Smoke

by John Ed Bradley

Book Overview

Pace Burnett returns to his small Southern hometown called Smoke, dreaming that he might be the one to save it, and encounters a cast of eccentric characters.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805024212
• ISBN13: 9780805024210
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Smoke an entertaining look at small town life in USA

After reading Smoke, I found myself trying to get a copy of everything else he has written. I enjoyed the laid back style and the optimistic if not naive outlook of the main characters. It is great to have a read that does not require one to explore all the ironies and look for the demons and angels in all of us. This was a tremendously funny and heartwarmingly real look at how people wish they could be , when at their best or at their worst.

SMOKE DOESN'T FOG UP SMALL TOWN TALE

Smoke may be on its way down and out, but John Ed Bradley's entertaining writing style isn't in this book on a struggling small American town. Bradley controls the narrative well in this, his fourth novel. He deftly gives substance to the main character, Pace Burnette, by letting the readers know his innermost thoughts and desires, and in such a way that you root for the character to succeed. Anybody who has lived in a small town will enjoy this book. So will anybody who every wanted to become a writer. So will anybody who enjoys a comic tale of small town vs. big business. Bradley's strength is in his development of characters. In his best book, Tupelo Nights, he does the job very well. He does so here, too. Read Smoke. I promise you won't cough.

A great novel about a very important subject

John Ed Bradley has a great feel for character. His books are peopled with memorable and likeable, yet quirky, folks. This book is a great read. And timely, as it addresses the homogenization of our society with the proliferation of the super-store and how they are changing the face of our cities and small towns. Lots of humor mixed with serious concerns. I loved it.

Smoke by John Ed Bradley

I picked this book up, hoping it to be quirky and humorous ala "Confederacy of Dunces". Although it does not reach those lofty heights, it is entertaining. The characters are a bit one-dimensional at times, but it's a fun read that moves pretty fast (at least it did for me).