The Keepers of the House [Hardcover]

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Alfred A Knopf (1967)
• ASIN: B001OHWQG4
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grau gets me going ..., June 18, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Keepers of the House (Voices of the South) (Paperback)

I am black and grew up in poor, rural North Carolina in the 50s. I wish I had found this book in the late 60s when I wanted so much to read, hear, and talk with whites about this kind of true life story from the south. Shirley Ann Grau brings her characters to life so calmly and clearly. She writes of emotion, yet she hides much emotion, especially through the somewhat vague and underexposed storyteller-granddaugher, Abigail Howland Mason. The writing is so beautiful, and the story is so sorrowful. I left the ending wondering, not why the rage of the small town when racial secrets are discovered, but why the deep bitterness and anger shown by Abigail and her half-black, half-white kin. Yes, the south was - and in some respects remains - a cruel and contented place, and yes, people can be coarse and ugly, but in my heart I longed to see some sign of reconciliation.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fine language and is drawn to the exploration of love and hate, conformists and nonconformists, parents and children, greed and grace from a southern perspective. Ms. Grau deserved the Pulitzer in 1965 and I am glad I found her at last in 2001.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, the best Sunday I've spent in a long time!!, January 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Keepers of the House (Voices of the South) (Paperback)

What a fascinating read!! The Keepers Of The House is a marvelous book that I spent an entire Sunday reading, from cover to cover. It tells the story of William Howland, a wealthy white landowner, and Margaret Carmichael, a black woman who becomes his maid, and the love that they shared, along with the choses and consequences their love would bring. The story is told by William's grandaughter Abigail Howland Mason, in a long line of Abigails. She narrates this tale, William's and Margaret's history, how they met, their children and how they lived. She also tells how years later the marriage of William and Margaret affects her life. Grau tells the story of forbidden love and revenge that is laced with racism extraordinarily well. Even though throughout the book the reader is aware that the narrator is Abigail, it doesn't hinder the essence of William and Margaret. The soul of the characters are exposed. A very well written book. I know of no better way of spending a Sunday!!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic- A gem out of the past, October 11, 2004

By 

K. J. Blake "Super Reader" (Phoenix,AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Keepers of the House (Paperback)

If you have ever read about life in the south under segretation, you have an idea about how difficult things were for African Americans and how tense things were for whites.
Ms. Grau won a Pulitzer for this book in 1965 for her fascinating story of a wealthy family and the scandal that arises when the truth comes out that the founding father was married to his mulatto housekeeper and had children with her after his first wife died.

The intense human emotions, the political climate, the social temper and environment is the backdrop to the amazing character development that is the heart of all of Ms Grau's work. Truly one of America's most talented writers- her work deserves notice and study. Her writing style has a lyrical quality, it flows and builds. I find it impossible to put her books down- the quality of the writing, the interesting characters and the intensity of her storytelling is irresistible.

The Keepers of the House is a must for anyone who considers themselves a true bibliophile!