Mighty fine, this. Language, descriptions, and observations which are simply perfect. And the exploration of love, family, and abuse is equal parts compelling, horrifying, and affirming. Recommended. ( )

Dorothy Allison's strong writing in this story portrays the poverty and abuse of a young girl, Bone. Although the story is somewhat slow-paced, it is necessary to spend time learning about the characters and the situations. We may want to read through the so-called "tough" parts of the story and search for a happy ending, but Allison's writing forces us to slow down and process Bone's life. In the end, I understood more than I had expected - about love, abuse, poverty and family. ( )

Dorothy Allison's debut novel was a NY Times Notable Book, a finalist for the 1992 National Book Award, and a National Bestseller. It was adapted to the screen and directed by Anjelica Huston. And it's generally regarded as a great southern novel. Allison claims to tell the story "you may not want to hear," and Bastard Out of Carolina hits that nail on its head. It's a pretty hard story to hear.

In her semi-autobiographical first novel, Allison tells the story of Ruth Anne "Bone" Boatwright. Bone was an accident and born in one, too, as her fifteen-year-old pregnant mother shot through the windshield during an auto accident and proceeded to give birth to her first daughter. The 'ILLEGITIMATE' slapped across Bone's birth certificate marks her for life, earning her a rightful place with the rest of the Boatwright clan.

The Boatwrights are a somewhat notorious family in their South Carolina town, known for their beer-guzzling, confrontational men and indomitable women. The men cheat on their wives while the wives pretend they don't know, and manhood is defined by how much time you've spent in jail. The rest of the town views them as "trash." They are dysfunctional but loyal, messed up but proud.

When Bone's mother Anney marries Glen (husband number two and still under 21), the real trouble begins. He seems like a nice enough guy at first—deeply in love with Anney, gentle and fatherly towards her two girls. But Glen's devotion to Anney leans more on the obsessive side, and his desire to be on the level of a Boatwright man (mixed with his own "father issues") turns him sour, violent, and cruel. Bone becomes the target of Daddy Glen's jealousy and frustrations that manipulate into physical and sexual abuse. Meanwhile, all Bone wants to do is get OUT.

Allison has created a complex novel here. Anney is torn between her husband and her children; Bone can't decide if she loves or hates her mother. The inner turmoil that these characters feel really shows through on paper. We hear the story through Bone's perspective, and though her understanding may be limited, we immediately see the full picture and understand the environment surrounding Bone. The voice is convincing as a pre-teen, and the dialect is not over-the-top. Though the story takes place in the late fifties, the situations and emotions are so raw and universal that it could be anytime, anywhere.

Bastard Out of Carolina will take you on an intense ride, and it is definitely worth reading. ( )

The story of a young girl named Bone, her growing up, and the trials she must face. Bastard out of Carolina paints a disturbing and all too real portrait of poverty and abuse. The main character tells the audience about her physical and sexual abuse at the hands of her mother’s husband Glen, the near constant state of poverty she lives in, and the extended family that she relies on for support. Bastard out of Carolina serves as an excellent lesson for anyone who wants to understand victims of abuse and injustice. The only downside to the story is the pacing. While attempting to portray the real life of Bone, the story takes a while to build to its climax and left me wanting to rush through the slower parts of the story to find out what happens to Bone and her family. ( )

It took me awhile to get thru this book.

It is from a child's perspective, "Bone" is a girl who goes through a lot of trials in life. (Deaths, beatings, rape, losing the love of her mother, it can't get much worse!) The end of the book is when I couldn't put it down!

I have never read a Dorothy Allison book and I have not made up my mind as to if I will read another. ( )