Turnip Blues

by Helen Campbell

Book Overview

A female buddy book about two feisty 75-year-olds who set to visit the grave of legendary blues artist Bessie Smith, "Turnip Blues" offers a brilliant collage of personalities and relationships,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1883523230
• ISBN13: 9781883523237
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Spinsters Ink Books
• Length: 221 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A second-generation Slavic-American writes:

This short novel is an unsung classic of American immigrant literature, bringing to mind Willa Cather's "My Antonia" and Thomas Bell's "Out of This Furnace"--only much more full-bodied. I recommend it highly for reading groups, sociologists, students of American labor history, residents of Pittsburgh (the book's setting), older readers, and anyone appreciative of life's many paradoxes. Mrs. Kuzo, the 75-year-old blue-collar narrator, is a voice to be reckoned with--bawdy, poignant, impatient, hilarious, but never sentimental, an "old broad" in the best sense of the word. Accompanied by her madcap friend, Mrs. Lemack, she journeys from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia in search of the grave of blues singer, Bessie Smith, only to discover herself as she recollects her turbulent life as the daughter of poor steel-town immigrants. This book is a gem that I couldn't put down--gripping, hilarious, touching.

Great Book!

I loved following Mrs. Kuzo and Mrs Lemack on thier journey to visit Bessie Smith's grave. During this trip Mrs. Kuzo thinks back to her tragic life with her dysfunctional family, but I was amazed how the author was able to add some humor to the tragic details. I would highly recommend reading this book.

What a "Road Trip" story!

I hope when I'm 75 that I have the spunk and vigor of Mrs. Kuzo and Mrs. Lemack. The plot of this book was ingenious and fast-paced. I loved the insights into these fabulous women's friendship. It was bittersweet and heart-wrenching, but unputdownable. I plan to read this one over and over. It's a perfect summer read!

Booklist declares Turnip Blues a must-read!

"An endearing story of enduring friendship, Campbell's first novel features two spunky 75-year-old widows, Mrs. Kuzo and Mrs. Lemack, driving across Pennsylvania to indulge the latter's whim to visit the grave of blues legend Bessie Smith. . . .Campbell gives us stunning charactes in a well-told tale that should have readers awaiting her second novel."

Bittersweet story of the journey of a lifetime for 2 women

Turnip Blues is the bittersweet story of the journey of the lifetime for two 75-year-old women,Mrs. Kuzo and Mrs. Lemack. The two spunky women take a road trip from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia to visit Bessie Smith's grave. Along the way, the narrator, Mrs. Kuzo, ventures upon her interior life's journey, remembering her hard-scrabble life in a "Hunkie" (Slav-American) family in Depression-era Pittsburgh. This is one of the most beautiful novels I have ever read, and I am a voracious reader. When I was not moved to tears by Mrs. Kuzo's recollections of her life, I was laughing over Mrs. Lemack's antics. This is the kind of novel that you read a few times and recommend to your friends. It is an unforgettable story and the two 75-year-old leading characters are amazing women, who have withstood life's obstacles with humor and fortitude. I hope I am as spunky when I am 75-years old as these two women are!