Kirjailijakuva

Pat Wahler

Teoksen I am Mrs. Jesse James tekijä

6 teosta 29 jäsentä 7 arvostelua

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Kirja-arvosteluja

Before beanie babies and cabbage patch dolls, Kewpie dolls were the 'must have' toy of the early 20th century. They were first drawn as a comic strip character by Rose O'Neill in 1909. At the time, Rose was the highest paid female illustrator in the world. This novel is the story of Rose and how she achieved her success and popularity in a world dominated by men.

Rose was born in 1874 to parents who urged her to use her artistic talent and be successful. In 1893, she made a trip to New York City to try to sell some of her illustrations. She was often turned away from the popular magazines strictly because she was a woman. When her first illustrations were finally accepted and she started making some money, she started sending money home for her family. The more popular her illustrations became, the more money she sent home. She began to branch out her artistic talents and doing comic strips. Her kewpie doll comics became very popular with women and children and when she was approached about making a real doll, kewpie dolls became very popular and the money started rolling in. She was thrilled with her success but felt that she had to use her money to help support not only her family but also any starving artist that needed help. During her early time in New York, she married someone who swept her off her feet but ended up cashing her checks and using her money for his own enjoyment. She divorced him and swore off men until she met an author who intrigued. After several years of putting up with his mercurial moods, she divorced him too. She became very popular in New York and made frequent trips to Europe to meet other artists and take classes. When she was in New York she enjoyed having her house full of artists and poets and authors and having salons where people shared their talents. She was generous to a fault, even when the sale of Kewpie dolls diminished she always shared what she had with others.

I really enjoyed Rose's story. She was a strong woman in a man's world who learned to live life on her terms and fight against the boundaries that women were held in during this time. Her love life was tumultuous and she always seemed to pick the wrong man for her but once she realized she could be successful without a man by her side, she thrived. She became deeply involved in the suffragist movement of the time and with the lives and struggles of other artists. With grit and tenacity, Rose O'Neill blazed an unforgettable path during the tumultuous times of the early 20th century.
… (lisätietoja)
 
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susan0316 | Feb 22, 2023 |
2005. Janelle Young visits her octogenarian grandmother Peggy Norwood before she is to have lunch with David. David wants to learn Janelle’s decision on his recent ultimatum. David’s priority to talk becomes less important as Peggy offers to share a story about a missing Christmas ornament. An ornament she received in 1938. No other ornament can compare.

Will Janelle move to Los Angeles as planned since accepting her dream job as a booking agent in the entertainment industry? Or, stay in the Midwest since David’s not willing to consider a long-distance relationship.

A beautifully written story that captures the heart. For all who lovingly have saved Christmas ornaments, hung each one on the tree once more with care and smiled with joy at the memories brought to mind. For all who wonder why Christmas ornaments that have lost a little sparkle, have a chip, or missing letters are on this year’s tree again and haven’t been replaced. May it inspire conversations between generations as listening to experiences from the past may be more relevant than you ever imagined possible.
… (lisätietoja)
 
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FerneMysteryReader | Dec 22, 2022 |
A collection of short stories and poems about the holiday season.
 
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BLTSbraille | Sep 12, 2021 |
I won this book in a giveaway and had been meaning to read it as soon as it arrived; and then my wife broke her ankle and we moved and I hadn't unpacked this book until a few weeks ago. It was a perfect read for both of my reading challenges this year -- Historical Fiction and target="_top">Read Harder's challenge 9, "a book published prior to January 1, 2019, with fewer than 100 reviews on Goodreads".

I will confess to some apprehension ahead of starting this book, though. In this current political climate, in which neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and domestic terrorists are getting mainstream platforming, I wasn't sure if we needed historical novels that offer empathetic views of people who were, and remained, problematic in their lifetimes. (I keep wondering if Melanie Benjamin's [book:The Aviator's Wife|13642950] would be so casually cavalier abt Lindbergh's fascism if published now, for example.) As far I was aware, Jesse James was unrepentant in his violent support of the Confederacy, proud of his service with William Quantrill, and committed to attacking anything that seemed to support the current government. He wouldn't make my list of historical figures who deserve a humanizing take.

Finishing this book hasn't helped me find an answer to that question. Wahler has written a lovely novel of a woman married to a troubled man; a novel that doesn't pretend to answer for him or make sense of his legacy. Instead, it focuses on this minister's daughter who fell in love with a handsome rogue who couldn't shake his penchant for danger. For good or for bad, Wahler skirts away from judging his political views (or even his military service) in favor of articulating why Zee would have left her stable family to marry her first cousin and trail after him for years.

A little over 300 pages, I rushed through this novel because Wahler manages to convey tension and excitement even though Zee knows virtually nothing about her husband's activities and exploits. Little is known about the real life Mrs. Jesse James, and the figure Wahler evokes felt plausible to me. Certainly sympathetic. A very grounded portrait that counters the outlandish legacy that Jesse James has. This young woman, struck by puppy love, grows into someone who tries to corral her husband into being the good parent she's sure he can be, but tragedy strikes.

This book surprised me and I appreciated that; I even felt a pang of outrage at James' untimely death since I liked our heroine so much. This is Wahler's debut novel, and I'm hopeful she'll pick another less well known figure or era to write about for her next release.… (lisätietoja)
 
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unabridgedchick | 2 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Oct 9, 2019 |

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Tilastot

Teokset
6
Jäseniä
29
Suosituimmuussija
#460,290
Arvio (tähdet)
4.1
Kirja-arvosteluja
7
ISBN:t
5