Book Review: Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady by Florence King

With her Mama having turned out to be a tomboy rather than the Southern Lady dreamed of by her Granny, poor Florence finds herself in the unwanted role as the last hope to raised in the tradition of the Daughters, to be a real Southern Lady. To do so, Granny and her faithful friend Jensy, try to steer Florence away from everything unladylike: education, holding down a job, keeping a clean household, ignoring doctors (because they don't know what they're talking about), fussing about the pains and misfortunes of others and how they relate to oneself. Florence is very reluctant to do so and thanks to her father Herb, her desire to learn keeps her from falling under the charms of her Granny's wishes. Much to Granny's disappointment.

As she gets older, Florence realizes the only way to escape the pressures of becoming what Granny wants is to go to a college far from home. She finds herself at Ole Miss. Which leads her to her first romance in college with a female professor. Thanks to this relationship and its outcome, Florence finds the strength to remain true to herself. She also learns what being a true Southern Lady means and how much her Granny, Jensy and even her Mama are more like that ideal than they believe.

Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady is a delight to read, an autobiography dusted with Southern charm. It's almost hard to believe the "characters" are real people: Granny Lura's determination to make a Lady of Florence (so that she can claim to be a Great Lady -- finally); her Mama, who thwarts Granny at every step of the road by being a chain-smoker, a tomboy and by holding down a job; her father Herb King, an Englishman who bartends and plays in a dance band, but acts more like the voice of reason for the entire family. The story offers some good insight into what it meant to come out in the 1950s South. Florence tries to rationalize her feelings and finally comes to terms with them when she meets Bres -- a professor at the University. She has to hide part of herself in public or face nasty phone calls and resentment. But Florence becomes a stronger woman and puts it into her book.

A great book that I highly recommend to everyone.

Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady
by Florence King
St. Martin's/Marek
ISBN: 0-312-16215-4
hardcover, 278pp.

borrowed from the Long Beach Public Library.

Image from LibraryThing.