The Orphan Mother by Robert Hicks

"She would talk about the death of her son with that woman who had also lost children. In this there was no distinction between them. Carrie described herself as a widow, but Mariah thought of herself as orphaned: orphaned from both her elders and her own child, alone, the last possible orphan in her line. The orphan mother."
                -from the novel

Some years ago I read The Widow of the South by this author and liked it very much. When this one, something of a sequel with a different protagonist, was available as a "book bundle" from the library, I was pleased to request it for our Page Turners. It was a disappointing, at best.

Mariah Reddick, a former slave has become a mid-wife, respected and valued in the town of Franklin, Tennessee. When her only son Theopolis, an aspiring politician, is killed in the midst of a riot, Mariah bravely sets out to investigate. Mariah's story is woven into that of George Tole, an
ex-soldier who has become a hit-man.

I rated the novel a 3. I thought the writing was good but the plot failed to reel me in. As a rule, I love historical fiction but this one was neither satisfying nor entertaining. The book was made more interesting for me because my husband and I visited the Civil War sites in and around Franklin years ago. I remember going to Carnton Plantation which is where Mariah was slave to Carrie McGavock, known as the 'Widow of the South" and a hero to many.

The average rating of our group was 2.9, with many 3's noted, but also votes for '2' and even a '1.' A very rare thing! One participant did not think the dialect was true to the setting and another said it was difficult to "suspend disbelief." A few members said they started the book, put it down and restarted a few times before getting perhaps 3/4 through and finally wanting to finish. A couple of folks said they fell asleep while reading the earliest chapters.

Carnton Plantation House

The Orphan Mother was apparently based on a true historic happening. One group member thought the author took an exciting actual event and turned it into a boring novel!

Mariah Reddick

Carrie McGavock

Invasion of Privacy The Cross Creek Trial of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings by Patricia Nassif Acton

"To me, Cross Creek is a love story. It is a story of my love for the land, and for that particular portion of the land where I have felt I belonged, which is Cross Creek. And when you love a person or a place, then their faults and peculiarities----that does not interfere with your love for them at all."
               -from the trial testimony of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

I suppose this nonfiction would not be for just anybody but to this long-time fan and student of Marjorie Rawlings, it was fascinating! I purchased the book several months ago at a Marjorie Rawlings Society conference. I had saved it to read before I taught my next "Florida's Three Marjories" class. I knew I would learn a great deal about this trial that took place in the 1940's but I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I thought it would be factual and pretty dry. Factual, it was, but definitely not dry! There was actually quite a lot of humor.

I had not noticed when I purchased the book that it was illustrated by J.T. Glisson, a multi-talented writer and artist whom I have met in person. I have read his books and three of his autographed prints hang in our home. His book, The Creek (I would call it a memoir), recounts many entertaining and downright funny stories of his growing up in North Central Florida as a neighbor of Marjorie Rawlings. His drawings in Invasion of Privacy were a wonderful surprise and made the reading even more special. My rating is 5 but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're really into Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

"This is why I wanted to write this book, to tell about a place I love that doesn't belong to me but feels like it is mine, and how that feels marvelous and exceptional. All the things that are wrong in the world seem conquered by a library's simple unspoken promise: Here I am, please tell me your story; here is my story, please listen."
              -from the author

Recently a friend asked me what I was reading and I responded, "The Library Book." She asked, "Which one?" Rather humorous. Another friend had recommended it a while back and I was planning it for our November Page Turners selection. I ordered the eBook from the library too soon, I guess, and when it became available I had to read it. Hope I remember at least some of it in November!

This nonfiction is very unique, to say the least! Ms. Orlean, a staff writer for The New Yorker, is obviously passionate about books and libraries. She became fascinated with the devastating fire of 1986 in the Central Library of Los Angeles, "the single biggest library fire in the history of the United States," and has researched it thoroughly for this book. Her cast of characters are mostly the librarians who ran the library one after another from its beginning in 1926 along with the primary suspect in the possible arson, aspiring actor Harry Peak.

The author manages to even work in some history of libraries and describes the role they have played and continue to play in our culture. Her description of recent developments was quite interesting. She wrote of bookmobiles which I remembered fondly from my youth. She described the founding of OverDrive which handles e-book loans for many libraries around the country. As a matter of fact, that was where the copy I was reading originated. Ms. Orlean  goes on to discuss the recent phenomenon of The Little Free Library of which I have seen "branches" in our neighborhood and at our church.

The only negative I would mention would be the chronology. At times I was confused as to pre-fire and post-fire events. I rate the book a 4. It was a compelling story though not really a page-turner. The amount of research and passion that went into the writing deserves much admiration!
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When our group met to discuss The Library Book, we used questions issued by the publisher as jumping off points. We especially enjoyed hearing each other's personal experiences with libraries. Some of us remembered actual library buildings and others recalled enjoying bookmobiles or school libraries. A few participants found the book disjointed but someone made the point it was something like a library in itself, with a mixture of facts and story. Some thought the author purposely went back and forth from description and fact to narrative to keep the reader's interest. The group's average rating was 3.6.