Customer Reviews

The Sheltered Life

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A fairly dry story which takes place in the early 1900's to the brink of WWI in Virginia. It is about women, and their relationships ( or lack thereof ) with men. However, the focus is on the youngest, who is 8-years-old at the start of the story.

The 8-year-old becomes acquainted with her mother's best-friend's husband. Through the years they are close and share a close bond. Eventually, she falls in love with him despite knowing she shouldn't. Not until the daughter comes of age, and the wife finds out, tragedy strikes.

The title, I believe, comes from the lack of the exposure and isolation that the girl received. She knows little about except her small environment. I think this parallels the current attitudes that was prevalant in those days about not wanting to talk about troubling things, especially by women.

Overall, the first half of the book was exceedingly dull and a bit confusing. There was a time when I almost considered putting it down, but I am glad I stuck with it. There are many nuggets of wisdom about life and man/woman relationships that can be found in the book.

This book is primarily about women agonizing over their relationships with men. It takes place in Virginia, maybe around the 1900's??? The main character is a child, Jenny Blair, who eventually grows up into a young girl experiencing her first love -- the handsome husband, a philanderer, of a neighbor woman whom she admires for her beauty. This woman Eva, has her own problems -- her marriage to George. She has given up everything ( a potential singing career) for the man she loved and married, George. But George married her for her perfect beauty and sweetness, and now all that is fading. Eva knows that her husband is having numerous affairs, but continues to play the perfect wife and not outwardly recognize the failure of her marriage. Eventually, in coming of age, Jenny Blair at 17, falls madly in love (her first) with George. This leads to tragic consequences. There is also, Jenny Blair's grandfather, a thoughtful 83 old gentleman, who constantly re-hashes his life and what it means to grow old.
Although well written, it's all been said before. I found it all quite banal and tedious, and rushed through the book, skipping lots of trite dime-store psychology!