Ava's Man

best book I ever read

This is one of the best, if not the best book I have ever read. His other book, ...shoutin, is also excellent. I have just purchased an ARC of his newest, 'prince in frogtown', and hope it will be as enjoyable as his other two memoirs. His newspaper book was good, considering it is articles and not personal history. He writes so beautifully, anyone who can appreciate how a man values his family, will love rick bragg's work.outstanding!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A walk down memory lane

Having been raised by grandparents and parents in Texas, I found the descriptions of daily life very touching. Words describing food that was cooked, old sayings used, and other old southern ways brought tears to my eyes. I could see my granddad plowing the field; my grandmother cooking cornbread in an iron skillet; and my mom sewing me a dress from a feed sack. Thanks Mr. Bragg.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Left me speechless

Rick Bragg's account left me speechless and wanting more. This book, as well as All Over But The Shoutin', was simply amazing. I suggest that everyone read it. I passed it along to my mother and sister and next is my grandmom. Everyone should get the opportunity to read Bragg's words.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Mush mouth strikes again.

You may as well be sitting at the counter of a Anniston coffee shop ease dropping in on the local chatter..... good writing, that writing of his. The clouds collect in our minds, the minds of the readers, his readers. His words come around, swirl around and sit with you, next to you like an old song that touches you each time it is in the wind, with, as he says, something beyond simple nostalgia. Thanks Rick, now I've been to Alabama when it was worth being there. AFJ

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

We ain't in NY no mor'

All you need to enjoy this book is a heart. Unlike 'Shoutin'', RB doesn't do any digressing into stories he covered in newspapers. This is pure country. I happen to have been born and raised in the suburbs of NY, but that didn't stop me from identifying with the book. It'll get ya' nostalgic, no matter where you're from. I also caught this guys act on 'Book TV', where they do a schpiel in front of an audience. He's ALLright, which in NY, is a compliment of the highest order.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I loved this book!

I bought this book on sale not really sure, but thought I would give it a chance. This is one of the best books I have ever read! It sticks with you long after you have finished. I am soo mad that I gave my hard bound copy to a friend and never got it back. Now I am in search for another one. It is a book you want to read again and again...

A real story about real people...

When I started this book I gave some serious thought to getting rid of it. I'm glad I didn't. It took a while for me to get used to Rick's style of writing, but once I did I was able to enjoy not only the story, but his style of writing. I laughed, I cried, and I identified. We get to pick our friends, but not our family. A Southern writer gives this story a southern touch. You will surely enjoy.

A southerner sharing his family history

This homage to Rick Bragg's grandfather is a fitting sequel to All Over But The Shoutin' which I would recommend reading before Ava's Man. Having grown up in the south I have always been fascinated by southern families and found both of Bragg's books to be fascinating and much easier to read that anything written by the iconic southern writer, William Faulkner. Bragg's characters are not products of his imagination, but real family members from his past. Ava's Man is Rick Bragg's adoration of a grandfather he never knew.

A very touching true story

Having read this book before, and having relatives that live in that region of Georgia, I thought this was a perfect gift for our teenaged grandaughter. She is an avid reader and she devoured the books in this series.

Thank you, Rick Bragg...

...for sharing your family, especially your grandfather, with us. What struck me the most while reading this book was the love that came through each page - both from Mr. Bragg himself, and the rest of his family. This was a man who, although not a saint by any means, was loved, accepted, and respected. Definitely the best book I've read in a very, very long time.

One to hang onto...

... and pass around... I did not grow up in the South, nor have I spent any time there, but I believe that Rick Bragg made me feel as if I can understand the the South of that time much better now. The book would have been good if none of it was factual, but being a Memoir told through his family makes it great. The only thing that I regret is that I bought it in paperback; if I had it to do over, I would have bought the hardcover because it feels like an important book to me. (there is just something more substantial and important about a hardcover book) Read it, enjoy it and above all share it with others! They will thank you over and over again.

words you can taste, smell and feel!

What an absolute treat this read was! I laughed, I wept. Rick has spun a world so real that having read it you will feel as if you have lived it. Luxuriously rich prose - I want more more more

What a Granddaddy!

Ava's Man is a story of the range of one man's influence in an extended family, an influence that continues even beyond his death within that family and in the local Alabama community. The first chapter gives a beautifully written bird's-eye view of the territory of the book, and each succeeding chapter unfolds another dimension of a fascinating and beloved man. Charlie Bragg is not perfect, but his humanity and uniqueness come shining through in these recollections. Rick Bragg¿s grandfather died before he was born, so he recreated his grandfather's life completely from secondary sources -- that is, from stories of relatives who did know his grandfather. This is a truly wonderful memoir.

A book for everyone you know to read.

Finally a book that you must read every single word and then go over it again. What a wonderful writer and someone that writes about the South as I have never read about before. A book I want everyone I know to read. Makes you laugh out loud and cry to yourself.

Ava's Man-- Your Book!

If you're here, then you're already interested in a winner. I read Ava's Man in part for research for one of my own upcoming novels, but was swept away instead by a bygone time filled with delightful characters I could almost 'see' through author Rick Bragg's eyes... How delightful to find an all-American man like Charlie in one's family tree and to be able to document portions of his life in such an open and honest manner as Rick has with easy-going prose describing late-summer eve back porch memories. Way to go, Rick. Can't wait for your next book!

I was already homesick, now it's worse!

Rick Bragg is a man after my own heart. I thoroughly enjoyed 'Shoutin' and have passed it along to a Mid-Western Alabama boy, who shared my feelings of homesickness. Ava's Man was another beautifully written piece of Southern history that brought home the realization of hardships of children, growing up in the outskirts of Birmingham, who had fathers that worked the coal mines. Rick Bragg is a wonder and a credit to his family and Southern Heritage. I hope he continues writing about what he knows best.

Great

Rick Bragg has done it again! Ava's Man is wonderful. I found this book as interesting as It's All Over But The Shoutin'. Ava's Man is another 5 Star book. Way to go Mr. Bragg!

One of the best books ever

If you like real-life, this is it! Rick has, yet again, written a book that draws you in...and, at the end, you are better for having taken the journey. Thanks, Rick, for letting us see your family and ours through yours!

Bragg Blows Us Away Again

Once again, Rick Bragg has given readers an insight into his memorable and sometimes painful background. He writes with an elegance unlike any author I have read. He is a wonderful man and the literature world is a lot better with him in it.

Interesting to compare

I liked Ava's Man although I put it down for a few days and didn't mind waiting to pick it up again. Now, I'm looking forward to Hickam's Sky of Stone. His other books I can't put down. According to the reviews I've seen, looks like he's got another great memoir. It will be interesting to compare these two together.