Customer Reviews

Divining Women

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had high expectations for Kaye Gibbons's first book in six years, as she is one of my all-time favorite writers. Divining Women does not disappoint.

The story: Mary is a young woman who grew up around wealthy, free-thinking relatives during the first part of the 20th century. One grandfather is a nudist, another plays host to the spirits who come through their house on the way to somewhere else in their afterlives. She has also enjoyed the benefit of a variety of strong female role models, including her mother and grandmothers. Due to WWI, Mary education is on hold. Her mother decides to send her to take care of her aunt (her mother's half-brother's wife), Maureen, who is heavily pregnant, in North Carolina. Maureen's husband and Mary's uncle, Troop, due to his upbringing and family history, is the worst sort of man: selfish, abusive, cowardly, and manipulative. He has constantly manipulates reality to suit himself and has gone through extreme trouble to crush every ounce of his wife's spirit and passion. As the women's relationship develops, the influenza outbreak worsens, the war goes on, and they slowly learn from each other and band together against the evil in their lives.

This novel is dark, but it would be unrealistic if it were otherwise, as it takes place in a dark time: during World War I, in the midst of the influenza breakout. Gibbons draws off her own experiences with love, heartbreak, and renewal, as well as tragic events of modern times, such as September 11th. Her writing is magical, beautiful, and masterful. I often found myself reading the same passage over and over to ensure that I got every drop of enjoyment out of it. Unlike other reviewers, I found the characters to be completely unique, but utterly believable. Gibbons uses humor as well as tragedy to construct an amazing, gratifying, and empowering story. Additionally, the novel gives great insight into southern life in the early 20th century.

Although Gibbons has written many wonderful books, this is one of her greatest. It is easily one of the best books of the year, if not of modern times.

Mary is a young woman, sent by her mother, to help her Uncle's new wife through the end of her pregnancy. Uncle Troop is a proud, cruel man and his family cannot understand why his lovely wife, Maureen, married him in the first place. Troop detests his eccentric family, on his father's side, and was taught to hate them by his own mother. Mary is walking into a disastrous situation, but she has been raised to stand up for herself and others. Troop has met his match when his niece arrives at his home. She steers the destiny of the family in a new direction.

This is a book reminiscent of "Fried Green Tomatoes", not in timing, but in the relationship that develops between Mary and Maureen. It is a quick read, but written in lovely prose by Kaye Gibbons. Mary is a wonderful character who makes one proud to be a woman.

As a HUGE fan of Kaye Gibbons, I looked forward to enjoying this book as much as I had her previous works. Although the language and historical content were entertaining, I found the overall story to be dissappointing. Having left an frighteningly similar bad marriage, I can admire Ms. Gibbon's efforts to show that abuse is not always physical...and emotional and verbal damage can be equally as destructive. What frustrated me about this story was that Troop's wife Maureen suddenly finds the strength and self-confidence to change her life for the better (by leaving) but the source of her new-found conviction is never revealed or clarified. Although partially the result of Mary's arrival, it cannot be completely attributed to that. A woman who is bullied, victimized and balancing on the edge of insanity because of her husband's paranoia and insecurity suddenly decides to defend herself and leave the household? That doesn't seem plausible. If so - how and when did this inner transformation take place? Ms. Gibbons does not go into this as expected; her other novels have more in-depth character revelation. If an abused woman is looking toward this novel for inspiration, she isn't likely to find it.

Kaye Gibbon's newest book "Divining Women" does not disappoint! It's the story of a particularly disfunctional marriage durring WWI and the flu epidemic.

This book shoud be required reading by all young women who idealize marriage (they don't call it an "institution" for nothing!) and for whom marriage is being held up as a "goal" or a "prize" as in novels like "Bridget Jones' Diary" and ghastly TV shows like "The Bachelor" and "For Love or Money" and all that other wedding porn out there.

I'm a Gibbons fan, so I snatched this book up when I found it. Sadly, I found it wanting. It seemed choppy to me as though two books, about the narator's life and her life with her abused aunt were clumsily connected to each other. The characters are well-drawn and the dialogue good, but overall the book is weak.

