Book Review - The Grass Harp by Truman Capote

Synopsis:  Set in a small Southern town in the 1930s, this classic work tells the story of three endearing misfits--an orphaned boy and two whimsical old ladies--who one day take up residence in a tree house.

First Line:  "When was it that first I heard of the grass harp?

Random Quote: "On winter afternoons, as soon as I came in from school, Catherine hustled open a jar of preserves, while Dolly put a foot-high pot of coffee on the stove and pushed a pan of biscuits into the oven; and the oven, opening, could let out a hot vanilla fragrance, for Dolly, who lived off sweet foods, was always baking a pound cake, raisin bread, some kind of cookie or fudge:  never would touch a vegetable, and the only meat she liked was the chicken brain, a pea-sized thing gone before you've tasted it.  What with a woodstove and an open fireplace, the kitchen was warm as a cow's tongue."

Review:  This is an utterly charming novella with all the qualities of a good fairy tale.  I've always thought that Truman Capote is the bastard child of Eudora Welty and Tennessee Williams.  This book is definitely on the Eudora Welty side of the equation, although it also reminds me in moments of We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

China trees - Image by nsdis via Flickr

This is a tale of misfits, of the freedom of refusing to fit in, and of what it takes to make yourself and your family.  The language is elegiac and the relationships are sweet, heartfelt, and complex.  Everyone in this book is looking for love, for a place to be - the treehouse at the top of the china tree brings them all together and holds them peaceful in its arms.

There is, of course, the town and its folk who stand in opposition to the people of the tree and who, ultimately, bring the idyll to an end leaving only the shadows of voices on the wind.

What remains for me is the image of the kitchen with its smells of sweet and savory things baking, the sound of conversation on a hot day, and the bowl of goldfish swimming lazily in their bowl.

Reading Challenges:  Decades 2010, Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2010, 2010 100+ Reading Challenge, 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge