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Being Polite to Hitler: A Novel
After teaching and raising her family for most of her life, Agnes Scofield realizes that she is truly weary of the routine her life has become. But how, at 51, can she establish an identity apart from what has so long defined her?
Often eloquent, sometimes blunt, and always full of fire, The Scofield clan is not a family that keeps its opinions to itself. As much as she'd...more
Often eloquent, sometimes blunt, and always full of fire, The Scofield clan is not a family that keeps its opinions to itself. As much as she'd...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
January 6th 2011
by Little, Brown and Company
(first published December 16th 2010)
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This was a very dull book - I kept waiting for it to get more interesting and then suddenly it was finished. Nothing really happens, it simply details some of the minutiae of several wealthy Americans living in a provincial American town. They argue, drink lots of alcohol, eat a lot and not one of them is a likeable or engaging character.
I suspect that I was not the target audience for this book. Being non-American and being born in the 1980's made the context and setting of the book unfamiliar...more
I suspect that I was not the target audience for this book. Being non-American and being born in the 1980's made the context and setting of the book unfamiliar...more
I abandoned this book after about 80 pages, so I'm forced to give it a one-star rating. I'm trying to be more ruthless about abandoning books that are sub-par. So little time, and so much to read!
As I was wading through the first 80 pages, I started thinking about the possible attributes of a good fiction book. Here are some (not mutually exclusive) possibilities:
1. A great plot (e.g. Count of Monte Cristo)
2. Interesting, complex characters (Confederacy of Dunces, A History of Love)
3. Amazing wr...more
As I was wading through the first 80 pages, I started thinking about the possible attributes of a good fiction book. Here are some (not mutually exclusive) possibilities:
1. A great plot (e.g. Count of Monte Cristo)
2. Interesting, complex characters (Confederacy of Dunces, A History of Love)
3. Amazing wr...more
Absolutely stunning novel so full of meaning and history that I could bearly read each page without wanting to stop, consider and take it in. This novel is wonderful reading, as well as an uncompromising insight into family dynamics. Ms Dew's sense of plot and timing is seamless.
Robb Forman Dew, a National Book Award winner for her book, "Dale Loves Sophie To Death," is an author whose ilk I have rarely experienced since college days in Classic American Literature. In fact, her book ought to be...more
Robb Forman Dew, a National Book Award winner for her book, "Dale Loves Sophie To Death," is an author whose ilk I have rarely experienced since college days in Classic American Literature. In fact, her book ought to be...more
This book is not for everyone, but if you have any interest in the 1950s AND you like carefully drawn characters, this is a good choice.
The title is, to my mind, a poor choice. It comes from an argument during a dinner party when Lavinia erupts because a right-wing neighbor is celebrating the execution of the Rosenbergs. Lavinia knows that her husband and brother-in-law share her objections but are trying to keep her from troubling the waters at a dinner party. After the party, she continues th...more
The title is, to my mind, a poor choice. It comes from an argument during a dinner party when Lavinia erupts because a right-wing neighbor is celebrating the execution of the Rosenbergs. Lavinia knows that her husband and brother-in-law share her objections but are trying to keep her from troubling the waters at a dinner party. After the party, she continues th...more
I loved the writing in this book from the first page. Then I realized it was particular sentences I loved. Here's an example. It's Agnes, the protagonist, thinking: "But what on earth had possessed these people for whom she had been the best parent she could manage to be, for whom she had tried so hard to pretend wisdom, to mime adulthood--oh, Lord! Those children! Why weren't they safe by now? What were they doing? They rushed along through their lives, discarding the days like so many pieces o...more
The reason for the title explains the whole book; it's about the Scofield family in Washburn, Ohio just after WWII. Middle America in the 50's at its best and worst. Agnes Scofield, widowed with 3 grown children, Claytor, Betts and Howard and her younger brother, Dwight, whom she has raised as a son, has decided she wants to retire from teaching. The story is in the details of life, and how they relate to each other and the times. Dwight's wife, Lavinia, loses her temper with the refusal of the...more
I bought this book because I so much enjoyed the previous novel, The Truth of the Matter, and wanted to spend some more time with Agnes and her family & friends. But like a visit that went on too long, this book was boring and flat. No more intimate revelations or understandings of Agnes or anyone else. The more I read, the more it seemed like notes taken for a novel that should have been written. I was particularly dumbfounded by the treatment given to Agne's eventual marriage. Certainly th...more
The first two-thirds of this novel were marvelous, a beautifully-written family tale set in the fifties in smalltown Ohio. The novel whirled around the lives of a mother and her grown children, dropping in on one character for a handful of pages before leaving off to visit another, constantly picking up and dropping off the recurring characters throughout, an innovative and affecting approach I've never encountered before. But the last third of the novel sure read like the work of an author who...more
I read the reviews here first, and though that generally will put me off, I decided that the bad reviews were by people who had been looking for something else from this book. Their comments actually helped me to know that this was my kind of book. No, there is little action, and not much of a plot, per se; this is some sort of cross between comedy of manners, memoir, and family saga. I loved every page, found it to be beautifully written, and never put it down until I had finished it. Yes, the...more
The Scofield family trilogy continues with a nostalgic look at post-WWII America in fictional Washburn, Ohio, following The Evidence Against Her and The Truth of the Matter.
