- Shopping Bag ( 0 items )
Available on NOOK devices and apps
Want a NOOK? Explore Now
Want a NOOK? Explore Now
Once a happy couple, Hud and Tuesday broke up when their teenage son, Gatling, ran off to join a band of traveling Christian musicians. Although he won't admit it, Hud believes that if he can find Gatling and bring him home, they can be all be a family once again.
The Singing and Dancing Daughters of God showcases Schaffert's uncanny talent for combining the mystical and the realistic. Set in modern-day Nebraska, it nonetheless has a dreamlike quality, reminiscent of both a religious conversion and an alcoholic stupor at the same time. A novel that feels bigger than its loveable characters, this is an evocative story of families and sadness that's as old as the hills and as contemporary as today. (Spring 2006 Selection)
Anonymous
Posted June 29, 2006
A bluesy, darkly comic portrait of a family on the edge. Combines qualities of the Southern gothic tradition with a truly original voice. The characters are rich and authentic, working within a world of gritty, magical realism. Charming, entertaining.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 31, 2006
Reading 'The Singing and Dancing Daughters of God' was a complete waste of time. All of the characters are either drunk or depressed through the entire book. The story was uneventful, and when the book was over, I felt like it didn't accomplished anything. There were no exciting moments, no disappointing moments... nothing even remotely interesting about this book at all. I was thoroughly disappointed and unimpressed.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Hud Smith feels lonely since his wife Tuesday divorced him and he only sees his eight years old daughter Nina sporadically especially when his ex turns vindictive his seventeen years old son Gatling never visits him. He knows Tuesday is not at fault re his boy as Gatling joined the traveling Daughters of God punk-gospel band. Hud realizes he is hurting as he fantasizes running away with his beloved Nina and even commiserates with an executed killer who murdered his wife and children writing mournful country ballads, odes to his woes............. A desperate Hud wants his family back with him. He persuades Tuesday that they must ¿rescue¿ Gatling so they and Nina hit the road in a school bus he ¿borrows¿ in search of their son. As he dreams of reconciliation he knows he must do what is right for his family even if that means no second chance with Tuesday, but that thought is killing him............... Hud is an eccentric protagonist whose ramblings, asides, and actions feel in some ways like a gender bending almost fortyish chick lit make that hunk tale. Hud hurts as he misses seeing his daughter on a regular basis and though he insists he hates Tuesday he knows he also yearns to be back in her life as her spouse. Readers will feel for him though believing he deserves much of the misfortune that has fallen on him that is why this character study is so engaging even when the plot turns soap operaish as Timothy Schaffert obtains dueling emotions from his awed audience............... Harriet Klausner
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Overview
A blithe and redemptive seriocomic love story filled with country music, the ghosts of Halloween, and an ironic brand of down-home religion.Newly divorced and feeling the pain of separation from his family, Hud Smith channels his regret into writing country-western songs, contemplating life on the lam with his 8-year-old daughter, and searching cryptic postcards for news of his teenage son who has run off with The Daughters of God, an alternative Gospel-punk band of growing fame. Then he finds himself inching toward reconciliation with his ex, tossing his whole talent for misery into...