Homestead

High in the Austrian Alps a postcard arrives in the remote village of Rosenau addressed to ‘Anna Fink’. Due to naming conventions there are nine potential recipients for the postcard. The mystery and discussion the missive elicits is our introduction to a close-knit community where the lives of Rosenau’s inhabitants are forever intertwined.

Beginning in 1909 with Anna’s story, for whom the arrival of the postcard is the start of a revealing personal journey, we follow the lives of Rosenau’s women and their families through the generations up until 1977. The story is structured as a series of 12 short chapters each from the point of view of a different woman. There are many inter-relationships between these women, which is show more emphasised by many of the characters having their stories concluded via another’s chapter later in the book.

Early in the 20th century Rosenau is secluded and rural with the villagers living in the traditional way. Over the course of the eight decades covered are two World Wars, rationing, occupation and the rise of industrialism, with the wars taking a terrible toll on the village clans and industrialisation changing their traditional lifestyle.

At some points I did find it a little hard to keep track of all the relationships, but there are three clan charts included at the beginning of my edition which were really helpful. There was also a glossary, pronunciation guide and information on naming conventions which highlighted important and interesting aspects of traditional Austrian clan life.

Lippi herself spent a number of years in Austria, and as a result this is a richly observed story, told with gentle compassion, of the universal wants and needs of women everywhere, and filled with details of village life in the Alps. As one reviewer put it “the women of this book are deeply and uniquely of their place”, and this is a great strength of Homestead, that Lippi can so deftly evoke a place and way of life that is quite foreign to most of us.

I devoured this book, and highly recommend it. show less

There's a surprising amount of depth and meaning in this slim novel, that builds slowly and quietly through each of its 12 chapters. The story is set in a remote region of the Austrian alps, and told in the voices of women from 1909 to 1977, who managed life, love, and family on their rural homestead.

Life was hard: subsistence farming, few "modern conveniences," limited educational opportunities, and a clear but restrictive definition of a woman's role. Most women made do and were happy; some worked hard to escape. In the opening chapter, Anna, a young mother, receives a mysterious postcard which appears to be from a long lost lover. The post-mistress makes sure everyone knows about it, causing much gossip. Anna imagines the writer and show more his lifestyle and composes an elaborate reply, which she later abbreviated to a simple acknowledgement and apology, because his card has been misdirected. As this unfolds, the reader is also introduced to Anna's husband and children, characters who will figure prominently in later chapters.

In a rural area such as this, everyone seems to be related to everyone else. Thankfully Rosina Lippi included clan charts showing the genealogy of each homestead. While careful study of these while reading reveals small spoilers, I found them invaluable to keep track of generations and relationships.

Every one of these women was amazing, in their capacity for physical labor, and their commitment to families and to one another. Each chapter reveals details about those who came before, some of which were closely guarded family secrets. This provided the depth I mentioned before, and usually sent me off to re-read earlier chapters, taking new facts into account. When I reached the end, I felt like I had an incredibly rich tapestry in my hands, and I stood back to admire Lippi's achievement. show less

The story of women from an Austrian village that spans from the early 1900s to the 70s. Watching the town change through time was interesting and seeing how the peoples' lives were intertwined was equally as interesting. I don't often enjoy books where you have to keep so many people straight that you need a family tree, but the storytelling in this instance was just what I needed to become part of what I was reading. In a way, I felt as if I had visited the place and met the people.

There is much about humanity said in these pages, just as there is much about living in a small village and in a time when the sexes weren't exactly thought of as equal. There is somewhat of a surprise at the end, though I wouldn't want to give it away. I show more found certain aspects of the book predictable, though even then I enjoyed what I was reading. The book was a winner or nominee for several awards and I can easily see why. show less

Loved this very much, though sometimes writing a little kitsch, what saves it is the underlying strength, the things that are mentioned briefly or left to you to conclude, I want to read it again, always a good sign. In short: the book covers 70 years in one isolated Austrian village during the 20th century. The first chapter takes place in 1901, the world as seen by one Anna Fink. We learn more and more each time viewing the world from a different angle as a different woman is given a voice, sometimes a very young one, sometimes an older one. Lippi is an intelligent, thoughtful writer. I look forward to more from her.

Have you ever selected a book with a good feeling you're going to love it? The story premise sounds interesting, other readers write glowing reviews - even the book cover grabs your interest. Then when you finish the book, you're so excited that you actually loved the book, just like you thought you would? That's exactly how it went for me with my latest book, Homestead by Rosina Lippi.

Homestead is a collection of tales told from the perspective of different women who live in a remote Austrian village from 1909-1977. To help tie their stories together, Lippi provides clan family trees at the beginning of the book. As you're introduced to each woman's chapter, you see her name and clan affiliation, which helps you understand her show more connection with the other characters in the story. While a woman may be featured in her chapter, she'll appear in other chapters as well. It was a great way to build up different perspectives on the same people.

The women's stories individually are moving, but when taken as a whole, create a fabulous book. Themes of love, loss, deception, greed, farming and raising family all permeate the narratives. The themes are universal, but it's the way Lippi fuses in the Austrian dialect and customs that make Homestead a unique historical read.

Shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 2001, Homestead is exactly why I advocate this award. Without its Orange Prize distinction, I may not have found Homestead, which would have been my loss. I hope other readers who enjoy provocative fiction will consider reading this exquisite book. I can't recommend it enough. show less

'Homestead' is not the sort of book I usually read, but I found it interesting, as it was set in a remote community with a distinctive culture that I knew nothing about. It is a set of short stories about the lives of women living in an isolated village in the Austrian Alps between the 1900's and the 1970's.

Homestead by Rosina Lippi - Very Good

A lovely little book set in a tiny village in the Austrian alps and concentrating on the Homesteads there: passed from generation to generation since time immemorial. It follows three particular Homesteads and their families from just before WW1 through to the mid-1970s, singling out a women from each Homestead at a particular (usually significant) point in time and telling her tale. Quite touching in places and very interesting how the rest of the world seems to pass them by - apart from when war breaks out and the women are left to keep everything going while the men are away fighting.

I did find some of the names a bit confusing at the beginning (they are named 'locally' and usually by whose child show more or wife or mother or which homestead they belong to... and of course, that changes with their marital status) but happily, the author included a family tree for each homestead. Shame I didn't discover the glossary until after I'd finished it, I may have found some of the Austrian words less confusing, but it didn't detract.

A lovely quick read - glad I found it at the back of the bookshelf & decided to five it a go. It could prove to be one of my favourite books this year. show less