The Keepers of the House (Voices of the South) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "November evenings are quiet and still and dry..." (more)
Key Phrases: William Howland, Harry Armstrong, New Church (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

What happens if a wealthy, white Southern man falls in love, marries, and has children with his black housekeeper after his white wife has died? If he lives in the country and is discreet, if his light-skinned children are sent off to school and he never tells anyone he is actually married, perhaps nothing. But what about his children and grandchildren? Winner of the 1964 Pulitzer Prize, The Keepers of the House attacks the hypocrisy of Southern racism and examines the results of rage and revenge through the members of the Howland family. The narrator is Abigail Howland, white granddaughter of William Howland and his first wife, the only one left to face the wrath of the town after the secret is exposed. Complex and defiant, enmeshed in racism and familial obligations, she is compelled to go back through her family history in order to understand herself, her father, and the South. Shirley Ann Grau is a masterful storyteller; even though we know something shocking is coming, caught up in the emotions of the moment we sometimes forget where the memories and stories are leading until suddenly we are confronted by Abigail's dramatic and electrifying revenge on the town which has risen up against her. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Erica Bauermeister --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Each year, I reread three authors--Toni Morrison, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Shirley Ann Grau. No one else writes about the landscape of Louisiana as she does, but also about the landscape of bitter love and family dreams, of sex not as romance but as commerce and experiment and mystery, of people adrift in their lives and people so tethered to their own pieces of earth. Keepers of the House is a masterpiece of history and race and the fragile yet tenuous ownership of land and love."
--Susan Straight, author of the National Book Award Finalist Highwire Moon

“A beautifully written book.”--Atlantic Monthly

“Her best novel.”--Saturday Review

“Shirley Ann Grau is one of those rare writers who creates a world, draws the reader into it, and makes him somehow happy there no matter what goes on.…Such is her beguilement that one comes to the novel’s end with a sense of loss and leaves that world with reluctance.” --Newsweek
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 309 pages
• Publisher: Louisiana State University Press (December 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807120316
• ISBN-13: 978-0807120316
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #850,828 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

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.

17 of 17 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

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!