Customer Reviews

Sacred Country

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you think Rose Tremain's "Sacred Country" is anything like Virginia Woolf's "Orlando", you're wrong because Mary Ward didn't take centuries and successive reincarnations to morph into Martin. She had one mortal life to live and became Martin in that time. In short, Mary was a transexual, a boy trapped in a girl's body, who suffered great torment as a daughter to the brutish farmer, Sonny and his hapless spaced-out wife, Estelle who spends her life shuttling between the funny farm and home. Mary's struggle to come to terms with herself would have been intolerable in provincial Suffolk if not for the support of grandad Cord, schoolmistress Ms McRae and batmaker Edward Harker, all shining examples of humanity in a community constricted by a numbing lack of imagination. There's the goodhearted but dim witted and conventional minded Irene and the ever pragmatic Grace who hasn't the imagination to understand why her son, Walter needs to seek salvation in faraway Nashville as a country & western singer. Just as Mary finds her own support group, Walter relies on his uncle, Peter to inspire him. Even Timmy, Mary's brother, finally escapes to find fulfillment in a vocation that would break his father's heart. "Sacred Country" is a novel about the isolation and loneliness of non-conformists. The ghost-like figure of Livia (Estelle's mother, Cord's wife) symbolises the spirit of adventure and heroism. She hovers silently above the community like a big bird urging everyone to their own destinies. Mary took nearly three decades (from the day King George died in 1952) to become Martin. In that time, the world has changed, but have we ? "Sacred Country" is behind it all an ode to human courage. Tremain is a tremendous writer. She has written a novel that will endure. Highly recommended.

This is the first book that I've felt compelled to review here. That there are only two other comments is almost a crime, since this is a book any real fan of fiction should read. The writing is beautiful, creating images that remain long after you've stopped reading; the characters are all at once completely unqiue and yet you recognize yourself and those you know in each and every one of them. As the other reviews have mentioned, don't feel put off if you've never had any "gender identity" problems--as in any great novel, the plot itself is merely the skeleton. At the end you realize the book in your hands is a shimmering, living thing.

Normally books about people trying to "find themselves" do not appeal to me. I'm a reader of historical fiction - thus I discovered Rose Tremain through Music & Silence (Excellent) and Restoration (wonderful read). I purchased this book simply because of the author. When I got it and read the covers, I thought "I've been gipped, this isn't what I wanted" - However, after just a few pages, I was pulled in. Mary/Martin's struggle with gender reflects every individual's struggle to become who they think they are meant to be. Gender identity is only a tool here; it is not the focus of the book. The English farm, the repressed family, the country music scene in Nashville are a perfect backdrop for the inner struggles of characters such as Mary and Walter. The author paints such a realistic picture: Struggles are hard and probably never ending. The book also demonstrates the importance of the "one person" in someone's life who can make such a difference -- in small and often unknowing ways. I can't say I loved this book, but I can say that I am so glad I read it. The world is filled with Marys and Walters, and there is a bit of them in each of us as well. The perspective this book brings is right on target. Rose Tremain is truly a great writer.

when i heard that we had to read a book about a girl who wants to become a boy for english class, my first instinct was that the book would be bad, a simple stereotypical novel that would fail to convey more than that. in fact, it turned out to be quite the contrary. i should have had more faith in my teacher. anyway, this book is simply marvelous. the story is about so much more than just Mary/Martin; the quest for identity affects Tim and Walter as well. all the characters in this book are so real and each amazing in his or her own way. i know this is a poor review and does not do the novel justice, but i just wanted to add my 5 stars to the average. this book is not to be missed.

Sacred Country is one of the most profound novels I have read. I first read the book at a time in my life when identity was a vague notion I could not define. Sacred Country, with its hero/heroine of Martin/Mary encouraged me to find exactly what it was I was looking for, and to be selfish in going to find it. As a girl, Mary is troubled and tortured and as a man, Martin is content but far from happy. Rose Tremain weaves her plots with an intimacy which is astounding and the voices she gives her characters are utterly real. As an introduction to the author, you will not be disappointed (be sure to endure the first chapter, though) and if you're expanding your Tremain library then this is a must-have. One of my favourite novels of all time.

