The Blue Box: Three Lives in Letters

by Sallie Bingham

This family history centered around three women from three generations spans the Civil War through the Jazz Age. Fans of Sallie Bingham's work will especially appreciate her parents Mary and Barry's romance that unfolds in letters and finally results in marriage. Bingham beautifully demonstrates an inheritance of emotion, morality, ideology, and most lasting of all, irreverence. Sallie Bingham has published four short story collections, four novels, a memoir, and several plays. Bingham was a director of the National Book Critics Circle, and founded the Kentucky Foundation for Women and the Sallie Bingham Archive for Women's Papers and Culture at Duke University.

248 pages, Paperback

First published July 21, 2014

About the author

Sarah Montague "Sallie" Bingham was an American author, playwright, poet, teacher, feminist activist, and philanthropist. She was the eldest daughter of Barry Bingham, Sr., patriarch of the Bingham family of Louisville, Kentucky.

Reviews

[Becky Loader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love anything in the epistolary style, and I was not disappointed here. Such a nice read. What are we going to do in the future since very few people write letters anymore?

[Elinor Hoover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sallie is such a fine writer and her observations about the line of formidable women who preceded her are insightful and (at times) funny. Love her!

[Eleanor Livingston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy history through the eyes of people who lived it. Having lived in Louisville for almost 11 years, I have enjoyed getting to know the Bingham family through various books. This one, written by one of the members of this family that was so involved in the development of a wonderful city, hit close to home as I found myself sorting through mementos as we prepared to leave Louisville. A very pleasant read - I enjoyed it from beginning to end.

[Norah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was a good book not great. I loved how the perspective kept shifting. I love all the stories. My favorite was probably Mary’s. She was a joy to read about and I also liked Helena’s story.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting history of strong women and a part of the country I know well.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found it hard to read and follow.

[Trish Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote an extensive review for the Bowling Green Daily News, 11/01/2015. I am NOT an employee of the paper; hence, any reference to it must be credited to me & the paper--not just the paper.
Here's the link: http://www.bgdailynews.com/community/...

[Moonlight.aileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This for me was more of an introduction to why one should look into recording your family history. Bingham did an admirable job of presenting the lives of her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother to the reader with warts fully intact.

[Terra · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was okay but more like a journal.

[Bibliovixen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This seemed incomplete, although interesting and well-written.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quotable:
As it does so often, the official record belongs to the men in the family, who in our case made speeches and were quoted in newspaper stories. This blue box contained the women’s stories, which always disturb, however unintentionally, the official record.

Before the marriage deal was signed and sealed, each daughter must become at least partly self-supporting as a stenographer, secretary, librarian, “athletic dancer,” or playground director – the extent of Helena’s list of acceptable possibilities.

Mary is the one person I’ve seen among my contemporaries to whom maturity seems a blessing. Instead of just getting dull and conventional as so many of my friends have, she is getting more wide awake and interested in the current of life around her. –Warren Buckler

[Brittany]

I couldn't get into this. I know it was a memoir basically but I expected it to flow like a story similar to others I've read. It didn't flow at all. The idea of the story is intriguing though.