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A Death in the Family
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Plot Summary of A Death in the Family
"This powerful little novel was not quite finished when the author died at the age of 46. It evokes the lovely South of his childhood in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1915-16. Most of the story is seen through the eyes of 6-year-old Rufus, who weighs the differences between his parents (a rural, nonreligious father and an urban Catholic mother), and tries to understand the ramifications when his beloved father is killed in a car crash during a pointless errand. This lyrical, deeply felt but unsentimental novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1958."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of A Death in the Family
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - very sensitive (sigh)
Time/era of story - 1900-1920's
Kids growing up/acting up? Yes
Family, struggle with Yes
Struggle with: - In-laws - Wife
Family, loving relations Yes
Special relationship with - father
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - unemployed
Age: - a kid
Ethnicity/Nationality - White (American)
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Deep South

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Amount of dialog - little dialog
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