By the Light of My Father's Smile

by Alice Walker

Book Overview

By the Light of My Father's Smile is Alice Walker's first novel in six years--a stunning, original, and important book by "one of the best American writers of today" (The Washington Post). A family... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375501525
• ISBN13: 9780375501524
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 222 Pages
• Weight: 1.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

This book well move you

I love Alice Walker. She is an exceptional writer. "By the Light of My Father's Smile" is as easy to read as "The Color Purple" and as inspirational as The "Temple of My Familiar." Her ideas about the spirituality of sexuality are so beautiful. "By the Light of My Father's Smile" gathers up so much of women's history and experience, all previously ignored or misrepresented and takes this history/experience as an important given, uses it to explain our human quest to seek sexual and spiritual fulfillment, to know ourselves. Speaking so honestly about female sexual hurt, female sexual maiming, female sexual shaming within the family, within the father/daughter relationship and imagining a way to heal this experience was powerfully brave of Walker. I felt like I was is a long darkened and forbidden room now amazingly and lovingly explored, revealed. I felt such relief to read this attempt at restoring female sexuality to an altar of acceptance, respect, love, social esteem. It seemed almost possible to live in a society, a family that really could anticipate female sexuality with joy, freedom and respect on an equal footing with male sexual importance. But my awe and gratitude for the subject and Walker's attempt is still tempered by my real sense, in the reading of it, that it was not entirely successful. I'm not sure why. Some of the sexual imagery, the dominating type sexual play in some scenes seemed artificial, unreal. If it were real, it wouldn't be so undisturbing to the participants, it would raise issues, and it would be unsettling, not just accepted as part of their sexual bliss identity. But over all, the story reads like a fable, a fairy tale, really and that is fine with me. It would be truly a shame for anyone to ignore to gift that Alice has given us through her vision. This book is exquisite to say the very least and the fact that is told from the point of view of a father looking down on his daughter is brilliant. Highly recommend especially for Walker fans.

Absolutely Captivating!

By The Light of My Father's Smile explores the past, present, and future connection of the female characters in the novel to their father. Walker uses a multi-voiced approach in revealing the complexities of relationships both parental and romantic. The characters' speak from both life and deaths experiences revealing to the reader that issues not resolved in life must certainly be reconciled in death. Walker delivers insight and wisdom through the use of folklore, and the spiritual philosophy of an ancient Mexican/African tribe. She is able to demonstrate with clarity how male oppression of women, specifically a father's oppression of his daughter, effects a woman emotionally, sexually, and spiritually. A definite must read for the masses.

Out of this world . . .

Alice Walker is truly one of the most gifted writers of our time - this story is no exception. Any woman with a father will relate to this book.

WOW!

i was completely engrossed into this book. i've read most of Walker's work and this is among the best. she captures you from the first page and you can't put it down. she has a way of telling a story! the end gets sappy, but the perspectives are incredible. i definitely recommend it.

a stunning creation

I knew Alice Walker's name, but had never read her, and thus it was on a whim that I plucked this book from the library shelf.By the Light of My Father's Smile is easily the best reading I have ever enjoyed. Walker's words are beautiful, grotesque, gentle, raw, passionate,honest. Her lovemaking scenes are intensely physical and emotional; metaphors about life itself and not the characters individually, and deliciously loving. It was refreshing to see a male point of view from a female writer, a male point of view on sexuality, a deceased male point of view on his daughter's intimate lives and his impact therein.I read this book with no preconceived notions about Walker's writing style, no idea what the context of the book would hold, no expectations of character development, description, or prose--and I'll repeat, this is the best book that I have ever enjoyed. I have returned it to the library, but plan to purchase it to add to my small collection of books that make me feel so good I read them over and over.