Brighten the Corner Where You Are

A Novel

Fred Chappell

St. Martin's Griffin

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This story of a day in the life of Joe Robert Kirkman, a North Carolina mountain schoolteacher, sly prankster, country philosopher, and family man, won the hearts of readers and reviewers across the country.

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Praise for Brighten the Corner Where You Are

"Deeply felt, warm, and funny . . . a wonderful tale, one full of wild humor and humanity."—The Los Angeles Times

"The resonantly lyrical novel enchants us . . . we are lifted to a height of exhilaration few current writers can take us to."—New York Newsday

"Brighten washes you with language. Reading it is like leaping into one of those streams in the middle of nowhere where everything is green and our childhoods wait to reclaim something lost, something astoundingly simple as joy."—Charlotte Observer

"A raconteur of extraordinary gifts, Chappell fluidly spins mountain yarns, weaning spellbinding myths, hypnotic dreams, hilarious dialogue and unforgettable characters into the warp and weft of a funny, poignant and very human story."—Orlando Sentinel

"At once lyrical and plainspoken, relentlessly funny and, at crucial moments, breathlessly sad . . . Brighten the Corner Were You Are is Fred Chappell's finest work so far and thus—I have been reading and writing and waiting forty years to say this—it's a blooming masterpiece."—George Garrett

Reviews from Goodreads

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Karlyne  rated it  
Jun 30, 2009
This book is full of quotes that just beg to be quoted: "The truth was, in fact, so sacred to my father that he generally refused to profane its sanctity with his worldly presence."
It could easily be titled "One Day in the Life of the Man 'everybody knows and who doesn't underst ...more
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Michael  rated it  
Jun 29, 2009
A gentle, funny, insightful look at life. ...more
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David  rated it  
Jan 18, 2009
A tremendous book. It's funny, endearing, and a bit mystical. I had read Fred Chappel's poems before but never his fiction but found that they things I loved about his poems were just as strong or stronger in this novel. I'll definitely be looking for more of his books. ...more
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About the Author

Fred Chappell

Fred Chappell is the award-winning author of over twenty books of poetry and fiction. His previous novels include I Am One of You Forever and Look Back All the Green Valley. He teaches at the University of North Carolina in Grennsboro, where he lives with his wife Susan.

Fred Chappell

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Available Formats and Book Details

Brighten the Corner Where You Are
A Novel
Fred Chappell

Trade Paperback

Trade Paperback
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Griffin
August 1990
Trade Paperback
ISBN: 9780312050573
ISBN10: 0312050577
8 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches, 224 pages
$15.99
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