ON THE OCCASION OF MY LAST AFTERNOON

Polly Holliday's unerring grasp of Southern speech and the emotions of women brings immediacy to this story of a woman recounting the experiences of her life just before her death. Emma Tate escaped from her abusive father and went on to a loving marriage during the rampages of the Civil War. Quiet strength illuminates Emma's voice and presence throughout the novel, no matter her age, and shines through even in Emma's darkest moments. Clarice, once slave, then servant and confidante to the adult Emma, is forthright, her counsel as direct as her manner of speaking. Holliday doesn't recoil from the brutality of the father, unflinchingly portraying him as the damaged--and damaging--person he is. This cohesive abridgment does full justice to all its characters. M.A.M. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 99]