Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Small-Town Life in A Texas Jubilee


If you know Jim Lee, if you’ve seen the way his eyes twinkle as he speaks, you know to expect the punch line at the end of his every sentence. You’re already smiling in anticipation because though you know the joke’s coming, there’s no telling what he’ll say—you just know it’ll be hilarious.

The same can be expected from Jim’s latest collection of short stories, A Texas Jubilee. Set in the fictional northeast Texas town of Bodark Springs, Lee introduces us to characters we all have met somewhere before—the grumpy old war veterans, the nagging women, the troubled young men. In the style of Sherwood Anderson, author of Winesburg, Ohio, all these small-town characters’ lives are deeply (and at times, annoyingly) intertwined.

“It’s the Law” is my favorite story in the collection. To avoid giving too much away, I’ll just say that this is a story of revenge and patience—lots of patience. Lee’s characters grate on each other’s nerves and you can’t help but sympathize with them. The stories about these folks had me laughing from cover to cover.

To experience Jim’s quick wit and endless stories just like these, join us on Thursday night, February 7 at 7:00 p.m. at the Dee J. Kelly Alumni Center at TCU for Jeff Guinn’s “An Evening with James Ward Lee.” Books will be available for purchase (at a discount!) and signing. 

We hope we see you there!


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