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Burning Marguerite
One winter morning James Jack Wright finds ninety-four-year-old Marguerite Deo—the woman he has always known as “Tante”—lying dead in the woods outside his cabin, clad only in a flowered nightgown. With this arresting scene, Elizabeth Inness-Brown ushers readers into her mysterious and lyrical narrative, the story of two closely braided lives that forces a reconsideration of our notions of maternity, loyalty, love, and perhaps death itself.
As James Jack sets out to fulfill Marguerite’s unusual last wishes, the narrative unveils the secrets of their pasts. It arcs from Depression-era New Orleans to a barren New England island at the turn of the century, from an illicit passion and an unforgivable crime to the relationship between a small boy and a tough, reclusive woman who turns out to possess an unsuspected capacity for love.
As James Jack sets out to fulfill Marguerite’s unusual last wishes, the narrative unveils the secrets of their pasts. It arcs from Depression-era New Orleans to a barren New England island at the turn of the century, from an illicit passion and an unforgivable crime to the relationship between a small boy and a tough, reclusive woman who turns out to possess an unsuspected capacity for love.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
February 3, 2019
One of the loveliest books I've ever read. It aches with love and is both beautiful and heart breaking at once in its portrayal of love between a mother and her adopted child. Told through the voice of Tante the mother who finds joy and love and redemption when James Jack arrives at her door in his young birth mother's arms. James Jack also reveals the story of how they became a family, set among a beautifully drawm Canadian island landscape. The secrets, shame and sadness that befall both of their lives reveal a story that is both touching and affirming and of a mutual love that heals both of these lovely souls. On my all time favourite novels list for sure. Beautiful.
January 13, 2009
3 1/2 stars
With just a little more depth, this would have been a four-star book for me. There were some things left unexplained about certain characters that left their motivations a little fuzzy. However, this was still a very captivating story. I read all but the last 20 pages in one night!! The prose is very smooth and light, making it very easy to read. This kind of prose always makes me suspect an author of secretly being a poet.
This is a very different sort of mystery in that you don't really know what the mystery is that you're digging toward until you get close to the end of the book. James Jack Wright finds Marguerite, his beloved "Tante" that raised him, dead in the snow at the age of 94. He can't let anyone know she's dead right away because of a promise he made to her to do a certain thing after she died.
The chapters alternate between James Jack in the present and Marguerite telling the story of her life. She sort of moves backward and forward in time, eventually working back to long ago events that determined the way she would live the rest of her life.
With just a little more depth, this would have been a four-star book for me. There were some things left unexplained about certain characters that left their motivations a little fuzzy. However, this was still a very captivating story. I read all but the last 20 pages in one night!! The prose is very smooth and light, making it very easy to read. This kind of prose always makes me suspect an author of secretly being a poet.
This is a very different sort of mystery in that you don't really know what the mystery is that you're digging toward until you get close to the end of the book. James Jack Wright finds Marguerite, his beloved "Tante" that raised him, dead in the snow at the age of 94. He can't let anyone know she's dead right away because of a promise he made to her to do a certain thing after she died.
The chapters alternate between James Jack in the present and Marguerite telling the story of her life. She sort of moves backward and forward in time, eventually working back to long ago events that determined the way she would live the rest of her life.
September 9, 2014
This book had the kind of journey I love. You sometimes feel like you are meandering down side streets, peaking around corners, and discovering interesting bits of the world to pocket away and bring out every once in a while to contemplate on. Loved it and cried when the journey was over, not because I was happy or sad, something in-between?
If you don't enjoy Literary Fiction this probably won't do anything for you but if you like to take that road sometimes I highly recommend.
If you don't enjoy Literary Fiction this probably won't do anything for you but if you like to take that road sometimes I highly recommend.
September 16, 2015
Best book I've read in a while! Highly recommend!
April 7, 2024
I was lucky enough to study with the author of Burning Marguerite, Elizabeth Inness-Brown, at the Green Mountain Writers Conference in 2019. I’ve had a signed copy waiting for me in my TBR pile for far too long! Seems I’ve been avoiding stories that confront the loss of a loved one ever since my father died. But I was finally ready for this tale and I’m so pleased to have experienced it. This is an exceptionally well crafted book. It is hauntingly atmospheric in its depiction of love, life, and loss. There is a tenderness throughout this novel that brilliantly conveys both a mother’s love and the universal desire to be cared for. The story unveils itself at a lovely pace with exquisite detail. Once finished, I closed the book teary but hopeful.
February 20, 2015
Beautifully done but sad.
January 17, 2025
A powerful story, exquisitely written, ultimately about the beauty and pain of living and loving.
August 15, 2014
loved the characters
June 11, 2017
This book was not at all what I was hoping. I found the beginning slow, and then the flashbacks, jumping in and out of different time periods, was annoying. The description of Marguerite's time in New Orleans, very long and somewhat odd to the rest of the plot. The whole scenario with Daniel was so unbelievable. Her mother gets her sterilized, and then not only does her father manage to chop off her finger, but kills her boyfriend in the process. The unbelievable nature of these and many other actions made this book unenjoyable. (seriously, you find your Tante dead in the snow and think, "I must burn her alive"? But only after you've already tried to tell the sheriff? And the oddball Faith, agrees to this? Faith's story was started but not developed either. ) So much to make me say, no. No one would do this.
March 24, 2020
A lyrical, bittersweet homage to love, in its many forms. Innes-Brown deftly interweaves the life-story of ninety-four year old Marguerite Deo with the lives of those who were touched by her. And so many of those characters created by the author struck me as genuine people I would like to have met. Although she avoids actually naming the locale, there is a compelling sense of place; anyone who has lived for a time in that region will recognize it. A wonderful piece of work from beginning to end. I hope Innes-Brown will continue to write and I look forward to reading more.
March 25, 2018
If I could, I would have given this book 3.5 stars. There is enough here about the characters to pull you in and the author demonstrates some talented writing. The book does jump between narrators and if this were a book I was reading with my book club, I think I would ask the others if they thought this change in narrator was necessary or effective. Still, an interesting read that moved in surprising directions.
August 4, 2017
This is a really good story but I feel like it left me hanging at the end. James Jack finds his guardian dead on a winter night - he is in his 30's and she in her 90's. The book goes back and forth to fill in details of their lives. Characters, settings, story are all good but it ends kind of abruptly... may be just me - do like things tied up with a neat bow!
April 6, 2024
Very simply written; this is the authors first novel. Not an excuse though, almost a reflection of the type and mindset of characters she’s writing about.
There is enough depth, mystery, and holding back of facts, to make it interesting. The pace is rather slow, which helped me not jump ahead just to get answers.Nuff said.
There is enough depth, mystery, and holding back of facts, to make it interesting. The pace is rather slow, which helped me not jump ahead just to get answers.Nuff said.
February 11, 2020
it was well written and the characters were very interesting. It bounced around a bit in tense which could be confusing and also in whose story was being told. The ending was a little unrewarding? Overall a good read
July 6, 2025
The very absorbing story of Marguerite, an unusual women and the boy she raised as her own after both of his parents and his uncle died in an ice fishing accident. Rebellious and nonconforming, I found Marguerite to be an interesting and sympathetic character as I progressed though this book.
February 27, 2018
What a book! A love story, a tragedy and philosophy all rolled into a VT setting.
October 26, 2018
What a haunting, beautiful, thoughtful story.
August 13, 2020
My rating is closer to 3.75.
February 5, 2024
Bello, inaspettato, intenso.
August 14, 2024
A really moving story of Marguerite's long life; the last 35 years were spent raising an orphan boy. The book switches between their two viewpoints.
October 24, 2024
A beautiful novel about life, loss, love, grief, and letting go.
May 29, 2025
It was like I was there in the snow with them.
October 11, 2020
See my review at: https://topplingbookpile.blogspot.com...
