Velma Still Cooks in Leeway

by Vinita Hampton Wright

Book Overview

Welcome to Leeway, a close-knit, small town that could be anywhere. But there's trouble simmering under its peaceful surface. Shellye has turned up pregnant, but accuses Len of date rape. Doris walks... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805421289
• ISBN13: 9780805421286
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
• Length: 294 Pages
• Weight: 0.77 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Is Vinita still cooking?

Velma Still Cooks in Leeway was a very satisfying read for me, a former Writing/Lit major and a small-town pastor. The story itself was worth telling and thinking about (a preoccupied pastor, prejudices, date-rape, escalating spouse-abuse, grieving, a genuine but stereotype-busting Christian, unfounded fears, founded fears, faithfulness, and God-at-work-in-it-all). But even more impressive than the story was the storytelling. I kept thinking, "This writing has VOICE!" Velma, the narrator, is one of those very alive, flawed but real people that I enjoy discovering in MY small town, the sort of person that you like whether you are a church attender or not. Wright's plotting is tight, highly structured, and full of surprises. A sense of dread becomes palpable right through the chuckling.My biggest problem with the book is waiting for the next novel from Ms Wright. Grace at Bender Springs was an enjoyable and thought-provoking read but down a notch from Velma. I really do want an answer to my question, "Is Vinita still cooking?"

I Promise You Will Like This Book

This was such an enjoyable, thought-provoking book that I wanted to tell anybody about it. I wish someone would refer it to Oprah's Book Club. Everyone who reads it likes it. I don't want to give anything away, but by the end, you will want to start all over again. I highly recommend it.

Thoroughly enjoyable

I'll start by confessing that I read this book because I was curious to see if Broadman & Holman would put out a quality piece of fiction (of course, my view of "quality" may not correspond to any objective reality). They did. Wright's book quickly drew me into the lives of her characters, despite the fact that they led completely commonplace lives. In fact, that seems to be the point of the book--that things of ultimate importance are found in the obscure and ordinary: small towns, small interactions, small choices. I'm already reading Wright's earlier novel "Grace at Bender Springs" and look forward to seeing more from this author.

I've Read It, and I'm Buying It!

I got Velma's book from our town library. I read it right through. I made one of the recipes. I'm buying the book today, because I want to have it with me. I think it may make me a better man. My town is much like Leeway. Our people are like Velma's neighbors. Such characters! I could stand on our Main Street and point to Doris, and Sissy, and Howard, and Shellye and even Zeke. The lives in my town work just like the lives in Leeway. Leeway is not a special town. It's just that all of us are like the people of Leeway. Leeway is just a neighborhood with a lot of unpopulated space around it. We are all human beings and we all have a self. That self is so important to us, and so strong, that it blinds us, sometimes. Our self makes it hard for us to recognize how others feel - much less understand them - even when we love them very much. In this book, Velma Brendle learns that God knows that this to be true. He teaches her how to live through it. There is a lot of joy in this book, and a lot of sorrow. Velma makes many people happy and healthy with her wonderful cooking. She also hurts some people because she can't get past her own grief. But it is a very hopeful book. The insights of the "human condition" are worth the book's price. The mystery in Velma's soul makes it intriguing and powerful. The recipes make it a great bargain. Readers like me, who love Garrison Keillor and Jan Karon and John Steinbeck will want to read and own this book. I hope Ms. Wright gives us another one soon.

AN exceptional read

I just got through reading this book, and I must express that it is good. Velma was good,honest, and creative. Folks came to her when in trouble and in good times. I don't know about you but I smelled that Grady a mile off,just like Velma did,but, I was truly hoping that I was wrong on my instincts. But, I wasn't. The book kept me captivated. I wanted to find out how it ended. I was so happy about Howard, but so sad for Doris and Shellye. Great and exceptional read.