The Book of Mamie is the story of one person's struggle to overcome the abuse and traumas of her childhood. It is the story of a wonderfully gifted young woman, a young woman of genius, uncanny wisdom and primitive strength, whose revelations unfold in the course of an odyssey across the heartland of America. Mamie's story is told by her companion, a 15-year-old farmboy who shares her adventures with a wild variety of characters and whose own story becomes a rite of passage as they try to stay one step ahead of the law and Mamie's sinister father.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Set in northern Wisconsin, this picaresque yarn has the exuberance and broad humor of a folk tale. Mentally handicapped Mamie Beaver, sexually and physically abused by her farmer father, runs away with teenage farmboy Christian Foggy, the novel's narrator. Their developing romance is handled sensitively. On the road, the duo meet impresario Don Shepard, apostle of a secular religion of art, who lures Mamie away from Christian and features her as "phenomenon extraordinaire" in his Artlife theater, where she does halting imitations of Ophelia. At the opposite pole from Shepard is Robbie Peevy, a fire-and-brimstone preacher who incites crowds to burn books. Other eccentric characters--a crackerbarrel philosopher, a sadistic game hunter, a Valkyrian "pixie harridan"--expose Christian to the vicissitudes of life. Then first novelist Brenna ushers in a tragedy that facilitates self-understanding.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"The Book of Mamie...is a big, awe-inspiring, wonder-inspired story about American people in the heartlands." --Thomas E. Kennedy, from his introduction, 2006
"...a risky, graceful book...told in language that is lean and unpretentious." --New York Times
"Pilgrim's Progress mixed with some Tom Sawyer...a lusty, action-filled romp." --San Diego Union
"...a risky, graceful book...told in language that is lean and unpretentious." --New York Times
"Pilgrim's Progress mixed with some Tom Sawyer...a lusty, action-filled romp." --San Diego Union
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Go Along for the Ride...,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Book of Mamie: A Novel (Hardcover)
...with the magical Mamie Beaver and Christian. You will laugh out loud and be drawn into an adventure as wild and unlikely as any found in the pages of classic Americana. Brenna is masterful. You'll find yourself re-reading whole paragraphs just to savor the sound of the words and to linger with the delicious notions they provoke. This first book of fiction won the 1988 Associated Writing Programs Novel Award for good reason. The reader's in very capable hands from page one, as the details of Mamie's and Christian's journey unfold with equal measures of wisdom and hilarity. By page 338 you'll be a true believer that in life it's not the destination, it's the journey. Out of print but worth tracking down.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lovable & Unforgettable,
By Ricki R. Muller (Menifee, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Book of Mamie: A Novel (Hardcover)
A great adventure story about a girl who is the size of a linebacker and a boy who helps her run away. She is Mamie Beaver. He is Christian Foggy. Together they roam the countryside and towns of northern Wisconsin, staying a step ahead of Mamie's abusive father and the law. Brenna's picaresque tale carries the reader along on a sea of writing that is both simple and complex. The book brings to mind HUCKLEBERRY FINN & OF MICE AND MEN and the characters in it are just as lovable and unforgettable as Huck and Jim or Lennie and George. The book is a fast read and the reader doesn't want it to end. It makes you laugh and cry and laugh some more. The descriptions of Wisconsin are spot on and reveal a writer who is at the height of his powers and knows his territory. Among other things, this is a book about the power of movies. Mamie is a creation for the ages, part earth-mother, part genius who has uncanny abilities as a mimic. She becomes, in effect, the greatest actress who ever lived. Her chameleon voice and personality become known throughout Wisconsin and her fame as an actress seems destined to take her to New York or Hollywood. But her father also hears about her and he shows up in the town where she is performing and all hell breaks loose. THE BOOK OF MAMIE is the story of one person's struggle to find her place in the world and overcome the traumas of her childhood. It is a vigorous story about a wonderfully gifted girl and her awed companion, who uncovers her genius and falls madly in love with her. THE BOOK OF MAMIE a masterpiece and fully deserving of the AWP Award it won back in 1988. National Book Award winner Andrea Barrett calls it a masterpiece and she does not exaggerate a bit. How this wonderful novel can be out of print is a baffling mystery to me. It is definitely worth searching for. I've loaned my copy out several times and gotten nothing but raves from the friends who borrowed it.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lovable & Unforgettable,
By Ricki R. Muller (Menifee, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Book of Mamie: A Novel (Hardcover)
Mamie Beaver & Christian Foggy hook up in northern Wisconsin when Christian takes Mamie's father to her hiding place after learning there is a reward for finding her. She has run away from home and at first it looks like Christian is going to betray her simply because he is greedy, but when he sees how her father treats her, he helps her escape and the two of them manage to stay a step ahead of the menacing father and the law as they roam the farm country and towns of WI. One wild and wonderful adventure follows another and there is never a dull moment. Brenna's picaresque story seems to be influenced by Mark Twain's HUCKLEBERRY FINN and the characters that enter the lives of Mamie and Christian are every bit as memorable and fascinating. At times horrible and sad things happen and you'll find yourself in tears, at other times the book is so funny you'll laugh out loud. Brenna is a masterful writer. a born storyteller and THE BOOK OF MAMIE is truly the masterpiece that Andrea Barrett called it when she picked it for the AWP Award. I wanted the book to go on and on and I turned the final page reluctantly. I will never forget Mamie or Christian, a pair as captivating as Huck and Jim or Steinbeck's Lennie and George. Why THE BOOK OF MAMIE has been allowed to go out of print and is not available in paperback is a mystery to everyone I've talked to who has read it(and there are many of us out here). It is very strange that the publishing world hasn't been able to recognize what a goldmine it has in Brenna's lovable and unforgettable book.
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