A Sense of Place

[Rachel-K]

We are visiting some of the novel's settings over the course of generations. 

Are there places in the novel with as much "personality" as characters themselves?

How would you describe the Milk Street house, or Granna's garden? Saltonstall? Harvard's campus? Marblehead?

[dhaupt]

There are definitely places in the book with much personality, one place of course is Granna's house another one is the dorm room shared by Liz and Connie.

I would describe the Milk Street house as inspirational and the garden as magical. Saltonstall as historical. Harvard as devotional. Marblehead as encompassing and comfortable. 

[eadieburke]

I think that Katherine did an excellent job in describing all the places and settings in her novel. While reading you felt like you were right there along with all the characters.

In regards to the Milk Street house, you could imagine pulling up and not being able to see the house because of all the growth around the house. You could feel and almost smell the inside of the house also.

Granna's garden was very well described. You could visualize the vines even covering the roof, door and windows. I was able to picture the tomatoes, herbs and mandrake and see Arlo running and jumping between, over and under the growth.

While at Harvard's campus, you could sense the room where Connie was questioned as having very large furniture and kind of dark. You could also feel the seriousness in the room and feel the sweating that Connie was having at that time.

Marblehead felt like a town with lots of small interesting shops with a New England favor and gave you a sense of a place you would like to go and visit on your next vacation.

I sincerely believe that the places in the books had as much "personality" as the charcters themselves and I attribute that to a very talented author, Katherine Howe.

[liisa22]

---

rkubie wrote:

We are visiting some of the novel's settings over the course of generations. 

Are there places in the novel with as much "personality" as characters themselves?

How would you describe the Milk Street house, or Granna's garden? Saltonstall? Harvard's campus? Marblehead?

---

To me, all the settings in the novel have their own personality, and highly contribute to the character of the novel itself.   Ms. Howe has written such vivid descriptions of each that I have my own pictures of how each place.

Granna's house and garden have  a 'magical' aspect, that certainly foreshadows later scenes. 

I can sense the historic and age of Harvard's campus and Saltonstall with the vivid descriptions. I can nearly feel the old dust creeping into my nose!

And Marblehead reminds me of visiting with my great-grandmother in her seaside home there.  My own memories crept in alot.

[gl]

This is an excellent question for the book! I felt that Katherine Howe did a great job describing places - from the Milk House, its garden and the new age magic store to the Harvard dorm & Faculty Club to the libraries that Connie visited.

I particularly loved the description of the Milk Street house.   Through the details of what was retained through the years and the minor additions to the house, you have a fuller sense of how the family lived through the years.   The desk, the books, the state of the house were all so well done.  The garden, with the select choice of plants and ther overgrown nature gave a vivid picture of the place and characters involved.

The care with which she described the places where Connie did research and the various charaters that she dealt with helped give a fuller sense of the search/quest that Connie went through.

[mooks]

I would agree that certain places in the book were as carefully and effectively described as some of the characters.

In particular the Milk St. house's description was so detailed that it evoked the type of person and family that cared for it and used it with little change throughout the years.  That was excellently done.

I agree with GL that the libraries and places of research were also artfully done.  All of this contributed to the many strengths of the book and depictions of the characters.

[DSaff]

A great deal of the charm of this book is reflected in the settings. The rooms at Harvard and the Faculty Club held both charm and fear for Connie as she faced some of her nightmares there. The rustic feel of Salem and Marblehead from 1681 forward add to the picture of life that we see there, which when added to the pictures we get from the 1990's, shows how much things change yet also remain the same.

I must say that my favorite places are Granna's house and garden! There is soooo much to explore, so much to learn, soooo much to do! LOL  I was captivated by both from the moment Arlo showed Connie where the house was hidden. There is so much history locked up in the house. Imagine checking out the bottles, the books, the drawers, etc. Imagine  exploring in the garden. Yes, there are some scary things about all of this, but I really love this place and hope that Connie keeps the property. Her mother sent her there for a reason, and I don't believe it was simply to sell the house. There are secrets for Connie to reveal - the book, the house, the door, her family, and secrets about Connie herself. I can't wait to read on and discover the answers with her!

[MSaff]

Good Afternoon everyone,

    Are there places in the novel with as much "personality" as the characters themselves? 

  Most definitely!!!  First of all Ms. Howe has an uncanny way of bringing the reader (me), right into each scene.  For example, during the Prologue and the scene with Peter Petford and his daughter Martha.  I could feel the anguish in his body because he couldn't do anything for his ill daughter.  

  The room in which they are situated, has its own personality.  I can actually smell the stew cooking on the fire and see the dimly lit space. 

