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More About the Author
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Review
Praise for Jennifer Haigh and her first novel, Mrs Kimble:
‘An elegant, elegiac multigenerational saga…Almost mythic in its ambition, somewhere between Oates and Updike country.’ Kirkus Review
'A truly impressive first novel…a mere summary cannot do justice to this engaging story. Haigh is an astute observer of human nature and every one of her many characters is well-drawn. In her writing and storytelling style, there are echoes of Anne Tyler, one of the greatest exponents of the contemporary American novel. Mrs Kimble is a remarkably assured and imaginative debut.' Irish Examiner
'A chilling and beautifully written first novel.' Good Housekeeping
'A clever, admirable novel. The three Mrs Kimbles present the whole gamut of family values gone awry.' Washington Post
‘Beautiful, devastating and complex.' Chicago Tribune
Product Description
Jennifer Haigh’s second novel is an intimate portrait of love and family, which will appeal to fans of Anne Tyler and Carol Shields.
Stanley Novak is a first-generation Polish immigrant. Seeking a better life, he settles in Bakerton and finds work in the booming local mine. He meets and marries Rose, a shy, beautiful Italian girl. They move to a mine-owned house in an area of town known as Polish Hill, teeming with immigrants from all over Europe, all chasing the American Dream. Five children follow for the Novaks.
The Novak children belong to what will someday be known as the Greatest Generation, but for now, they are just trying to find their identities in a vastly changing world. The five children could not be more different. The eldest, George, avoids signing up but is drafted to the Pacific when America joins the war. He comes home determined to leave Bakerton behind, but finds it much more difficult the second time around. Dorothy is a fragile and naive girl, who finds it hard to cope with her desk job in Washington. Joyce, fiercely intelligent, must hold the family together and remains bitterly aware of the life that she could have had. Sandy, the youngest boy, swans through life with his movie-star looks, never taking responsibility for his actions. And Lucy, the youngest, must find her own path in the shadow of her formidable siblings.
Haigh gives us a beautiful snapshot of a small town – of company houses and union squabbles; the boom and bust of the post-war years; the immigrant neighbourhoods of Swedetown, Little Italy and Polish Hill; the miners, undertakers, soldiers, firemen and housewives who populate the town and bring it to life.
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Softly the snow falls. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
This is a comfortable read. After reading Mrs. Kimble and loving it, I just had to get this reasonably new book in my hands.
In the small mining town in Pennsylvania, we meet the Novaks a poor family struggling to made ends meet at an inconvenient time; having just lost their beloved Polish dad, and with World War 11 1ooming in the background. This household with characters of so many different colours, consist of Rose Novak a pure Italian; Dorothy who flees to Washington to work there, Joyce, the mainstay of the family, George, the brother who went off and married a snotty wife, daughter of a store-owner. Sandy the elusive brother who remains a mystery to us all, and finally Lucy whom everyone thought of as the beautiful one.
An ideal book for young women!!! A book you will love!!!
Reviewed by Heather Marshall Negahdar (SUGAR-CANE 02/03/06)
This novel is so well written, there is something for everyone inside. The book follows the lives of a single family living in a small town in Pennsylvania from the 1940's through the 60's. Each chapter singles out one member of the family, telling the story from that character's perspective. We see how each family member grows and matures, and how the ever changing world around them effects each one, and the direction that their life takes.
There's the oldest son, Georgie who goes off to war & then rushes into an unhappy marriage, Dorothy who moves to Washington to escape the "traditional" job of a woman in the dress factory of Bakerton, Joyce who becomes the "parent" to the rest of the family, including her own mother, Sandy the rebellious son, who follows his own path without ever looking back, and the "baby" of the family Lucy, who observes the older members of her family and decides early on which paths in life she definitely does not want to take.
The author has done a wonderful job keeping the readers guessing, and turning the pages to find out what happens next. Nothing is predictable, and there are many "surprises" along the way. I've read some reviews here, where readers have criticized the "jump" from time to time - I didn't find this distracting at all, and actually thought it kept the story moving along at an excellent pace. The story's not dragged out, and time isn't wasted on insignificant events. My only "complaint" (if you even want to call it that) is that there are times in the story where a character will refer to a future event that hasn't happened yet, and as the chapter progresses, the story actually moves backwards, as if the character is reminiscing. The times that this happens, however, are done very subtly - sometimes the reader may not even realize that a future event has been given away!
There are also many nostalgic references made throughout the book - everything from radio shows to early TV to the kinds of cars the characters drive and the clothing they wear. I'm sure many will find the story a "step back in time" which is certain to bring back many happy (or not so happy) memories!
While it's still early in the year, I'd have to say that BAKER TOWERS is probably one of the best books of 2005! If you haven't read it yet, please pick it up, and if you have already finished it, I urge you to recommend it to all of your friends. I haven't been as excited about a book since I read the LOVELY BONES back in 2002! With the right kind of "word of mouth" publicity, I can easily see this one becoming just as popular!
Each child, as he and she grows, simultaneously despises and loves the company house in the company town that they all call home. One by one the siblings make their bid for life away from the little town but each is drawn back by obligation, necessity or love. Each struggles to understand their place in the world and to make the best of it. They are pulled between the traditions of their Catholic parents and community and the call of the exciting, growing world of the mid-twentieth century.
Haigh's style is what sets this book apart. With just a few simple words she can paint portraits of the town and its people that are rich with depth. Her characters are more than real as she takes you into their lives and makes you cheer with their successes and ache with their defeats. With love and honesty for her subject, Haigh creates a world that both tests and rewards in its starkness leaving the reader with is a breathtaking look at life - beautiful and terrible at the same time.
There are five Novak children and as the reader follows each one's life, a picture of a family some might call typical and others might call dysfunctional emerges. The story begins when the father comes home from the Hoot Owl shift and drops dead most unexpectedly. Rose rears her children alone and they each have a story to tell.
The eldest, George, serves in the military and is exposed to what life beyond Bakerton is like. He marries well and forsakes the old neighborhood. His sister Dorothy, a bit unbalanced, works in Washington, D.C. but runs back to the comfort of home to be taken care of by her family. Joyce, the strong and brilliant sister, becomes the family's caregiver, looking after the mother and the other children and putting everyone else's needs above her own. Sandy, the younger son, is blessed with good lucks and unlimited charm. He disappears to exotic places like California and always seems to have plenty of money and a flashy car though he claims to be only a fry cook or some other menial laborer. Lucy, the baby of the family, is the only one who seems content with life in Bakerton, but is the one for whom a better life is possible and she is handed the opportunity to become a professional.
If you enjoy family sagas filled with diverse personalities, love stories, hardships and triumphs, you will revel in this nostalgic look back to what life was like in 1950's and 1960's America.
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