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citizen_noir's review against another edition
4.0
A year or two ago I read the memoir AVID READER: A LIFE, by Robert Gottlieb, a celebrated editor and publisher who worked with such famed literary lions as Joseph Heller, Toni Morrison, John le Carre, Doris Lessing, Robert Caro, Lauren Bacall, Bill Clinton, and Katharine Graham. I remember in the book coming across mention of THE MOONFLOWER VINE, by Jetta Carleton, a book and author that I had never heard of before. In a 1984 reissue of THE MOONFLOWER VINE, Gottlieb said the following:
With an endorsement like that, I made a point of finding a copy of THE MOONFLOWER VINE, and read it while on vacation. The book is very good, but I admit having expectations that it would be great, partly based on Gottlieb's rave review. It would be hard for any book to meet those lofty expectations.
The book starts with a chapter called The Family, narrated by the youngest daughter, Mary Jo. We meet Matthew Soames and his wife, Callie, who spend summers on a rustic farm in Missouri. We also meet their daughters: Jessica, Leonie, and Mary Jo, and learn that a fourth daughter, Mathy, passed away some time ago. They seem like a perfect mid-20th century midwestern family, something straight out of American Gothic. I enjoyed the descriptions in this first chapter, but I kept thinking that the book was going to bore me to tears if the story was about these simple, sentimental characters.
Thankfully, I kept going. The subsequent chapters are all in the third person, told from the point of view of the various characters: Jessica, Matthew, Mathy, Leonie, and finally, Callie. We learn that these apparently simple people are much more complex than the first chapter indicates, with dreams and desires - fulfilled and unfulfilled - that are at times, shocking. The final twist in Callie's story caught me completely by surprise.
THE MOONFLOWER VINE is the only novel by its author, Jetta Carleton. Jane Smiley, in the introduction, makes an interesting comparison between Carleton and two other authors who wrote a single, celebrated novel: Harper Lee and Ralph Ellison. Carleton, like the youngest daughter in the novel, Mary Jo, was a copywriter in New York, who moved west and started a small publishing house with her husband.
After I finished the book, I paged back to the first chapter, The Family, and browsed it again, noticing all the places where hints of the things to come were indicated in the text. This does feel like an old book - a bit anachronistic, not just for today, but also for the time in which it was published - 1962 - as the women's rights movement was hitting its stride. Still, I think many readers will enjoy THE MOONFLOWER VINE.
"Of the hundreds upon hundreds of novels I've edited, this is literally the only one I've reread several times since its publication. And every time I've read it, I've been moved by it again - by the people, by their lives; by the truth and clarity and generosity in the writing and feeling."
With an endorsement like that, I made a point of finding a copy of THE MOONFLOWER VINE, and read it while on vacation. The book is very good, but I admit having expectations that it would be great, partly based on Gottlieb's rave review. It would be hard for any book to meet those lofty expectations.
The book starts with a chapter called The Family, narrated by the youngest daughter, Mary Jo. We meet Matthew Soames and his wife, Callie, who spend summers on a rustic farm in Missouri. We also meet their daughters: Jessica, Leonie, and Mary Jo, and learn that a fourth daughter, Mathy, passed away some time ago. They seem like a perfect mid-20th century midwestern family, something straight out of American Gothic. I enjoyed the descriptions in this first chapter, but I kept thinking that the book was going to bore me to tears if the story was about these simple, sentimental characters.
Thankfully, I kept going. The subsequent chapters are all in the third person, told from the point of view of the various characters: Jessica, Matthew, Mathy, Leonie, and finally, Callie. We learn that these apparently simple people are much more complex than the first chapter indicates, with dreams and desires - fulfilled and unfulfilled - that are at times, shocking. The final twist in Callie's story caught me completely by surprise.
THE MOONFLOWER VINE is the only novel by its author, Jetta Carleton. Jane Smiley, in the introduction, makes an interesting comparison between Carleton and two other authors who wrote a single, celebrated novel: Harper Lee and Ralph Ellison. Carleton, like the youngest daughter in the novel, Mary Jo, was a copywriter in New York, who moved west and started a small publishing house with her husband.
After I finished the book, I paged back to the first chapter, The Family, and browsed it again, noticing all the places where hints of the things to come were indicated in the text. This does feel like an old book - a bit anachronistic, not just for today, but also for the time in which it was published - 1962 - as the women's rights movement was hitting its stride. Still, I think many readers will enjoy THE MOONFLOWER VINE.
slc54hiwi's review against another edition
5.0
2008: I re-read this wonderful book earlier this year, but first read it whenever it appeared as part of a Reader's Digest condensed book volume in the 1960s. Let's just say that between my young age (ca 11) and the "condensation," it was a very different book from the one I recently re-read!
