Customer Reviews

Father Melancholy's Daughter

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I first read FMD ten years ago when I was a young mother. I found it hard to read then, with the abandonment of a child so intimately described, but was glad I pressed through to the wonderful end. Last month, I read Evensong and went back to read FMD and found it even more wonderful, the second time around. It is so seldom these days that such a kindly book comes along that handles tough themes with tenderness and grace. I especially liked the way G Godwin allowed Madelyn to return and reveal Margaret's mother to her. On my second reading, I was much less judgemental myself, much more understanding of Ruth. It made me examine my own relationship with my own daughters, and how long has it been since a novel has made me do that? Too long, I think.

I enjoyed this book very much. It reads more like poetry than narrative, and the emotions as well as the world around the main character's life are beautifully penned. As a result, it was a bit slow in parts, but that was appealing because of the beautiful way she writes. Sometimes this book is much more about the thoughts, feelings, and observations during a 16 year period of a strikingly mature young woman than it is a story in which a lot of events actually happen. Also, you will get a lot more out of the book if you are familiar with literature and Christian religious history/terminology. A lot of that went over my head, but I caught some of it, and what I didn't catch I could still see meaning in. By the same token, pastors and others who love religious philosophy will probably immensely enjoy this book. I already bought the sequel, Morningsong, and am looking forward to having time to read it. (I already read the first few pages right after finishing this one, just to see if she married between the 1st and the 2nd, and if so, to who!)

A wonderful narrative story, told from the point of view of Margaret, who is the precocious and intellectual daughter of an Episcopalian minister. The story is intertwined with issues of a deeper spiritual nature, but there's nothing "preachy" about it -- just the true soul-searching of a young woman sifting through the stories of her past and the beliefs she was raised with to find her own place in the world.

This story hinges on the scene where young Margaret childishly tries to "punish" her mother for having to share her mother's affections with her mother's eccentric artist friend who blows into town and changes all their lives. Tragically, it is the last time Margaret sees her mother. It may sound melancholy at first, but there is much more to this story than the tragedy of a girl who loses her mother in childhood.

As all good stories often do, it ends with some surprises, and leaves just the right amount of burning questions unanswered. Look for the sequel, and find Margaret grown up and still struggling with the echoes of her past in "Evensong."

I've just finished "Father Melancholy's Daughter, and it leaves me hungry to find and read everything else its talented author, Gail Godwin, has written.

Margaret Gower is the product of an unusual single-parent household. Her mother, Ruth, left town with an old friend, Madelyn Farley, abondoning six-year-old Margaret and Margaret's father, an Episcopal priest prone to bouts of clinical depression. "Father Melancholy's Daughter" tell how Margaret has grown up as her father's daughter, his friend, and sometimes his protector, while the two of them wrestle with the question of why Ruth deserted them--questions that must go unanswered because of Ruth's death in an automobile accident some months after she leaves.

Set in the small Episcopal parish of St. Cuthbert's in a small Southern town, Romulus, "Father Melancholy's Daughter" brilliantly captures both the outward details and the inner truth of the life of faith. I, a lifelong Episcopalian, found every detail to ring absolutely true, from Father Gower's concerns about liturgical revision to the sometimes petty bickerings of his vestry (the parish council in an Episcopal church). Margaret's quest to understand the failure of her parents' marriage, to come to terms with Madelyn Farley, and to find her own identity, takes place within the context of a quest to come to a mature Christian faith of her own.

The characters, like real human beings, are complex and contradictory. As the story unfolds and new revelations about them are made, the reader must constantly expand his understanding of the Gower family, Madelyn Farley, and the parishioners of St. Cuthbert's. They became so real to me that I wished there were some way to introduce Fr. Gower to my own parish's rector and listen in on their conversation.

Margaret's quest comes to a satisfying conclusion as she becomes her own person, incorporating the contributions of both her parents' and others' influences on her life to start living out "the grace of daily obligation".

It's seldom that a novel not only entertains me but also feeds my spiritual life. "Father Melancholy's Daughter" did both.

While I enjoyed Father Melancholy's Daughter, I found the story left its emotional mark on me. I often find myself drawn into books, but this one was surprisingly so. I actually found myself sad at the things Margaret had to experience, including those she seemed to choose for herself.

As an evangelical Christian, I found the spiritual dimension to be particularly deep, despite my lack of understanding of the Episcopal church. I especially resonated with the woman who discovered while doing laundry with monks that *she* is not responsible for finishing the task, only for performing her part of it.

I think this book is definitely worth reading, but it's not light summer fare. Be prepared to grieve with Margaret.

"Father Melancholy's Daughter" is not for everyone, but it is rewarding and it is thought provoking. It is also well-written and a believeable book. A little of the storyline: a young woman, Ruth, marries an older Episcopalian minister, who has significant bouts of depression. The two have a precocious daughter, Margaret. After a visit from a college friend (Madelyn Farley), Ruth leaves her family for a "vacation", but never returns. How do you cope without a wife/mother (at age 6!)? Why did Ruth (wife/mother) leave, and what does life mean now without her. The religious background is accurate and engrossing. The father is a wonderful minister. We should all be so lucky to have a caring and compassionate religious figure in our lives. However, Margaret has to be an old soul to be so mature and to handle her life (and the church groupies) with such grace. Still, I found Margaret's character refreshing for her dignity, humor, and insight into her religious world. The questions are will Margaret find true love? Will she repeat history like her mother? You will need to read the book to find out.

Having read all of Gail Godwin's novels, I would rank this and Evensong as her best effort in capturing the essence of a half dozen characters - characters we come to care about and identify with, flawed though they may be. The novel is a celebration of brokenness and of nurture within the community of Christian believers in Godwin's ficticious town. Unlike one's experience with formula fiction (and Christian formula fiction in particular) the reader is surprised by who ends up wearing the white hats at book's end. Godwin's message (thesis) is inclusive and moving in its reality: we are all fellow strugglers in a world most often ruled by random events.

I loved this book. I read it as a library book, but now will buy it! As I said in the title, she manages to cover it all, all the questions/quests of life, and does so in an authentic, Christian way--and in an engaging way! Rather a cross between John Updike, John Irving, and Susan Howatch! As a clergyman, I will recommend this for "my" congregation's book club. Amen!

I thought this book was an excellent study of a father-daughter-mother relationship. I too was exasperated with Margaret's seeming to cross over to the "enemy's" camp, but the complexity of human behavior is reflected in this story. People do seemingly irrational things at times, but there are reasons for their behavior. This story reads quickly and is very easy to get involved in. The characters are believable. I enjoyed the insight into the daily lives of pastors and their families. I also recommend Evensong by Gail Godwin which is a sequel to Father Melancholy. However my favorite book by Gail Godwin continues to be The Good Husband.

This story may sound melancholy at first, but there is much more to this story than the tragedy of a girl who loses her mother in childhood. As all good stories often do, it ends with some surprises, and leaves just the right amount of burning questions unanswered.