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A Brief History of the Flood
Lillian Anderson is a strong-minded, backwoods-Minnesota girl, well-versed in the basics of survival. She can find air to breathe under a capsized boat, drive in a blizzard, or capture a wild duck. As part of a large struggling family, she tiptoes around her explosive father whose best days always come right after he’s poached something and her neurotically optimistic moth...more
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
July 8th 2003
by Vintage
(first published June 18th 2002)
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This short novel composed of short-story chapters may be my favorite book of all time. It follows protagonist Lillian Anderson from childhood, on a lake in central Minnesota, to adulthood as a young woman in the Twin Cities, and focuses on her relationship with her mother. Set in the 1960s, it captures the upheaval of the times from the point of view of upper midwesterners.
BEAUTIFULLY written short stories + about growing up in (northern) Minnesota + about growing up in a dysfunctional family = what's not to like? Also, my brother's friends with the author's brother -- support yer Minnesota writers!!
I liked the Minnesota roots of the book, especially the lake scenes and pontoon reminiscing. But there was something lacking in the character development. Very little forward progression and each montage/chapter seemed to repeat the same themes: isolation, boredom, withdrawal. I was searching for something more and didn't find it here. 3.5 stars.
A compelling main character and intimate look inside a barely functional dysfunctional family. The book left me wanting more. The only problem I had was the each chapter seemed in short story format.
Really liked it and would recommend it for anyone who reads fiction. Yes, it's about a dysfunctional family but the characters are believable and the narrator is feisty, likeable and smart.
This was one of those books that you tear through...wanting to see what happens next. At times, because of how well the main characters are drawn (specifically Lillian, the Mom and Irene)the stories read more like a memoir than a novel. The writer's descriptions fully evoke the time, the place and the social class in which the characters dwell. I'll look for more books by this author...I would love to read another book full of Lillian's stories. This book could make a great movie too.
Sep 05, 2007
Heidi Lawson
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
MNans, modern lit fans
Shelves:
average_books
Well now I've finished it. The ending was almost disturbing in it's lack of ending. It kind of taints my opinion of the book. But up until I realized the last page was really the last page, I liked it.
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So far I like this book, although it has all those depressing traits modern literature is known for. It's set in 1950s-60s Minnesota, a ways out from Brainerd, I think, which gives it a nice nostalgic feel for me, despite some of the horrible happenings of the story.
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So far I like this book, although it has all those depressing traits modern literature is known for. It's set in 1950s-60s Minnesota, a ways out from Brainerd, I think, which gives it a nice nostalgic feel for me, despite some of the horrible happenings of the story.
2.5 stars. The family was a little too dysfunctional for my taste and the writing didn't seduce me enough to make up for it. I didn't really like the main character, but I guess this falls back on the writing, since that's how I usually judge a book. I got this hard cover with the ugly picture from the library. The cover art of the paperback is much better.
i read this book more than a year ago. a lot of the images have stuck with me, and as someone who gets very emotionally involved in books, this is a book i got more attached to than anything else i can remember. and can i just say that i'd never appreciated the stories-as-novel approach before i read this book, which is honestly just very beautiful.
Mar 18, 2009
Janet
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everyone
Recommended to Janet by:
I can't remember
Not only is this novel set in my home state of Minnesota but the writing is tightly paced and hilarious. Jean Harfenist certainly doesn't take the fun out of dysfunctional. The narrator grows from 8 to 14 and then 18 right before your eyes. The dialog is very believable. My only criticism is that it's too short.
a scary, slightly comical look at a Minnesota lake home family during the Viet Nam war. Dad is a drunk, mom is sexually repressed, the house is a mess and the kids are in the water most of the time. Mom probably has the most creative and hilarious ideas for an annual garage sale that I've ever heard of.
Wow, cheery! Not.. it's Minnesota, but that really hasn't been enough in the past, I don't know if it will become enough now. Perhaps here will be a waystation on the ongoing physical journey of this book. We'll see... All depends on the voice, and opportunity.
You will know these characters. Anyone from the Midwest that survived puberty, crappy jobs, messed up family, and can laugh about it - or should - would love this collection of coming-of-age in Minnesota.
A first novel ! Short Stories ! Amazingly dysfunctional family and SO well written !
It just wasn't very good.
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