Simply Southern
Stories to warm your heart
By
Cappy Hall Rearick
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Simply Southern |
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First Hand Humor As any writer or performer will tell you, comedy is the most difficult of arts and skills. Cappy Hall Rearick's first hand knowledge of Southerners makes her stories ring with authentic humor and her obvious love of the characters she creates fills those stories with lots of fun and a subtle compassion. --- Mary Stripling, Atlanta, Georgia |
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Move on over! Move over Ya Ya Sisters, Steel Magnolias and Fried Green Tomatoes. Cappy Hall Rearicks characters come alive and the reader is swept along on their journey. This author is gem. Her sentences crackle with smart talk. Her sense of humor and honest observations are priceless. Its a must read for anyone who enjoys sharp, witty writing. --- Carolyn B. Fox, Tarzana, California |
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I'm a BIG fan! Cappy Hall Rearick has a delightful way with words. If you are having a bad day, pick up a copy of SIMPLY SOUTHERN and have some hearty laughs. --- Marilyn Marsh, fan of Cappy Hall Rearick |
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A Simply Southern State of Mind It's a State of Mind. As a Northerner new to the South, I discovered that Southerners and Northerners have more to distinguish them than their accents. Cappy Rearick's take on life is hilarious. It wouldn't surprise me if the nickname Cappy came from the word Madcap. --- Constance Daley, Teacher of Creative Writing |
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Delicious reading Simply Southern is a deliciously funny, often touching portrait of the South and its people. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. --- Holly McClure, Author and Literary agent |
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Not Simple at all! There is nothing simple or even Southern about Cappy Rearick's insightful prose. Hers is a language that transcends geographic boundaries and literary genres. Rearick is a writer for those who seek a glimpse into the core of human emotion, be they Bostonian, Atlantan or those who live somewhere between. --- Anna Levitan, Editor Boston Common Magazine |
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A terrific book Cappy Hall Rearick's writing style is reminiscent of Erma Bombeck's, yet unique to the South and its colorful characters. No subject is taboo, including The Grandchildren from Hell and husband Babe. When you finish reading this book, you will feel like you have had a long visit with an old friend.
--- Laura Partin, Chino, California |
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I loved reading Simply Southern What a wonderful writer this lady is! Immerse yourself in glorious mini-tales such as Gloryjean the Butterbean Queen and By Virtue of a Vidalia. You can see, hear and nearly touch the characters she brings to life so beautifully. In our hectic world, Simply Southern is an oasis of pure pleasure. --- Author Toni Turner, Orange County, California |
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The Road to Hell is Seldom Seen Cappy Hall Rearick is a great southern author and humorist, although there isn't a lot of humor in this book. Set in rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, the story follows Nora Clayton from her childhood in a sharecropper's shack with her abusive father to her struggle to escape a murderous husband as she searches her safe haven she knows must be out there. Rearick avoids melodrama and writes with rich textures and colors, creating her world in 3D. The Road to Hell is Seldom Seem is both beautiful and heart-rendering...and extremely hard to put down.
