Helpful Score: 3
This is a story of human strengths and frailty. Eddie is a symbol of strength and courage whereas Mary represents those who will do whatever they can, including telling lies and falsifying truth to enhance their standing in a community. One admires Eddie, a large plain woman who many despair of ever marrying and Frank, her loving husband, who sees the strength and love Eddie has within her. As the novel progressed, I found myself hating Mary who remained true to character until the end of the tale. The story takes place during the drought worn years in the Midwest with all its emotional, physical, monetary and social pressures. To learn more about human reactions to life's troubles pick up The Quickening.
Helpful Score: 3
Haunting Brutal An imperative read
Michelle Hoover sat me at the kitchen tables of her characters in her stunning novel, The Quickening, and served me a slice of the human condition I will never forget.
Her book is a brutally honest narrative of Edwina Current and Mary Morrow, neighbors who are thrown together because of their need for companionship on the isolated Midwest plains in the early 20th century. In it we hear out-of-tune piano music in a tiny church; we smell the blood of the slaughtered sow; we feel the singe of a prairie fire. The birth of a child, the harvest of a crop, a successful batch of pancakes nothing could be taken for granted for these women.
For those of us accustomed to supermarkets, air conditioners and cell phones, it is an uncomfortable read. Convenience and connectedness were hard to come by the characters in Michelle Hoovers story. However, the deeper I dove into The Quickening, the more I realized the story was real and profoundly important. I couldnt stop turning the pages of this exquisitely written novel. I deeply respect Ms. Hoovers courage in telling a tale of isolation, loss, betrayal and desperation on the unforgiving land her characters long to tame.
Most highly recommended. An excellent book for book club discussions.
Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont.
Learn more about Holly Weiss and Crestmont at http://www.hollyweiss.com
Michelle Hoover sat me at the kitchen tables of her characters in her stunning novel, The Quickening, and served me a slice of the human condition I will never forget.
Her book is a brutally honest narrative of Edwina Current and Mary Morrow, neighbors who are thrown together because of their need for companionship on the isolated Midwest plains in the early 20th century. In it we hear out-of-tune piano music in a tiny church; we smell the blood of the slaughtered sow; we feel the singe of a prairie fire. The birth of a child, the harvest of a crop, a successful batch of pancakes nothing could be taken for granted for these women.
For those of us accustomed to supermarkets, air conditioners and cell phones, it is an uncomfortable read. Convenience and connectedness were hard to come by the characters in Michelle Hoovers story. However, the deeper I dove into The Quickening, the more I realized the story was real and profoundly important. I couldnt stop turning the pages of this exquisitely written novel. I deeply respect Ms. Hoovers courage in telling a tale of isolation, loss, betrayal and desperation on the unforgiving land her characters long to tame.
Most highly recommended. An excellent book for book club discussions.
Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont.
Learn more about Holly Weiss and Crestmont at http://www.hollyweiss.com
Helpful Score: 2
The Quickening is a novel about two decidedly different women whose lives define the word "hardscrabble existence" on neighboring Iowa farms. Enidina, in journal form, and Mary, in a first-person accounting, share the events of their lives in a fifty-year time span, which encompasses the Great Depression. The writing is spare and precise, adding an even deeper dimension to the harsh desolation of the landscape and lifestyle.
Helpful Score: 1
The Quickening is a very special novel. Painfully told, it records the lives and friendship of two farm women in early 1900s Iowa. The chapters alternate between the voice of Enidina (Eddie) and Mary, who are very different women. Eddie is strong in body and spirit, made for country farm life. Mary is delicate and at odds with farming and the isolation of rural living.
They form a friendship, a bond born of necessity rather than choice. Through the years with its many life changes they remain loyal to each other. The dependence brought by isolation is their constant bond.
As the Great Depression looms, affecting farming and the community, families come under pressure and friendships are tested. Ultimately, secrets are exposed and a series of events changes everything with lasting consequences for everyone.
Michelle Hoover gives an honest look at womens friendships born of need and strife. Her portrayal of farming and the harsh realities of it, particularly those in times of turmoil are honest and heartfelt.
This is a remarkable book by a very gifted writer.
They form a friendship, a bond born of necessity rather than choice. Through the years with its many life changes they remain loyal to each other. The dependence brought by isolation is their constant bond.
As the Great Depression looms, affecting farming and the community, families come under pressure and friendships are tested. Ultimately, secrets are exposed and a series of events changes everything with lasting consequences for everyone.
Michelle Hoover gives an honest look at womens friendships born of need and strife. Her portrayal of farming and the harsh realities of it, particularly those in times of turmoil are honest and heartfelt.
This is a remarkable book by a very gifted writer.
This story takes place as the Great Depression threatens on two farms in Iowa in the early 1900s. It's been a hard life for Mary living on one farm, Enidina living on another. Neither woman really like each other,they have nothing in common, but they need each other to survive. This story is about pitting neighbor against neighbor during times of hardship. How the instinctual drive for self-preservation by what ever means necessary kicks in. This was a beautifully written novel. I found myself immersed in the lives of these two farm women. Their daily lives of grinding chicken feed, picking tomatoes & peas from the garden, their loneliness, their cruel circumstances, & a life that seemed never to hold anything better for them keep me involved emotionally for the 2 days it took me to read this & still they are on my mind. I loved the book.
Found the author's writing style hard to follow at times, never had that OMG moment I was hoping for. Expected more from this book.
