure you want to leave what is safe but knowing for certain that there is more for you in life. This is a true tale of one's coming of age. Standing right on the edge, knowing that once you step over you are never quite so carefree and innocent....but you so want to step into the grown up side. A time of excitement, fear and woe all mixed together. Frankie is determined to travel the world with her brother and his soon to be bride. She is ready to leave all that she knows behind and seek adventure. She feels stifled in a small town where she doesn't fit in, isn't a member of the club and her best friends are the very wise, black housekeeper Berneice and her 6 year old cousin John Henry. She laments her fate day after day as she awaits the big wedding day, but the closer it gets the more she seems to reminisce and feels a little sad about moving on. Her dreams are big but so far her world is small even though it is safe. McCullers took me into that old southern house, right up to the kitchen table eating Hoppin John, playing bridge with sticky stained cards while the flies buzzed in the thick and humid air. I could feel Frankie just bubbling over to tell anyone who would listen that she was going to leave this little town behind. I could hear the regret in Berneice's voice as she told her stories, I could feel John Henry's childish wonder at everything around him. The changes coming to the South ran parallel to Frankies growing up. The world was at war, Civil Rights were just around the corner and the country would never be the same again. You could feel the changes that were coming, they just hung heavy in the air....for Frankie and the South that she knew so well. Such a simple story, taking place over only a few days, but so well crafted the impression it leaves will last through time.

Carson McCullers dürfte in Corona-Zeiten ihr großes Revival erleben. Sie ist die perfekte literarische Stimme in Zeiten der Einsamkeit, behandeln doch fast all ihre Texte das Thema. In "Member of the Wedding" befällt ein heranwachsendes Mädchen lähmende Angst: Ihr großer Bruder wird heiraten, und sie weiß, dass er mit seiner Braut wegziehen und sie zurücklassen wird. Also entscheidet sie sich, einfach mitzuheiraten... Der Roman inspirierte nicht nur Hollywood (Julie Harris spielte in der Verfilmung oscarreif das Mädchen Frankie), sondern auch Künstler wie Suzanne Vega, die den Stoff in ihrem Song "We of Me" verarbeitete. Ein ins Melancholische kippendes Buch zum Thema Adoleszenz. Die Südstaaten-Atmosphäre (der Roman spielt in Georgia) frisst sich, wie immer bei McCullers, durch die Seiten und schnürt zusätzlich ein. Kein "leichtes" Buch, aber eines, das sich immer wieder lohnt. Gerade auch für die Englisch-Leistungskurse der Oberstufe.

Full of interest, thoughtfulness and ideas, the novel is a slow yet satisfying read. A recognisable coming of age unfolding.

Part of college English program.

reçu rapidemment, dans les temps, très bon livre, très bon état

Me ha encantado este libro. No solo por lo que narra, que me ha gustado, sino por cómo lo narra la autora. Los juegos constantes que hace con el tiempo, el simbolismo, los colores, el lenguaje... Es una novela fantástica. Muy recomendable.