Wonderful characters, absorbing plotlines & excellent writing. I always thought it a shame that Ms. Carleton never wrote another novel, but then this one is almost perfect.
2022: Another re-read but itʻs still such a great book. Highly recommended.
Have now learned that the ms of her second book was found after her death and has been published as Clair de Lune. Will be reading it soon.
Wonderful characters, absorbing plotlines & excellent writing. I always thought it a shame that Ms. Carleton never wrote another novel, but then this one is almost perfect.
2022: Another re-read but itʻs still such a great book. Highly recommended.
Have now learned that the ms of her second book was found after her death and has been published as Clair de Lune. Will be reading it soon.
misajane79's review against another edition
3.0
Historic family saga. Was expecting more from the "tragedy" but perhaps I've become jaded. Enjoyed the setting of the Missouri Ozarks for a slight change of scenery.
lindasdarby's review against another edition
I just couldn't get into this book which is very rare for me.
trankin's review against another edition
3.0
A very pleasantly written story of a family over the span of the parents lifetime. A study of their strengths and weaknesses and how their love for each other draws them back together each summer. I would give it 3.5 stars.
janbooks's review against another edition
5.0
This is such a good book. Though on the surface it does not appear to have much of a plot -or perhaps many sub plots, it all weaves together at the end. It is so well written and has many beautiful passages, and life lessons throughout. Reminds me of lazy summer days at Grandmas, sitting on the porch shelling peas, or under the shade trees with all the aunts drinking the never ending ice tea (no ac)! This is one of my very favorites that I read almost every summer. Highly recommend.
tbsims's review against another edition
4.0
no wonder this was recommended for me...I've read it before and liked it.
Lovely writing. So interesting to tell the tale from so many perspectives.
Makes it clear, the baggage/history that someone has, influences their relationship with you (eg. a daughter) and very well may have nothing to do with you as an individual. And nothing you can do about it.
In the first reading, I really didn't like the father. This reading I have some respect for him.
Lovely writing. So interesting to tell the tale from so many perspectives.
Makes it clear, the baggage/history that someone has, influences their relationship with you (eg. a daughter) and very well may have nothing to do with you as an individual. And nothing you can do about it.
In the first reading, I really didn't like the father. This reading I have some respect for him.
lazygal's review against another edition
3.0
Harper Perennial is re-releasing this 1963 NYTimes Bestseller, with a foreward by Jane Smiley. Having read it, I'm not sure why: yes, it's a good read, but it's quiet (like [b:Plainsong|77156|Plainsong|Kent Haruf|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170899946s/77156.jpg|1402373] or [b:Gilead|68210|Gilead A Novel|Marilynne Robinson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170687634s/68210.jpg|2481792], and it's very old-fashioned in terms of theme (not to mention setting: the farm doesn't have running water!).
The story takes place mostly during the years between 1900-1930, set within the bounds of a visit by the three Soames girls to their family home during the Korean War. Each gets their own story, told in the third person (except the very first bit, told in Mary Jo's voice), and even the story of Matthew has a decidedly female tinge to it. Lots of description, and a strong backbone of Rectitude on the part of Matthew and Callie, make this a different read than one might otherwise expect from a family saga. While the stories are all about different people, exploring their inner lives and motivations, you don't get that sense from reading the book: it's too much of the same piece.
In Smiley's preface, she says "[n:]ovelists who write a single, excellent novel area a rare breed." I'm sure that for some, this will be that single, excellent novel; just not for me.
The story takes place mostly during the years between 1900-1930, set within the bounds of a visit by the three Soames girls to their family home during the Korean War. Each gets their own story, told in the third person (except the very first bit, told in Mary Jo's voice), and even the story of Matthew has a decidedly female tinge to it. Lots of description, and a strong backbone of Rectitude on the part of Matthew and Callie, make this a different read than one might otherwise expect from a family saga. While the stories are all about different people, exploring their inner lives and motivations, you don't get that sense from reading the book: it's too much of the same piece.
In Smiley's preface, she says "[n:]ovelists who write a single, excellent novel area a rare breed." I'm sure that for some, this will be that single, excellent novel; just not for me.
nadoislandgirl's review against another edition
2.0
I tried. I really did. There were some really glowing reviews here on goodreads, and I gave the book at least 50-100 more pages than I wanted to. But I still can’t get excited about finishing this book. So, why push it?
layton93's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape