Beth F
Sandy
bermudaonion (Kathy)
Stephanie
Trisha
The Wet Nurse’s Tale by Erica Eisdorfer
Susan Rose’s life has not been easy. Her father drank away all the money he made, she and her siblings were supported through her mother’s work as a w. et nurse. Women would, for various reasons, bring their children to be nursed by Susan’s mother instead of nursing them themselves. Eventually, Susan finds herself making her living the same way her mother did. Susan has a very tragic life, but she does not content herself with letting the richer and more powerful walk all over her and her family. She has been called ‘plucky’ by other reviewers and that she definitely is. With her limited education and resources she manages to do what it takes to ensure that she and hers get by.
The most interesting part of the book for me were the chapters explaining why various women had given their children up to be nursed by Susan’s mother. I hadn’t contemplated all the different things that would make a woman in the Victorian age unable or unwilling to nurse their own children. Occasionally they would correspond with what was going on in Susan’s story, but more often they did not. The first couple of stories confused me as I wasn’t sure whether they were supposed to go along with what was happening or not, but once I figured them out they became what historical fiction is supposed to be: a wonderful window to the past.
About Susan’s story, though, I was pretty ‘meh’. It took awhile for the main part of her story to start – about 100 pages in a book that isn’t even 300 pages. I don’t know if that was what threw me off, but I never really cared for her much one way or the other. I didn’t dislike Susan, her story, or the book, but I didn’t love it either. It was interesting, but not captivating. I also disliked her habit of breaking the fourth wall and addressing the reader directly. That device doesn’t bother me in and of itself, but in this case it took me out of the story.
Okay, so I’m pretty lukewarm about this, but there are other people who disagreed with me. If you want the other viewpoint, check out the reviews at Fyrefly’s Book Blog or Books and Movies.
Buy this book from:
Powells.
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.
Amazon.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me this book to review.
Related posts:
- The Book of Fathers – Book Review The Book of Fathers by Miklos Vamos “The Book...
- Undress Me In The Temple of Heaven – Book Review Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane...
- The Maze Runner – Book Review The Maze Runner by James Dashner Waking up suddenly...
- Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters – DNF Book Review Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Ben Winters and...
- Bad Mother – Book Review Bad Mother by Ayelet Waldman Back in June or...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
I have this book but each time I try to start it I feel: meh. So I’m glad to hear there are other meh-sayers out there!
.-= rhapsodyinbooks´s last blog ..Review of “Here I Stand,” by Paul Robeson =-.
[Reply]
I’ve read other “meh” reviews, so it’s not just you. Thanks for your honesty.
.-= Kathy´s last blog ..Wondrous Words Wednesday =-.
[Reply]
I didn’t know that this book was set in Victorian times. Judging by the cover, it looks like the story is set in the Renaissance to me.
.-= J.T. Oldfield´s last blog ..The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams =-.
[Reply]
devourerofbooks Reply:
August 19th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
It does, doesn’t it? There’s not a whole lot in the text to date the book, but that’s what the Publisher’s Weekly review says, and the husband of one of the characters is in the Army (I think) in India.
[Reply]
That’s too bad!
.-= stacybuckeye´s last blog ..Pride & Prejudice, by Jane Austen =-.
[Reply]
I nursed Allison. I support people who nurse their children and even enjoyed the story of the women who take turns nursing a man’s baby after his wife died tragically (can’t remember the full details). Somehow, I don’t think I could find a novel about a wet nurse interesting. The fact that you were ‘meh’ about it makes me almost sure that I wouldn’t. Now, I would be more inclined to read a well written and researched book about the history, politics, and sociology of wet nursing.
.-= Literate Housewife´s last blog ..BBAW Excitement is in the Air =-.
[Reply]
devourerofbooks Reply:
August 19th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
I’m a big supporter of nursing too. I pictured the people who used wet nurses as a bunch of rich women who didn’t want to lose their figures. Some of them were, but many were not and had varying degrees of necessity for a wet nurse that I found very interesting. Hence why those short chapters were actually the most interesting part of the tale.
[Reply]
Sorry this one didn’t do it for you! Thanks for the link, though. )
.-= Carrie K.´s last blog ..Book Review: Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant =-.
[Reply]
Great review. Stop by and pick up an award http://wordsmithonia.blogspot.com/2009/08/b-i-n-g-o-award.html
.-= Ryan´s last blog ..B-I-N-G-O Award =-.
[Reply]
I wasn’t that interested in this one to begin with, and now I know I can put it aside for now. I’ll get to it someday, just not soon!
.-= Beth F´s last blog ..Thursday Tea: Death of a Travelling Man by M. C. Beaton =-.
[Reply]
I found Susan’s story more interesting than you did, but I wasn’t crazy in love with it, either… and I absolutely agree that the short interlude chapters were the most interesting part.
.-= Fyrefly´s last blog ..Lauren Groff – The Monsters of Templeton =-.
[Reply]