Reviews for The Chicken-Wagon Family
Review - Chicken-Wagon Family, The
Some likeable characters —particularly Addie. The sad last section and the uncertain ending ruined much of my enjoyment.
Reviewed by Roger on 2025-02-12 15:11:05
The Chicken-Wagon Familyby Barry Benefield | |
| Category: |
"Fiction - General" |
|---|---|
| Pages: | 332 |
| Year of Publication: | 1925 |
| Date Added: | 02/18/2021 |
| Date Read: | 02/12/2025 |
| Notes: | Armed Services Edition Jim Pickett, just graduated from college, meets the Fippany family who roam the South in their mule-drawn wagon, making trades. Jim tags along, even when the Fippanys decide to try their luck in New York. Jim becomes good friends with Addie Fippany, although she's ten years younger. Mrs. Fippany sets up a boardinghouse in an old firehouse. Mr. Fippany becomes a junkman. Jim joins a newspaper. One evening, when Mrs. Fippany believes she's about to die, she makes Jim and Addie pledge their love and promise to marry. As Addie grows, Jim loves her but doesn't want to hold her to her childhood vow. He tells her he'll marry her when she graduates from college. Meanwhile, Mr. Fippany takes up with Minnie, one of the borders. Jim decides to help by luring Minnie away, but he gives into temptation and spends a weekend with her. Addie discovers them and walks out. A few days later she asks for an explanation, but Minnie tells Jim she's pregnant, so he marries her. It's a marriage in name only as the travel from city to city and Minnie has a string of affairs. Finally she asks for a divorce. Jim returns to New York and, now 40, writes his memoirs (this book). He addresses it to Addie and falls asleep. In the final chapter, Addie has read the book and seeks Jim out and forgives him, but it's not totally clear if it really happened or if Jim's dreaming. |
| My Rating: | 6 |