The Floatplane Notebooks was Clyde Edgerton’s third book and was first published in 1988 by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. 1 In 2017, the book was re-published by The University of South Carolina Press in the Southern Revivals edition series.2

Cover of The Floatplane Notebooks [Algonquin Books, 1988] (“The Floatplane Notebooks,” 2004)

The novel follows the story of different members of the Copland family from the 1950s through the 1970s, as they gather together every year to clean the family graveyard in Florida. The family members spend time together sharing stories and recounting memories, as their lives continue to change from year to year. Occasionally, the novel also features the voice of a wisteria vine in the family graveyard that narrates family history from deceased members of the Copland family who lived during the Civil War.3

The novel received a warm reception at date of its publication. A reviewer from The New York Times called the novel “a book with the soul of a family reunion.” 4 Similarly, a review from Publisher’s Weekly also took notice of the novel’s attention to family and described it as “a mature novel in which Edgerton’s subtle mastery of his craft is made increasingly clear.” 5 Regionally, an article from The Roanoke Times states that “
In the Roanoke Times & World-News, reviewer Greg Edwards praised the novel but said Edgerton needed to ‘learn how to write the sexual side of his characters with more subtlety.'” 6 The positive reviews of the novel largely hold true for other reviewers as well, though the evidence that the novel did receive at least one minor criticism about its sexual content, especially in a review that comes from a more local, regional source, is important to note in the Carroll County case.

To learn more about the plot and main characters of the novel, explore the storymap below.

Citations

  1. “The Floatplane Notebooks by Clyde Edgerton.” 21 September 2004. Goodreads. Accessed April 8, 2019. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/262391.The_Floatplane_Notebooks
  2. Edgerton, C. The Floatplane Notebooks. 2017. Southern Revivals Ed. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press.
  3. (Edgerton, 2017)
  4. Kingsolver, B. Albert uplifts anything. 09 October 1988. The New York Times. Accessed April 25, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/09/books/albert-uplifts-anything.html?searchResultPosition=1
  5. “The Floatplane Notebooks.” 01 December 1990. Publishers Weekly. Accessed April 25, 2019. https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-945575-00-9
  6. “Banned book details vet’s struggle.” 29 March 1992. The Roanoke Times. Accessed April 25, 2019. https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1992/rt9203/920329/03290164.htm

Photo Credits

Figure 1: Cover of The Floatplane Notebooks [Algonquin Books, 1988]. “The Floatplane Notebooks by Clyde Edgerton.” 21 September 2004. Goodreads. Accessed April 25, 2019. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/262391.The_Floatplane_Notebooks

StoryMap Citations

Source: Edgerton, C. The Floatplane Notebooks. 2017. Southern Revivals Ed. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press.

Figure 1: Stover, A. Dark Mountain. 2018. Bland, VA.

Figure 2: Steve, L. 1947 Ford “Pick-Up Truck.” 11 April 2007. Flickr. Accessed April 25, 2019. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License. https://www.flickr.com/photos/locosteve/4411496142/in/photolist-7HQ57j-bQr6ng-8mBPNZ-fpBW1G-id5VpL-8mETSo-cP21UA-c7ZaMf-pfYa8D-nMjrBB-4yqd6L-eCeDyu-pxkSzS-nDDU13-obtSQS-hcnrny-bE49dX-bfan9t-ef1rVM-hcnh2i-cej3cq-bWWDAK-nnc8qy-o8LiTF-eU6Xwj-eU2aZN-ckSzLo-eUWxGb-ckSzkY-cXUazd-fpC5gf-2NSAvV-fpD751-o4EQTX-eU2tVP-caquHw-dHEieF-o6xBXB-nMreYo-fnY9wi-5nQX6L-bWX5W6-ktriua-e99jrF-p2doVr-25DsvBk-d3d84j-fprZUT-fKKzPy-dHPWMb

Figure 3: Webb, N. Our Wedding Rings. 06 March 2011. Flickr. Accessed April 25, 2019. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License. https://www.flickr.com/photos/nickwebb/5502292433/in/photolist-9odFQV-BdhM2-9arANh-9rWtra-85D8jP-acXCVA-UPQ6QU-bkkMfR-Ti97Ae-p7gY2j-o4Ndnh-9w9Tkq-84Thsr-bQSFor-3anN7j-dQGoZq-4vZvG2-9ybNxu-HGHaJ-5fDmPM-9Epkr7-3NHyT-Re6kWU-a5FBjD-7ei5mb-dg1Uyp-aqv6JA-5c35pk-8×1515-oEiGuR-oeeHuV-T5WAPL-T5WC3C-4YzHFX-4AC3eu-54mWbL-54mMNf-Ta77jh-92vu6a-aqv6N7-aqv6FW-7D9aq4-6iGSN9-T5VUQC-cXpDVS-82RuA5-6yCgBb-9wrg28-6iGSQs-pYFb3t