--- Tedi B. |
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Such tongue in cheek, such wit! Someone in the writing group I moderate passed a link through the site to your interview with Tim Bete on the humor writer's site. I followed a link to your website, as I am a humorist, too, and came to a column you wrote entitled, Fortune Cookie Forecast. Well, let me tell you, I laughed all the way through it. I surf now and then when I need a break but I don't remember the last time I had to stop to email the person in charge of writing a piece. I laughed my ass off, if you will excuse the expression. Such tongue in cheek, such wit -- it was very, very good. Well, it is back to work for me, but I just had to stop and say good luck with your book. It is a winner if your columns are any indication. --- Author Dorothy Thompson |
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Simply Southern Ease Altogether Funny When the author sent me a copy of this, her latest, I was looking forward to reading it. The reason was that I had read and accepted a short story she had sent previously and knew she had skill as a writer of humor. She did not disappoint with Simply Southern Ease, the latest of her releases of these vignettes of what she presents as slices of her life. Whether she is discussing Babe, her husband, her friends, pets or complete strangers, Cappy Hall Rearick is all together funny, interesting and perverse with her sense of banter, wit and playfulness. --- R.L. Hall, SouthLit.com |
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An adoring Fan I just read "Leave a Message" by Cappy in the February issue of Southlit Magazine and I have one thing to say to her: I think I love you! I am a Tennessee humor writer and my stuff is either very funny or very sad. But her story made me laugh out loud. I adored it. I'll be watching for more of her. --- Marla H. Thurman, Chattanooga, Tennessee |
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The Road to Hell is Seldom Seen I got The Road to Hell is Seldom Seen yesterday and started reading it last night. I had the luxury of reading in bed until I decided to quit as my husband is out of town. WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I read until 4:30 AM & almost had it finished when I fell asleep with my glasses on and the book beside me! I literally could not put it down! I awoke at 7 AM to the alarm clock then read a little more, fell back asleep. Woke at 9:30 and finished it. Oh my word! Cappy Hall Rearick has written a wonderful 1st novel!
--- Adonna Schroer |
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The Road to Hell is Seldom Seen I finished reading Seldom Seen this past weekend and all I can say is Wow ! I had gotten it from Amazon a month or two ago but didnt immediately read it because its premise was not exactly my cup of tea. But I wanted to see what Cappy's first novel was like so last week I picked it up to read . . . and I didnt want to put it down. The subject was grim but her wonderful talent with Southernese , and with characterizations that really leap off the page and sit right next to you are so believable, with pacing, and with just enough humor to keep the horrifying events at bay. The writing kept me enthralled. My hat is off to Cappy Hall Rearick! My aunt wanted to read it after I told her about it, so I passed it over to her (after she promised to return it) and she immediately became caught up in it as well. She wants to loan it to her daughter, an English teacher who NEVER reads books with unpleasant themes. My aunt thinks the book is so good. I am so proud of Cappy and proud to know you! Move over Dorothea; Cappys coming acallin!
--- Mary Earle Phillips |
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The Road to Hell is Seldom Seen This is a totally absorbing account of hate and vileness born out of desperation. It is set in the Depression-era South but more broadly, and perhaps metaphorically, describes the darkest side of the human psyche. Certainly Red and Heyward are villainous metaphors for evil, but subconsciously we can make a case that their desperate situations - economic, for sure, and ignorance for Red - awakened their dark sides. We are conditioned to believe this brand of vileness is uniquely rural and Southern, but that is chiefly because superb Southern writers have chosen this compelling milieu. It is natural that we love to hate Red and Heyward for their evil (and to a lesser degree, Annabelle for her self-absorption) - indeed I was so emotionally moved by the victimization of Nora and her family that I choked up when calling a friend after my non-stop read. Cappy Hall Rearick has a solid body of work chronicling the South, with wit, humor, and insight. This is her first foray into the dark side, and she deserves the seat next to William Faulkner she will surely occupy in the annals of American literature.
--- Jackson L. Blanton |
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The Road to Hell is Seldom Seen Cappy Hall Rearick has tackled a very difficult and dark subject with the same richness of characters that pervades her humorous offerings. She also has the gift of describing scenes that put the reader right smack in the middle of them. The themes of wife and child abuse were hard to read about, yet Rearick managed to make the book ultimately about hope and redemption. For me it was a real page turner.
--- Patricia S. Cordova |
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Take it Easy with Simply Southern Ease "I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Simply Southern Ease." It was a delight and gave me a healthy share of chuckles. --- Margie Dorsey, St. Simons Island, GA |
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The Road to Hell is Seldom Seen The Road to Hell Is Seldom Seen is a great read. In her first novel Cappy Hall Rearick has the reader bonding with her characters, cheering for the heroine, and angry at the villains. The reader is transported to the Depression Era South in a captivating story dealing with the trauma of domestic violence, and the strength of the human spirit. The Road to Hell is Seldom Seen is a real page turner. Looking forward to reading more of Rearick's work.
