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And Ladies of the Club Helen Hooven Santmyer 9780425174401 Books

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And Ladies of the Club Helen Hooven Santmyer 9780425174401 Books

This book starts in 1868 and ends in the 1930s. It follows the lives of Anne, Sally and 10 other ladies who are the charter members of the Waynesboro Women's Club, started to promote intellectual pursuits. All of the ladies are so different: Anne and Sally, just graduated from high school, and preparing to be married (to a doctor and businessman, respectively), a teacher newly wed to a General and Congressman, a spinster teacher, old maid sisters who have raised their orphaned nephew, the judge's wife, who believes women should have the vote. The story follows their lives and the lives of those who are related to them. But it's so much more. It tells history from a personal viewpoint: the Long Depression of 1874 to 1894, politicians, a massive flood. It relates the prejudices of the Reform Presbyterians against pretty much everyone, and the dislike of the townsfolk of Irish Catholics. As other readers have commented, this book makes you feel that you know everyone. Some people you like, some you dislike. others you pity. It is epic. It is wonderful. I didn't even know I had it until a friend pointed it out. At about 1200 pages, it takes a long time to read, but is well worth the effort.


Tags : And Ladies of the Club [Helen Hooven Santmyer] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A great novel that is American to its core...so gently memorable, so bursting with life, that those who abandon themselves to its pages will find it claiming a permanent place close to their hearts. --<b>New York Daily News</b> A warm,Helen Hooven Santmyer,And Ladies of the Club,Berkley,0425174409,Sagas,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction Sagas,GENERAL,General Adult,POPULAR AMERICAN FICTION

And Ladies of the Club Helen Hooven Santmyer 9780425174401 Books Reviews

How do you dehumanize an author? Answer Wait till they are old, and put them in a nursing home.

This novel, touted in the '80s as the first (and only) novel of a little old lady in a nursing home, was written by a former college dean with extensive credentials in the English department (who got old). She had started this book earlier in life, but was too busy to finish it. She managed that task before she died, and I am so glad she did.

The story evolves primarily around one woman, who we see graduating with her friends from a women's "college" at age 18. The characterization is impeccable, and the words are put together like a fine painting. Reading the very first page, I knew this would be something special.

If you are accustomed to a story packed with action, thrills, chases and whatnot, this isn't your book. This is a leisurely, beautiful story, and the really fascinating thing is the way Santmeyer paces the book the way life FEELS in real life. She devotes entire chapters to youth, but the last 20 or 30 years just sort of slip away within a chapter or two, and she occasionally wakes up from an unplanned nap disoriented, thinking those who have died are still alive, or that she must see to dinner for a family member who moved out ten years ago.

It is breathtaking work, and as historical fiction, brilliantly accurate, aside from one weak place (but I couldn't take a star away) where she uses the novel as a political platform to rave a bit about an election that is long gone by now...and not an especially famous one. That's okay. By the time she does it, she has earned her little soapbox moment. The rest of the book is a masterpiece, and if you have the patience for good literature, you will find the time (though it may take you awhile!) to wade through this massive, but satisfying book.

I don't cry easily, but Santmeyer made me cry a couple of places. She takes a hold of the reader, and you become putty in her hands.

Please note that it is written at a high vocabulary level. This is not a book to hand to your precocious niece who just started high school. This is a book, I think, primarily for "the ladies" (if the title didn't already give you that clue), and it is gloriously written for educated women willing to spend some lazy time by the fire and be taken on a remarkable journey through an entire (fictional) life.

One reviewer says it starts slow. I would say the beginning is slow, yet promising. The first page shimmers enough to make the next couple of chapters worthwhile. Once you are into the text past the shallow level, you do, as another reviewer said, feel you have an entire town to take care of, and you couldn't possibly leave them dangling.

If you want something you can read while you are alternately trying to get something else done, this may not be the book for you. But if you have the opportunity to sit back and read a compelling, well developed story with incredibly richly developed characters, you really can't find anything better. I have taught English literature, and I'd take this over Tolstoy or Hawthorne any day of the week. Perhaps you will disagree...but it's worth finding out!
I really enjoyed this book despite it being long, with big pages and small print. I appreciated the passage through time with the changes in politics, fashion, and technology. I also enjoyed the variety of characters and their relationships. My favorite character was Anne. She experienced so much tragedy in her life, but managed to live life with a good attitude. I also liked the Rausches, Sally and Ludwig, who seemed to work well together as a couple. I especially liked the political side of Ludwig, and the way he cared about those who worked for him. The considerable interaction between couples, family members, friends, and associates was realistic. They didn't always get along, and the various temperaments kept the story interesting. Most of all I enjoyed the women's club, and the ability of those women to keep it going all those years.
I first read this book in 1985. Then I re-read it until the binding came apart. Then I purchased a second copy, which I foolishly loaned to my mother-in-law, who didn't much care for it and then, instead of returning it to me, loaned it to someone else.

I have been waiting for it to be available on , and swooped in and purchased it within days of its publication. Am I a fan? I guess you could say that. Its a wonderful story, and a wonderful way to immerse yourself in the political, social, commercial, and medical history of a century past. I will enjoy getting reacquainted with the Ladies of the Club.

I have noticed some typos in the version, that I hope will be remedied.
If you are interested in the history of the U.S. from 1868 to until the early 1930's this is the book from you. It is rather longer, over 1400 pages long and rather small type but the characters are well-developed and I'd be surprised if anyone wouldn't be able to find a character that they couldn't relate to. There are the career women of the day, as well as, women that stayed home to raise their children. The men are also well developed characters, especially one of the town doctors and his friend, the entrepreneur. There is a lot of information about all the presidential elections from the 1860's until the 1930's with some of the scandals that I had forgotten about, others I remembered. This makes it relatable to the present presidential election (except people didn't seem to get quite so nasty as they are today). I'm not quite finished, I'm on page 900 and something but I know I will miss the characters when I am finished.
I first bought and read this book in the '80,s, when it was a selection from Book of the Month club while home caring for my then small kids. What a book! Long? Yes, very. Worth the time investment? Oh, yes, very! I read this book once a decade and it reveals more wit and wisdom ( and great respect for Ms Santmyer) each time.
This book starts in 1868 and ends in the 1930s. It follows the lives of Anne, Sally and 10 other ladies who are the charter members of the Waynesboro Women's Club, started to promote intellectual pursuits. All of the ladies are so different Anne and Sally, just graduated from high school, and preparing to be married (to a doctor and businessman, respectively), a teacher newly wed to a General and Congressman, a spinster teacher, old maid sisters who have raised their orphaned nephew, the judge's wife, who believes women should have the vote. The story follows their lives and the lives of those who are related to them. But it's so much more. It tells history from a personal viewpoint the Long Depression of 1874 to 1894, politicians, a massive flood. It relates the prejudices of the Reform Presbyterians against pretty much everyone, and the dislike of the townsfolk of Irish Catholics. As other readers have commented, this book makes you feel that you know everyone. Some people you like, some you dislike. others you pity. It is epic. It is wonderful. I didn't even know I had it until a friend pointed it out. At about 1200 pages, it takes a long time to read, but is well worth the effort.