Customer Reviews

Margarettown

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Gabrielle Zevin's debut novel tells the unusual story of N. and the woman (or women) he loves. He meets Maggie (nee Margaret) Towne in college, they fall in love, and she takes him home to meet the family. She's from a town called Margarettown and it is inhabited by 4 people; Old Margaret, the giggling youngster May, brooding teenager Mia, and the sour middle-aged Marge. The only one missing is the suicidal Greta. And they are all the same person, only at different ages. I'm not giving much away to reveal that these women are all the same woman ("you won't find a woman in the world that doesn't have a couple other women inside her," she says), however whether Margarettown is a real place or of N.'s invention is left in doubt. The explanation given by Old Margaret, of what happened to make her split into many different Margarets) is strange yet also strangely understandable.

This novel is a wonderful portrayal of how one's identity is effected by life experience and aging. At times I was afraid Zevin wouldn't be able to hold all her plots together but they came out at the end all neatly tied in a bow. This story is darkly whimsical and the writing lighthearted, yet poignant.

I was another person back then," people are apt to say when explaining past deeds or ideologies. It is interesting to explore this idea of who we are and how we are ever changing, sometimes radically, over time. Through the course of our lives we have many roles, we often feel or seem like very different people than we once were. But there is a constant, an essence of who we truly are. Gabrielle Zevin, in her amazing debut novel MARGARETTOWN, explores this theme from three different angles --- by looking at how one man understands the woman he loves, how that woman understands her emotionally fractured self, and how their daughter will use the story of her parents, especially her mother, in her own life.

When N. meets Maggie Towne, he is a graduate student teaching assistant and she is a mysterious undergrad. N. is both frustrated and entranced with Maggie and will continue to feel that way the rest of his life. Their relationship moves fast and soon N. is on his way to upstate New York to visit Margaret's family in a town called Margarettown. There, instead of her parents, he meets Margaret's "family," the women who occupy her life. Old Margaret, Marge, Mia and May all live together in a house called Margaron. There is one other, Greta, who went crazy and killed herself. Still, Greta's ghost, her presence, is strong in the house. N. comes to realize that all these women are Maggie, or better said, Maggie is all these women. May is the carefree child she was, Mia the pouty and artistic teenager. Marge is the disappointed middle-aged woman she may become and Old Margaret the peaceful, reflective old woman. Greta is the dark side of Maggie, her fragile self barely under the surface.

How is N. to navigate a life with Maggie when she is ever changing and unpredictable? Can he love the bitter Marge and the damaged Greta? In examining these questions N. examines the nature of partnership and unconditional love. He examines his own successes and failures with Maggie and tries to understand fully the complex woman he is in love with.

Here the reader understands that Zevin is writing broadly about the complexity of all women and the challenges of all loves.

N. is not merely recalling his life with Maggie, reminiscing about the past and their love. He is dying and Maggie is already dead, and he is compelled to share the story with their daughter, Jane. For Jane, this story --- the story of N., Maggie and Margarettown --- will become the story, full of contradictions and metaphors, of her family and the mythology of the mother she grew up without. For Jane, N. tries to capture the elusive nature of Maggie and the magic of their love.

Zevin's prose is lyrical, funny, simple, elegant and bittersweet. The plot is interesting, original and magical, although verging on being overly contrived at moments. N.'s tale is part truth and part fairy tale, and he admittedly bends or reinterprets the truth as he writes for Jane (N.'s sister Bess, while demonstrating Zevin's point about the evolution of a woman through her lifetime and the transformative power of love, also serves as a voice of reason asserting itself from time to time throughout the novel). The Truth, Zevin seems to say, is subjective and often not as essential as the details.

MARGARETTOWN is a lovely short novel, a new type of love story: filled with classic romanticism and postmodern cynicism and introspection. Zevin is clearly talented and her first novel is highly recommended.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

The novel Margarettown, written by Gabrielle Zevin was a very captivating story about the relationship of one man and one women with several other women inside of her. N tells a story about learning how to love multiple women in one, losing her, trying to get through a summer with her family (all females) and going through an affair.N begins writing this novel for his daughter so she knows every detail about her decised mother before he passes away. During the first 100 pages or so, I wasn't very interested in the novel. I found it to be moderately slow paced and dull. The main idea seemed ridiculous and I couldn't understand why it was recommended. Eventually it started to change pace and it became a lot more interesting. I felt that the interaction between the two main characters was very realistic even though it may seem completely fiction when you're reading it.
Since the author of the novel is a female, I found that one of the most compelling features of the book was that the story is told MAINLY from a male's point of view. At first I found that to be awkward, but after reading it I changed my mind. Once I completed this novel, I was very satisfied. It was a short book and an easy read. I felt that the ending was appropriate and realized that if the beginning didn't have so much stress on just two topics, then there would be no point to the story. This isn't an immature novel, but when recommending this book, I belive that the young adult reader may enjoy it a little more. Generally it MAY be more preffered to a younger audience. Overall, Gabrielle Zevin definately produced a great first novel that is worth reading.

