Scan barcode
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
berylbird's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
First published in 1962, this is the only book that Carleton ever wrote. Focusing on the dynamics of family and romantic love, Carleton writes about a marriage that has lost its flame, the heartache of grief, and the challenges of parenting. Carleton writes from the point of view of four daughters and their parents, dipping into their lives at different points to create a wash of poetic color, submerging the reader in a grand painting of early 20th century Missouri.
The characters are complex and multifaceted. Matthew, the father, is a teacher and school superintendent and goes back and forth to work in town. Callie, the mother, manages their home and their four daughters. Matthew is intelligent, industrious, and a lover of literature and poems. He married Callie when they were young and while they share traditional values, Callie didn’t go far in school and never learned to read. As they reach middle age, this becomes a sticking point in their marriage. However, Callie is the one that gave him a very needed push to obtain his teaching certificate. She provided encouragement and the practical work of running the farm while her husband worked on his studies.
Callie’s nature is sunny. She counterbalances the moodiness of her husband. However, even Callie finds it difficult when Matthew becomes indifferent, inattentive, his head in the clouds, escaping to the barn, coming home late at night. The fire of their marriage seemed to be dying out. How Matthew and Callie navigate the prevailing winds of Matthew’s desire and temptations are intriguing. If Callie had been more self-sufficient, the story might have taken a different turn. However, Callie very well represents the women of that era, totally dependent on their husbands for a livelihood. I don’t always like Matthew but he is self-aware and feels guilty. I appreciate his motivation for education, his work ethic, and his affinity with nature, but all this has to weigh up against a major flaw, which leaves him wanting.
The changing times are represented in the daughters’ lives. <i> “Nowadays, perfectly respectable people went to shows on Sunday, they went dancing and played cards; lots of girls even smoked–and it didn’t mean they were going to hell. Hell had shifted its location; it was farther away than people used to think.” </i> Leonie in particular is the good girl, going by the rules, trying and failing to get her father’s attention. Mathy is a free spirit and Jessica is easygoing while Mary Jo attracts wild-haired men, the last man with a beard and smelling funny. The men they choose are very different from their father. As adults, the daughters leave their established lives and return to the farm for a few weeks during the summer. It is there I find them planning a picnic and the cutting of a bee tree, for work and pleasure often go hand in hand.
A day’s events are timed so that the entire family can participate in the grand showing of the moonflower blossoms that evening. The blooms come for one night and in their brevity, the richness of beauty and life is explored. I shared this book read with the group, ‘On the Southern Literary Trail,’ and it is one that I found enjoyable.
The characters are complex and multifaceted. Matthew, the father, is a teacher and school superintendent and goes back and forth to work in town. Callie, the mother, manages their home and their four daughters. Matthew is intelligent, industrious, and a lover of literature and poems. He married Callie when they were young and while they share traditional values, Callie didn’t go far in school and never learned to read. As they reach middle age, this becomes a sticking point in their marriage. However, Callie is the one that gave him a very needed push to obtain his teaching certificate. She provided encouragement and the practical work of running the farm while her husband worked on his studies.
Callie’s nature is sunny. She counterbalances the moodiness of her husband. However, even Callie finds it difficult when Matthew becomes indifferent, inattentive, his head in the clouds, escaping to the barn, coming home late at night. The fire of their marriage seemed to be dying out. How Matthew and Callie navigate the prevailing winds of Matthew’s desire and temptations are intriguing. If Callie had been more self-sufficient, the story might have taken a different turn. However, Callie very well represents the women of that era, totally dependent on their husbands for a livelihood. I don’t always like Matthew but he is self-aware and feels guilty. I appreciate his motivation for education, his work ethic, and his affinity with nature, but all this has to weigh up against a major flaw, which leaves him wanting.
The changing times are represented in the daughters’ lives. <i> “Nowadays, perfectly respectable people went to shows on Sunday, they went dancing and played cards; lots of girls even smoked–and it didn’t mean they were going to hell. Hell had shifted its location; it was farther away than people used to think.” </i> Leonie in particular is the good girl, going by the rules, trying and failing to get her father’s attention. Mathy is a free spirit and Jessica is easygoing while Mary Jo attracts wild-haired men, the last man with a beard and smelling funny. The men they choose are very different from their father. As adults, the daughters leave their established lives and return to the farm for a few weeks during the summer. It is there I find them planning a picnic and the cutting of a bee tree, for work and pleasure often go hand in hand.
A day’s events are timed so that the entire family can participate in the grand showing of the moonflower blossoms that evening. The blooms come for one night and in their brevity, the richness of beauty and life is explored. I shared this book read with the group, ‘On the Southern Literary Trail,’ and it is one that I found enjoyable.
tashabye's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
Audio was well done.
flor2398's review against another edition
5.0
It took me a while to get going with this one, but I love the way the story unfolded. I will be thinking about these characters for a long time.
eselchen82's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sergek94's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"A full moon hung halfway up the sky. Crossing the schoolyard, he stepped over the fence into Seabert's pasture and walked on, with his hands in his pockets, into the grove of trees, and through them up the long slope of the hill, till he came out on top among the tombstones. They stood white and peaceful in the moonlight.
