Property

I’ve been trying to write this review for a while now and it refuses to come together. So here is a quote that I think best encapsulates this story of enslavement (both literal and figurative) and the twisted relationship between men and women and slaves and masters in 1820s Louisiana:

“He wishes I might die of cholera, and fears that she may instead. I wish he might be killed while shooting rebellious negroes. She wishes us both dead.” (page 63)

What Martin does most brilliantly is to depict the internalization of brutality and to create an anti-heroine and narrator so selfish and self-absorbed that she fails to comprehend the hypocrisy in which she lives. An uncomfortable read and a worthy Orange Prize winner by an author I look show more forward to reading more of. show less

Deceptively simple, this is a striking and hypnotic novel that might easily be read in one sitting. The first person narrator here is a unique addition to contemporary fictions' looks at slavery, and Martin's relaxed style is an effective tool for not only engaging readers, but surprising them with their own sympathies by the end. Unlike some contemporary looks at slavery, the book is neither overwritten or simply a rewrite of the more well-known slave narratives. It is, however, engaging and worth reading. Additionally, Martin's style and the short sections make this a book that might be ideal for young adult reading clubs or programs, and at the very leas a book that both young adults and their parents can approach together, which show more seems a rare find in literary fiction. In short, this is absolutely recommended----a striking surprise. show less

Wickedly good character study of a heartless woman who is not only a product of her circumstances, but perfectly suited to survive them. Set before the U.S. Civil War, this story explores the hard realities of life in a slave-holding society, without using a single romantic cliche. There is no nostalgia here for the ante-bellum South; no helpless fainting ladies, no sweeping staircases, no faithful darkies, no hope for a better day tomorrow. The "heroine" is totally self-centered, but without a grain of self-pity; her reaction to any given situation is to figure out how to survive it or work it to her advantage. It is impossible to like her, but I found her utterly fascinating. "Nice" people are rarely so interesting.

Valerie Martin deserves 5 stars for this book for best use of a title. She tells the story of various forms of property in 1860's Louisiana: slaves, wives, children, slave owners (as victims of their society) and the usual forms of inanimate property. The story is told through the perspective of Manon Gaudet a wife and slave owner. Manon hates her husband who engages in daily sadistic games and punishments of his slaves. She hates him because he's a bore who has drained all the joy out of her life. Had her husband been witty and fun, I think Manon could have overlooked his other personal failings. She regarded slaves as kind of a human like species with no real sense of morality or responsibility. Manon thought it was perfectly show more acceptable to use slaves for any convenience at all, but found it very rude to strike one in public or breed with one. She thought it wrong that men were allowed to rule over women and use up their property without the woman's consent, but using human-like beings as slaves did not present a moral difficulty to her mind. It was fascinating to get inside Manon's mind, to feel her hates and hopes, to see life from her perspective then to constantly be confronted with her comfort with the institution of slavery. An equally interesting part of the book was Martin's reporting of slave uprisings. People sometime wonder why an oppressed people doesn't rise up against their oppressors. They do, over and over before finally those oppressors are toppled. In the US it took a Civil War followed by decades of lawful oppression before laws were instituted supporting equality, and equality is still just a dream for many. show less

Set in the 1830s, Property is the story of Manon, the wife of a Louisiana sugar cane plantation owner. Manon despises her boorish husband and is justifiably resentful of his affair with her housemaid Sarah, which has produced two children. She is disturbed by his cruel brutality towards his slaves. And yet, she cannot escape values shaped during her own childhood in a slaveowning family. She holds her own father in high regard for having been a more compassionate owner, but fails to see the injustice of humans as property.

Manon's days of idle leisure are interrupted both by her mother's illness and a slave revolt, Sarah's escape, and the subsequent effort to track her down and return her to Manon. These events provide some movement and show more force to the plot. The novel provides an unusual perspective -- that of a woman slaveowner -- and it definitely held my interest. However, in presenting Manon's story, the author appeared to maintain a rather neutral position on slavery. It seemed I was supposed to side with Manon in wishing for Sarah's return, when I wanted nothing more than for Sarah to find freedom. I believe this was an accurate portrayal of a certain type of individual during that time period, but I was unable to identify with her, which dampened my enthusiasm for this novel. show less

In antebellum Louisiana, the acerbic main character of Martin’s short novel, a Creole woman named Manon Gaudet, hates her life. She despises her husband, who has fathered two children by her house slave, Sarah. She despises Sarah too, who also abhors the husband but who seems to Manon to take advantage of her favored position in the household. She can’t stand the tedium of plantation life. She is whiny, self-absorbed, with few redeeming characteristics, and yet she is fascinating.

Manon despairs of her life ever getting better and constantly rues the choices she has made. Then a slave insurrection does change everything – and yet it changes none of the essential facts of the time and culture Manon lives in.

Property is about the show more plight of people who are property: literally, in the case of Sarah, and metaphorically, in the case of Manon, who is owned by her husband. The writing is simple and precise; the story is both horrifying and enthralling. This is a unique glimpse into what is now an alien practice: slave-holding. show less

Good recommendation from Mark, twists a complex story of multi-faceted characters in slavery-era south. The narrator is a disallusioned white woman, trapped in a loveless and boring marriage to a violent plantation owner. But she is definitely no simple victim or heroine, instead she also abuses and pursues her black housekeeper following a rebellion. Nor is the slave necessarily a likeable character; she is also opaque and manipulating. The sudden bitter ending resonates on how blind the white gaze is to black lives.