A Short History of Women, by Kate Walbert

A Short History of Women, by Kate Walbert Find this book in our catalog

Perhaps it is the title of the book or its actual length (just over two hundred pages), but somehow, Kate Walbert has managed to capture in succinct episodes the way women and their history – both personal and political – are dismissed by society. Each chapter focuses on a woman of the same family, following ancestors and descendents from the late 19th century into the 21st century, collectively building a short history. While the various women fight for their place in that history, they repeatedly find dismissal or obscurity as the result of their efforts. Beginning with Dorothy Trevor Townsend, a British suffragist who starves herself to death as an act of protest over her being denied the vote, the women by turns fight for social justice or simply their place in the world and then slip off into obscurity or finally give up and no longer bother to struggle. Dorothy Townsend Barrett futilely protests the war in Iraq and blogs to a narrow audience, while Liz drinks her afternoons away, and Caroline responds anonymously to her mother’s blog posts. Hope does remain with the reader, however, as Dorothy “Dora” Barrett-Deel, of the most recent generation, reveals her feminist leanings in a curriculum vitae of sorts in which she includes both a reference to her great-great-grandmother’s act of ultimate rebellion and mention of Kate Chopin and Virginia Woolf among her favorite authors. The fact that she changes her name, however, does not move her far enough to freedom from the patriarchy, since it is only her first name that she willfully shifts, while her last name remains the hyphen of two males of the family, her father and her grandfather. It does, however, move her farther from her own matriarchal lineage. Still, one almost wishes that Walbert had taken the reader a bit more along in the life of the young Dora, she of the changed identity, to see just what she might have done to shift our world towards a more just and fair environment, stamping her place among those whose significance is lauded because they were born not women, but men, whose histories are assumed to be long and significant simply by their gender.

Submitted by D. L. S.

At Home in Covington by Joan Medlicott

At Home in Covington by Joan Medlicott, 2004 (Find this book in our catalog)
Set in a small North Carolina mountain town, this story is part of a series about three open-minded ladies of a certain age, but the book can be read and enjoyed alone. Amelia, Grace and Hannah, finding themselves single and with relaxing family ties, have moved in together into a Victorian farmhouse in Covington. At this stage of their story, the ladies are in their early seventies. Each one has come to terms with her life and is confident and comfortable with herself; however, they find that life is inevitably filled with change, not all of it pleasant. The events of 9/11 have just happened. Grace’s son’s partner dies from AIDS, and her son returns to Covington, forcing Grace to confront a difficult relationship. Hannah receives in the mail a mysterious diary that opens up for her a past that she thought she had laid to rest and that calls in question her decision to marry Max. Amelia organizes a Caribbean cruise for the three to give them a break from their worries. Is the cruise going to be a success, or will the three start to question their friendship? Along with all the worries there are joys: the birth of a new baby, the loving support of companions. Both new readers and series fans will plunge right into the warmth and charm of this celebration of female friendship.

The Secret Lives of the Kudzu Debutantes by Cathy Holton

I just finished this book while I was on vacation and can recommend it for beach or poolside, particularly if you are somewhere in the South.

Following The Revenge of the Kudzu Debutants, this second installment in the lives of an independent group of women from Ithaca, Georgia, is the ideal fun beach read, “packed with authentic Southern flavor and characters as colorful as azaleas in full bloom,” according to the jacket notes. Nita, Lavone, and Eadie are fast friends from the time each was married to one of the three partners in the most prestigious law firm in town. Now the partnership and two of their marriages are dissolved, and the three friends are getting on with their lives, each having newly discovered her independence. As the book opens, however, each friend is facing anxieties and sadness. Nita is anxious about her impending marriage to a man thirteen years her junior, who makes some very risky financial decisions to prove himself to his new bride and her connections. Lavonne is lonely and longs for love despite her new slim figure and her business success. Eadie remains married to Trevor but feels neglected and indulges in an excess of alcohol and wild behavior, ignoring her own artistic gifts. At this most vulnerable time, Virginia Broadwell, grand dame of Ithaca and Nita’s ex-mother-in-law, sees her opportunity to exact her revenge on the three friends for their part in her own social and economic downfall in the wake of the scandal that ruined the law firm. Virginia hatches a devious plot, but hides secrets in her past that could prove her Achilles heel. Will the friends be able to pull together their wit, spirit, and gumption in order to derail Virginia’s scheme?

This is a fun read and it is also a very good picture of friendship among women. I thought the characters were very sympathetically and perceptively drawn, even the larger-than-life character of Virginia Broadwell. Her over-the-top persona provides a good bit of the comedy in the book, which is very funny in places. There is lots of sly observation of character and motive that makes people believable among all the characterizations. Perhaps the book makes you think how people can start to believe their own legends of themselves? Give the book a try and tell me what you think.

Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

Someone drew my attention today to an article in the English newspaper, The Guardian about a locket, containing what is believed to be Jane Austen's hair, which is expected to reach more than five thousand pounds (or US$9,812) at auction. Click here for the article.

This snippet of trivia reminded me that my book club has just finished reading The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler. What a great summer read this book would be! And of course, it is perfect for a book club. My group was looking for something lighter now the evenings are getting longer but our reading time is getting shorter. At first glance The Jane Austen Book Club appears almost like chick lit. Six people, five women and one man, meet each month in the hot California summer to discuss all the books of Jane Austen in turn. They meet in each other's homes, and there is a lot of attention paid to interior decoration, clothes, and snacks. When we got into it, however, my group found lots more to discuss.

I got an awful lot out of it, though I didn't express my opinions very vocally, because I was not sure if everything I saw was really there. The book's a bit like that, it creeps up on you and keeps you off balance. One reviewer talks of Fowler's "sly wit." I thought all of the book was a bit sly. Maybe Fowler just did it for her own amusement to see if she could write a 21st century book like Austen? If so, she certainly manages the irony, the bons mots, and the almost unnoticed put-downs very well. We saw lots of sentences we wanted for sheer delight to quote during our discussion.

The plot also keeps you off balance. On the face of it is a story of how the six meet every month and how their relationships grow. Jocelyn is a key figure in the book, and it is she who invites the members of the club. I was a bit puzzled in the beginning as to why she invited whom she did. Obviously she had a purpose, and you think you know what it is, and then the plot twists and you are no longer so sure. The members meet together and use the stories of Jane Austen to help them work through their own problems of life and love. Each book is seen through the eyes of one of the participants, but the focus soon wanders off the book to the hidden lives, desires and motives of the characters. Will each character have a happy ending, and will the happy ending be the one you think it will be? You must check this book out to find out!

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Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe by Fannie Flagg