  The next scene which catches my attention is the exam room at Harvard.  This room brings about an intimidating personality to Connie as she takes her oral exam.  

  How would you describe the Milk Street house, or Granna's garden, Harvard campus and Marblehead? 

  As for the Milk Street house, at first glance, it appears to be run down and in need of either a complete overhaul or demolition.  It is definitely a home built in the seventeenth century.  As I looked deeper, I found it to be magical with its own unique personality, even being in disrepair.  The house is sound from the descriptions given and can or maybe will be cleaned up and utilized.  (That part we will have to wait and see).  The grounds are overgrown and possibly as a way of hiding itself in order to protect itself.  

  Granna's garden:  This is a work of art.  It still is producing vegetables and although this garden should be strangled from weeds and underbrush, it still is a viable source of food.  The multi colored large tomatoes caught my attention, so much so that I wanted to pick some of them, wash them up and start eating them.

  Harvard campus:  The typical Ivy League School, rich in tradition.  Each building giving off the air of higher learning and you know that anyone graduating from there will be of some importance somewhere. I can smell the wood of the halls and buildings.

  Marblehead:  The old fashioned fishing town.  Smell the salt air ?  Looking over the harbor, I can see the old fishing boats, Lobster traps and bouys hanging.  It's been too many years since I walked around a place that this.  I have to try and do that again, only this time I will be taking my wife Donna.

[CathyB]

Very well said MSaff!! I cannot add anything more to your descriptions!

CathyB

---

MSaff wrote:

Good Afternoon everyone,

    Are there places in the novel with as much "personality" as the characters themselves? 

  Most definitely!!!  First of all Ms. Howe has an uncanny way of bringing the reader (me), right into each scene.  For example, during the Prologue and the scene with Peter Petford and his daughter Martha.  I could feel the anguish in his body because he couldn't do anything for his ill daughter.  

  The room in which they are situated, has its own personality.  I can actually smell the stew cooking on the fire and see the dimly lit space. 

  The next scene which catches my attention is the exam room at Harvard.  This room brings about an intimidating personality to Connie as she takes her oral exam.  

  How would you describe the Milk Street house, or Granna's garden, Harvard campus and Marblehead? 

  As for the Milk Street house, at first glance, it appears to be run down and in need of either a complete overhaul or demolition.  It is definitely a home built in the seventeenth century.  As I looked deeper, I found it to be magical with its own unique personality, even being in disrepair.  The house is sound from the descriptions given and can or maybe will be cleaned up and utilized.  (That part we will have to wait and see).  The grounds are overgrown and possibly as a way of hiding itself in order to protect itself.  

  Granna's garden:  This is a work of art.  It still is producing vegetables and although this garden should be strangled from weeds and underbrush, it still is a viable source of food.  The multi colored large tomatoes caught my attention, so much so that I wanted to pick some of them, wash them up and start eating them.

  Harvard campus:  The typical Ivy League School, rich in tradition.  Each building giving off the air of higher learning and you know that anyone graduating from there will be of some importance somewhere. I can smell the wood of the halls and buildings.

  Marblehead:  The old fashioned fishing town.  Smell the salt air ?  Looking over the harbor, I can see the old fishing boats, Lobster traps and bouys hanging.  It's been too many years since I walked around a place that this.  I have to try and do that again, only this time I will be taking my wife Donna.

---

 

[kboston]

Katherine does an excellent job with imagery.  You can picture yourself in the actual setting as it's being described.

[Sassy398]

Ah yes, there is definately differences in all these locations ect.

I am definately interested in granna's place , it holds quite the mystery.

Can't wait to read on!!!

[lmpmn]

I was thinking of Granna's house and garden as a character in itself.

Each room with its dusty inhabitants, mushrooms coming up through the floor, dead plants with cobwebs, etc. is like a different part of its personality and character making it a unique persona within the story.

[emmagrace]

Granna's house seems to have the most personality for me! If those walls could talk! Granna's house holds so many secrets and mysteries. I believe the key to Connie's research lies within that old house on Milk Street!!

[MYK]

---

rkubie wrote:

We are visiting some of the novel's settings over the course of generations. 

Are there places in the novel with as much "personality" as characters themselves?

How would you describe the Milk Street house, or Granna's garden? Saltonstall? Harvard's campus? Marblehead?

---

The novels settings has amazing personality, equal to if not more than the characters.

The Milk Street house. Dark, mysterious, full of remnants from the past. Leaves me wishing walls could talk. For the most part.They did.

Granna's garden: I, as a gardener, believe even a garden holds a story, when cultivated with passion, heart and soul. I would describe it visually as wild, pungent,mysterious and inviting to those with imagination and a sense of adventure.