November 23, 2020
Elizabeth Inness-Brown’s little novel caught my eye from the shelves of my new library, and I’m better for it. This tale of loves found apart from family channels grabbed me and won’t let go. It’s both a coming-of-age story and a look back at a life well-lived. The characters, primarily Tante Marguerite, James Jack and the sheriff, are nuanced and memorable. There’s a dreamlike quality to the action, where small details turn out to have great import. Inness-Brown’s writing is rich and resonant:
“For decades I had tried to live among people. To be a worker in the beehive of human activity – to live in one cell among many, to fill my cell with honey, to do my duty by my fellow creatures. Had tried to have lovers and had tried to have friends. Had tried to love, both selfishly and selflessly, and had finally come to believe that one could love only oneself, and that not very much.”
“I had set as my task the composition of a book about the more obscure wildflowers found on my land. I wanted to celebrate that myriad populace that is all but invisible, that requires a caring, attentive eye to see its beauty. Why? No doubt because by then I too felt invisible to the people around me as a knotweed flower. As homely and common and small as the Marguerite my mother named me for.”
“For decades I had tried to live among people. To be a worker in the beehive of human activity – to live in one cell among many, to fill my cell with honey, to do my duty by my fellow creatures. Had tried to have lovers and had tried to have friends. Had tried to love, both selfishly and selflessly, and had finally come to believe that one could love only oneself, and that not very much.”
“I had set as my task the composition of a book about the more obscure wildflowers found on my land. I wanted to celebrate that myriad populace that is all but invisible, that requires a caring, attentive eye to see its beauty. Why? No doubt because by then I too felt invisible to the people around me as a knotweed flower. As homely and common and small as the Marguerite my mother named me for.”
August 24, 2010
James Jack wakes up one morning to find his 94-year-old guardian, the lady who raised him and loved him all his life, dead in the snow outside their home. From this grim start stems a layered, beautifully-written story of secrets and sacrifice.
The life of Marguerite Deo is told in her own voice, reaching back across the years. She reveals her story in her own time, and expects you to be patient and to trust that the information she imparts now will have meaning later. I loved Marguerite, and wanted only the best for her. The book is written much as life is lived, however, and how she deals with the sadness she suffers makes her even more interesting.
I'm so disappointed that Elizabeth Inness-Brown hasn't released another novel since Burning Marguerite. She is an author from whom I would have liked to build a collection. I'll have to settle for her volumes of short stories, but I would love another big story, especially if it's as good as this.
The life of Marguerite Deo is told in her own voice, reaching back across the years. She reveals her story in her own time, and expects you to be patient and to trust that the information she imparts now will have meaning later. I loved Marguerite, and wanted only the best for her. The book is written much as life is lived, however, and how she deals with the sadness she suffers makes her even more interesting.
I'm so disappointed that Elizabeth Inness-Brown hasn't released another novel since Burning Marguerite. She is an author from whom I would have liked to build a collection. I'll have to settle for her volumes of short stories, but I would love another big story, especially if it's as good as this.
October 14, 2015
Loved the author's writing as well as the story.
From amazon:
One winter morning James Jack Wright finds ninety-four-year-old Marguerite Deo—the woman he has always known as “Tante”—lying dead in the woods outside his cabin, clad only in a flowered nightgown. With this arresting scene, Elizabeth Inness-Brown ushers readers into her mysterious and lyrical narrative, the story of two closely braided lives that forces a reconsideration of our notions of maternity, loyalty, love, and perhaps death itself.
As James Jack sets out to fulfill Marguerite’s unusual last wishes, the narrative unveils the secrets of their pasts. It arcs from Depression-era New Orleans to a barren New England island at the turn of the century, from an illicit passion and an unforgivable crime to the relationship between a small boy and a tough, reclusive woman who turns out to possess an unsuspected capacity for love.
From amazon:
One winter morning James Jack Wright finds ninety-four-year-old Marguerite Deo—the woman he has always known as “Tante”—lying dead in the woods outside his cabin, clad only in a flowered nightgown. With this arresting scene, Elizabeth Inness-Brown ushers readers into her mysterious and lyrical narrative, the story of two closely braided lives that forces a reconsideration of our notions of maternity, loyalty, love, and perhaps death itself.
