Customer Reviews

Emmeline

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

 

 

Emmeline is one of the best novels of fiction I have ever read. I read it because I knew Judith Rossner was a good author, but was astounded at how this book kept my interest. If a book is not exceptionally good, I usually do not finish it. Emmeline was so good that I convinced my sister to read it (she usually only reads heavy reading like James Mitchner). She read it in one day. She loved it too. The ending is so very shocking, and really caught me off guard. I would read it again if I had the time, but want to read another Rossner.

I read this book at least 10 years ago, and had forgotten about it. Then recently there was someone with the name of Emmeline on television - no relation in any way, but it made me think of the book. I remembered the storyline and thought it unique, so I check Amazon, and of course, it was available. (And BTW, the book was advertised as "used", and I paid less than a dollar for it, but it was brand new.) :-)

All the other reviewers have done a great job of reviewing it, and I can't add to it, and only have one other observation. The first time I read it, I was so incredibly sad for Emmeline and felt depressed for days. Books do that to me sometimes. But now, years later, after reading it, altho' I'm still sympathetic, I was a bit annoyed at Emmeline. Both as a 13/14 year old, and as an adult. I know the attitudes of the times were outrageous.....like "confining" a pregnant woman when she started to show -- things like that. But I just wanted to shake Emmeline. I got a bit too tired of her intense "devotion" to Mr. Maguire, and then later to Matthew. Once she made up her mind, that was IT. I just found her a bit tiring now that I'm older and have grandchildren of my own. Still a good read, though.

This is one cold book. Probably says more about Rossner than "Looking for Mr. Goodbar". Everything is laid out very matter of fact, very dispassionate, stand back and away, look but don't touch, it might hurt. A must read, if just to wake one up to the cruelty of life.

What struck me about the book was how it ended the way real life does - not in a pat unrealistic romantic way, but having to come to terms with yourself and your decisions in life.

I read "Emmeline" about 15 years ago, and re-visited recently for my book group. I recommended it, but it was not chosen. At that time, we were reading books about women and the many societal judgments put upon them during the course of history.

Emmeline is a haunting book, and one that I can certainly never forget. In Judith Rossner's skillful hands, this morality tale is spun with a simplicity and honesty that resonates with the reader long after the book is closed. That it is a true story makes it all the more unforgettable.

Much is written these days about child abuse, and we as a society shake our heads and try to figure out ways to protect children. Back in Emmeline's day, children were not seen as individuals with rights of their own. Rather,they were almost seen as farm implements -- certainly Emmeline was. Her role was to help her family in any way she could, even if that entailed going off, alone, at the tender age of 13 to work in a factory. She was to send her meager wages home -- no thought of keeping any part of them for herself. Emmeline was extraordinarily close to her mother, as I was at that age, so it was not difficult for me to imagine how painful it must have been to have been sent away from the security of her home and mother -- her loneliness was so profound, and Rossner writes of it with such understanding, that one can picture how she could have been ripe for a master manipulator like Mr. Maguire. Yet, such is Rossner's compassion for her characters, we are able to see Mr. Maguire not as a great villain, but as a troubled individual every bit as lonely and isolated as Emmeline herself.

I will not "ruin" the ending for anyone who reads this. The second part of the book has already been much criticised, and I agree that it is not as well-written or realized as the first. Strangest to me was the lack of perception on the part of Emmeline's mother that something momentous had happened to her daughter. Perhaps she didn't want to know. At any rate, the ending is shocking, troubling -- but, unfortunately, true. Some people are destined for despair, and poor Emmeline was indeed one of those. Just another sad statistic in the country's annals of child abuse.

I read this book a long time ago. I lost my copy and often thought I wish I had that book to read again. Finally thought to look here on amazon.com and of course I found it. Definitely a book you will remember. I believe it is a true story of Emeline Mosher a 14 year old girl who is sent away to work in a mill & support her family. You won't be sorry you bought it.

This is one of the best books i ever read! It is based on a true story. The year is 1839. Emmeline is 13 years old, living on a farm in Maine with her family. Times are hard and Emmeline (who has never left Fayette, Maine) is sent to Massachusetts to work in a cotton mill to help support her family. I don't want to say too much, but i think anyone that loves reading will love this book!!!

I enjoyed this book for the most part and am glad to have read it but I was stunned by the ending, not having guessed it for a minute. Very powerful reading.

This book is divided into 2 parts. Part 1, Emmeline's life at the mill earning money to save her family. This section of the book was interesting and gripping. The lonely Emmeline, thrust into the strange world of the mill, reaches for comfort and ends up banished.

Part 2, Emmeline's return to her family. This part of the book was depressing and sad. Emmeline returns home but her family has grown up and away from her. She never feels comfortable sharing her experiences at the mill. Her mother has turned inward and her father isn't a warm person. When she finally finds love, it is only for a brief time. Emmeline's world is shredded by a shocking twist that forever isolates her from human contact. A major bummer of an ending!

I saw a television interview with someone who knew of the real Emmeline, so I'm convinced that it is based on a true story - unbelievable as it seems. The story has had a grip on me ever since - she was a victim of her times, her circumstances, and an incredible, unfortunate twist of fate.