Harvard's campus: Green plush lawns buzzing with students and professors. Grand Hallways and meeting rooms filled with dark, old, polished furniture.  Large, picturesque windows to lighten the darkened hallways. A library beyond imagination. On breaks, such as summer, probably a scarey and overwhelming place.

Saltonstall: Intimidating with his height. Well dressed. Poised. Confident. Vague. Not detail orientated. His heart not in his job.

Marblehead: A sleepy town. Peaceful with woods and nearby lakes.

[thewanderingjew]

I found Granna's garden other worldy, with some plants growing out of season and others, like mandrake, that you wouldn't expect to find in anyone's garden. The house was overgrown and enshourded in vines. The whole house seemed out of time and place as well. There was an odd assortment of "conveniences". There was plumbing but the phone had been removed. There was no electricity but there was running water. All these things gave the house and its location a bit of a supernatural aura. Connie always thought there was something going on in the corners but when she looked, there was nothing there. She would attribute it to mice. There were wild mushrooms growing through the floor and I wondered if they were magical or the kind that caused hallucinations or ones that might be used in potions. I am eager to get to part 3 so I can learn more.

If you want a place with an outstanding personality, I would have to choose Harvard. I would have loved to be immersed in the rarefied intellectual and historic atmosphere of Harvard as a student. The historic buildings themselves add to the magic of the experience. Just walking through Harvard's campus is a transforming experience. You can almost feel the history and see the students of the past making their way to class. The genius represented in the halls of Harvard takes your breath away. Harvard's personality is palpable.

---

rkubie wrote:

Are there places in the novel with as much "personality" as characters themselves?

How would you describe the Milk Street house, or Granna's garden? Saltonstall? Harvard's campus? Marblehead?

---

[thewanderingjew]

The only thing I know about Marblehead is that I have a relative who grew up there and the tales I have heard were of larger than life homes. He used to ride his tricycle indoors. If my kids had tried that in my house they would have bumped into something pretty quick! I remember driving there once and being impressed by the size and condition of some of the old, beautiful houses. However, I can't imagine anyone swimming there in their underwear as Connie did. I pictured the people there being more staid and Brahmin-like.

twj

---

rkubie wrote:

How would you describe the Milk Street house, or Granna's garden? Saltonstall? Harvard's campus? Marblehead?

---

[Carmenere_lady]

Exactly!  Howe did such a wonderful job in bringing the university, cottage, dorm, harbor, every inanimate object, etc. to life that I'm a real believer that the accent wasn't necessary to take me to Marblehead, Mass.  But it's there, what can I say? 

---

MYK wrote:

---

rkubie wrote:

We are visiting some of the novel's settings over the course of generations. 

Are there places in the novel with as much "personality" as characters themselves?

How would you describe the Milk Street house, or Granna's garden? Saltonstall? Harvard's campus? Marblehead?

---

The novels settings has amazing personality, equal to if not more than the characters.

The Milk Street house. Dark, mysterious, full of remnants from the past. Leaves me wishing walls could talk. For the most part.They did.

Granna's garden: I, as a gardener, believe even a garden holds a story, when cultivated with passion, heart and soul. I would describe it visually as wild, pungent,mysterious and inviting to those with imagination and a sense of adventure.

Harvard's campus: Green plush lawns buzzing with students and professors. Grand Hallways and meeting rooms filled with dark, old, polished furniture.  Large, picturesque windows to lighten the darkened hallways. A library beyond imagination. On breaks, such as summer, probably a scarey and overwhelming place.

Saltonstall: Intimidating with his height. Well dressed. Poised. Confident. Vague. Not detail orientated. His heart not in his job.

Marblehead: A sleepy town. Peaceful with woods and nearby lakes.

---

[joyfull]

I am enjoying this book enormously. The author's descriptions of the places is so clear that I can see, hear, and smell - maybe even taste and feel them. In addition to the places you mentioned, I also liked the description of swimming near the raft. I could feel the cold water washing over Connie and Sam's hot, sweaty bodies, hear the dog and the waves, and so forth. Ms. Howe has a gift for description and it heightens the enjoyment of the novel.

[Reading_Seduct…]

I think Ms. Howe did a wonderful job describing the different areas throughout the book. I love the description of Granns house and garden. I never had a hard time w/picturing the places she described.

[kiakar]

---

Reading_Seductress wrote:

I think Ms. Howe did a wonderful job describing the different areas throughout the book. I love the description of Granns house and garden. I never had a hard time w/picturing the places she described.

---

  Ms.Howe is a very talented writer. She makes every word come alive with her brilliant cast of characters.