As James Jack sets out to fulfill Marguerite’s unusual last wishes, the narrative unveils the secrets of their pasts. It arcs from Depression-era New Orleans to a barren New England island at the turn of the century, from an illicit passion and an unforgivable crime to the relationship between a small boy and a tough, reclusive woman who turns out to possess an unsuspected capacity for love.
December 12, 2012
A friend recommended this book. It is unclear where the book is set, but the author lives on an island in Lake Champlain, so I am thinking it might be Vermont. The main family is of French ancestry.
I liked the book, it was a bit of a slow start, but once you get into it it is riveting. I thought the plotting was mostly well done, but I had a problem with the denouement. If Daniel was a rapist, why is the couple holding hands? Wouldn't she be afraid of him? Or at least disliking him? Their friendliness should have said something to the father to avert his terrible deed. And she doesn't really explain what makes the mean mother and the isolated father turn around and start doing good deeds in the community. The plot jumps back and forth in time, which was a bit confusing at first, and slowed comprehension, but I think fit the story line well.
I liked the book, it was a bit of a slow start, but once you get into it it is riveting. I thought the plotting was mostly well done, but I had a problem with the denouement. If Daniel was a rapist, why is the couple holding hands? Wouldn't she be afraid of him? Or at least disliking him? Their friendliness should have said something to the father to avert his terrible deed. And she doesn't really explain what makes the mean mother and the isolated father turn around and start doing good deeds in the community. The plot jumps back and forth in time, which was a bit confusing at first, and slowed comprehension, but I think fit the story line well.
April 26, 2015
I would give this book 3.5 stars.
The story centers on Marguerite's family history as told by her in segments throughout the book.
It a story of love, hate, denial, murder and forgiveness. It is the story of a woman who is able to reinvent herself for decades in order to survive and to protect her "son" Jack James. Marguerite is Jack's guardian. While her early life centers on her own survival, all that changes when Jack James enters her life. In this sense, it is a family love story. I loved Marguerite's character. Women from all walks of life can identify with her independent nature and ability to adapt to the most traumatic events. Jack James character is more 2 dimensional. He doesn't evoke strong feelings of likability. While it may be a bit slow getting into the book, the saga definitely becomes more interesting when Marguerite starts to narrate. A good read.
The story centers on Marguerite's family history as told by her in segments throughout the book.
It a story of love, hate, denial, murder and forgiveness. It is the story of a woman who is able to reinvent herself for decades in order to survive and to protect her "son" Jack James. Marguerite is Jack's guardian. While her early life centers on her own survival, all that changes when Jack James enters her life. In this sense, it is a family love story. I loved Marguerite's character. Women from all walks of life can identify with her independent nature and ability to adapt to the most traumatic events. Jack James character is more 2 dimensional. He doesn't evoke strong feelings of likability. While it may be a bit slow getting into the book, the saga definitely becomes more interesting when Marguerite starts to narrate. A good read.
December 2, 2014
I have to say, this book left me very pleasantly surprised. It's been awhile since I've read a book that drew me in to the character's stories and left me wanting more. On the same note, though, it didn't go on too long or wear out its welcome. Even though I didn't care for the character of James Jack, I loved his story. Marguerite had such an convoluted, dramatic life that seemed to have roller coaster ups and downs on every page. I enjoyed the fact that it was told backwards. This made it more interesting for me, and was more satisfying when dots were connected. I had never heard of this author before, and found this novel at a book sale. I'm glad I was able to give it a second life- and have passed it on with rave reviews!
May 12, 2008
This book was given to me as a "favorite". I had neither heard of it or it's author. It is a haunting story that unfolds throughout the entire novel. The story is alternately narrated by (recently deceased) 94 year old Marguerite and James Jack, the 35 year old she raised from a child. Marguerite has many secrets which unfold throughout the story and ultimately explain motivation in raising James Jack. It is basically set on a barren New England island but also parts of it take place in New Orleans during the Depression. I'm very glad it was given to me - I found it a novel well worth reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews