- Revelation
- The Artificial Nigger
- A Temple of the Holy Ghost
- Good Country People
- The Enduring Chill
Also, no one ever mentioned how very real the characters were in her stories. I felt I knew people just like them. Sometimes, if we were honest, we could see reflections of ourselves in some facets of those characters as well. I did discover that her stories are perhaps best when shared. Things I had pondered alone became clearer when discussed and some things became downright hilarious when read aloud, which we did a lot of. (I am now wondering if I have to read some of a certain story to Tom, because I am very much afraid that "If Jesus made me choose between ... " is now a part of my short-hand code for hilarious. Honestly, y'all, please do read Revelation, if you don't ever read another Flannery O'Connor story.
Long story short, I put a book of her short stories on my Amazon wish list. A thing I never thought I'd do. Never.
Next month — on Flannery's Trail
We will be reading The Abbess of Andalusia: Flannery O'Connor's Spiritual Journey by Lorraine V. Murray (my review here). The stories we read are specifically discussed in this biography of her life and faith, so there will be a dove-tailing of what we discussed last night with next month's discussions. (We couldn't find the sixth story, mostly because I now realize I had thought it was called The Misfit, when actually he is a character in A Good Man is Hard to Find. Oh well.) I am really looking forward to rereading how the author connects the stories with Flannery's life. It will surely bring new facets to light of her fascinating writing.
Just a note if you live in Dallas ... this is a Catholic women's book club and we have a relaxed attitude toward the whole thing. You don't have to have read the book, as long as you don't mind if the rest of us talk about spoilers, and we welcome drop-ins. The link has the scoop and if you are interested and have questions my email is julie [@] glyphnet [dot] com.
