Agee's 1957 classic received the Pulitzer Prize, but researchers have concluded that the edition published and edited by McDowell bore little resemblance to the author's original manuscript.
This edition contains all of the original material, including over ten deleted chapters, three completed chapters rather than drafts as printed previously, and a structure that proceeds
chronologically rather than through flashbacks, among other changes. The result is not the reverie of a child but a harsh, cold and bitter account of a very real grief, made even more poignant
by original material on the real perceptions of the son, Rufus, about the death of his father and the loving relationship they shared before tragedy struck. The editors are extremely careful to
follow Agee's lead and restore the text to its original glory, and their results are stunning. This is an entirely different novel than readers had experienced previously, and it is stunning.
Annotation 穢2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
