Mrs. Somebody Somebody [Hardcover]

Tracy Winn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2009

In this astonishing debut, Tracy Winn poignantly chronicles the souls who inhabit the troubled mill town of Lowell, Massachusetts, playing out their struggles and hopes over the course of the twentieth century. Through a stunning variety of voices, Winn paints a deep and permeating portrait of the town and its people: a young millworker who dreams of marrying rich and becoming “Mrs. Somebody Somebody”; an undercover union organizer whose privileged past shapes her cause; a Korean War veteran who returns to the wife he never really got to know—and the couple’s overindulged children, who grow up to act out against their parents; a town resident who reflects on a long-lost love and the treasure he keeps close to his heart. Winn’s keen insight into class and human nature, combined with her perfect, nuanced prose, make Mrs. Somebody Somebody truly shine.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Winn's excellent debut collection centers on Lowell, Mass., as it evolves from a booming mid-century mill town to its scrappy contemporary incarnation. What remains constant are the characters, who cycle through the stories as they age, etched memorably by Winn, who nails a diverse swath of American life over some 60 years. In the title story, Stella Lewis navigates through often dicey situations at Hub Hosiery, a factory where she makes a close friend and learns the power of union allegiances. In Blue Tango, lovesick Dr. Charlie Burroughs, a Korean War vet, returns to his wife; in the following story, Glass Box, Winn portrays the marriage from Charlie's wife's perspective. Later, Winn checks in on the next generation of the Burroughs family, mired in frustration and longing. We also get to know factory workers and families affected by wars—from Korea to Iraq. Though Winn's prose sometimes gets away from her, her firm command of narrative and her ability to evoke emotion puts this high on the list of must-read story collections. (Apr)
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From Booklist

The mill town of Lowell, Massachusetts, is at the center of this collection of short stories tracing the economic deterioration of the town and personal distress as characters struggle with the rise and fall of their own personal prospects. The interconnected collection begins in the 1940s with Stella, an attractive young woman looking for a husband, who befriends Lucy, a southern woman surreptitiously looking to organize a union in a textile mill in the dreary Bleachery part of town. Across the Merrimack River in upper-class Belvidere Hill, Charlie Burroughs, son of the mill owner, returns from war in Korea to an unsettled household as his wife, Delia, emotionally drifts away. June and Norm DeLisle, visiting in Belize, are ultimately unable to escape the leaden drudgery of Lowell and their marriage. Over time, through the perspective of men, women, and children, Winn evocatively conveys the sensibilities and mannerisms of people of different classes and ethnicities in a small industrial town. --Vanessa Bush

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 189 pages
• Publisher: Southern Methodist University Press; First Edition. 1 in number line edition (April 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870745549
• ISBN-13: 978-0870745546
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,063,422 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful short story collection, April 1, 2010

By 

Quiltinfun (Franklin Square, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mrs. Somebody Somebody (Hardcover)

I just finished a very impressive collection of short stories by Tracy Winn, "Mrs. Somebody Somebody". Ten short stories set in Lowell, Ma from 1947 to present time. It begins with "Mrs. Somebody, Somebody" at the Hub Hosiery Mill where you begin to meet the cast of characters, in particular Stella and Lucy. Both women have a mission, one to find a husband who will give her all she wants from life and one who is seeking to get a better life for the factory workers by unionizing them. As you read through this story and each one after, you follow certain characters as they "grow". You meet the people they interact with and get to know a town that is shaped around the mills, their owners and employees.

A collection can sometimes be very disjointed; not so here. Tracy Winn , while delivering individual stories, weaves them together with the magic thread of her words. Early decisions create later consequences and complications for most everyone.

There are several stories that stood out for me "Smoke" and the final one "Luck Be a Lady" I am eager to have some of my book buddies read this collection of stories. There is a lot to discuss here. In particular, I need to know who is putting Barbie doll shoes all around Kaylene's car and why. I hope I have your interest now. I know you won't be sorry to read "Mrs. Somebody Somebody."

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mrs. Somebody Somebody, April 18, 2009

By 

Gertrude McCue - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mrs. Somebody Somebody (Hardcover)

This collection of short stories really seemed like a novel in a way. Each story was complete in itself, but also was tied to another, which I loved. Tracy Winn's portrayal of the emotional damage human beings inflict on each other was devastating. Absolutely beautiful writing.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mrs. Somebody Somebody is a book well worth reading, September 12, 2009

By 

Hope (Arlington, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mrs. Somebody Somebody (Hardcover)

Tracy Winn's book of stories are based around characters tied to the mills in Lowell, MA. Each is a different story about the main character within it. But all in some way tie back to the original title story's main character Stella; in a six degrees of separation sort of way. The notion of Stella's desire to be a "Mrs Somebody Somebody" seems innocent and understandable, yet as the rest of the stories unfold, the undertone I picked up on was, that our desires and wants while they seem like a good idea on the surface, may not turn out as you hope they will. Which is the case with an actual Mrs Somebody Somebody in the book.

Through her talent of story-telling, I felt I knew who these people were, especially of those depicted in the first story within the mills. Having had grand-aunts who worked the mills in Ipswich and hearing their stories about these times, Tracy Winn "nailed it" because she made me believe I was in that place & time. And that this could have been another story told to me by them.

Well done, I hope to see more writings from this author.