A book about a depressing marriage in the 70s in the midwwest ( )

This was my second try reading this book and the first time I didn't have the patience for it. But this time around I found Ellen's story eventually uplifting. The abuse from her father-in-law and ignorance from her sisters must have been so devastating but the ultimate reason for changing her circumstances was beautifully done. This part of Wisconsin seemed so familiar to me and Ellen's loneliness is tangible. I could have lived without the mother's viewpoint but it was needed for the story to unfold. I want to read more of Manette Ansay's books now. ( )

Ugh. I didn't enjoy this story. I didn't like the characters nor the dysfunctional family they all belonged to. I did, however, like the imagery Ansay was able to bring to the story. (i.e. Thunderheads bruised the horizon.) Because of the great writing, I finished the book. Unless you really like to read about dysfunctional families, better pass this one up, unless, you love good writing, like I do. Then it is worth the read. ( )

It took me a little while to realize that I loved this book. I found it easy enough to read and absorbing enough to keep me reading but I was well into it when I suddenly realized I really really liked it.

The main character is Ellen. The main action takes place in 1972, in a small town in middle America. She married James a while back because the two of them, on a date, had been caught in a snowstorm all night, and they knew that nobody would believe that nothing happened. They had to get married. Both are Catholic, but while James continues to preach the man-as-head-of-the-family story, Ellen is starting to think too much. A big theme in the book is the effects of this religion on people's lives. People who believe strongly.

Because of financial difficulties, the two moved in with James' father and agreed to save their earnings to get their own place later. Ellen works as a teacher, and all of her earnings go into the savings account, along with some of James', who works as a traveling salesman.

Friction within this extended family is enormous. James' father Fritz has always pinned James as "the weak one" and has a hard time saying anything nice about him or anyone else. Fritz's wife Mary Margaret is prone to shake her head at Ellen's cooking, always telling her how her mother cooked this or that. There are difficulties with the two children, Amy and Bert, as well, although not as pronounced as with the adults.

So I got to thinking about this as the anti-Waltons, and that pleased me. The strain tells on Ellen, who begins to take sleeping pills more and more often, hiding them in a porcelain ballet dancer (with a head that screws off). Marital relations between James and Ellen, never great, get worse. And it isn't enough that Ellen is making all the meals, cleaning, teaching full time. She has to bear the criticism of her sisters because she is not there at home fulltime for her children.

I guess it's a women's liberation tale too. No guessing about it. The author chose to change the point of view frequently so that we get into the heads of all of the main characters. Normally I find this distracting. I prefer to stick with one point of view. In this case, though,the technique works. We get insight into others while Ellen may never really know what they are thinking. It rounds out the tale. ( )

Mary-Margaret & Fritz, as James has lost his job. Ellen and James have two children, Amy & Bert. Fritz is not the most friendly and rather mean to the children and to everyone that is living in the house.
There is a very strong Catholic influence with Ellen's family and also James' family. In the home, there are Virgin Mary statues, the Last Supper, etc. and Ellen feels inundated with all of this. She becomes the wife, mother, maid, caretaker, etc for the whole household, including working as a teacher.

This was a depressing saga and I didn't really feel much for the characters. I know it was written about a different generation, but found I had no tolerance for the demeanor of these people. ( )