The Widow's Mite (Contemporary American Fiction)
Most of these stories focus on the Byzantine social politics within small Georgia towns; they typically display an earthy vernacular, gossipy digressions, and down-home wisdom. In the richly comic title story a young widow negotiates with the local Baptist minister about the proper tithe on the proceeds from her late husband's double-indemnity insurance policy. In "Fulfillment," the failure of an aging spinster to recognize an obscene phone call inadvertently arouses in a young handicapped girl the determination to avoid a wasted life. The first-person narration creates much dramatic irony, and as in the stories of Ring Lardner, this irony may carry a grim undertone. Albert E. Wilhelm, Tennessee Technological Univ., CookevilleCopyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.