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The Southwest Corner
At eighty-three Marcia Elder was alert and active but felt insecure about facing another winter alone, yet she dreaded giving up her old home and entering a re-tirement facility. So, with great resourcefulness, she advertised for a companion and eventually staked out a corner of her own—one with a view. Mildred Walker's skill as a storyteller never falters in this portrayal of an elderly woman who won't give up.
- GenresFiction
144 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1981
About the author
Mildred Walker
26 books30 followersMildred Schemm Walker (May 2, 1905 – May 27, 1998) was an American novelist who published 12 novels and was nominated for the National Book Award. She graduated from Wells College and from the University of Michigan. She was a faculty member at Wells College from 1955 to 1968. Walker died in 1998 in Portland, Oregon.
(from Wikipedia)
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 9, 2024
3.5 rounded up
This is a novella about an 82 year old woman living alone in her house in Vermont. She realizes she needs help but doesn't want to leave her home. She finds a surprising way to manage that, with some ups and downs along the way. Moral of the story: don't get in the way of a determined old woman!
This is a novella about an 82 year old woman living alone in her house in Vermont. She realizes she needs help but doesn't want to leave her home. She finds a surprising way to manage that, with some ups and downs along the way. Moral of the story: don't get in the way of a determined old woman!
May 10, 2019
After finishing Winter Wheat by Mildred Walker, I was eager to read another book by this author. The Southwest Corner is a short read. I believe she did write this as a short story and then expanded it. There are lovely literary moments, especially when she describes her home and her love of nature. The concept of a southwest corner is interested. She writes: " At length, I asked my Innkeeper about this second door and the little woman sitting in the sun. "Oh," she answered, "that's Marcia Elder who sold me this house, all but the southwest corner." I must have looked puzzled because she went on: "The southwest corner was the way New England handled social security in the very early days." We had a backroom off the kitchen in the house where I grew up, and it was my grandfather's domain. I wonder now if it was a southwest corner."
I am currently surrounded where I live by expensive care centers. A dear friend across the street took a class at the university about choosing while you can where you will finish your life. Sadly, because of two falls, she didn't get that opportunity. Her family has moved her to a lovely place, but she is angry and unhappy.
This little novelette centers on the life of an 83 year old woman in Vermont. In the introduction Mildred Walker writes that her novels are the result of small observations. She writes, "...the subject of a southwest corner intrigued me. My mother had spoken of her grandparents living in a section of the farmhouse they had once built. She had to knock before going in for a visit."
I have a dear friend who built a huge new home with an apartment for her children as they married. Reflectively, I wonder if she would ever live there long enough to make the apartment hers. I doubt it. She has enough money to have all the care she would ever need and choose to live wherever she wanted. It is an intriguing idea, however.
This quick read was satisfying in many ways, but it doesn't have the levels or the lasting beauty of Winter Wheat. While I loved the main character who is feisty and definitely knows her mind in many ways, I never felt that I truly got "inside" of her. She was so strong in some ways and yet so malleable in others. Some decisions just didn't ring "true" for me. However, I did enjoy this short little read and will definitely read more from this author.
I am currently surrounded where I live by expensive care centers. A dear friend across the street took a class at the university about choosing while you can where you will finish your life. Sadly, because of two falls, she didn't get that opportunity. Her family has moved her to a lovely place, but she is angry and unhappy.
This little novelette centers on the life of an 83 year old woman in Vermont. In the introduction Mildred Walker writes that her novels are the result of small observations. She writes, "...the subject of a southwest corner intrigued me. My mother had spoken of her grandparents living in a section of the farmhouse they had once built. She had to knock before going in for a visit."
I have a dear friend who built a huge new home with an apartment for her children as they married. Reflectively, I wonder if she would ever live there long enough to make the apartment hers. I doubt it. She has enough money to have all the care she would ever need and choose to live wherever she wanted. It is an intriguing idea, however.
This quick read was satisfying in many ways, but it doesn't have the levels or the lasting beauty of Winter Wheat. While I loved the main character who is feisty and definitely knows her mind in many ways, I never felt that I truly got "inside" of her. She was so strong in some ways and yet so malleable in others. Some decisions just didn't ring "true" for me. However, I did enjoy this short little read and will definitely read more from this author.
March 6, 2023
A lovely little book, but I was hoping for a match to Winter Wheat, and it just wasn't that. It read more like a short story (which is what I believe it started off as!). I read that she wrote it in her thirties, so maybe the character just didn't feel as 'real' as a character closer to her own age. Still– a quick, easy, and quite good read, all the same!
October 20, 2013
Tenacious Marcia Elder, in her 83rd year, is determined to hold on to her beloved home on Ryder Hill in Vermont.
Do you know the origin of the southwest corner? At length, I asked my Innkeeper about this second door and the little woman sitting in the sun. "Oh," she answered, "that's Marcia Elder who sold me this house, all but the southwest corner." I must have looked puzzled because she went on: "The southwest corner was the way New England handled social security in the very early days." We had a backroom off the kitchen in the house where I grew up, and it was my grandfather's domain. I wonder now if it was a southwest corner.
And, like me, do you remember this? She...plucked herself a spear of grass, drawing it through her fingers carefully so as not to cut herself. It could cut like a pocket knife, the edges were so sharp. She held it between her two thumbs with her knuckles tight together and blew on it, her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk's. She made only a little squeak at first, but then she tired again, blowing so hard it took the breath away from her, but she did it this time, loud enough to set a squirrel scolding.
The copy of The Southwest Corner I borrowed from the library was a lovely first edition hardcover. Images of the cover and several illustrations have been posted on my blog, and you can see them here.
Do you know the origin of the southwest corner? At length, I asked my Innkeeper about this second door and the little woman sitting in the sun. "Oh," she answered, "that's Marcia Elder who sold me this house, all but the southwest corner." I must have looked puzzled because she went on: "The southwest corner was the way New England handled social security in the very early days." We had a backroom off the kitchen in the house where I grew up, and it was my grandfather's domain. I wonder now if it was a southwest corner.
And, like me, do you remember this? She...plucked herself a spear of grass, drawing it through her fingers carefully so as not to cut herself. It could cut like a pocket knife, the edges were so sharp. She held it between her two thumbs with her knuckles tight together and blew on it, her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk's. She made only a little squeak at first, but then she tired again, blowing so hard it took the breath away from her, but she did it this time, loud enough to set a squirrel scolding.
The copy of The Southwest Corner I borrowed from the library was a lovely first edition hardcover. Images of the cover and several illustrations have been posted on my blog, and you can see them here.
December 16, 2015
The plot was very realistic in this book because it talked about Marcia Elder being an 83 year old women, and how she lived in her. The setting is in the past around the 1930s this setting helped hinder the events in the book because you can tell that it is taking place in the past with how they do things such as having no air conditioning and having an outhouse. Marcia was very like able because she was just an old lady who wanted to do everything on her own but also had goals she set in the book. Bea however who comes to live with her was somewhat like able but she was too controlling and complained too much about the house and not living in the city. The tone of the author was more positive in her tone through out the book there were not really many conflicts in the book except for Bea and Marcia disagreeing on things but even then they worked it out. This book I feel is more suited for someone who wants a simple book that is laid back. I would highly recommend this book because if you're looking for something simple and fast to read yet pleasing this book is the one for you. It's also an A.P. Literature book and it was very interesting, it was heartwarming as well.
June 1, 2015
Marcia Elder is 83 years old and lives in the family home in Vermont. The last winter has convinced her she needs a companion. She already has Orville Greenstead who comes to help with the heavy lifting from time to time, but she feels she needs a female companion and so advertises for one.
Marcia has designated the southwest corner of the house as her new home area and meets the woman, Bea Cannon, who answers her advertisement.
