| From Publishers Weekly Sunday morning in South Philly， according to McKinney-Whetstone， is "like buttermilk，" with "a quiet smoothness to it." The same can be said of this remarkable first novel. A gentle portrait of an African American community in South Philadelphia in the 1940s and '50s， the story probes beneath its residents' lives to tell a powerful tale of damage and healing. Noon is a Florida preacher's daughter too scarred from a secret childhood incident to let a man touch her; her husband， Herbie， is a redcap who met her when he was a hepcat jazz drummer touring with fiery singer Ethel. When newborn Fannie and， five years later， Ethel's five-year-old orphan niece， Liz， are abandoned on Noon and Herbie's doorstep， the embrace of community allows the creation of a family. Many women struggle in private against pain-especially Liz， who hides in the closet and eats plaster to deal with what she knows about Herbie and Ethel. Fannie's prescient visions and her wish to stave off the inevitable underscore an ambivalent view of the power of change. As the threat looms of a highway to be built through the church-centered neighborhood， individual characters find their fates， and the delicately passionate narrative coalesces around a soul-galvanizing metaphor of bricks and mortar and spirit. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club selection. Author tour. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information， Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Library Journal It's been almost a year since Herbie and Noon were married， and still they've had no sexual contact. When Herbie finds a baby on their porch steps one night， he hopes things will change. When nothing happens， he continues to stay out late into the night and takes up with a local club singer. The club singer suddenly leaves to pursue another job， leaving her five-year-old niece in Herbie's care. Thus， Herbie and Noon now must raise two children， one who seems to have the ability to see into the future and another who enjoys eating the plaster off their closet walls. This is an intelligently written first novel set in Philadelphia during the 1940s. The author captures the time， emotions， and lives of the characters well， even if the novel slows down around the midway point. All in all， this will do well in large fiction collections.?Shenise Ross， New YorkCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information， Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. See all Editorial Reviews |
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