Faith Sullivan (1)

I may have found a new "comfort read" author. This novel is about reading for comfort, in a way. When Nell Stillman's abusive husband dies on the job, leaving her essentially destitute with an infant son, she is "rescued" by a member of the school board who offers her a job teaching third grade. Teaching becomes Nell's career, Laurence Lundeen and his family become her steadfast friends, and she "falls in love" with P. G. Wodehouse through borrowing his novels from Cora Lundeen. Whenever her show more life takes a difficult turn, she escapes into his latest collection of frivolous nonsense. There is so much more to this novel than might appear on the surface. It's a fairly straightforward narrative filled with the ups and downs of life in the early 20th century in a small town in Minnesota. They are not spared the grief of WWI, or the tragedies that arise from sheer human beastliness. As she ages, Nell Stillman becomes the woman some of her students turn to for advice and solace as they grow older and face life's challenges...the woman who will always listen, ply them with tea and cookies, and make no judgments whatsoever. As a fairly young child I dropped in on several elderly ladies who were sheer blessings in my life; they didn't stick around into my adulthood, but I'll never forget 'em. It was a delight to meet them all again in the person of Nell Stillman. show less

The Cape Ann is a book that has stayed with me, even though it’s been at least ten years since I first read it. The characters are so vividly drawn and the historical references ring so true that the story resonates within you.
The Cape Ann is the name on the plans of the house that six year old Lark Ann Ehrhart and her mother plan to build some day. It is the place where Lark escapes in daydreams when her parents begin to argue, the home that her mother dreams of far away from the rooms in show more the train depot where they live and Lark's father works. In the final analysis the house represents escape from Harvester, Minn., and independence from the husband and father whose gambling repeatedly sabotages all their dreams. Lark narrates the adult events without always understanding them; her point of view adds depth to the story, though occasionally it is too adult. Lark’s mother, Arlene ,is an example of what motherhood should be, but too often isn’t. She loves her daughter selflessly and strives to teach her by example. This is a complex and diverse novel that is a wonderful, emotional read. show less

Sweet story about small town America during the various war years. Characters are well drawn and events pull the reader along, but one gets the feeling the author is just filling in time until the main character dies- the book could have ended earlier with no great loss.

Basic plot is about a hard-done-by but sweet woman who is just ordinary but strong of spirit, able to handle the various hardships of life with recourse to reading PG Wodehouse stories.

There are mysteries that aren’t show more resolved in the story (who is writing the notes?) and some things are only explained very late on. This leaves the main character really quite a shell of a person. We want to see inside her more.

Pleasant read but low residue, though Hilly is a character that breaks your heart. show less

I wanted to like this one more than I did. It was oddly shallow despite some big issues (domestic violence, shell shock, adultery...), and it read as a series of anecdotes rather than an actual novel that hung together. It provides a portrait of a small Minnesota town in the first half of the 20th century, mostly through the eyes of a young (at the start) widow and mother. I wish there had been more depth, but it was a pleasant enough read.