Vinegar Hill (edition 1994)

On Monday, March 29, 2004 I wrote:
I have read about 60 pages and I do like the book so far. It looks like a book I will finish pretty soon.
I will update this journal when I am done.

Update 30 March 2004

Well I have finished it already.
Some of my thoughts.
I was very surprised when Fritz hit his son James and more surprised that James left (well not for long)
it is a dark book, but it was nice reading the thoughts of the different characters.
First I felt sorry for Ellen but later I thought she needed a kick on her butt. Poor kids.

I also agree with you guys about that they should marry only because they spent a night in the car. i think the author messed up there cause yes those things happened but not in 1972( well my opinion). It weren't people who I felt affected to, even the child Amy was weird :-)but I did think it was interesting
( )

Review from The Book Wheel:

Vinegar Hill by A. Manette Ansay tells the story of Ellen, a young woman who is forced to move in with her in-laws after her husband loses his job. Chastised for wanting a college education and never quite good enough in the eyes of her mother-in-law, Ellen chooses to support her husband by silently accepting the decisions he has made for their family. Set in the early 1960′s, when leaving a marriage was nearly unthinkable, the reader is able to walk alongside Ellen as she lives day to day with her distant husband, violent father-in-law, and subtly cruel mother-in-law. Although Ellen is the main character, various chapters give the reader a glimpse into the minds of the other characters, including the children, which allows for a bit of balance and empathy for the others.

When I finished reading Vinegar Hill (an Oprah Book Club pick in 1999), I couldn’t shake the image of a volcano with lava slowly pouring out of it and cascading into neighboring areas. This is not because there are any volcanos or natural disasters in the book, but rather due to the author’s way of telling the story with an underlying heat and a slow and smooth style of writing. At its core, each character is angry and trying to make sense of their current situation. Their angers are bubbling just below the surface and reach out to touch each of the other characters in ways that they don’t anticipate or recognize. Despite each character having their own struggles, they all boil down to their current living arrangements, which has magnified their individual issues into a toxic atmosphere in which each person is feeding off of the negative energy of the others.

Despite the steady flow of the book, there were a few story lines that were left unfinished. Granted, they weren’t vital to the story as a whole, but they incited some empathy in me for some of the characters and I was left wondering whether my empathy was misplaced. Vinegar Hill is a book that can be read in one sitting, preferably on a cold or rainy day. It’s melancholy and realistic portrayal of a difficult marriage in the early 1960′s is heartbreaking and, I can imagine for those a bit older than me, a familiar story.

Side note: After reading an interview with the author, I learned that she was in a similar living situation. This added a depth to the book that was not previously there and made me look back on the book even more fondly. ( )

This is the story of the oppressiveness of religion and traditon on family live, particularly (but not exclusively) on women.

When Ellen's husband James loses his job, they and their two children move in with James's parents. The in-laws don't like Ellen; she is expected to do most of housework and they are not happy that she has a job rather then being a stay-home mother. James is not his father's favourite son, and was abused as a child. The cycle of dysfunction continues, as Ellen longs for a better life, James struggles with his emotions, and his parents argue or ignore each other.

The book is so well written. Just when I thought I had a good understanding of James, the focus switches and he becomes a much more complex character.

Set in the early 70s, the story takes place when Women were just beginning to expect more than a life of obeying their husbands and attending Sunday mass. Ellen's struggles are those many women faced. ( )

The setting of this book was aptly named, Vinegar Hill. What a sour place it was! It tells the story of Ellen, who begins as a typical submissive Catholic wife. She goes with her husband and children to live with the husband's parents against her will. They are nasty and abusive and a trial to live with. Throughout the book I was hoping that Ellen would gather all her determination and courage and do something about her situation. The book shows how tradition can get in the way of common sense. ( )

Boring and discombobulated. This is the type of book where you hope it gets interesting at some point. You read a chapter and think "What?!? I hope the next chapter explains that." And then there's something else that confounds you. Finally, there's a climax and the book is over. There are better things to be reading than this, I promise. ( )