'Good evening,' he said aloud, as to old friends, and moving among the familiar furniture of the dead, he began to feel calmer. Up here the things that troubled him seemed to matter not at all. He sat down, behind a headstone, facing the moon. Looking out into space, where man had found other moons and planets but had not yet plotted heaven, he began once more to contemplate the puzzle of himself.
If I were to classify this book under one category, it would be a cozy summer read, out on the porch during a warm August night, with the moon shining high above the trees and fireflies flying about. Jetta Carleton, what a marvelous writer you were! It is quite a shame that this is her only published novel, because this woman had talent! This is a family saga, exploring the intricacies of a family who live on a farm in western Missouri in the 20th century. It's humorous, heartwarming, heartbreaking and complex all at the same time. We start this book with a family reunion, where the daughters of Matthew and Callie visit their aging parents once a year for two weeks. During those two weeks, they forget their individual lives, their individual troubles and worries, the burdens adulthood has irrevocably placed on them, and they lose themselves in that cozy farm life, just like the good old days.After that, we read through a series of flashbacks, exploring each member of this family and we eventually discover that not all is as it seems, and everyone is hiding their own secrets.
The characterization here is superb, each character being as nuanced as possible. There are no good or bad characters, but just like ordinary life, they are layered in different shades of each, and due to this nuance, they are even more likeable and relatable. The writing is hilarious in some parts, and quite heartwarming in others, and beautiful throughout. Magnificent prose that flows like a lovely musical symphony, which is one of my favourite aspects in literature.I love reading things that sound nice, and this book delivers that in spades.
“She went outside and down the path, pausing by the smokehouse to county the moon flower pods. Another day or two and they would be ready to bloom. The flowers were so lovely, they lasted so short a time. It was almost like the children's visit, something you looked forward to all year, then it came, and you enjoyed it so much, and then it was over, in no time. Maybe that's the way it should be...”
With excellent characterization and lovely prose, I highly encourage fans of classic family sagas to give this book a try. This should definitely be adapted to a movie or a short series, since I would love to see these characters and the beautiful farm onscreen. Nothing but heartwarming and positive feelings towards this book, my main criticism would be the overly drawn-out conversations which bored me, but that's just a matter of personal preference. This is a character driven story, and the beauty of it is spending time in that farm, through the eyes of each family member.
Maybe that was the way it went, that all your life you heard the singing and never got any closer. There were things you wanted all your life, and after a while and all of a sudden, you weren’t any closer than you ever were and there was no time left.
ceeemvee's review against another edition
4.0
This book was first published in the 1960’s, and is now making a comeback as a rediscovered classic. It started out slow, but drew me in. The beginning of the book is also the end of the book. The book begins with Matthew and Callie, in their 70’s, enjoying their daughters’ annual summer homecoming to their Missouri farm. A highlight of the visit is the blooming of the moonflower vine.
We then jump back about 50 years, to the courtship, marriage and family life of Matthew, Callie and their four daughters. The narration is third person, but each chapter is uniquely one character’s perspective. The writing is superb and I’m so glad I stuck with it. Each character became more interesting (although not necessarily more likable). This is a look at the complexity of family dynamics amidst a changing culture of automobiles, aviation, city versus rural life, war, and women having aspirations beyond the home. And as much as things change, sometimes things stay the same. While written about a time beginning 100 years ago, the themes are timeless.
The last chapters are from Callie’s perspective, which brings us full circle to the beginning. She is anticipating her daughters’ arrival, and these chapters are the grand finale. What a surprise, but even more so was the feeling you really knew Callie, understood her and felt for her. The writing in these chapters was amazing. You feel that you are on the farm with Callie, seeing what she is seeing, feeling what she is feeling on this glorious summer day.
It’s unfortunate that Jetta Carleton only published this one book.
https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/
We then jump back about 50 years, to the courtship, marriage and family life of Matthew, Callie and their four daughters. The narration is third person, but each chapter is uniquely one character’s perspective. The writing is superb and I’m so glad I stuck with it. Each character became more interesting (although not necessarily more likable). This is a look at the complexity of family dynamics amidst a changing culture of automobiles, aviation, city versus rural life, war, and women having aspirations beyond the home. And as much as things change, sometimes things stay the same. While written about a time beginning 100 years ago, the themes are timeless.
The last chapters are from Callie’s perspective, which brings us full circle to the beginning. She is anticipating her daughters’ arrival, and these chapters are the grand finale. What a surprise, but even more so was the feeling you really knew Callie, understood her and felt for her. The writing in these chapters was amazing. You feel that you are on the farm with Callie, seeing what she is seeing, feeling what she is feeling on this glorious summer day.
It’s unfortunate that Jetta Carleton only published this one book.
https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/
floridaminnie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bookishdea's review against another edition
4.0
To be honest, I didn't think I'd like this book as much as I did. It was a nice story about a family. It wasn't exactly chronological, and there were a couple of instances were I was slightly confused. But all in all it was a nice read and fun to follow the family through their lives. And I admit that it was nice after a long run of thrillers and military non-fiction and fantasy stuff to read a book that was, well, rather simple when it came down to it.