Instead of getting the quiet life she hopes for, Bea turns her life and the life of her neighbor, Orville, upside down. How she copes is the basis of the story. Never underestimate those Vermonters for strength, courage, determination and a little luck on the side.
P.S.: Grab a box of tissues. You'll need them part way through this story.
Marcia has designated the southwest corner of the house as her new home area and meets the woman, Bea Cannon, who answers her advertisement.
Instead of getting the quiet life she hopes for, Bea turns her life and the life of her neighbor, Orville, upside down. How she copes is the basis of the story. Never underestimate those Vermonters for strength, courage, determination and a little luck on the side.
P.S.: Grab a box of tissues. You'll need them part way through this story.
July 10, 2008
Do we always know what is best for the elderly? Do we allow them a voice in the decisions that determine quality of life? I think that this book should be manditory reading for children attempting to decide "what's best" as parents grow old. This is a short story and Marcia Elder is my kinda gal.
January 8, 2018
This is a sweet, slim novel you can read in one long winter afternoon. It's the second of Mildred Walker's twelve novels that I've read and I'm inclined to hunt down her other work because I like her voice on the page.
The setting is rural Vermont and the main character, Marcia Elders is an independent 83 year old widow needing to make difficult decisions about how and where she will age as her frailty increases. This story resonated with me as I recently walked through this same process with my 88 year old mother, who shared Marcia Elder's deep attachment to her home of so many decades and long family history. Just when you think the story is too sad to take, it's not. A happy ending!
The setting is rural Vermont and the main character, Marcia Elders is an independent 83 year old widow needing to make difficult decisions about how and where she will age as her frailty increases. This story resonated with me as I recently walked through this same process with my 88 year old mother, who shared Marcia Elder's deep attachment to her home of so many decades and long family history. Just when you think the story is too sad to take, it's not. A happy ending!
December 25, 2022
Solid 4 stars. A novella about an 83-year-old woman who is so much a part of her house and land that she wants very much to stay there even though she is getting on in year and is having a hard time taking independent care of herself. This is the story of what she decides to do about it. To be honest, I'd actually have preferred if the subject of the book only took 1/3 of the book and the rest was a sequel to the book, because it sounds like the fun starts after the novel ends, but it was still a very nice tale. Might read again.
December 3, 2018
I love Winter Wheat, and decided to seek out other books by the same author. What a surprise to find one set in rural Vermont, not far from where I live now. I loved this, though it is definitely bittersweet. Marcia is just such a powerful character, and I loved the ending. I’m so excited to seek out more books from Walker.
March 27, 2018
My grandmother recommended this to me and it is really a lovely read if you can get your hands on a copy. I read it in just a few hours, and enjoyed every word. I'll inherit the whole, dear, collection one day.
February 27, 2019
A sweet story, sometimes beautiful. A little frustrating, because there is a character I liked who didn't stand up for herself against a character I didn't like, but it was still a good read.
April 28, 2019
This is an excellent and moving novella. It was almost 150 pages including illustrations and read quickly. Mildred Walker is an excellent novelist in depicting Americana
July 19, 2019
Cute little book.
October 14, 2019
I loved Winter Wheat - and this story - set in New England was so vivid in place and time. A charming read by my Christmas tree!
May 12, 2022
Very fun, very strong women in all directions! I plan to give to a young neighbor, and wanted to read it first.
Just the escape I wanted.
Just the escape I wanted.
February 21, 2016
Quietly triumphant.
Jean, I wanted to send you a very, very, very belated Thank You for a book you sent me may years ago now. For reasons that are too many and too vague to explain I have only just now read The Southwest Corner. You were so right to think that I would love it and I believe I was meant to read it now at this point in my life. I love not only how Marcia Elder loves her homeplace but also her love of quiet and her rapt attention to the small details of the landscape. They say books are a gift that keeps on giving and here I am all this time later still feeling blessed by your kind gift. Laura Hansen formerly of Bookin' it, Little Falls
Jean, I wanted to send you a very, very, very belated Thank You for a book you sent me may years ago now. For reasons that are too many and too vague to explain I have only just now read The Southwest Corner. You were so right to think that I would love it and I believe I was meant to read it now at this point in my life. I love not only how Marcia Elder loves her homeplace but also her love of quiet and her rapt attention to the small details of the landscape. They say books are a gift that keeps on giving and here I am all this time later still feeling blessed by your kind gift. Laura Hansen formerly of Bookin' it, Little Falls
May 26, 2014
Another Mildred Walker book for me! This slim, little novella reads like big literature. Marcia Elder is a woman in her 80's trying to come to grips with how to manage the concessions one must make to aging without losing her dignity and voice. For a quick little read it sure brought up some strong emotions for me! And it gave me more empathy for the elderly. Too often they are talked down to in our attempts to smooth the way for them. After reading this book, I don't think I will be as apt to do that.
January 1, 2011
I kept thinking about Sarah Orne Jewett's 'The Country of the Pointed Firs' (another wonderful book!) as I read this, largely because of Marcia Elder's connection to her hillside and home (though this is in Vermont, not Maine). The story, about the elderly but completely alive Marcia Elder, is the perfect one to read on the last day of the year. Especially on a bright and cold day, curled on the couch, with some light coming in from the southwest corner of my house.
November 18, 2008
This was a quick and pleasant read -- a quiet, gentle story about an elderly woman dealing with the realities of her physical limitations in the face of a New England winter. I'd give it 4 1/2 stars if the system supported that.
February 28, 2015
I just loved this little book. I love Marcia and her quiet struggle for independence. I love the quiet-ness of it. Her contentment with being alone. I love the idea of a different way to live into old age. May we all someday have a southwest corner.
June 12, 2012
Sentimental and charming. I loved Marcia and related to her feelings. Very well written.
April 10, 2015
Mildred Walker's writing makes me forget I'm reading.
October 31, 2016
There are some lovely passages--and who wouldn't like to meet (or, better, BE) Marcia Elders?
April 21, 2017
Marcia Elder, a feisty 83-year-old woman living by herself on her remote Vermont hill farm, is contemplating the harshness of the upcoming winter and the possible difficulties that could lay ahead for a lone woman of her advanced age. She decides she needs to make some changes in her living situation and her plans form the story of this book.
The southwest corner is to New England tradition what the ‘dawdy haus’ is to Amish practice. It is accommodations built onto the farmhouse for the elderly parents when a grown child takes over the main house. Very practical. But Marcia has no family left so what is she to do?
This book was published in 1951, became a best-seller, and was soon made into a 3-act play which opened in New York in 1955. It did not play long, though, because of the stiff competition from “Friendly Persuasion”. However, Mrs. Roosevelt saw it on Broadway and called it a “fine and lovely play”, saying that it was a “reflection on the taste of American audiences that the play was closing.” In the foreword Mildred Walker added that Mrs. Roosevelt “thought it a crime that we had to close.”
I enjoyed this sensitive book and the determined character of Marcia Elder as my own mother is much the same!
The southwest corner is to New England tradition what the ‘dawdy haus’ is to Amish practice. It is accommodations built onto the farmhouse for the elderly parents when a grown child takes over the main house. Very practical. But Marcia has no family left so what is she to do?
This book was published in 1951, became a best-seller, and was soon made into a 3-act play which opened in New York in 1955. It did not play long, though, because of the stiff competition from “Friendly Persuasion”. However, Mrs. Roosevelt saw it on Broadway and called it a “fine and lovely play”, saying that it was a “reflection on the taste of American audiences that the play was closing.” In the foreword Mildred Walker added that Mrs. Roosevelt “thought it a crime that we had to close.”
I enjoyed this sensitive book and the determined character of Marcia Elder as my own mother is much the same!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews