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A review by jenpaul13
The House of Closed Doors by Jane Steen
4.0
A determination to not be a victim of the circumstances she’s become entangled in result in some large life decisions in Jane Steen’s The House of Closed Doors.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
At seventeen years old in a small Midwestern town in 1870, Nell Lillington defies the expected social course of her life, and her stepfather’s wishes, when she stubbornly refuses to entertain the idea of marriage and, in finding that she’s pregnant, refusing to name the father, even though he’s an unmarried man. In an effort to protect reputations, namely that of Nell’s stepfather Hiram who has political ambitions, Nell is sent to the Poor Farm where Hiram’s a governor for her confinement and until an adoption for the child can be arranged. Recognizing that this course is her best option to remain near her ailing mother Nell agrees, though she becomes entangled in trying to discover the truth about two newly discovered bodies on the farm, which she believes to be the result of murder. As she asks questions and uncovers bits of the story to form her theory about who the culprit is, she becomes resolved to keep her child, but with what she knows she worries about where she could possibly run to and be safe.
Easy to read, this story works to pack a lot within the short chapters of a tale that is familiar in the basic premises, which have been frequently explored in other variants of this story type. For all the events and revelations that take place throughout Nell’s period of social deviation there is a heavy dose of suspension of disbelief required, particularly for Nell to have fared as well as she did socially in these circumstances with limited support in her endeavors, though the text is generally well-written. While Nell’s determination to not be submissive to a husband and her desire to have a useful occupation is on par with characters seen contemporarily, she’d have been considered an anomaly for the time period and social status she’s meant to portray. Though this helps to set her character apart from a “standard” woman, there’s not much satisfying depth behind it as there’s not much contrast provided through either other women of her standing or her previous behavior; however, the basic character development of Nell and her friends, namely Tess and Martin, were entertaining to watch unfold as the story progressed.
Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
At seventeen years old in a small Midwestern town in 1870, Nell Lillington defies the expected social course of her life, and her stepfather’s wishes, when she stubbornly refuses to entertain the idea of marriage and, in finding that she’s pregnant, refusing to name the father, even though he’s an unmarried man. In an effort to protect reputations, namely that of Nell’s stepfather Hiram who has political ambitions, Nell is sent to the Poor Farm where Hiram’s a governor for her confinement and until an adoption for the child can be arranged. Recognizing that this course is her best option to remain near her ailing mother Nell agrees, though she becomes entangled in trying to discover the truth about two newly discovered bodies on the farm, which she believes to be the result of murder. As she asks questions and uncovers bits of the story to form her theory about who the culprit is, she becomes resolved to keep her child, but with what she knows she worries about where she could possibly run to and be safe.
Easy to read, this story works to pack a lot within the short chapters of a tale that is familiar in the basic premises, which have been frequently explored in other variants of this story type. For all the events and revelations that take place throughout Nell’s period of social deviation there is a heavy dose of suspension of disbelief required, particularly for Nell to have fared as well as she did socially in these circumstances with limited support in her endeavors, though the text is generally well-written. While Nell’s determination to not be submissive to a husband and her desire to have a useful occupation is on par with characters seen contemporarily, she’d have been considered an anomaly for the time period and social status she’s meant to portray. Though this helps to set her character apart from a “standard” woman, there’s not much satisfying depth behind it as there’s not much contrast provided through either other women of her standing or her previous behavior; however, the basic character development of Nell and her friends, namely Tess and Martin, were entertaining to watch unfold as the story progressed.
Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.