Publishers Weekly has this to say about TUPELO HONEY.
A humorous, unconventional family yarn about a young girl navigating a hardscrabble upbringing in northern Mississippi. Meet Tupelo Honey. She divinely lays out the framework and quirky intricacies of growing up in a house only “slightly better than an orphanage,” her days spent chattering with imaginary friend Moochi, and navigating … navigating sleepovers at her pious, curmudgeonly grandmother Marmalade and mentally unstable Uncle Randall’s ramshackle house. Things change when her mother, a callous, irresponsible junkie, brings home Nash, a paranoid local drug dealer whom Tupelo surprisingly bonds with during treacherous expeditions to New York and Mexico. Through bong smoke-filled hallways at home, the pageantry of kiddie beauty contests, Sunday School, and spying on Nash burying his stockpiles of drug money in the backyard, Tupelo somehow survives. Eventually, her mother replaces Nash with another man who lives in Los Angeles, and a heartbroken Tupelo begins resenting the unsettled nature of her life. After her grandmother dies, child welfare places Tupelo in a group foster home. A loveable, engaging, original voice, Tupelo brightens this accomplished tale of dysfunction in a family where “nothing had ever been right.”
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I love this book! I couldn’t put it down. It’s an easy, entertaining read full of amazing characters and a message of hope. The main character, a little girl named Tupelo Honey, has quite a journey, dealing with her drug addict mother, her quirky but loving grandmother, and her mentally ill uncle.
Following along as Tupelo Honey navigates the chaos and crazymaking of her young life with positivity and fearlessness is enough to inspire anyone. She never stops to feel sorry for herself, or recognize that none of what she’s going through is normal. She finds a way to find happiness in even the worst situations, and shows us all what hope and love really mean.
A definite must-read! I can’t wait for the next title from Mrs. Anna-Langston.
I loved this book!
No matter how unhappy or distressing one thinks their childhood was, it’s nothing compared to the events in lil’ Tupelo Honey’s life. I’m generally not one for maudlin, woe-is-me tales of a Southern childhood, and the thing I love about this story is that it’s NEVER woe-is-me despite the hurdles that appear constantly for the narrator. There are no moments where the reader is asked to feel sorry for Tupelo Honey’s lot in life. On the contrary! You root for her the whole way, because she’s too strong to fail.
I don’t want to give away plot details, so I’ll say this:
I can’t say enough good things about my reading experience. Language, setting, the POV -everything- perfectly fits this tale of one little girl’s triumphant rise to the happiest of futures. It’s one of those books where you wish for a sequel, but you’re glad there isn’t. You don’t need to know what happens to Tupelo Honey after the last page, because then you’d just be nosey. She dealt with enough people in her life. It’s time to let her be happy.
Let me start by saying I loved this novel. I was sucked in by the very first line: “People who smoke a doobie for breakfast are all kinds of annoying.”
The title character, eleven-year-old Tupelo Honey tells us her story in first-person, and the narrative is true to her age and to her unique personality. She is a realistic, enchanting character who, due to circumstances beyond her control, is forced most often to be the smartest person in the room. Oh, she can be innocent, even childish on occasion, but at the same time she proves to be insightful, clever, even mature. Much like a younger Holden Caulfield.
In multi-award-winner Lis Anna-Langston’s talented hands, I felt as if I became Tupelo Honey and that this was my own adventure. No small feat, considering I have grandchildren twice her age. The writing is smooth and memorable, and—even though Tupelo Honey’s experience is nothing like what I’ve experienced—the details rang true and realistic throughout.
The supporting cast of the novel is full of memorable characters. Her sweet grandmother, whom she calls “Marmalade,” tries her best to hold the dysfunctional family together. Her mentally ill uncle, Randall, is more like a contemporary to her than an adult. Her mother is a dangerously neglectful, drug addict who walks out and never returns. Her mother’s ex-boyfriend, Nash, is a drug dealer and one of the few adults who wants to make sure Tupelo Honey has as good a life as possible. Then there’s Moochi, but you’ll need to read the book to find out about him.
TUPELO HONEY is a delightful, thought-provoking read. Be ready to laugh, gasp, grumble, and even cry. I’d give it more than five stars if I could.
Tupelo Honey, born 7 pounds and 3 ounces. She does not know her father, her mother is a drug-addict, her mother’s boyfriend is a drug dealer, her uncles are a little “touched” (something we say in the South), her grandfather died before she knew him, and her grandmother is doing her best to hold the family together.
This book will really hit home for those of us who were born and raised in the South and even more so for those who come from dysfunctional families. Lis Anna-Langston writes a novel that is happening in most households then and now. It’s rare to find a book that you not only enjoy, but you can connect to. It’s a hard life when you are forced to grow up before your time or some days you don’t feel safe in a place that is meant to serve as protection. It becomes a scary world for a child and that can sometimes have a damaging effect on how the child sees the world.
She takes us on a journey and we get to see the world through her eyes; and what a journey it is. If you love Southern Fiction or books centered on families, then I would definitely recommend this book to you.