Housekeeping : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: A TRANSCENDING READING EXPERIENCE
Review: HOUSEKEEPING is a book that is a joy to read, simply by virtue of the carefully constructed yet flowing language employed by the author. It's a challenge for the reader to pace themselves so as not to pass by any of the innumerable shining passages that lie within. The novel speaks to the heart and soul about the transitory state that our lives exemplify, of our expectations and their consequences on our experiences of life.

There is a history of tragedy -- both real and as perceived by those on the outside -- in the family depicted. The story is told by Ruthie -- she and her sister Lucille (who is younger, but more socially aware and mature) have been orphaned. Their mother has delivered them to the home of their grandmother in the small, remote town of Fingerbone (great name!), then disappeared -- they learn later that she has driven in a friend's car off a cliff into the nearby lake, where their grandfather perished many years before when the train on which he was riding left the bridge and plunged into the icy waters.

Ruthie and Lucille are raised for a time by their grandmother. She is a reserved, slightly distant woman -- but she loves them in her own way, caring for them and seeing to their needs. At the beginning of chapter 2, on p. 29, the girls awaken to find her dead: '...after five years, my grandmother one winter morning eschewed awakening.' Enter their two great aunts, Lily and Nora, who move to Fingerbone from San Francisco (giving up their cherished lifestyle and home, as they remind the girls quite often) in order to care for Ruthie and Lucille. These two are some of the most gently comic characters I have run across in years -- perhaps because they remind me a bit of my own great aunts, with whom I spent a lot of time when I was a child. The conversations between them are priceless -- I actually had tears running down my cheeks from laughing. Lily and Nora don't last long -- they don't die, but they're simply not up to the task of caring for two young girls. The reality of it overwhelms them completely -- they begin to imagine every conceivable scenario of disaster and flee back to the city, having lured the girls' aunt Sylvie to take over for them.

Sylvie is a piece of work -- and her character and influence on the girls is the mighty engine that drives the rest of the story. She has long been separated from the rest of her family, traveling all over the country as a transient, 'riding the rails' from one place to another. She is a brilliantly-drawn character, gentle and thoughtful (if a bit odd -- although I hope for my own sake that trait never becomes a crime...). Neither of the girls not the good people of Fingerbone know quite what to make of her. She definitely has her own ideas about things -- she goes into deep, long silences, almost as if, for her, time doesn't exist. Sylvie begins to fill the house with odd collections of things -- empty tin cans with their labels removed, newspapers and magazines. Leaves begin to pile up in the corners of the room -- a visible reminder of her own ideas about 'the essence of housekeeping'.

Besides being an immensely entertaining story and a literary jewel, the book is a treasure trove of wisdom. It addresses the concept of human need and offers one of the most shining promises of fulfillment and hope that I have seen.

I knew when I picked up this book that it had been made into a film -- I put off watching it until I had read the novel, wanting to experience the richness of the written word first. The film is good, if low-key -- if you haven't seen it, definitely read the book first. This is one of the finest reading experiences I've had in recent years -- I can wholeheartedly recommend it, but PLEASE take your time and savor every word...!

Rating:
Summary: A review on Housekeeping
Review: Housekeeping is a wonderful book to read. It is a story about finding and having a place to belong. The main character, Ruth and her younger sister Lucille grow up in one house but are raised by four different members of their family. Throughout the book it is clear that Ruth and her sister never lose the feeling of being homeless and alone. On page 66 Lucille says that she is tired of being alone and wants to find other people. Then Sylvie replies "Loneliness bothers lots of people....".
I really enjoyed reading this book because I was able to get inside the characters' head and feel like I was in the story. Everything was so real it was like I was Ruth and I was feeling what she felt. And all the images painted such a clear picture for me, that just added to my feelings towards the book. But what I didn't like about this book was that there was no happy ending. It ended with no conclusion. I would have liked to kept on reading about what happened with Lucille and Ruth and Sylvie.
I would highly recommend this book to someone because it was a good story and it had situations that people could really relate to. I also liked the style of writing that the author used. She starts out by giving some background information and then takes the story form there. Another great thing she does is she introduces the different characters as they come in and tells a bit about them. She also does a great job in using descriptive words so that the reader is able to picture the scene from the book in his or her head. "...suave cones or mounds, single or in heaps or clusters, green, brown, or white depending on the time of day." It was a wonderful story and I wouldn't mind reading it again.

Rating:
Summary: "I was breaking the tethers of need, one by one."
Review: In the novel, "Housekeeping", sisters Ruthie and Lucille are hastily dropped off at their Grandmother's house. Their mother--a rather odd woman who seems to suffer from bouts of depression never returns. The grandmother raises the two little girls, and after she dies, two elderly relatives take over the task. But then mysterious Aunt Sylvie returns and stays to take care of the girls. The problem is that Aunt Sylvie is more than a bit strange--"Every story she told had to do with a train or a bus station." Sylvie is, in fact, a transient, who has returned home to assume responsibilities that she doesn't want and that she's really mentally and emotionally unprepared for.

This is quite simply a beautiful novel. On the back cover of my copy, other writers and critics praise the book, and in particular, the writer's lyrical use of language is mentioned--over and over again. As readers, we are used to flattering reviews of books, but the praise for Robinson's use of language is not hyperbole. "Housekeeping" is an exquisitely written book. I can't really think of a writer whose skills compare with Robinson's talented use of language.

The novel is set in the small town of Fingerbone, and the family home is set next to a daunting and often deadly lake. The descriptions of the terrain are quite amazing: "Buttercups are the materialization of the humid yellow light one finds in such places...but the deep woods are as dark and stiff and as full of their own odours as the parlor of an old house."

Ruthie--the sister who bounds closely to Sylvie, narrates the novel. Their home life is far from normal, and the sisters' opinions about Sylvie become a pivotal part of the story. Sylvie's failure to conform is acceptable only within certain boundaries, and once those boundaries are crossed there is no turning back. This is a story about conformity, loss, and identity. I heartily recommend this haunting novel. I read it many years ago, and just recently re-read it after I saw it on a top-100 best book list. I think I appreciate it more for the second reading--displacedhuman.