Figure 4: Manhhai. 1968 U.S Marines with Overturned Ammo Truck near Camp Carroll. 08 November 2012. Flickr. Accessed April 25, 2019. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License. https://www.flickr.com/photos/13476480@N07/8302599394/in/photolist-dDEZxq-aeAdXq-8RKFkS-9ddEUj-dAsiUW-ahwhdc-7hhbL2-bNbdfK-eZkCtN-9MPbra-UvgyUm-aiH7S9-ezXxua-agRMj6-eU7WSD-8ScxPx-CoZ9n-CoTSo-8KApUt-23DqubK-fqZnL1-dDFcX5-6smM3s-c6Eym5-EL4Zq-jGtJPV-bLHBb8-V3PbXJ-YwAdnz-dsvH6j-afLysn-eUjkAy-8RVcD5-aCj3qF-WavpuJ-e9DUwi-8SfEEy-jgW8gq-DhHZQJ-aeM9Ti-8czd3B-aCmKXY-cNtX1L-8ScPkz-9WRaHV-9WU2D1-dDEQoG-34miWZ-2azA1UC-dzNUN3

Figure 5: Manhhai. Vietnam War Photo 1965. 31 July 2018. Flickr. Accessed April 25, 2019. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License. https://www.flickr.com/photos/13476480@N07/41951495290/in/photolist-26V7nYW-Y5oakU-p7VJv2-nzkY7v-VeHErD-oxyCYJ-FMU7EE-ajCt9M-acQKLm-aGFTae-9Q8jQz-a9fqdw-dC9WQ2-mfaJB6-d2p92b-4eStnY-KAMzGj-da2K1H-aPCpei-7M1CbZ-da2JAt-fvFm2w-J4npGv-fvFm3W-JkuRgt-qHEH38-ri6r7T-8r9N7P-28FNKfo-oT4JD4-eiufst-djRe2f-3bVpW8-9Snar7-8SamZE-axLxDa-9DeUFo-nhRgF4-qv41y5-FRx6ii-9M2DUT-wV1E8q-nB7Sng-SEKdVo-XHEB7U-9Lh7Yc-7M1Cc2-AWGKjw-da2LTe-dZTbeJ

Figure 6: Hawk, T. Little Girls and The Puppies Who Love Them. 25 November 2009. Flickr. Accessed April 25, 2019. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic License. https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/8326102760/in/photolist-dFKsgS-asog2o-5iN91k-9LYsYw-7NvfDg-8qNEhY-2LJbpb-3a2hm4-nkyk3R-eVp8wE-cp3nbN-fRsiK-78qbA5-a7ToRm-6hXXN8-7zeGmL-boqJ3u-doqfZC-9f6aVb-4J9A24-Y4uSp7-uXTxa-otg5KK-Cv8Nnr-obGtb7-nT48iF-oFpjVd-4DfPy8-2dByNh7-8RvrZe-cs7buQ-b6ey1V-9SM3k8-cTav9J-vFwEg-eaynBi-5Tiq6Y-whF5XU-4Xt2jF-vThq2-S55Rci-bKEiM6-cs8t35-bxpMKh-nE6gxg-9Uo1Q9-Bfa9q-4HiBSP-fKVbsT-2d2CgzU

Figure 7: Sanderson, V. Wisteria. 23 March 2012. Flickr. Accessed April 25, 2019. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDervis 2.0 Generic License. https://www.flickr.com/photos/vsanderson/6868118630/in/photolist-bsUUos-264mhrg-sw4Dek-2fA6Xwc-bY7KkN-2fztsk9-eaHM3H-24R7Zzi-8aRpQH-2fqQv7T-drdr5M-6FaqBi-4JVcbu-7woLvE-26UMYL1-3ocRHD-HtcVuV-24nwLKb-gAcBy2-aib735-gowmF1-KtQWg-cupzF-4kbJtp-4Cri4U-6sQe48-6k8cvD-gAs7ao-8GCSj1-MVuZj-6rgF63-BSBbDP-6rye1L-drdAnW-6ruvit-n524YH-6rce4T-7SRfpJ-4F3WN8-6rtFpT-93dEgv-9ucBeV-TW4ztj-bDcE1h-RG9cdR-8G3Xh7-apFpUN-bsUUoy-gAsztH-nqcapZ