Customer Reviews

Sister Noon

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3 star:		(1)
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Hugo Award winning author Karen Joy Fowler ("Sarah Canary", 1991) blends fact and fantasy in her bewitching third novel, "Sister Noon." Imagery, minute historical data, and dazzling prose abound in this story set against San Francisco's Gilded Age.

We meet 40-year-old spinster Lizzie Hayes, volunteer treasurer of the Ladies Relief Home, familiarly called the Brown Ark, a residential facility for homeless children made comfortable with donated furnishings representing "the worst taste of several decades."

Lizzie had been a "passive and biddable" child beneath whose "tractable surface lay romance and rebellion." She was now "hard to dissuade and hard to intimidate." Persistent when it came to raising funds for the Home, Lizzie lived in a dangerous place, a "city propelled in equal parts by drunken abuse and sober recompense," where there were six men to every woman and 700 gambling/watering holes.

Nonetheless, Lizzie is advised by Mary Ellen "Mammy" Pleasant that she can do anything she pleases, "You don't have to be the same person your whole life." This is apt tutelage from one who knows as that may be precisely what Mrs. Pleasant did. An enigmatic woman in life as well as in fiction, sometimes revered, at other times vilified, she has been called the "Mother of Civil Rights in California" and the "Fabulous Negro Madam." Born a Georgia slave, she cleverly amassed a fortune which she dedicated to favored philanthropic causes.

As this author imagines in "Sister Noon," Lizzie's life is changed forever when Mrs. Pleasant appears at the Home and asks for her. Although Lizzie has never spoken with the 70-year-old woman, she knew Mrs. Pleasant worked as a housekeeper although she "was rich as a railroad magnate's widow." It was said the infamous woman "had a small green snake tattooed in a curl around one breast.....she was a voodoo queen.....she would, for a price, make a man die of love."

Mrs. Pleasant has come to deliver 5-year-old orphan Jenny Ijub to the care of the home. Jenny is a mysterious child described as not quite truthful with her claims of once owning a pony, a parrot, and a silver cup. As time passes she is more and more given to restless nights, and her assertions grow more fanciful - her father "had been as rich as a sultan," she had seen fairies, ghosts, angels, and she didn't believe in God. When Jenny creates a ruckus at an outing, she claims that a man in green pants has tried to kidnap her.

Yet it is the little girl who becomes the catalyst for Lizzie's rebellion against the constrictive society in which she was raised.

"Sister Noon" is a superbly realized recreation of an 1850s San Franciso peopled by quirky, smart characters. Ms. Fowler, an author with practiced eye and arresting pen, has constructed a tale that absorbs, amuses, and sometimes skewers the complacent.

I knew two things after reading the first paragraph of `Sister Noon': That I was about to depart upon a strange journey, and that I would enjoy every word. I was correct on both counts.

`Sister Noon' is set in late Nineteenth-century San Francisco. The Civil War has been over for several years, the local population has grown, and the city is just discovering its identity. Whether they know it or not, people are becoming prepared for the new century, hanging on loosely to old ideas and ideals and sometimes resisting new ones.

Lizzie works at a shelter for mostly orphaned children. Lizzie is the classic spinster: only in her early 30's, she is already an old maid in the social circles of San Francisco, with no hopes for permanent male companionship.

A different type of companion arrives in the form of a little girl named Jenny. Jenny is brought to the shelter by a Mrs. Pleasant, a strange, beautiful woman who is rumored to be a witch, a voodoo priestess, or something even more bizarre. The introduction of Jenny and Mrs. Pleasant causes Lizzie to examine her own life in ways she had never before imagined, and call into question beliefs that were formerly firmly planted in her being.

Fowler is a master of the economy of words. She gives us just enough description of the characters and their surroundings without over-doing it. She expertly introduces marvelous characters and situations that draw us deeper and deeper into the story until the final page. Fowler creates a world from the distant past that is both familiar and strange. Perhaps her sparse description makes us hunger for more. Perhaps it's the eerie mood she creates out of everyday events and objects. However you label it, Fowler's writing is magic and addictive. Don't be surprised if you find yourself under Fowler's spell, buying all of her books. And what a great spell to be under. Enjoy.

336 pages

The storyline and the characters were intriquing enough to keep me reading all the way to the end. However, they were never fully developed and nothing was explained or resolved. I found myself wondering why certain characters and suppositions were thrown in since the author never went anywhere with them. Ms. Fowler should have taken time to at least connect some of the dots. She's too good an author to have presented this as a finished book! There are too many good books out there and too little time to read them. Don't waste you time on this one!

At the center of Sister Noon is the intrepid Lizzie Hayes, a member of the San Francisco elite with a lively and compassionate heart. Lizzie serves on the board of The Ladies Relief and Protection Society Home, known as the Brown Ark, an apt description of its somber but sturdy façade. The Brown Ark houses children whose parents are unable to provide for their basic needs, such as food and shelter. In 1890's San Francisco, Lizzie dedicates her days to good works, a respectable and valued member of society.

When Mrs. Mary Ellen Pleasant requests Lizzie's aid in placing a young girl, Jenny, at the home, Lizzie finds the child a bed and anticipates no complications because of her generosity. As it happens, Lizzie is indeed called upon to account for her decision. Later, as Lizzie's questionable relationship with Mrs. Pleasant becomes grist for gossip, Lizzie's first inclination is accede to the ladies' demands and shun the infamous Mrs. Pleasant. Yet she grows more uncomfortable with this compliance and a small rebellion seethes beneath her outwardly placid demeanor.

As for little Jenny, a five-year-old child of questionable parentage, she is a convenient target for the petty meanness of the other girls at the home. As a result, the tormented Jenny longs for escape to a place of safety.

When Mr. Finny, a shady con man, contacts Lizzie Hayes, he insinuates that there is reason to doubt her own personal history and hints at a possible connection to Jenny. Seeking more specific information via the household of Mrs. Pleasant, a woman, after all, who is privy to many of the city's darkest secrets, Lizzie is further confused, but determined to unravel the mystery that confronts her. A truly stalwart soul, Lizzie is eventually forced to act on her beliefs and consider a life-changing decision.

Sister Noon is peppered with idiosyncratic details at a time when newspaper articles include personal opinion, flowery verbiage and the excessive phrasing of a society far too conscious of its every nuance. Hyperbole is rampant, as well as the exaltation of virtue and condemnation of vice. The unconventional is suspect by its very nature and carefully scrutinized for the taint of immorality. Plainly, the upper classes are righteous busybodies who delight in destroying a reputation over afternoon of tea.

Fowler captures Victorian San Francisco beautifully. Her scenes are richly painted with historical detail and an extraordinary sense of place. The trivia and occasional drama of life in the Brown Ark is revealed in all its shabby refinement, dressed in good intentions, flaws hidden in shadowy rooms like unwelcome guests. This novel is a small jewel, awash with the restrained emotions so familiar in such a socially constricted society. Fowler's Lizzie Hayes rises above her circumstances, fulfilling the promise of a life honorably lived, her goodness sustained throughout in a personal triumph over circumstances.Luan Gaines/2003.

This is a very odd book. I bought it because I absolutely loved the Jane Austen Book Club. This book is nothing like it. The tone and feeling of the book is mysterious and secretative. You really don't know any of the characters and what their real stories are. The writing is very good and subtle. It slows you down, but not in a bad way. You just want to be sure you understand and fully appreciate every word before moving on. I like the character Lizzie even though she seems somewhat naive and believes too easily. The end seemed a bit rushed, but it was satisfying nonetheless.

Karen Joy Fowler's latest novel is truly a feast for the eyes. In her vivid, terse, yet lyrical, prose, she conjurs up a fantastic view of 19th Century San Francisco, as it evolves from a Gold Rush mining camp to the spectacular Gilded Age city overlooking the Golden Gate. Using her magical language, Fowler describes a San Francisco that is steeped in reality, yet also becomes host to the vodoo magic which Mrs. Pleasant may - or may not - possess. Like a former resident of the Bay Area, critically acclaimed novelist Jonathan Lethem, Ms. Fowler's work easily crosses over between genres, from fantasy and science fiction to mainstream literature. Hers is a distinctively original voice which deserves a wide readership.

The major strength of this novel is its eerily evocative prose. Fowler is one of those writers who makes novel-writing seem effortless. In addition, her writing style and stories are unique because of the seamless way she blends fact with fiction. This particular novel takes place in San Francisco in the late-1800s. It centers on a spinster named Lizzie who finds herself intrigued by one of the city's most notorious women. There are surprises throughout the novel, so I don't want to give too much of the plot away. But this type of story will appeal to three kinds of readers: 1) Someone who has read and enjoyed Fowler's other novels and short stories, 2) someone who likes novels that take liberties with historical facts in order to imagine a character's inner life and 3) a person who enjoys character-driven stories and is less concerned with plot.

_Sister Noon_ does follow some central plot threads, but the focus of the story meanders, and the end leaves things open. Anyone looking for a neat and tidy story where everything is resolved by the final pages OR anyone hoping for a conventional historical mystery/thriller would probably be disappointed in this novel. But those who enjoy stories that unfold like dreams (hazy and mysterious, but full of all kinds of possible meanings) will likely enjoy this book. Those who appreciate lyrical, elegant prose and subtle humor should also find _Sister Noon_ a worthwhile read.

One of my most eagerly anticipated books this year was Karen Joy Fowler's new novel, _Sister Noon_. Fowler is one of my favorite writers. _Sister Noon_ is set in San Francisco in 1890. The central character is Lizzy Hayes, a fortyish spinster, treasurerer of the Ladies' Relief and Protection Society Home, which takes in orphans and raises them. Lizzy believes herself happy despite a fairly boring life. One day the notorious Mrs. Pleasant, an elderly ex-slave, reputed to have been an, er, "working woman", and a very wealthy woman, comes to visit, with a new child for the Home. This child is an odd 5-year old girl named Jenny Ijub.

The novel interleaves details about the history of Mrs. Pleasant and her curious menage at the Bell household with Lizzy's modest adventures and difficulties at the Home, especially difficulties involving Jenny and also a Chinese orphan named Ti Wong. Mrs. Pleasant came to San Francisco passing for white, then, at a notorious party revealed that she was black, and an ex-slave. Over time she made a fortune as a cook, and as a woman who knew many of the secrets of the leading men of the new and growing city, in particular one Thomas Bell. In 1890 Mrs. Pleasant serves as housekeeper for Thomas Bell and his strange wife, at a notorious house called the House of Mystery. They have several children, and rumours abound as to which of the women is the mother of any of them, and indeed how many of the children might be the result of Mrs. Pleasant's rumoured business activities.

At the same time Jenny is having a hard time adjusting to life in the Home, as she is persecuted by the other children. Lizzy finds herself visiting the House of Mystery several times, and having a number of ambiguous and almost phantasmagorical conversations with both Mrs. Pleasant and Mrs. Bell. In addition the Home is subjected to a diptheria epidemic, and quarantine. And Lizzy must also fight off questions from her society friends about her association with Mrs. Pleasant, and about the horrible thought that Jenny might actually be part-black (can't have a black girl in with white orphans!). And finally Lizzy starts to question aspects of her own family history, especially her father's possible dealings with Mrs. Pleasant. Also Jenny Ijub is threatened with kidnapping, and Lizzy's decision to take in the Chinese boy Ti Wong causes additional stress.

The book is continually intriguing, driven especially by Fowler's wonderful ironic prose. Clearly the question of race is at the center of the book, as well as the place of women, in particular spinsters, in society. But even more, it turns out, the book is about families. Not surprisingly, with so many orphans about, stories of broken families abound -- Mrs. Pleasant's story and Mrs. Bell's story both involve mistreatment as a child, and even Lizzy has family issues. And when we learn what Lizzy wants, it's not a husband, nor money, nor even more adventure, but a family.

I found the book a bit harder to grasp, to engage with, than either _Sarah Canary_ or _The Sweetheart Season_, so I might rank it third among Fowler's novels. But that, surely, is not so terrible: _Sister Noon_ is a very fine novel, very well worth reading (and her other novels, as well as her short stories, collected in _Black Glass_ and in _Artificial Things_, are outstanding).

"Sister Noon" misses its mark. And I'm not sure I know what Fowler was aiming for. But despite the novel's failures in plotting and message, Fowler still creates an interesting book that speaks out on all sorts of interesting subjects.

The story is really a collection of other stories - rumors, newspaper columns, hearsay, inuendo, and imagination - the only kind of information the novel's protagonist, Lizzie, can expect to receive as a spinster in nineteenth-century San Francisco. Lizzie becomes caught up in the apparent machinations of one Mrs. Pleasant, a mysterious mulatto who appears to have political pull and supernatural powers. As we learn, not is all that is seems. Fowler's conclusion - and a slap to the face of her readers - is to lambast her novel-reading Lizzie for not putting down her books and experiencing life. That is, talking with people.

Kinda makes me wish I hadn't wasted my time with "Sister Noon."

In the course of the story, Fowler brings up race, religion, mysticism, San Francisco politics, ancestor worship, motherhood, and children. Above all there's a message about women, a warning against confinement and imagination, and an encourgement towards self-assertion and independence.

The review, sounds harsh, so I'd like to give credit to Fowler for attempting something unique. And she does have a unique voice, despite some obvious flaws in her prose that belies a lack of editing, and not lack of writing skill. It's worth a read if you liked "Sarah Canary," or are willing to watch a writer engage in risky manuevers.

(By the way, Fowler doesn't seem to be very familiar with San Francisco. There were a few inaccuracies, especially in describing the weather. "Swirling fog"? The fog definitely does not "swirl" here. Also the scent of ocean and sand would not be found in downtown Geary -- it's nearly 6 miles to Ocean Beach from there, where the wind and fog typically comes from...)

Although this book had its moments, overall it was rather flat. Most of the characters were strangely listless, as if half-drugged. I would have preferred to read the story from the perspective of either Nell or Ti Wong rather than Lizzie; I suspect they would have put a little more sparkle into the story. I agree with the reviewer who found the staccato writing style odd and the plot under-developed. Your time would be better spent on "The Sweetheart Season" or "The Jane Austen Book Club."