Nothing with Strings

NPR's Beloved Holiday Stories

By: Bailey White

Narrated by: Lorna Raver

The mundane and the miraculous stand side by side in these sketches and stories of Southern small-time life by the author of Quite a Year for Plums.©2008 Bailey White (P)2008 Tantor

Southern charm

These are exquisite and sharply etched short stories, evoking small-town life in the American South with wit and nostalgia.

Touching Short Stories

This was a neat collection of southern short stories I’m not sure why they say they are holiday themed because really they’re not, but good none the less. I would say the theme is aging & gardening, southern style.
Some of these stories were sad/touching, some were funny, most were both but all left me wanting more. Just a warning these aren’t happy stories but they are good stories I would recommend this for southern fiction lovers.
I listened to this one on audio narrated by, Lorna Raver who as always does a great job.

3 ½ Stars

A real jewel.

Bailey White is a master of the craft. Again, wonderful story writing as only Bailey can do it. Lorna Raver somehow puts it all together and breaths life into the story. You can really feel and live the stories. This is true treasure to keep in my audio library to listen to again and again. Bailey White can always be enjoyed and will never grow dull or out of date. This is a true classic just like a favorite pair of jeans.

Strange Collection

These were odd stories, and an even stranger narrator. Hard to listen to, but then I can't complain - it was free!

Not the best Bailey White book

I love Bailey White's earlier books, have them on my bookshelf. I wish Audible would produce audio versions of those books. But this book by contrast is a disappointment. The stories are, hmmm, odd? Some are kinda sad, some end abruptly, and some are just like, why?

I could live with that, but it's the narration that takes the whole enterprise down. I'm sorry, I love a good southern accent more than most people, but this lady, Lorna Raver, is so over the top with her accent it's like she's doing a parody of a southern accent.

Audible, please produce Bailey White's earlier books Mama Makes Up Her Mind, and Quite a Year for Plums. And get Helen Ellis or Rick Bragg to narrate, because they know their way around fabulous southern accents. Thx.