Customer Reviews

The Real Minerva

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Life in 1920's Minerva, Minnesota--the fictional town in which the action of Mary Sharratt's The Real Minerva unfolds--is hard on those who are not fortune's favorites. Teen-aged girls mooning over matinee idols turn quickly into hardened farm wives with work-ravaged hands and too many children. But more onerous than the simple demands of survival in a difficult environment are the constraints imposed by the small town's repressive society, whose members abhor and squelch diversity and police behavior with vicious gossip and shaming. The three women on whom Sharratt's quietly suspenseful novel focuses are each eager to be free of the confinements imposed on them from without, to shed their identities and become reborn, to have possibilities open before them. Of the three, former Chicago society matron Cora Egan has largely succeeded in shedding her past by the time the novel begins. Having fled, pregnant, from her abusive husband, Cora settled on her grandfather's farm, which she now operates by herself, doing men's work while dressed in men's clothing. Since she has elected to live outside the roles prescribed by society for women, Cora is despised and feared in Minerva--a situation which has the potential to make her life not only lonely but dangerous. Cora is joined on the farm eventually by fifteen-year-old Penny Niebeck, who is herself fleeing the shameful behavior of her mother--an affair with a married man--which threatens to render them both outcasts. Together Cora and Penny raise Cora's infant daughter, working hard but happily--an idyllic period that readers will constantly sense is threatened by the potential re-appearance of the baby's abusive father.

Mary Sharratt's novel is about repression and rebirth and heroism, about the difficulty of simple living in early 20th-century, rural America, about the relationship between parents and children and the nearly insuperable obstacles that can rise up between people incapable of communicating. And it is about how a life's course can be altered irrevocably by a handful of choices. Despite the weight of the book's subject matter and the casual cruelty and violence it depicts (but does not wallow in), the story Sharratt tells is ultimately uplifting. Her heroines persevere and finally survive, scarred but strengthened by adversity, adopting in their different ways the strategies exemplified by the characters of Athena (whose Roman counterpart, Minerva, lends her name to the characters' home town) and Penelope in Homer's Odyssey. (Throughout much of The Real Minerva Penny is in the course of reading the epic, and Sharratt weaves the stories of Athena and Penelope lightly into her narrative. My one complaint about Sharratt's novel is that her Odyssean references sometimes struck me as forced.) The Real Minerva is a rich, beautifully written novel, and it is highly recommended.

Reviewed by Debra Hamel, author of Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in Ancient Greece

I read this novel in a single afternoon, utterly paralyzed by the consuming story. It's a wonderfully satisfying novel, descriptively rich but spare of conventional sentiment whilst achieving a holistic view. If you liked Kent Haruf's "Plainsong," then you are certain to be mesmerized by Sharratt's "The Real Minerva." And, if you hated the Haruf, you still should read the Sharratt.

Life in small-town in Minnesota was, of course, surfeit with gossip, hidden drama and repressed sensibilities. Sharratt's novel captures all of this but rather more in their grandure than their conventional tawdriness. Minerva is the most alive small town I know -- fictional or otherwise. The protagonists in this book will win your heart but not through cheap sentiment.

The Real Minerva is just that--a real book. Not pretentious, not attempting to ride the trends, not obsessed with overblown language solely for the glory of its author. Not an unreadable creation for people who want to impress their peers by waving around a copy of the latest, hot-for-no-good-reason literary novel.

It is, instead, a story as unforgettable as any fairy tale we heard as children, peopled with characters who not only come immediately to life--they come to live with you. It is a lovely, satisfying story which reminds us that suspense--wanting to know what happens next and being unable to put down the book--doesn't depend upon noisy, gimics.

Mary Sharratt's voice is uniquely her own, yet her work resonates with the marvelously old-fashioned quality of good storytelling. There is not a wasted word here, and you'll find yourself rereading passages, not because you didn't understand, but because the language is so lovely, in such an understated way--like a perfect little black dress.

Don't miss this one!

Having read Mary Sharratt's first book, Summit Avenue, I expected strong female characters--what amazed me was how different, how individual the heroines of The Real Minerva were. How unique this second novel is--it shows new aspects of life as a woman in the beginning of the 20th century, the hardships they face, the decisions they make. Cora, Penelope and Barbara are brave, complex characters, surrounded by a cast of well drawn secondary characters; Irene, Mr Hamilton, the town gossips, Dr Lovell, all are real, breathing people.

The Real Minerva has a rich, compelling plot that keeps you reading. Sharratt has managed to write suspense on every page, with careful word choice and precise use of metaphor. She depicts so many fascinating characters, scenes and events without using one word more than necessary, something few authors manage to do. And she has fun with subtle literary allusions and entertaining coincidences.

Overall an excellent book, heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time, and great fun to read. I can't wait for Sharratt's next novel.

One day I'd like to drink wine from acorn cups with Mary Sharratt.

I absolutely love this novel. The storyline was compelling, with just the right balance of suspense and lyricism. The characters were marvelously well-drawn, full and deep. And what I admire is that she manages to include so many people, bringing them all to life. Even minor characters like the Mexicans, Mrs. Hamilton, Irene's sisters, Mrs. Ellison, Dr. Lovell, and on and on. It's a full cast.

The language was spot on for the place and time, very rich with imagery, food, aromas, and associative (and thematically persistent) literary/artistic references (Emerson, The Odyssey, Great Expectations...) I appreciate that she maintains what is becoming a sort of signature style for her, with the myths and legends and wive's tales and oral narratives and ballads woven throughout. Plus, what I really admire, is that she introduces a new element to it as well with the piano and singing (I love Mexican corridos and cancions) and music, whereas in "Summit Avenue," her previous novel, it was mainly books.

Her metaphors are as gorgeous and telling as ever - the sweat dripping down their faces like snail tracks in the powder and rouge, the obedient little wind-up dolls, dutiful soldier, the iron pump that brayed like a donkey - to name just a few that stuck with me.

She really handles backstory (Cora's, Barbara's) well.

The themes were interesting and thought-provoking. It moved along but kept me thinking on another plane at all times. It plays with the issue of identity and gender roles in so many different ways, reminding me in a good way of Louise Erdrich's last novel. SPOILIER THAN THOU ALERT ----------- And there were so many wonderful parallels and circles: Mrs. La Plant and Mrs. Deal in the beginning in Renfew's operating like a Greek chorus with their gossip, and then again at the end; Penny's shapeshifting after the murder a la Cora's shapeshifting; Father Bughola's homilies - and then he ends up knocking that woman up in the end (HA!); the way Penny is begging for her mother to come back just as her mother was begging for her to come back earlier, the way she got her first menstrual period at the same time she kills Cora's husband, the way the 13-year-old Phoebe in Mexico is faced with the same dillema with Penny as Penny was faced with in front of the cabin when Jacob and Cora's husband showed up out of nowhere... ------------------ END OF SPOILIER THAN THOU ALERT

(Oh, and she just had to get a cow in there, didn't she?)

Other fondlynoteds:

The Houdini tie-in was crafty.

I like Dr Lovell.

I'm glad she included a fairly decent man, even though he is not entirely without fault either. She was very realistic with him. He is a product of that time and place, but seems to be kindlier than just about everyone else in Minerva.

That 'Gallery of Love' scene. Hee.

The little wooden flying bird milagro.

The nine geese dream.

"Father's wedding ring glinted in the weak sunlight..."

Barbara's hairs everywhere, stirring her cauldron, the whole witch scenario in Irene's mind.

The way she foreshadows. The black hairs. The rifle. The Sleeping Powder. The berry stained hands and the blood red cardinal...

I could go on.

What are you waiting for? Read this book.

Mary Sharratt is the up and coming queen of early twentieth century mid-western American fiction. She weaves together a rich tapestry of painstakingly researched facts, mythology, folklore and feminism. While her first book explored the intricacies of lesbian relationships in the early 20th century, this one concerns friendship and the often times rocky relationship between mother and daughter. It is about a girl coming of age and accepting her mother's sexuality. A woman making it on her own after surviving abuse. Unresolved resentment. Lust. Incest. Violence. Murder. Infanticide. Colorful characters thrust into vivid by-gone era scenery. All the good things that make for an absolutely enthralling novel, and yet, it is also more than that. For those who are willing to look, it also contains insights and observations into the human condition. Excellent and highly recommended!

"She's your angel. She saved us both." These are the words we read in the prologue of Mary Sharratt's captivating second novel, The Real Minerva. The woman who speaks shows her daughter, the prologue's narrator, a photograph of the angel, "...taken before she vanished from Minerva and embarked on her long journey." From that moment, we understand that in this story someone will be saved, but something - or someone - will be lost.

The novel centers around the lives of three women - fifteen year-old Penny, her beautiful but emotionally hardened mother Barbara, and Cora, a wealthy socialite who has fled her abusive husband - living in Minnesota in 1923. These characters spring to life on the very first pages and from there grow in depth and complexity. Cora is pregnant, a secret she hopes her brutal husband will never learn. She plans to raise her child alone on her grandfather's farm. Penny's relationship with her mother is troubled in ways far beyond those of a normal young teen and her parent. Barbara is having an affair with the married man they clean house for, and Penny's disgust and disillusionment push her into a terrible quarrel with her mother. Penny runs away to Cora's farm in answer to an ad Cora has placed for a hired girl, and in this encounter we glimpse how deeply their fates are intertwined.

Sharratt masterfully shows us how the world sees these three women, how they see each other, how they see themselves. She depicts what we think we already know - that people judge us, that they see us through the lens of their own need to conform. But then she deftly pulls us into the shoes of both judge and judged

There is nothing extraneous here. Even the secondary characters exemplify change and loss and possibility. The story cannot move forward without them. Irene, the bitter daughter of Barbara's employer, along with Cora's husband Adam remind us the dark side of passion is rage. Cora's interaction with the migrant workers who come to help with the harvest shows us the woman she was meant to be. We wonder if this woman is lost forever, and the author means us to. Cora is at once driven and crippled by her fear and hatred of her estranged husband. She wants to save herself, but in the end she cannot. She is too broken. But more importantly, she is us. And through these characters we learn once again that we can run from our lives, but not from ourselves. We must face who we are and chose who we will become.

This story leaves its mark, a mark that honors those who are saved, those who save them, and the price each must pay. For in the end, there is always a price. The Real Minerva does not let us forget that.

Cora Egan has broken free of the restrictions of the well-bred society of 1920s Chicago. Though pregnant, she has run away from her well-respected (and abusive) husband, to live on her Grandfathers farm in Minerva, Minnesota. Emotionally wounded, she cuts of her hair and refuses to wear womens clothing, shedding all outward signs of her vulnerability. After her grandfathers death, she takes over the farm, doing all the work herself, even though pregnant. The townspeople offer no help, even at harvest time, as she has alienated herself from them by what they perceive as her disgraceful and shocking behavior. (It would be a lot easier to feel some sympathy is she let her hair grow back, Mrs. Deal said, and put on a dress. p.11)

Penelope (Penny) Niebeck is fifteen and longs to break away from an entirely different situation. Her beautiful mother, Barbara. is having an affair with their employer, the wealthy Mr. Hamilton. Penny is disgusted, horrified and guilt ridden with the knowledge. The fact that his wife is in a nursing home, dead to them mentally and dying physically, does not easy Pennys shame, but rather intensifies it.

After a violent altercation with Barbara over Mr. Hamilton, Penny leaves to answer Coras ad for a maid. Penny and Cora form a tight bond, Cora loosing her usual reticence with Penny and trying to encourage the girl to forgive and understand her mother.

A tragic chain of events starts with Mr. Hamiltons daughters discovery of the affair, and continues with Coras husband coming to demand her return. These events culminate in a manner that neither of the three women would have even imagined.

This is a dark book, with each womans life surrounded by violence of some sort, but hope still manages to shine through that darkness. Sharratt has written a many layered story, where joy and despair live side by side. Despite the rocky, difficult path that came before, the reader and the characters end with a feeling of alls well".

My major complaint with The Real Minerva is Sharratts sometimes strained attempts to tie the story to The Odyssey, with many references and quotes. To me, this just didnt quite work with the rest of the novel, it felt out of place.

Despite that, it is a well-written novel with some especially good and quite original descriptive phrases. My favorite is found on page one, Irenes hot breath, smelling of breakfast bacon, fanned Pennys cheeks". In addition, her depiction of the bonds of mother love and of female friendship was particularly apt and stirring. This was an oddly heartwarming book, with great depth, and I certainly look forward to reading Ms. Sharratts next novel.

Mary Sharrat has created female characters who confront their courage and hearts in compelling vignettes which form a suspenseful, whole story. Her language is taut and simple-- the women become guides to an era which comes, alive, too, as their tales are spun. Sharratt's seamless descriptions of this time and period gives the novel an aura that is fable-like, but the tensions and feelings soon pull the reader into an urgent reality full of human struggle.

A wonderful read,very engrossing. Ms. Sharratt is talented indeed.

Ms. Sharratt, because of the time and setting of her novel, will be undoubtedly compared to Willa Cather, but she writes with a voice that is all her own. The sense of place is indelibly evocative, but it is the characters who grab the reader and won't let go. Other readers have already done justice to the plot, so it would be redundant to rehash it here. Suffice it to say that this is one new novel that is not to be missed.