My first exposure to this talented author was "Elsewhere", which I highly recommend. Because I loved her writing style, I decided to pick up her first book. It was completely different and not necessarily in a good way.

It was so odd that I'm not sure I even know how to describe it. Margarettown is a physical place, yet somehow a symbolic representation of the many facets of a woman's personality. Sounds a bit strange, right? It is. Parts of it work well....and other parts were confusing and seemed disjointed. I'd love an author explanation of what she meant!

I'd read "Elsewhere" again, but this book - no. Skip it or, if you must, read a library copy. She *is* a talented author so I'll be looking for her next release, coming soon!

Immediately after finishing this book, I wanted to read it again. Zevin takes us through a story of love, loss, and family in a twisting, funny, and honest journey. This is the perfect summer read that you'll be glad you bought in the fall.

I read this in a day. I'm not a rapid reader; I may read an abundant amount, but not in a short period of time. Not one single negative comment comes to mind when the word "Margarettown" is mentioned. I absolutely adored this book. Completely unconventional, very unique, and brilliantly written.

The characters are so believable and true, you feel like they are all close friends (yes, even fictitious...May, Mia, Maggie, Marge, Greta, and Old Margaret; crucial to the book!). I also respect how Zevin comes across as a genuine intellect, not narcissistic. New favorite writer anyone?

Surprised no one recommended this book sooner to me. Read it, now.

Different, thoughtful, big-hearted, elegant, and slim (in an era of doorstoppers). The prose is so spare: it somehow makes it easier to bring yourself and your own life experiences to your reading. More in the style of Big Fish, though thematically deeper. I just really really loved this.

I suspect that this is one of those books that people have to find on their own. As soon as I was done, I wanted to give it to my friends and family, because I wanted to discuss it with the people I love. I'm definitely going to check out the author's other books.

The blurb almost felt like one of those chain e-mails that clogs my inbox, part of which reads, "It is the story of what it takes to love the same person for a lifetime - and about the impossibility of really knowing anything about who it is we have come to love." You know the type. So why did I end up buying it? Because I'm a pushover for love stories, and it was the fact that this was unabashedly, unapologetically a love story that gave it its appeal.

Ms. Zevin's language is precise and appropriate, and she effectively uses this to explore what I think is a lovely premise for a boy-meets-girl story. Her protagonist is nameless, familiar, as we watch him fall in love with the equally familiar Margaret Towne, a woman who contains a world of other women inside her (and no, I don't mean in the schizophrenic or even alien-ish sense). Ms. Zevin addresses a lot of relationship issues in her novel. Margaret and her incarnations are engaging, and in a way, so is our narrator, who candidly claims, "Much as I hate to admit it, I was, at times, the villain in this story. At other times, I was the love interest (p. 32)."

Sadly, the story drags past our protagonist and his Margaret. While some of these chapters are actually insightful, I find that they diminish the story's impact. Thankfully, though, they're mostly short chapters, and I wasn't compelled to linger on these pages.

But just when I thought I was getting too much of those dragging chapters, Ms. Zevin hits me with one that reduces me into a sobbing mess. As I reread that particular chapter a few hours later I realized that while her words were simple, perhaps even maudlin to some, they radiated with love and trust and all that is good in the world.

True, at times I felt that Ms. Zevin belabored the point. I get it already. She sums it up quite well when she says, "Real love is not just instinct, but intent (p. 240)," but that doesn't stop her from coming up with many other permutations of this thought. Love is a choice. Love is an act of faith. Love is willing yourself to love. The sentiment is significantly moving in itself, but when repeated countless of times, it loses its color. Despite this, I have to give Ms. Zevin points for not losing her earnestness and spirit -- and most of all, her insight. It is in this regard that I think Margarettown succeeds. It is a no-commitment read, yes, but one that burrows itself into your memories, making it a tribute to all the people you've ever loved, even if you've only ever really loved one.

I rarely read a book in one day. This is the first in a very long time that I read in one sitting - it just carried me along. It is very . . . different. It's very much like being a passenger in a car when you thought you knew where you were going, but the driver keeps turning a different way. When you read it just go with it. You don't have to worry - the odd route is worth it.

I bought this book for my 12/13 year old grandaughter and it arrived in good condition. However when I read some of it I decided the material was not suitable. I think it is suitable for late teens rather than early teens. The book arrived in good time and was carefully wrapped.