- Paperback: 229 pages
- Publisher: Vintage Books; 1st Vintage Contemporaries Ed edition (Sep 1993)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0679748210
- ISBN-13: 978-0679748212
- Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 1.3 x 20.2 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,054,547 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
Here, Naylor's limbo, peopled by tortured beings "at the hopeless crossroods of [their] lives," is a darkly lyrical, both sad and warming, psychic way-station - an American backstreet cafe with terrible food, no cheering camaraderie, and a door that empties into nowhere - or, even scarier, Somewhere. Bailey (not his real name), who runs the cafe with his tough, silent partner Nadine, offers a few autobiographical "tidbits" and knows he's at the grill for the same reason the cafe's customers come in from everywhere. These are people on the edge who need a space to "take a breather." These are the hurt, the deeply wounded. Even the "one-note players" - like a Bible-shouter and a pimp - "got a life underneath." Then there are the life-crippled victims: the lady Sadie, a decaying prostitute, scoured by cruelty;, Sweet Esther, who tends perverts and white roses in the dark; Peaches the nympho; and Jessie the druggie, "robbed" of husband and son. The women live with Eve in her boardinghouse by a garden, where visiting men must buy flowers for entrance. Eve, born of Delta dust, expelled from her home with Godfather (Bible emanations bobble here and there), gives some women a place to stay, is severe, fair, and can create hell. Also at Eve's is "Miss Maple," a brilliant young man - an American superachiever, rejected and humiliated because he's black. (Once, he - like some others - steps out the cafe's backdoor into the void, "since the place sits right on the margin between the edge of the world and infinite possibility.") And what could cause the souls in limbo to clap and sing? A richly melodic telling of sad tales - of innocence outraged and civilization smothered - and, again, as in Naylor's Mama Day (1988) and Linden Hills (1985), with a satiric glint and a generous dollop of the supernatural, plus the chill of apocalyptic voices. (Kirkus Reviews)
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Set in a diner where the food isn't very good and the ambience veers between heaven and hell, this bestselling novel from the author of Mama Day and The Women of Brewster Place is a feast for the senses and the spirit. "A virtuoso orchestration of survival, suffering, courage and humor."--New York Times Book Review.
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27 reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
A rich read.
17 Jan 1999
Format:Paperback
This is, and has for a long time, been one of my favorite books. It is a complete package. Naylor's characters are chock full of depth, her writing is lyrical and her tales are down-right fascinating. While it's difficult to find an author these days who can provide the reader even *one* of those things, Naylor gives us the whole she-bang. Although written with humor, this novel is somewhat of a difficult read: there is an undeniable sadness surrounding many of the characters (even when re-reading it, I can hardly get through the chapter "Mood: Indigo"). Although it's easy to be saddened by the stories, it's important to note that hope, respect and recovery are common themes throughout the book. The Cafe itself is supposed to be a surreal bedrock of healing. I found this book more accessible than "Mama Day," and a little more heart-wringing than "The Women of Brewster Place." All and all, it's deeply satisfying and comes *highly* recommended. Bring on more Naylor, please!
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Painfully Beautiful
16 Nov 2004
Format:Paperback
Umph. That's about all I can say. This is far from what people would consider a Christian novel, there is cursing, violence and sorts of goings on. Yet there's more scripture in it than a few Christian novels I read lately and more truth too. Bailey's Cafe isn't defined by just one character, but rather it's world, a way station on the edge of any city anywhere, the place before there's no more places. Each day only one thing is offered, chicken one day, corn beef hash the next. There are no menus. Each customer decides whether to stay or go. Bailey is careful not to cook too carefully or people might actually think they're coming for food. They're not.
These folks, churchy Miss Cassie who comes to doom everyone to hell, Sugar Man the short pimp, Sadie [...] who carries herself with such class the glass mugs turn to china in her hands . . . And we aren't even going to start on the maid, Miss Maple, a straight man who finds comfort in summer dresses.
These are the folks of Bailey's Cafe. And that's just the beginning of it. Across the street there is a Jewish pawn shop that never opens except to tell people to go elsewhere and a blossoming home for women called Eve's, which one can only find if you know what to ask. "No woman finds this place until she's ready for it," Eve says. And she's right. God didn't let me read this book until I was ready. And thankfully, I will never recover. Use your discretion on this one. It ain't for the faint of heart.
These folks, churchy Miss Cassie who comes to doom everyone to hell, Sugar Man the short pimp, Sadie [...] who carries herself with such class the glass mugs turn to china in her hands . . . And we aren't even going to start on the maid, Miss Maple, a straight man who finds comfort in summer dresses.
These are the folks of Bailey's Cafe. And that's just the beginning of it. Across the street there is a Jewish pawn shop that never opens except to tell people to go elsewhere and a blossoming home for women called Eve's, which one can only find if you know what to ask. "No woman finds this place until she's ready for it," Eve says. And she's right. God didn't let me read this book until I was ready. And thankfully, I will never recover. Use your discretion on this one. It ain't for the faint of heart.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Innovative presentation; eccentric characters
26 Jun 2003
Format:Paperback
Naylor mines the denizens of a neighborhood, most of whom eat at Bailey's Cafe, for this collection of short stories, each of which inter-relates some way to the others. There are wonderful characters in this book, and each gets an opportunity to tell his or her own story, each using a very unique voice.
This fairly recent technique of writing stories on a similar theme, set in a common location, is catching on. Did Naylor start the trend with Women of Brewster Place? Whatever. It's a good idea, and Bailey's Cafe is a welcome addition to the genre.
This fairly recent technique of writing stories on a similar theme, set in a common location, is catching on. Did Naylor start the trend with Women of Brewster Place? Whatever. It's a good idea, and Bailey's Cafe is a welcome addition to the genre.
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