The title comments on the conventions of polite society:
"But of course, being polite to Hitler was the way the world worked. It was what held society together, how people got through every single day. Everyone...held fast to propriety in the face of chaos, desperate etiquette in the face of despair and terror. The difficulty...more
The title comments on the conventions of polite society:
"But of course, being polite to Hitler was the way the world worked. It was what held society together, how people got through every single day. Everyone...held fast to propriety in the face of chaos, desperate etiquette in the face of despair and terror. The difficulty...more
I liked the beginning and middle of this book, but finally got fed up with its episodic nature. It presents a host of characters (including historical figures), though centers on Agnes Scofield. I liked the characterizations and the fantastic rendering of post Hiroshima/Nagasaki U.S. guilt/dread; fabulous few pargraphs, that I have read aloud to several people. (Most of the book takes place in 1953 in Washburn, Ohio). It was priceless in aptly describing in a few words how we perceive one anothe...more
Oh I wanted this novel to be better than it was. A small town in the 1950's. Not yet touched by all of the changes that will come soon. A family that has lived for several generations in the town and are comfortable with its loves and limits. All ingredients for another fine novel by author Dew.
Dew, instead, writes a series of related vignettes that move quickly through time and offer snapshots of the characters and their lives. There's little underlying tension and no resolution.
Her style is re...more
Dew, instead, writes a series of related vignettes that move quickly through time and offer snapshots of the characters and their lives. There's little underlying tension and no resolution.
Her style is re...more
4.5 Stars
From my book review blog Rundpinne...."Being Polite to Hitler is a vivid portrayal of history and the technological and humanistic advances made in America along with the fear, retaliation and retribution that comes with or necessitates change. Along with history lessons the reader learns more about Agnes, who is a widower when the reader first meets her and her hope for finding love again, her dreams, her fears, concerns, and of course, family.".....The full review may be read here.
From my book review blog Rundpinne...."Being Polite to Hitler is a vivid portrayal of history and the technological and humanistic advances made in America along with the fear, retaliation and retribution that comes with or necessitates change. Along with history lessons the reader learns more about Agnes, who is a widower when the reader first meets her and her hope for finding love again, her dreams, her fears, concerns, and of course, family.".....The full review may be read here.
The book seemed to start a bit slow and it was a bit difficult at first to keep track of all the characters as it was a story about a very large family. There was also some time traveling back and forth through memories and dreams. I've read that this author likes to weave historical/political events into the fabric of everyday existence. That was certainly a technique she used in this novel. I really appreciated the title after I understood the context out of which it came in the story. As I re...more
I agree with other reviewers of this book who have said that there are too many characters. By about 1/2 way through I was starting to keep most of them straight although there were a few that were not primary to the story that would pop up and I'd have to go back to see how they were related. It was also a bit distracting when events unrelated to the main plot of the book were discussed. I understand they were discussed to paint a picture of events going on in America at the time but sometimes...more
The description of the mundane was astounding. I wished I had bought this book so that I could dog ear the pages containing passionately highlighted passages, ready for reading over and over. However, when the greater passage of time is marked, it reads a bit like a vague Christmas letter, losing the magic that was the early part of the book. It felt like the first third had been carefully loved, edited and perfected, whereas the final third felt as if it needed to somehow be wrapped up so highl...more
“Being Polite to Hitler” was an interesting book for me. The title is merely a comparison made when the Rosenberg execution becomes topic of conversation at a party. When one guest jokingly supports the act with references to “frying Jews,” Lavinia is appalled and speaks her mind. Her husband, Dwight, tries to smooth over the awkward, sudden silence by moving the conversation in another direction. But on the ride home, Lavinia's words are still on his mind, and she hasn't forgotten them either....more
Another character study, another so/so review by me. I need plot! I crave plot! And this was a meandering family with a few other people thrown in for good measure (a little randomly and unnecessarily, if you ask me)--and I couldn't keep the straight there were so many characters. First I will admit, the title threw me. I thought this would be about WWII, one of my favorite times to learn about. But no. It was about Ohio (with a little Maine thrown in for good measure--which I did love! Props to...more
This book was written about a woman named Agnes Scofield and her extended family and was set from the 1950s to the early 1970s. Although it was well written (and has an amazing title), when I got to the end I realized that not much of consequence had actually happened in the book. The book seems to be more a capturing of a specific time rather than a series of events. And the characters and their behaviors are all pretty well developed. But it didn't really add much to my experience having read...more
This is an attempt at a slice-of-life novel that, while stylistically well done, really doesn't work. The title promises a critique that the novel doesn't even try to deliver. All of the characters are flat and interchangeable (except by gender). Nothing terribly interesting happens. What little plot exists moves forward primarily through a series of dinner celebrations, attended by the same people, at which nothing happens.
