Cheap Bastard Out of Carolina (Book) (Dorothy Allison) Price

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Customer Reviews of Bastard Out of Carolina

It's one of those books...
I can't tell anybody enough about how much I adored this doll of a book. It's about a young girl named Ruth Anne (Bone for short) who lives with her hardworking and weighted down by sadness mother, Anney in South Carolina in the 1950's. Anney falls for this guy, Glen, thinking that he's the 'right man' who'll take care of her and her two daughters. At first, Glen's a pretty good guy, despite the fact that he has trouble keeping a job and bringing in a decent income, but then he grows meaner over time, jealous of the relationship Bone has with her mother. And, during the climax, the relationship between the girl and her mother is tested with the brutality of Glen.

This was an excellent book, possibly one of the best books I've read. I practically read the whole thing in one sitting, it was that hard to put down. The characters were so well-developed, it felt as if I'd met them on the streets somewhere along my life. From the shoplifting incident at Woolworth's to the brutal beatings inflicted upon Bone, you really felt as if you were there, viewing the scenes as they unfolded. You will laugh, cry, grow angry as you read this book. I recommend it to anybody.

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Powerful and Heart-Wrenching
I read this book as part of a college literature assignment. Bastard Out of Carolina is a well-written, deeply moving, and unforgettable novel about a young southern girl's struggle with physical and sexual abuse, along with the stigma of being labeled "white trash" and "illegitimate." Ms. Allison's characters are vibrant and alive, especially the young girl, Bone, who poignantly tells the tale of her tormented youth. For all its literary worth, this is not a book that I would have read on my own. The story is deeply disturbing, not only in its content but in the underlying hopelessness of tone. One feels an overwhelming instinct to cradle Bone in one's arms to protect her from her frustrated, jealous, and emotionally disturbed stepfather and from her mother's senseless abandonment. Bone's reactions of burning anger, festering hatred, and perverted fantasies, along with her resultant self image, compound the hopelessness of her young life. Salvation and vindication can only be acquired through her love of gospel music...and although she's told repeatedly that she can't sing, her heart yearns and pleads to God for the gift of song. But the gift of salvation through Jesus that God freely offers is never accepted, and only Bone knows why. Instead of salvation, Bone finds a haven in the home of her lesbian aunt, Raylene. While Raylene is a compassionate, strong, and loving woman, the reader is left with the impression at the conclusion of the story that Bone struggles with her experiences for the rest of her life. Perhaps the quote by James Baldwin at the beginning of the book says it best: "People pay for what they do, and still more, for what they have allowed themselves to become. And they pay for it simply: by the lives they lead." In the end, no matter what injustices we face in this life, we all will have to answer for how we choose to live our lives. We can choose to be defeated, or we can choose to overcome. Bone's true vindication remains irretrievably in her hands.

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A Modern Classic
"Bastard Out of Carolina" is what I consider to have all the makings of a modern classic. Like "My Fractured Life" it legitimizes the story of an illegitimate child amidst an ensemble of vibrant and sometimes violent, intoxicating and intoxicated characters. Words jump from the page. A wonderful book.