donna
I read this because it was set in East Texas, in a town somewhat like my hometown – well, my hometown had 50,000 (when I lived there), was in the piney woods and had a Loop, and was about 90 minutes southeast of Dallas, but there the similarities end. The writing was fine, and I was surprised by the ending ... but I did not understand the protagonist at all. Only one of the women was the least bit likable, and she had the smallest part to play. Someone likened it to Desperate Housewives and I can see that comparison, so if you like that type of book and don't mind unlikable characters, then go for it!
As others have said, it was a slow start, but I loved the feminist angle to the story, the fact that this book made me think, for the first time, of the prejudice inherent in the dictionary produced mostly by men, and the way common words of ordinary people as well as many words of women were overlooked or deemed unworthy for inclusion. Prejudice and judgment are so pervasive that so often we don't even notice it is there, and therefore miss too much. We overlook things, ideas, and people that we should value and promote, because they are not of a class or gender or race deemed worthy of our attention. It was thought-provoking and interesting and well-written.
I cried at least three times in reading this book, once done in by the definition of Loss penned by a mother who had lost her sons in WW1. I don't know if the author made up this definition or if in fact she found in it in research, but it reads as follows:
“LOSS. ‘Sorry for your loss, they say. And I want to know what they mean, because it's not just my boys I've lost. I've lost my motherhood, my chance to be a grandmother. I've lost the easy conversation of neighbors and the comfort of family in my old age. Every day I wake to some new loss that I hadn't thought of before, and I know that soon it will be my mind.' Vivienne Blackman, 1915.”
I loved this book. I heard the author on a podcast reading excerpts and immediately purchased, and was not disappointed. I've read a lot of War of the Roses books and feel I know the characters well at this point, but Cecily is one who is always overlooked and this book corrects that and gives her the starring role. She was strong, smart, a survivor. This is not only well-researched but well-written and I only hope I can do half as well in my own book on another strong medieval woman that I hope to write about on here one day.