A snooze. A decent airplane or waiting room read.
A snooze. A decent airplane or waiting room read.
I was truly taken with this book, an exploration of characters and stories, against the unspoken devastations of history, the political weight we all bear from WWII and the ensuing silence, the unfinished business we need to finish of integrating the shock of the nuclear weapons used in this near past. Rarely do I find a hybrid of personal and political this convincing. And rarely has a novel made me think so much and awaken about what hasn't been said between generations.
This is wonderfully written story of an extended family centering around Agnes Scofield, the widowed matriarch of the family. Small incidents add up to a portrait of life in a small town in Ohio between 1953 and 1970. While the end felt a little rushed, I felt like I was reliving my life from the dishes on the front cover to the launch of Sputnik and the Kennedy assassination. While the book was a little slow to start, it is an enjoyable read
I don't read fiction very often, but the title intrigued me. The sort of slow-moving style of the novel is part of the message of the work, it seems, so one needs to be patient with that. It's not a book for those with a brief attention span.
The characters were interesting, but I couldn't relate to them very well. So I didn't find them particularly gripping. Nonetheless, I did want to continue reading once I got into it.
The characters were interesting, but I couldn't relate to them very well. So I didn't find them particularly gripping. Nonetheless, I did want to continue reading once I got into it.
I have come to realize that the term "beautifully written" does not mean the same thing to me as to others. I lose interest in a sentence takes up more than half a page.
I did like Agnes, and a few other characters, but never felt I got to know them. I read one review that says she "weaves history". Seemed to me that she plunked it down into the story.
I alternately could not put this book down and felt it would never end.
I did like Agnes, and a few other characters, but never felt I got to know them. I read one review that says she "weaves history". Seemed to me that she plunked it down into the story.
I alternately could not put this book down and felt it would never end.
This is a quiet little book about the late 50s/early 60s. There isn't much plot. The last quarter of the book almost seemed like it was a different book. Perhaps it was simply the speeding up of time. There were vignettes of characters (sometimes historical) that were stuck in there, almost haphazardly. If they were supposed to give more historical presence to the novel I think it could've been done more effectively through the main characters.
I felt lost several times during this book. The family relatives felt confusing, (now, what was her name?) and several parts of the book did not feel like they blended with the plot (Werner von Braun). Still, Agnes Scofield and her family kept me turning the pages. The second half of the book was more readable than the first.
Treat this book like a bee; leave it alone and it won't bother you. The book seems like it could be going somewhere interesting, but it doesn't. There's lots of random stuff that doesn't even flow with the story. Just because events occur at the same time in history does not mean they are part of the same story.
I feel like this book didn't know what it wanted to be. It's well-written it just never seemed to really move anywhere. It was also difficult to keep the characters straight--there were so many--including Dwight Claytor and Claytor Scofield. I honestly wished for a list of characters as in my copy of War and Peace.
Liked this book, but it really does itself no favors with this title. (The book takes place in Ohio in the early '50s. There are no scenes with Hitler.) But it's a fascinating account of the atomic age in a small town, and it made me curious to go back and read the other books by her.
I found the characters to be the real deal. Some parts lagged, but I have been thinking about "being polite to hitler" and how often people allow others to dominate conversation in social situations and their silence is considered agreement. Read this. It will make you think too!
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Granddaughter of US poet, essayist and political writer John Crowe Ransom. Godfather was US poet, essayist, academic Robert Penn Warren. Grew up between Baton Rouge, LA and Ohio, well-connected to Kenyon Review writers and artists. Attended but did not graduate from Louisiana State University.
Her first novel - Dale Loves Sophie to Death - won the 1982 National Book Award. She has taught at the Iow...more
More about Robb Forman Dew...
Her first novel - Dale Loves Sophie to Death - won the 1982 National Book Award. She has taught at the Iow...more
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May 03, 2011 03:32pm