A large, raucous family of uncles, aunts and cousins, the Fairchilds have a powerful adoration for their own kin, as well the inclination to disagree, tease, and even argue with one another. On the other hand, their disagreements are quickly forgotten in their efforts to champion the family name to outsiders. Outsiders include those who simply married into the family and who must prove themselves to the others, especially if they did not originate in the Delta.
Uncle George, the family favorite, and the uncle whose attention everyone seeks, is given far more grace than he deserves. He married "beneath" the status of his Mississippi Delta, plantation owning family by taking Robbie Reed, the store keeper's daughter, to be his wife. When George makes an impromptu decision to put himself at risk in order to protect a family member from harm, Robbie feels that George will always put the Fairchild's welfare over her own. She leaves George in a fit of anger and refuses to attend the wedding of Dabney, George's niece. Dabney is also marrying beneath the family by accepting the proposal of the plantation's supervisor, Troy Flavin who hails from the mountains up near the Tennessee line. Seventeen year old Dabney worries the family might be unhappy with her choice of husband, a man who is twice her age without the social status of the Fairchilds. In the days leading up to the wedding, she seeks affirmation from the family for her decision to marry Troy. During all of this family drama, little Laura McRaven, a younger cousin, has been transported on the train nicknamed THE YELLOW DOG so that she can spend time with her extended family . Her own mother, a Fairchild by birth, recently passed away. Laura is trying to find her own place in this large, outgoing, loving family while grieving in the ways a young child would grieve. Wanting them to remember her mother, she frequently reminds everyone "my mother is dead".
The critics of DELTA WEDDING most often complain that it does not have a strong plot. Personally, I found it a wonderful conglomeration of incidents and conversations occurring among the individuals of a large, loving family with all its strengths, weaknesses and idiosyncrasies. Ms. Welty's work, in my opinion, is descriptive and beautifully written, while at the same time warm and comforting. Upon reading this story, I found myself in love with the Fairchild family as individuals and a whole. They reminded me of my large, extended, southern family and the way they wrapped their arms around me when my own mother passed away, when I was but a tender age like Laura McRaven.
The novel, a period piece written in 1946 and set in 1923 in the Mississippi Delta, does contain descriptions of discrimination toward the African Americans who worked the plantation and served in the Fairchild's home.
Some stories lend themselves better to alternative methods of reading, such as audiobook, and I felt this was one of those books. The beautiful language, detailed descriptions, and the intentional, slow moving narrative lend themselves perfectly to being read aloud. I greatly enjoyed the audio version of DELTA WEDDING.
Note: I found this link with a family tree diagram to be especially helpful while reading DELTA WEDDING.