From Publishers Weekly
This unpublished autobiographical first novel, written in 1928 by the author of The Yearling and Cross Creek, presents an illuminating look at the background and maturation of a writer who went on to pen an American classic. The first quarter of the narrative focuses on Rawlings's domineering, ambitious but spiritually empty mother, Ida, who became an overwhelming force in Marjorie's life. Ida's efforts to produce the girl of her dreams lead her to ignore her second child, a son. When Marjorie is in high school, Ida teaches her how to get dates with the most eligible young men. She's a master of stage-mother antics, which begin to backfire when Marjorie belatedly develops an emotional attachment to her father, Arthur, a school principal turned patent lawyer who frustrates Ida by spiriting his family off to a farm in Maryland. Ida's most serious setback takes place when Marjorie's overindulged ego begins to grow exponentially as she approaches college, threatening to overwhelm her budding literary talent. The constant tug of war between mother and daughter reaches its pinnacle when they pay so much attention to social climbing that poor Arthur dies of neglect from a kidney illness. The combination of two distinctly unlikable protagonists (Rawlings doesn't spare readers the uglier aspects of her behavior) and some stilted prose make this a tough read, but glimmers of Rawlings's promising future emerge in the graceful final passages when Marjorie goes off to live her own life after marrying a man her mother hates, and must come to terms with Ida's growing loneliness. Given what Rawlings went on to achieve, this seminal work constitutes a useful document for those interested in delving further into her unusual life. (Feb.)Forecast: A strong library selection and a likely university seller, this novel has historical literary value.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
In response to a contest in 1929, Rawlings submitted a manuscript entitled Blood of My Blood, which was returned to her with a rather terse letter indicating that it "could not hope" to win. Rawlings filed the manuscript away. No mention was ever made of it in her letters, biographies, or bibliographies, and even her editor, the famous Max Perkins, apparently never knew of it. It did not resurface until after her death in 1988. Essentially an autobiographical novel or memoir, the book details the rough and rowdy relationship Rawlings had with her mother, Ida, who comes across as a homely, domineering, and manipulating person. Rawlings struggles with her family as she develops into a gifted but egotistical writer trying to find her way. Only her father comes across sympathetically. The reader will get an early glimpse of a talent that went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for The Yearling and acclaim for her later nonfiction narrative Cross Creek. The only editing done to the manuscript was the correction of misspelled words. All literary collections will want this first work by a classic author. Ron Ratliff, Kansas State Univ., Manhattan
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