I'm not normally one to post things on the internet. However, I must make an exception when it comes to my favourite author Kaye Gibbons.
I eagerly (and obsessively) awaited the publication of her latest novel. Of course, it was worth the wait. Yet again I feel validated as a woman, capable of anything, and am more keenly aware of the influence my life has on the males in it and vice versa.
Ms. Gibbons writes the most darkly, inspiring stories in the most beautiful way. It's not just what she writes but the way she writes it. Thank you, Ms. Gibbons and when can we expect more?

The first thing I had to do with this book was create a genealogy chart. Then I went back and started reading it over again. That done, I was finally drawn in. The beginning, with the flashbacks of how dreadful Troop's mother was, struck me two ways. First, however evil she was, her character was simply too cardboard to support what her son became. Second, I loved the way that, in contrast, the household in Washington was developed. Mary's mother, two sets of grandparents, and their free-thinking circle, were delightful. I don't know how believable it was that a well-known nudist and his family would appear so often (or perhaps Nora made that up too!) in the newspapers, or dine so often in society or diplomatic circles. I think Washington may have been too "proper" then, as now.

Mary's fear of Troop turned out to be very well founded. Her concern for Maureen was every bit as well founded. Troop's character was a little less cardboard than that of his mother, but not much. We saw more of him, saw that in his business dealings he was more or less a success. At least enough so that he could build a large impressive house for his wife. One interesting clue is that the house was originally built with a bedroom for him and a bedroom for her. She had no say over the rest of the house, but was allowed to decorate hers as she saw fit. Apparently this was because theirs was an asexual relationship until he decided to allow her a child before forcing a hysterectomy on her. And I agree with other reviewers that this is an excellent example of a verbally abusive marriage. The verbal aggression stole all the things he professed to care about her when he married her. But indeed, he never cared about her, because he was not capable of caring. Notice I don't use the word love because that never entered into his calculations at all.

The fact that the primary action of the novel takes place in Maureen's room, until she has already, with Mary's help, decided to take back herself, is important. That room she has created to get away from him finally becomes just too claustrophobic. She has to break out, and knows that she will, after the baby frees her from her body.

I didn't give it more stars because I found some of the language jarring. It just didn't "feel" like 1918. I know there were feminists then, and sadists then, and women's friendships forged in the oddest of circumstances. But it is only the last that I really believed in in this story.

Something evil this way comes.
There is something about a book that portends disaster and then gently lures you to observe the trecherous event. Kaye Gibbons has crafted such a beguiling tale of madness and redemption that I couldn't put it down.I wanted to,I couldn't stand to see Maureen slowly pulled towards the destruction her husband Troop seemed bent on delivering. Mary Oliver,Troop's 22 year old niece has entered the household so she can be a companion and help to Maureen as Maureen prepares to deliver the couple's first child.Mary is clear eyed and feels the heaviness in the air....and witnesses the malevolence in Troop's actions. She is determined to shield Maureen and her child from the madness that slowly reveals itself and threatens the household. This book was so well paced and so intriguing that I couldn't put it down.I wanted to avert my eyes but I was pulled in and had to know the outcome. A spellbinder!

In a time when we are "breaking the silence on domestic violence," it is especially poignant that Ms. Gibbons would so aptly express the psychological symptoms of a verbally abusive relationship. As a woman who made the difficult choice to leave such a relationship, I find that her insights into the paradoxes of such a complex volley of dimunuitive self-esteem are rare. Rare enough and so juicily described that I wonder if she herself or someone she has known has ever suffered such violence firsthad.

It is a remarkable challenge to the strength of women, and regardless of the WWI area setting, is an amazing commentary on women of any area. Thank you, Kaye, for helping me put words to something I thought no one else could ever understand.

First, let me say that I LOVE Kaye Gibbons and have read all of her books, so naturally I couldn't wait to get my hands on this, her latest.

I was slightly disappointed because I thought it wasn't nearly as powerful as some of her previous novels. BUT: I enjoyed it and gained some insights into the terrible harm that verbal abuse can produce.

And: Kaye Gibbons is STILL one of my favorite authors.