Farewell, I'm Bound to Leave You : Stories

Farewell, I'm Bound to Leave You is rich with the music of the Southern mountains and the stories of their people. Jess Kirkman's grandmother is dying, and Jess remembers the tales she and his mother have passed down to him--a chorus of women's voices that sing and share and celebrate the common song of life.

“Grounded in the gripping art of storytelling, [it] demonstrates Fred Chappell's universal appeal . . . A stirring chorale of women's voices.” —Robert Taylor, The Boston Globe

“A vibrant picture . . . Chappell describes steely, passionate women, the savory foods they cook, and the luscious landscapes they inhabit.” —Margot Mifflin, Entertainment Weekly

“An array of flavorful tales . . . a sometimes boisterous, sometimes lyrical, sometimes Gothically romantic celebration of women.” —David Willis McCullough, The New York Times Book Review

“Haunting . . . Rich, lyrical, and frequently elegiac . . . Fred Chappell has become one of our indispensable contemporary writers.” —Greg Johnson, The Atlanta Journal/Constitution

“Exuberant . . . musically written . . . Chappell here acknowledges fully and equally both the sadness and celebration and honors both, as only a gifted, fully initiated, grown-up writer can do.” —Doris Betts, The World and I

“Marvelous . . . The most affecting work of fiction about place and love . . . since A River Runs Through It.” —Howard Frank Mosher, The Washington Post Book World