Fair and Tender Ladies Audiobook By Lee Smith cover art

Fair and Tender Ladies

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Fair and Tender Ladies

By: Lee Smith
Narrated by: Kate Forbes
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Author of many novels and short stories, best-selling writer Lee Smith has received numerous awards for her works, including two O. Henry Awards. Fair and Tender Ladies is an epistolary novel that traces the life of Ivy Rowe, born in the isolated Virginia mountain community of Sugar Fork.

Twelve-year-old Ivy writes her first letter to a Dutch pen pal, who never replies. She also writes many more to her sister Sylvaney, who is mentally disabled and illiterate. Gaining more from writing than receiving any replies, Ivy continues a colorful stream of letters during her long life. Through births and deaths, marriages and funerals, the decades of Ivy's life are captured in a rich dialect that carries the sounds and sights of the Appalachians in each syllable.

Lee Smith's genius lies in her ability to create the landscape of a character's mind with economy and grace. Perfectly complementing Smith's talent, narrator Kate Forbes provides a unique voice for Ivy.

©1988 Lee Smith (P)2004 Recorded Books, LLC Literary Fiction Virginia Heartfelt Fiction Genre Fiction Sagas Psychological

Critic reviews

"Readers will be thoroughly captivated by Ivy Rowe, the narrator of this epistolary novel, and will come to the end of her story with a pang of regret. Smith has produced her best work here, creating a fully rounded heroine and other vivid characters who inhabit Virginia's Appalachia region....In the old tradition of oral storytelling, Smith has fashioned a dramatic, magical, poignantly true-to-life tale." (Publishers Weekly)
"Ivy writes with a verve and immediacy which prove that her creator, Lee Smith, is a storyteller supreme." (School Library Journal)

Captivating Storytelling • Rich Character Development • Authentic Accent • Authentic Appalachian Setting • Emotional Depth

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I have just finished listening to this remarkable audiobook and I am so tenderly moved. I want to grieve over losing Ivy, as her life came quietly to an end. No, her life itself wasn’t quiet- it was far from it – but I fell as though I have lost a friend. The fact that the narrator, Kate Forbes, read with a perfect Appalachian accent (the book takes place within an hour of where I now live), helps make it even more authentic. This book, told entirely by letters written by Ivy Rowe, gives a true voice to the Appalachian life that exists still today. This is a wonderful book, rich and full, and I highly recommend it to anyone to read. A real piece of Americana and excellent writing. It made me laugh many times (I rarely laugh out loud while reading or listening), and I shed a tear or two as well. Lee Smith is from Grundy, VA (near my hometown), and I do hope one day to be able to meet her. She is a magnificent writer, in my opinion!

Profoundly moving

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I had a little difficult maintaining my interest in the beginning, but about a 3rd of the way in I was hooked! The descriptions were so vivid, I felt like I was there with Ivy, that I knew her. By the end, I really cared about her.

slow start, great finish

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I think I might listen to this book again just to hear Kate Forbes read it. She's THAT good. And the characters in this novel will make your heart bleed and then smile and then bleed again. I love epistolary novels, and this is one to savor.

Remarkable reader, great book

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I absolutely was absorbed into the letters and didn't want this to end. Excellent narrator, I highly recommend this book!

Fabulous Book

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Ivy is an inspiration to all women. Her letters describe growing up poor in an isolated rural area without feeling sorry for herself. Just the opposite! Her observations of the countryside and people around her are delightful.

Entertaining

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