--- Laura R. Partin |
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Flavor of the South When Cappy Hall Rearick writes, she lays the flavor of the South down on paper with witty realism. She offers a great insight into the mind of a Southern female with honesty and laughs to spare. Her column has become one of the most popular pieces in the Senior Sun newspaper. --- Torrey Monroe, Publisher and Editor, Senior Sun |
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The Road to Hell is Seldom Seen A thoroughly absorbing tale of life in rural Mississippi during the Great Depression. The members of the Clayton family capture the imagination from the first chapter and won't release it until the end. Told through the voice of Nora Clayton, it is the tale of a poverty-stricken family that endures many hardships including violence, incest and even murder. Each character is drawn with precision against a very authenic description of life in the south during the 1930's. In spite of unrelenting trials and tribulation, in the end it is an encouraging tale of personal struggle and triumph over adversity.
--- John E. Whitesell |
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The Road to Hell is Seldom Seen I couldn't put "Seldom Seen" down. It gripped me from the first page until the very last. Rearick's writing is that captivating. For example the book begins with this paragraph: "It was a run down house that stood abandoned in the corner of a fallow field of has-been cotton. The road leading to it was dirty, dry and empty but for a cloud of dust left dangling in the air, trapped". The character descriptions are so vivid and well defined - especially the five siblings. One gets to really like Nora - her courage, her tenacity and her ability to survive despite parental and spousal abuse. Although it might be considered a dark novel, one gets above the evil of a father and husband to concentrate on Nora's character and strong values taught to her around the kitchen table by her mother. Rearick emotionally draws the reader into the difficulty of being poor and living in rural Mississippi. Yet she always leaves the reader with the feeling that virtue and hope will succeed. i.e. "Everybody should have a wish dream, even if it means they have to bury it the way I did for so long. I knew there was a dream down deep in my heart....and Mrs. Porter showed me how to unlock it and how to aim for a better life." I read "Seldom Seen" twice and enjoyed it even more the second time when I wasn't so wrapped up in the story and could appreciate Rearick's genius. She is an excellent Southern writer.
--- Barbara L. Sullivan |
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Simply Christmas |
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What a gift! Simply Christmas is a gift from the heart. Celebrate the holidays with Cappy Hall Rearick's humor, compassion, joy and a wee bit of tear jerking. --- Amy Munnell, author and editor, Athens, Georgia |
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Savor the Flavor Looking forward to Cappy's Christmas story every year is anticipation at its best. Finally, there is a Christmas Collection we can savor over and over.
--- Eleanor March, Atlanta, Georgia |
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Wonderful holiday feelings! When yearning for a story that evokes wonderful feelings surrounding the holidays. Simply Christmas is the perfect choice. --- Carol Fox, Los Angeles |
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Heartfelt, funny and beautiful I was hit right in the heart by Cappy Hall Rearick's Christmas stories! I marvel at her special way of expressing thoughts and laugh myself silly at her humor. --- Pat Cordova, Banning California |
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A Yuletide Delight! I reserve a prominent place in my home for displaying Cappy's yuletide delight so that my guests may be touched as am I by her creative work. --- Annabel Alderman, Nashville, Georgia |
Other Links: Kristen Twedt wants you to feel good! Well, not THAT good! But that IS why she writes! Visit this newspaper humor columnist at www.kristentwedt.com. and subscribe for free! |
Copyright statements:
Copyright of all writing in this website belongs to Cappy Hall Rearick and may not be used for any purpose without her permission.
The image used on the home page of this site was taken from an original painting by Diane Erasmus and may not be copied or reproduced in any form or for any reason without her permission.
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Copyright 2002.