By one of my fave authors. If you liked The Posionwood Bible and Prodigal Summer, you will thoroughly enjoy this gem of a story. It has 2 parts: present day and late 1800s. Every other chapter is a different part. Everything ties in together revolving around one house and the same town.
STORY SUMMARY
Willa Knox and her husband Iano who live in an old house in Vineland, New Jersey, followed the American dream rules: they worked hard after earning college degrees and raised two children: Zeke, their son, and Tig their daughter. They are parents and professionals. However, they have absolutely nothing to show for it. Willa, a journalist, has lost her job due to the magazine she was working for, folding. She is now a free lance writer. Iano, a tenured professor, has lost his job due to the college where he was teaching, closing. They are the caregivers of Nick, Iano's father who has become disabled in his old age. Their free spirit daughter also lives with them. Zeke lives in Boston with his live-in girlfriend Helene who has just committed suicide after giving birth to a baby boy named Dusty. Zeke wants nothing to do with the baby. And to make matters worse, their house is literally falling down around them and it looks like Zeke and baby will now be living with them, too. What in the world are they going to do??
In another time, in the 1870s, a man named Thatcher Greenwood lives with his wife Rose and her mother Aurelia and her little sister Polly. Thatcher is a poor school teacher who longs to teach some of Charles Darwin's science to his pupils, however, the headmaster of the school is totally against new thoughts and methods. Also, Thatcher keeps asking himself "how can a man tell the truth, and be reviled for it?" Also, his house is falling apart. Vineland is run by a man named Charles Landis and Landis is trying to create an Utopian society. But Thatcher just wants to teach and honor his duties to his family. He strikes up a friendship with a woman scientist, Mary Treat, as well as a renegade newspaperman named Uri Carruth. These friendships threaten to bring Thatcher into a vendetta against the powerful men of the town.
Both families, past and present, live on the corner of Sixth and Plum in Vineland. Both families are trying to navigate the "end of the world" as they know it.
MY THOUGHTS
This book is a wonderful look at family dynamics and the two different time periods: past and present. In both time periods, the main themes are survival, death, parenthood, environmental concerns, science, journalism, minimalist living as opposed to too much "stuff", marriage, and the mother-daughter relationship as well as the brother-sister relationship. It also involves racism and prejudice among the older generation. It's also about science vs the ideals of faith.
The author focuses on "shelter" from all different aspects and it's very well done.
My favorite characters were Tig (in the present) and Mary Treat (an actual woman scientist). I did google Mary Treat after my husband had said he'd known of her but didn't know what her science specialty was. (botany). All other characters, besides Charles Darwin, are fictional.
The book started out slow for me, but I was quickly drawn into this story. The chapters are long and there is a lot of information and character development and I really enjoyed that. The characters are loving and heart warming and you will definitely have some favorites. I actually enjoyed almost every character except for Thatcher's school principal, his wife and his mother-in-law. I very much liked Mary. I also loved Willa's entire family except for Nick but the author did a great job in depicting Nick as a typical late baby boomer in this country. Tig was my absolute favorite character and I think it's because she is most like my youngest daughter Claire and also I could relate to her regarding how she treated Dusty and how she wants to protect our environment and see change in how we all live and waste rather than re-use and reduce.
One thing I found fascinating is that the title of each chapter were the last words i the previous one! It's so well done. This author is truly gifted and every book I've read of hers, I have loved.
I didn't want the present day story to end!
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older (due to some mature content and language).
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10.
3 comments:
I have never read a book by this author. I love split time novels, may have to check this one out soon.
Thanks for the review, Faith. As I told you, I have read a couple of Kingsolver's books and they are good, so I will be putting this one on my "to read" list. Thanks again. Hope your week is going well.
Looks interesting. I think I've read something by her before. I'll put this on my Goodreads Want to Read list!!
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