Lee Smith's intimate Southern charm has graced her work for the 45 years she's been publishing novels and stories. In her first memoir, Dimestore, Smith looks back on her life, beginning with her Appalachian upbringing. She was born in the isolated mining town of Grundy, Va., and intentionally raised to leave her small-town way of life, which has since vanished. Through 15 candid and entertaining essays, Smith recaptures and embraces the life she left behind, aspects both good and bad, and paints an evocative, well-rounded portrait of times and people gone by. Her parents and the love they shared were strong influences, as was her father's dime store. Smith's task of tending to the dolls in the store provided fertile ground to cultivate her early imagination. There, she became a perceptive observer of people--their quirks, foibles and motivations--forming a firm foundation for a lifetime of telling stories.
Smith (Guests on Earth) probes her heart and soul, recounting rich details of real-life characters; leaving the nest and making a life beyond Grundy; her college years, learning her craft and her own teaching experiences; her favorite books; and the genesis of many of her stories. The challenges and stigmas of depression and mental illness, which have pervaded generations of Smith's family, are threads woven throughout. Ultimately, the grip of reading, writing and storytelling--which have sustained and inspired Smith through it all--will captivate her fans and draw many new ones. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines