| Author |
Message |
| Ellen |
| Posted
on Thursday, January 22, 2004 - 08:50 am: |
|
The River Between Us by Richard Peck is historical fiction at its best.
Set in “deep” southern Illinois, it is the story of the Pruitt family’s
experience of the Civil War. An experience that is complicated and enriched
by the appearance of two women who disembark at Grand Tower on a boat coming
up from New Orleans. The women can’t get to St. Louis and are taken in by
the Pruitts as boarders.
I think it is the layers of this story that impress me:
Time: Dr. Hutchings telling his story to Howard in 1916 and Tilly’s first
person narrative of the Pruitt family’s saga (is her audience Howard
and his brothers?)
Tone: On hand, readers experience vintage Peck, a master of local color,
in things like the description of the car trip from St. Louis to Grand Tower
or Delphine’s sweep through the general store). On the other hand, we
are presented with this powerful story of free women of color in the mid-19th
century.
Characters: Tilly and Delphine: women (girls?) as different as night
and day, both of them survivors.
Ma and Calinda and Cass: the “seers”
Noah, Dr. Hutchings and Howard (good and faithful men)
It occurs to me that this novel has no “personal” villains---the villains
here are war and bigotry. Each of the characters had to take a stance against
one or both. Some failed, but at the end, we see true heroes.
Peck’s use of language is lyrical:
· “The paper was loose and peeling on the walls. I wondered how many layers
you’d have to scrape away until you came to the time when these old people
were young. If they ever were.
I wondered how quiet you’d have to be to hear the voices of those times.”
· “We didn’t know how quiet the first weeks of war can be”
· “He went as the other boys did, in the night to spare us good-byes. ‘Like
a thief in the night,’ Mama said, trying in vain for bitterness to keep
her heart from breaking.”
I live in the area described in this book (more later in the Chat room!)
and Peck has gotten the local color exactly right. As I read descriptions
of the area, my gut response was without fail a very large “YES!” I also
appreciated the author’s note that followed.
I did have some trouble the minimal development of Noah’s second trip into
battle and the relationship between Tilly and Dr. Hutchings (although
we knew that was coming).
I’ll let Peck sum it up:
“I was proud of anything that made me his son. I was proud of being Noah’s
grandson. And Delphine’s grandson. I was older now too, a lot older than
when this trip began, older and looking ahead. One day I’d tell a son of
my own this story of who we were. A son, or a daughter with enormous violet
eyes.”
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Jenn B.
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| Posted
on Thursday, January 22, 2004 - 11:45 am: |
|
The River Between Us chronicles the life of Noah and Tilly Pruitt
during the Civil War. A steamboat from New Orleans arrives in their small
town and Delphine Duval and Calinda Duval depart the boat seeking a safer
place to stay. They take a room at the Pruitt’s small home and forever change
their lives.
The setting is Tower Rock, Illinois on the banks of the Mississippi River.
The reader can easily visualize the small river town and the impressive
steamboats that travel by due to Peck’s use of imagery; “to me a riverboat
was a palace. The pair of flaring gold chimney stacks belched flame-colored
smoke into the night. Below the decks glowed like a gingerbread wedding
cake” (95).
Peck explores the female point-of-view in this historical novel. The reader
will sympathize with Noah’s mother as he leaves to join the war. “He went
as the other boys did, in the night to spare us goodbyes. ‘Like a thief
in the night,’ Mama said trying in vain for bitterness to keep her heart
from breaking” (95).
|
Katrina |
| Posted
on Thursday, January 22, 2004 - 12:43 pm: |
|
I am always impressed when I read something that covers a topic, a piece
of history about which I have never heard. I remember looking up the terminology
used in the book (read the book back at the beginning and no longer
have it), the history of it. It is this history that is the story for
me, the characters and the occurrences would just not be the same if Delphine
and Calinda were not who they were - and I WAS VERY surprised to learn the
truth.
The characters are very intriguing in their uniqueness, not just the women
but Noah and the men as well. I was surprised that Noah proved true.
The pace seemed somewhat leisurely rather than slow, the period of time
and setting very real. It is not always that an author can pull off historical
fiction that is not only interesting but well-written. I feel that Peck
succeeded admirably. |
shirley |
| Posted
on Thursday, January 22, 2004 - 05:22 pm: |
|
I'm a big fan of good historical fiction and I am especially happy when
I learn about something not that well-known. Peck did an excellent job presenting
this period of history and leaving a bit of suspense at the end. I was pleased
to hear it won the historical fiction award. |
Rachel
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| Posted
on Thursday, January 22, 2004 - 06:24 pm: |
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I think Peck creates a pretty interesting narrative. The mystery of Delphine
and Cass kept my curiosity piqued.
Peck's imagery and language stood out at certain points: "the town,
steeping like tea in the deep summer damp" (p12). |
Cherri
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| Posted
on Thursday, January 22, 2004 - 07:27 pm: |
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I enjoy historical fiction but am less inclined to like 'framing'
the story with a beginning and ending set in a more recent time while everything
else takes place back in the past. Sometimes the 'frame' feels just
tacked on and not really part of the main story.
However, Peck used the frame so successfully that I was engaged in both
frame and main story, and he definitely kept my interest. For lack of a
better word, the frame and the main (more historical) story in The
River Between Us seemed to actually 'fit' together into a solid
whole. |
Rachel
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| Posted
on Thursday, January 22, 2004 - 07:45 pm: |
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I think Peck's use of historical detail felt heavy handed. On page 28
he provides two paragraphs of details on their daily life. To me it didn't
add to the narrative, it seemed more like the writing you'd see in an
assigned research project in which students are asked to present in a creative
format.
Again, on page 73 Tilly quotes from the local newspaper about the war, which
seems unrealistic. I just kept feeling like Peck was more fascinated with
his war research than the story he was creating. |
Susan
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| Posted
on Thursday, January 22, 2004 - 09:12 pm: |
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I would like to add to the discussion of framing the story. I suggest that
this will help students understand the flashback as a sytlistic device.
I did reread the first one, and have to admit to thinking that the car trips,
both going and coming, were my favorite part of the story for the literary
excellence and for the exploration of the theme of connecting the generations.
I too felt the conflict was between "character vs. society" (from
the book Roxanne suggested "From Cover to Cover")and, in my
experience, children are sympathetic to this theme of injustice. In my school,
5th and 6th graders study US history, and would connect with this book.
Peck is a master at plot, interpretation of theme, style and setting.
Ellen, I have never been to your part of the US, but Peck has portrayed
it so alluringly that Cairo is now on my list of places to see. |
Jane
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| Posted
on Thursday, January 22, 2004 - 09:20 pm: |
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I disagree with Rachel as far as Peck's use of historical detail. I
never felt that his factual information overwhelmed the narrative or seemed
forced. Perhaps because the story was told by Tilly, it made sense for her
to add background information that would clarify what was happening for
the listener. I think he did a wonderful job of creating a compelling story
line that also served as a vehicle to talk about numerous issues connected
to the Civil War. |
Wendy
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| Posted
on Thursday, January 22, 2004 - 10:14 pm: |
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I am going to drift from the historical fiction path and address the ending
of the novel, the part which I feels makes it a distinguished piece of writing.
When dad explains to Howard that his father wasn't Dr. Hutchings, rather
Noah, Howard responds, "I grabbed hold of the running board. The night
revolved around me." I felt the same as Noah. I was left in a whirlwind
of emotion for Dr. Hutchings, grandma Tilly, Delphine and Noah. I had read,
believed, and felt the pain of these characters. In a way, I felt betrayed.
This is what I feel is brilliant. The story within a story is told in a
straightforward manner, essentially communicating family stories to Howard.
However, this shocking revelation, revealed in the concluding paragraphs
makes it all the more powerful. Howard, looking to the future says, "One
day I'd tell a son of my own this story of who we were." Such pride
he communicates, and how differently this novel now seems from beginning
to end. It began as a retelling of family history (somewhat removed).
It concluded as a revelation of family secrets, much to the surprise of
even the narrator. |
Roxanne
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| Posted
on Thursday, January 22, 2004 - 11:05 pm: |
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Ok. I am going to switch gear and ask for any concerns.
I have one question for members who feel that Peck has achieved "literary
excellence" to give me some evidence of the excellence. I am having
trouble agreeing with many of the above sentiments. I found the framing
scheme forced and the switching from the present story to the past story
completely abrupt and confusing and that for a reader who has not studied
the Civil War and its many facets, much of the sutble presentation will
be completely lost. Do we, and should we, presume that most of the young
readers reading this story possess such knowledge as to appreciate Peck's
subtlety?
Please, convince me...
-- Roxanne
|
Ellen |
| Posted
on Friday, January 23, 2004 - 07:56 am: |
|
Everything that Wendy posted points to "literary excellence" for
me. I have often been blown away by Peck's use of language. I don't
think that there is so much Civil War history that a reader would be overwhelmed.
However, I do think a map would have been helpful. And I think that Roxanne's
point regarding young readers appreciating Peck's subtlety is well taken
(although I hate to admit it). |
Roxanne
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| Posted
on Friday, January 23, 2004 - 09:39 am: |
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Ellen,
Yes. I posted my message before reading Wendy's for some reason... Her
analysis is very sound...
I still need to mull this over.
-- Roxanne |
Susan
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| Posted
on Friday, January 23, 2004 - 11:20 am: |
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In defense of "literary excellence," I found the continual contrasting
of Mama's frugal lifestyle and Delphine's flamboyance a cornerstone-both
in style and theme. (p.47 "We weren't used to talk at the table,
and the kitchen rang with hers.")Clothing, scent, food-all these
things were so different, and Peck used them to appeal to all our senses,
all the time, emphasizing the differences, all of which made their coming
together more meaningful/powerful. |
Roxanne
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| Posted
on Friday, January 23, 2004 - 12:15 pm: |
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Susan, thanks, I appreciate the illumination. |
Jane
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| Posted
on Friday, January 23, 2004 - 08:09 pm: |
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I agree with Roxanne as far as the framing element to the story. I also
found it confusing to have so many layers of memory leading to the heart
of the story - basically a double flashback. Additionally the book ends
with the narrator, still a 15-year-old, imagining his future. There should
be some acknowledgement that the story is actually being told by the adult
narrator at this point to pull everything together. It starts to seem like
one of those pictures of a person holding a mirror, reflecting that person
holding a mirror.... |