A Sense of Place

[mattzay]

I agree Sassy398. I also view Granna's house as symbollic to Connie's self discovery. It seems like the more Connie cleans and settles into the house, the more she finds out about herself and her search for the answers about Deliverance Dane.

Does anyone else feel that Connie is a direct descendent to her?

[dhaupt]

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mattzay wrote:

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dhaupt wrote:

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. 

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I am curious about what you mean by Harvard being seen as "devotional". I view Harvard as being more traditional and old fashioned. Connie has to sit at a hard table while being questioned. She visits Dr. Chilton in his hot, stuffy office and goes to lunch with him in a very uptight place. I am not disagreeing, I am just curious.

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I wasn't referring to the religious definition but to the noun devotion _ (  the fact or state of being ardently dedicated and loyal ) I think of Harvard and their alumni's in this way. And it's okay to disagree with me. I like to hear different ideas from other members of first look.

[MSaff]

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Zeal wrote:

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MSaff wrote:

Good Afternoon everyone,

 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.

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MSaff,

Your thoughts and descriptions are almost as good as Ms. Howe's!  I especially loved your thoughts on the garden being a "work of art" and "The grounds are overgrown and possibly as a way of hiding itself in order to protect itself."  These two settings do tend to give life to themselves through Ms. Howe's descriptions, and I find Ms. Howe's ability to appeal to all 5 senses, in a very subtle (yet extremely powerful) way, a great strength of her novel and her writing talent.

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   Zeal,

  Thank you

[MSaff]

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artist4nature wrote:

One of the most important things to me when i am reading is whether the author can hold me captive in the story.   katherine how has mastered that art for me!

I could not only visualize the setting but could "smell" as she discribed Granna's house and garden, the old books in the library, the salty air at the docks. 

Any one else notice this effect?

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   artist4nature,

  You are so right.  Katherine does know exactly how to pull a person into the scene/setting.  I could even feel the different tectures throughout.

[EbonyAngel]

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artist4nature wrote:

One of the most important things to me when i am reading is whether the author can hold me captive in the story.   katherine how has mastered that art for me!

I could not only visualize the setting but could "smell" as she discribed Granna's house and garden, the old books in the library, the salty air at the docks. 

Any one else notice this effect?

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I feel the same way.  All her descriptions are so vivid it's like I'm actually there.  Even in the past.

[katemoriarty]

I think an important feature of each of the women in the novel is that their strength comes from their ability to be in tune with nature and their surroundings. The "places" in the book then become very important. Just as important as the characters that they come into contact with. Often the place has a persona which directly affects what Connie is able to process and really contributes to her growth.

[Adeline79]

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BambooMom wrote:

I definitely think that places can have "personality" -- in college, I lived in an old apartment building, and I used to imagine all the lives that those walls had seen before me, and how they had shaped the lived of previous residents.  

I think this book would make a great book club book.  I am really enjoying it!  If you are looking for similar books to read, I would recommend The River Wife by Jonis Agee, and any of Geraldine Brooks' work.

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I also recommend Geraldine Brooks! Her historical fiction is amazing. Even richer in description than Katherine Howe's book we are discussing. Probably because Brooks has spent many years writing as a journalist and has experienced so much. I wonder if Katherine has read Geraldine Brooks? 

[Adeline79]

My favourite description of place is at Harvard: "Sometimes Connie thought that she could feel the buiding's palpable disdane for its sliding fortunes... Even the brick fireplace evinced its contempt..."(p.22)

I love how Howe personifies the building and the fireplace!

[USwede16]

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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?

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The descriptions in the book were absolutely amazing! Marblehead reminded me of Hull, MA in that it brings to mind a small fishing town where everything is very low key. I have been to Harvard and walked around before and the descriptions that are given in the book perfectly match what it was like there (minus the feeling of the interview room...didn't have to experience that stress. haha) The house and garden came off as being peaceful places. While the initial description makes it appear overwhelming, it came to symbolize a sanctuary. The house and garden provided an escape from the craziness Connie had been experiencing.

[Adeline79]

Yes, the places in the novel are like characters. Granna's house is the obvious example because it contained such mystery, and it was instrumental in setting the whole plot in motion. I liked the way Arlo immediately took to the place and enjoyed exploring the garden. The numerous posts concerning the believability of the house and garden just goes to show that like a good character, the house portrayed many conflicts within its personality so to speak. It created a lot of interest and really set the reader up to be prepared for the magic that becomes apparent later on.

The segments set back in history were expecially interesting to me. The places really evoked a feeling of what it would be like living as a women back then.

[dj5775]

The locations and time periods in the book are so amazingly descriptive. You can easily see the images in your head as you read about them.