I completely agree with the five or six other reviews of this book for two reasons, one that it's an absolutely wonderful story and two that it's a shame that more people haven't reviewed it. It's one of those rare books that will capture you until you read the last page. The characters, as well as their relationships are so well crafted that you don't want them to end. It so touching and human that I can't imagine anyone would not fully enjoy it.

This is one of the most amazing books I have ever read. For the week it took me to read I was part of Mary/Martin's life. This is not just a book of gender identity, but of the obstacles of life and growing up. Rose Tremain takes us through the amazing and painful journey of a 6 year old girl who makes the realization that she is really a boy through the characters early twenties where she is in the process of becoming a man. Although his/her father always wanted a boy and blames her/him for the fact that he doesn't have one, his/her realization is not one that he would ever accept. It has been over a year since I read this book and although I have never had gender identity problems, or actually really known anyone who has, Mary/Martin is still a frequent visitor to my thoughts.

I loved this novel. I haven't read it recently so some of the details are fuzzy but I do remember being amazed by the story and the author's writing style.

"Sacred Country" is about a young girl, Mary Ward, who, at the age of six, realizes that she should be boy. The book is a chronicle of her life from that point on. I found the detailed descriptions of the odd things that captured Mary's curiosity as a child (and as an adult, in a different way) intriguing. I won't lie, this is a very sad story at times, and is hard to read in some parts because of Mary's loneliness. The loneliness is never stated and packs a harder punch because of it. All in all, this book explained to me in stunning writing, the process of finding all of the right worlds in oneself. And, dealing with them when they don't fit or express into a manageable form to the outside world. It is a coming of age story to the self and to life. I like to read to learn - about happiness, sadness, life - this book delivered in a big way for me.

Granted, a happy ending is far from what I expected when I started in on this book, nor do I normally expect happy endings from modern novels. I was somewhat apprehensive about reading another book about someone finding himself, but I'm quite glad I did. Tremain's novel unfolds quietly, without great pomp, and pulls you in through carefully-crafted characters that feel like real human beings. I found that the more I read, the more I wanted to keep reading, and it's been quite a while since an author's managed to accomplish that for me. While Mary/Marty's story is interesting, I find the "support cast" more intrigueing, potentially because Mary/Marty somehow ends up a bit hollow, a bit shallow; his only desire, as human as it may be, is to settle down with a girl.

Other characters in the novel go through ups and downs, as well, but most seem to have either arrived at a place of contentment (or, at least, contentment with their discontentment) or are portrayed as being in a transitional place. Mary/Marty probably wouldn't bother me so much if he wasn't trans. The fact that he has no real ambition and has only the most basic of desires--to find a mate--strikes a sour note into this otherwise beautifully-written novel. Just as many queer characters tend to end up with less-than-happy endings, so Mary/Marty ends up alone and content with loneliness. Perhaps I'm being a bit paranoid here, but that strikes me a bit too much like a conservative message wrapped up in what looks to be a progressive novel.

Nonetheless, the book is well worth the read, especially for the glimpse into changing views on and roles of masculinity within English culture after WWII and as industry started to take over smallholdings in rural England. I'd give it 3-1/2 stars if I could, but since that's not an option, I'll go with 4 for the smoothness of the prose, the complexity of the characters, and sociological value.

This book has few competitors. Tremaine manages to detail the sorts of thoughts that crawl around in the back of people's minds but never make it to articulation. I recommend this book to anybody.

As a young FtM myself, I have cast around for books with trans characters that are accurately depicted and compelling as characters themselves, not because they have an exotic quality. While the language that is used in some portions of the book, as well as by other readers and critics, disregards Martin's experience, Tremaine's character is the truest example of trans life that I have found.