The Widow Down by the Brook: A Memoir of a Time Gone By

by Mary Macneill

The last words Wilmot MacNeill ever spoke, right before he died, were to his wife. He urged her to "keep a home of your own. Don't go live with the children. As long as you have your own home you will be independent." That was almost fifty years ago; today, at ninety-three, Mary MacNeill still has her own home, and has finally decided to share her charming and inspirational memoir of Wilmot's last year, the house in the country he insists they build together before he dies and her surprisingly contemporary journey into an independent life along the way. Mary's long career as a librarian, editor and reader has resulted in a voice that is warm, wise, appealingly straightforward and infused with the same generous sense of humor and composure that has carried her through so many of life's difficult predicaments. With their two children grown and away from home, Mary and Wilmot MacNeill led a simple life together in a tiny house in the center of Hartford, Connecticut. But When they learn that Wilmot's lingering cancer will soon take his life, everything changes, and so begins the transformation of a dilapidated barn on a scrambled thicket of Connecticut countryside into a beautiful, fruitful home, along with the metamorphosis of a proper librarian and wife into a strong, independent woman who's not only making the tea but also shoveling the manure and facing the elements. The inevitable happens -- Wilmot dies -- but the woman he leaves behind is forever changed. With the help of many friends and neighbors, Mary finishes the house, lives there for many years and becomes a vital and happy member of the rural community. Written in 1952 and stowed away with Mary's private possessions for more than forty-five years, this memoir is an illustrious time capsule, complete with more than twenty-five original photos, depicting the simplicity of rural New England life in the 1950s and offering one woman's hands-on experience with the changing gender roles this century has witnessed.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Autobiography

First published May 6, 1999

Reviews

[Mandi Lynn]

This was interesting to read because it comes from a time when marriage and living was treated so differently. Nothing extraordinary about the book, but still found some interest in the story.

[Sue]

Imagine turning 46-year-old journal entries and letters into a memoir about the 1950s that makes sense in 2022. That’s what Mary MacNeill did. I wish I had known her. MacNeill and her husband Wilmot, who were living in Hartford Connecticut, bought an old farm in the boondocks and turned the barn into a house worthy of magazine articles. It was not quite finished when Wilmot, who had been suffering from cancer, passed away. This being the 50s, people were appalled that Mary wanted to continue living there by herself, but that’s what she did, finishing the house and establishing a happy life. She was actually rarely alone. She was still working as a librarian in Hartford, and a steady stream of friends and relatives visited the farm. It seemed that whenever she had a need, there was someone to fill it. I wonder if her personality drew them or if things were different in the 1950s. Anyway, it’s a lovely book, well-written, entertaining and with enough suspense to keep one reading. My only complaint is that there were so many friends and family that I lost track of their names, but overall, I give it four stars.

[EThayer3]

I read this book when it first came out back in 1999 and loved it; I just read it again and still love it. It's the memoir of Mary MacNeill, who along with her husband, Wilmont, bought a dilapidated farmhouse in Canton, Conneticut and set out to restore it. Her husband is dying from cancer and has been given mere months to live but his last wish is to buy this house. He begins by doing most of the work himself but is soon too weak so Mary takes on a good part of the heavy load. He dies soon after moving leaving Mary to decide whether to stay in the house he loved so and still needs much more work or to move somewhere where the living is easier.

I grew up near this area so many of the things Mary mentions are familiar to me - G Fox & Co., Hartford Public Library, Collinsville, East Hartford, Avon Mountain. Fortunately I never had to drive the later in the snow as Mary did.

Scattered throughout the book are bits of poetry, all enjoyable to read.

[Bryan]

Sweet old-fashioned memoir.

[Margaret]

I spent an entire Sunday reading this book. I found the author to be a good writer and her extensive foray into describing how she and her husband turned a barn into a house was very captivating and not boring at all. I like books of this nature that combines an everyday life with thoughts and feelings to an entertaining mix.

Though as much as I enjoyed it I found her humor odd at times and I couldn't get the gist of what was funny. There was a thread of underlying resentment at times in regards to her husband which really didn't bother me, the resentment I mean. It was the way she brought it into the book as though she wasn't truly aware that it was sneaking into her writing. Than at some point, the resentment was absent as though it worked itself out, very odd and also at the same time, interesting.

I had to admire her tenacity and I often got to wondering how I would handle losing my husband, what would I do? When a book gets me to thinking and pondering, I know that it has me hook, line and sinker. Worth the read even with all the above mentions. Oh last thing I truly enjoyed the smatterings of poetry in the book.

[Terry Parsons]

Intriguing and interesting memoir. Her husband is very ill yet insists on turning an old barn into a house. Her journey includes the challenges of losing her husband and completing the construction on the house.

[Melissa]

a wonderful insightful memoir of a woman whose husband died when she was in her early 4os and she decided to live and continue his dream in the country in his dream home. another strong, independent woman.

[Joanne]

I liked the book, but found her forays into humor quite odd.