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radioisasoundsalvation's review against another edition
3.0
Jane Smiley's latest is a slow, lyrical read if ever there was one. At no point are you made to feel any sort of passion for Margaret, who herself displays no real torrents of emotion at any point in the book. She is so tamed by her annoyingly eccentric, overly patronizing husband as well as the dominating women who have made up Margaret's circle (mother and mother in law) that even the interesting people around her fail to bring out any real colour (the Kimuras, Pete, Dora [who reminds me of that fabulous character in The Portrait of a Lady, Henrietta Stackpole]). It's a shame, too, because Smiley covers an interesting stage in California's history, and certainly played on historical events; however much they were paled. Indeed, the secondary characters were the heart of this novel.
eerupps's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the overall style in which this was written...it was interesting to read about the time period and area where the story took place, but I found Andrew to be quite an annoying and exhausting character, and I felt that he took so much away from Margaret and all that she could have been. I guess I was just disappointed in the ending, I had hoped that Margaret would have stood up for erself a bit more.
rodhunt's review against another edition
2.0
It is rare that I seriously consider not finishing a book. At more than one point I wondered why I was continuing - perhaps Smiley perfectly conveyed the stultifying claustrophobia of the marriage she presented . The conclusion gave some satisfaction but it was a little in comparison. This was about a life (lives) wasted - I wondering whether the book was time wasted. I think that is my last Jane Smiley read.
stenaros's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure why I bothered finishing this book as it seemed as if nothing ever happened throughout the entire story. On reflection, things happened and I'm still thinking about them, but during the actual reading it was rather boring. Which is kind of interesting, after the fact. And for that I'll bump it up a star.
castlelass's review against another edition
3.0
Historical fiction about the life of a woman, Margaret Mayfield Early. Born in the 1870’s in Missouri, she is very much a woman of her era. She quiet and submissive, and appears to be on her way to being, at 27, what was then called a spinster. She meets Andrew Early, an intellectual astronomer who espouses theories of the universe, marries, and accompanies him to an island off the coast of California. Her husband’s actions, at first, seem reasonable to her, but she eventually begins to question his mental stability.
This is a “slice of life” character-driven novel. It develops slowly. Smiley’s writing is evocative. I especially liked her description the bicycle ride of Margaret's youth and the experience of new motherhood. We meet several colorful characters, including Dora, a rare-for-the-time single woman with a job, Pete, the lovable rogue, Mr. Kimura, an artist, Naoko and Mrs. Kimura, midwives, and Len Scanlan, a sycophantic biographer that feeds Andrew’s ego. The historic panorama is almost a character unto itself, as we see the major events in both Missouri and the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, 4th of July Parade, 1906 earthquake, the Preparedness Parade, and the internment of the Japanese in WWII, through Margaret’s perspective. One glaring omission was the lack of a radio in the home, which was a predominant method of obtaining news in the 1920’s through 1940’s, and surely Andrew would have had one due to his interest in science and inventions.
Options for women at the time were restricted, especially when a marriage was not working out. Divorce was limited to grounds of adultery, abandonment, or battery. Jobs for women were few. Unless a woman was from a wealthy family, like Dora, she needed to marry to be “provided for.” These days, couples can get to know each other much more deeply than back then when chaperones were required for an unmarried woman, and there was very little opportunity to be alone together without impacting the woman’s reputation. Margaret had no idea what she was getting into when she married Andrew. She did not have an idea of what constituted a “happy family,” as her own family had experienced a series of tragedies. Her lack of exposure to mature males in early life made it difficult for her to question her husband. It made me glad to be born in current times!
The audiobook was eloquently read by Kate Reading. She did a great job of the various male and female voices, and Russian and Japanese accents. I think listening to this book made it even more enjoyable than it would have been to read it.
Margaret’s journey to finding her voice and an ability to stand up to her husband is a major part of the storyline. The book’s first half was more eventful than the second, so if you like lots of action, this is not the book for you. Recommended to those who appreciate in-depth character studies and don’t mind slowly-developing storylines with lots of detailed descriptions.
This is a “slice of life” character-driven novel. It develops slowly. Smiley’s writing is evocative. I especially liked her description the bicycle ride of Margaret's youth and the experience of new motherhood. We meet several colorful characters, including Dora, a rare-for-the-time single woman with a job, Pete, the lovable rogue, Mr. Kimura, an artist, Naoko and Mrs. Kimura, midwives, and Len Scanlan, a sycophantic biographer that feeds Andrew’s ego. The historic panorama is almost a character unto itself, as we see the major events in both Missouri and the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, 4th of July Parade, 1906 earthquake, the Preparedness Parade, and the internment of the Japanese in WWII, through Margaret’s perspective. One glaring omission was the lack of a radio in the home, which was a predominant method of obtaining news in the 1920’s through 1940’s, and surely Andrew would have had one due to his interest in science and inventions.
Options for women at the time were restricted, especially when a marriage was not working out. Divorce was limited to grounds of adultery, abandonment, or battery. Jobs for women were few. Unless a woman was from a wealthy family, like Dora, she needed to marry to be “provided for.” These days, couples can get to know each other much more deeply than back then when chaperones were required for an unmarried woman, and there was very little opportunity to be alone together without impacting the woman’s reputation. Margaret had no idea what she was getting into when she married Andrew. She did not have an idea of what constituted a “happy family,” as her own family had experienced a series of tragedies. Her lack of exposure to mature males in early life made it difficult for her to question her husband. It made me glad to be born in current times!
The audiobook was eloquently read by Kate Reading. She did a great job of the various male and female voices, and Russian and Japanese accents. I think listening to this book made it even more enjoyable than it would have been to read it.
Margaret’s journey to finding her voice and an ability to stand up to her husband is a major part of the storyline. The book’s first half was more eventful than the second, so if you like lots of action, this is not the book for you. Recommended to those who appreciate in-depth character studies and don’t mind slowly-developing storylines with lots of detailed descriptions.
karasmichelle's review against another edition
3.0
This was quite the epic to listen to on CD. To get through the 11 discs, it took several LONG car trips and then a few nights of listening at home. I don't know if I could have stuck with the actual 318 pp. book.
I felt bad for the protagonist, the homely and "saint-like" Margaret Mayfield Early, who marries an educated man who turns out to be a buffoon, and everybody knows it but her, until she has a sort of epiphany while well into her 60s. It seems Margaret, though curious and possessing of many good and wise friends, never truly knows love. In her marriage, she's taken far from her Missouri family - her many sisters and nieces - to the then new frontier town of Vallejo, near San Francisco. She loses the baby that may have given her life richness. She has one (ONE!) seemingly satisfying tryst in her life with a dashing and mysterious longtime friend.
Despite my disappointment that Margaret never gets the happiness she seems to be due her whole life, it's a good story. Smiley is an engaging writer, and weaves a lot of history (the first two world wars, the building, burning and rebuilding of San Francisco) though this novel.
I felt bad for the protagonist, the homely and "saint-like" Margaret Mayfield Early, who marries an educated man who turns out to be a buffoon, and everybody knows it but her, until she has a sort of epiphany while well into her 60s. It seems Margaret, though curious and possessing of many good and wise friends, never truly knows love. In her marriage, she's taken far from her Missouri family - her many sisters and nieces - to the then new frontier town of Vallejo, near San Francisco. She loses the baby that may have given her life richness. She has one (ONE!) seemingly satisfying tryst in her life with a dashing and mysterious longtime friend.
Despite my disappointment that Margaret never gets the happiness she seems to be due her whole life, it's a good story. Smiley is an engaging writer, and weaves a lot of history (the first two world wars, the building, burning and rebuilding of San Francisco) though this novel.
writergirl70's review against another edition
2.0
This is really well written, but a little too full of information and detail even for me and that's saying something as I really usually love all those little bits. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for such an epic story?
leighnonymous's review against another edition
2.0
I don't think Smiley will ever be able to top "1000 Acres." She came close with "Duplicate Keys," but this novel fell flat. Margaret, the main character, could not have been more unaware of her husband's harmful and eventually dangerous actions. I couldn't decide if this nescience was willful or if Margaret was simply stupid; she seemed to repress a lot of feelings and her own desires. One of the obvious ones was the 5-year old Margaret spectating at a public hanging, none of which she remembers until the end.
Her husband, Andrew, is surely one of the more egotistical characters I've encountered in literature; I'm uncertain if he was schizophrenic or just a jerk. To truly believe that Einstein was following him incognito through Vallejo, California…probably schizophrenic.
Smiley's ambivalence of character definition caused a growing incertitude that remained unshakable throughout the novel. Neither did they grow nor did they stagnate as characters because there was no clear outline for them to begin with. Not until the last paragraph did Margaret grow a mental spine and begin to examine her (now) wasted life. She stood by and watched her husband make wild accusations about her Japanese friends and cause one of their deaths. Even that couldn't make her cognizant of what a toxic person her husband was. Not until all was over and done with did the proverbial light bulb in Margaret's head turn on.
I'll probably end up reading more Jane Smiley, but her pages are numbered.
Her husband, Andrew, is surely one of the more egotistical characters I've encountered in literature; I'm uncertain if he was schizophrenic or just a jerk. To truly believe that Einstein was following him incognito through Vallejo, California…probably schizophrenic.
Smiley's ambivalence of character definition caused a growing incertitude that remained unshakable throughout the novel. Neither did they grow nor did they stagnate as characters because there was no clear outline for them to begin with. Not until the last paragraph did Margaret grow a mental spine and begin to examine her (now) wasted life. She stood by and watched her husband make wild accusations about her Japanese friends and cause one of their deaths. Even that couldn't make her cognizant of what a toxic person her husband was. Not until all was over and done with did the proverbial light bulb in Margaret's head turn on.
I'll probably end up reading more Jane Smiley, but her pages are numbered.
suzyjal's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75