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A Will of Their Own
"Shreve is a master storyteller....[An] intricate portrait of the American woman and her creative centrality inside and outside the home."
THE MIAMI HERALD
They are four generations of women--Anna, Amanda, Sara, and Eleanor--and their remarkable story spans a hundred years, beginning when a willful beauty arrives in America in 1890, and goes on to love, passion, and scandal. She brings into the world a talented daughter whose photographs capture the soul of the twentieth century, and in turn she has a daughter, who in then has a daughter of her own--all of whom refuse to bow to the conventions of their times. Like their mothers before them, they will charter vast new territory as daughters of the new world.
THE MIAMI HERALD
They are four generations of women--Anna, Amanda, Sara, and Eleanor--and their remarkable story spans a hundred years, beginning when a willful beauty arrives in America in 1890, and goes on to love, passion, and scandal. She brings into the world a talented daughter whose photographs capture the soul of the twentieth century, and in turn she has a daughter, who in then has a daughter of her own--all of whom refuse to bow to the conventions of their times. Like their mothers before them, they will charter vast new territory as daughters of the new world.
438 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 2, 1994
About the author
Susan Richards Shreve
73 books84 followersAlso know as Susan Shreve. Received the following awards: Jenny Moore Award, George Washington University, 1978; Notable Book citation, American Library Association (ALA), 1979, for Family Secrets: Five Very Important Stories; Best Book for Young Adults citation, ALA, 1980, for The Masquerade; Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, National Council for Social Studies and the Children's Book Council joint committee, 1980, for Family Secrets: Five Very Important Stories; Guggenheim award in fiction, 1980; National Endowment for the Arts fiction award, 1982; Edgar Allan Poe Award, Mystery Writers of America, 1988, for Lucy Forever and Miss Rosetree, Shrinks; Woodrow Wilson fellowships, West Virginia Wesleyan, 1994, and Bates College, 1997; Lila Wallace Readers Digest Foundation grant.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 7, 2010
Nothing like the movie, but is that surprising?
I actually enjoyed the fact that this book was nothing like the movie ("A Will of Their Own" with Lea Thompson), and it's one of the few times that I could enjoy both despite their differences.
The book, originally published as "Daughters of the New World," follows five generations of women through the very end of the 19th century and through most of the twentieth. Anna, an immigrant from Wales, moves to the US to be a housemaid to an uppercrust Washington, D.C. family only to marry their son. Public, er, shame prompts the couple to move to Wisconsin, where Anna gives birth to Amanda and dies not long after. Amanda grows up with on the Chippewa reservation in Ashland, has a love affair with a childhood friend named Flat Mouth that lasts a lifetime, disguises herself as a man to photograph WW1, has a child that she promptly carts everywhere for her work, and lives to the age of 90. Sara picks up the torch in the 1940s as a wife, mother, hotel proprietor and alcoholic who is a foil to strong-minded but emotionally distant Amanda. Sara's daughter, Eleanor, is a warmer but equally strong and smart version of Amanda. Eleanor is probably the best-developed and most likable character in the story, as Amanda's larger-than-life disposition and Sara's quiet desperation make both of them difficult to identify with. Finally, the story concludes with Eleanor's daughters, Lily and Kat, carving a way for themselves in the 1980s and 1990s.
The characters in the book definitely feel like real people instead of archetypes, so keep that in mind. If you enjoy books of that sort, give this one a whirl.
I actually enjoyed the fact that this book was nothing like the movie ("A Will of Their Own" with Lea Thompson), and it's one of the few times that I could enjoy both despite their differences.
The book, originally published as "Daughters of the New World," follows five generations of women through the very end of the 19th century and through most of the twentieth. Anna, an immigrant from Wales, moves to the US to be a housemaid to an uppercrust Washington, D.C. family only to marry their son. Public, er, shame prompts the couple to move to Wisconsin, where Anna gives birth to Amanda and dies not long after. Amanda grows up with on the Chippewa reservation in Ashland, has a love affair with a childhood friend named Flat Mouth that lasts a lifetime, disguises herself as a man to photograph WW1, has a child that she promptly carts everywhere for her work, and lives to the age of 90. Sara picks up the torch in the 1940s as a wife, mother, hotel proprietor and alcoholic who is a foil to strong-minded but emotionally distant Amanda. Sara's daughter, Eleanor, is a warmer but equally strong and smart version of Amanda. Eleanor is probably the best-developed and most likable character in the story, as Amanda's larger-than-life disposition and Sara's quiet desperation make both of them difficult to identify with. Finally, the story concludes with Eleanor's daughters, Lily and Kat, carving a way for themselves in the 1980s and 1990s.
The characters in the book definitely feel like real people instead of archetypes, so keep that in mind. If you enjoy books of that sort, give this one a whirl.
January 21, 2015
A saga spanning five generations of women, beginning with Anna, newly arrived in America from Rhyl, Wales. Determined to live her life as she sees fit, risking it all for a fresh start in the new world. To her daughter Amanda, headstrong and ahead of her times in so many ways. Amanda's daughter Sara, yearning for a life of normalcy and order after being raised by the energetic and daring Amanda. Sara's daughter Eleanor, so like Amanda in many ways but more grounded. To Eleanor's daughters, sweet Lily and stubborn Kat. Starting in the late 1890's and moving rapidly through the ever changing 20th century, this page turner's characters will stay on your mind long after you read the final page.
November 28, 2013
This is my favorite book of all time. I read it at least once a year. It's a comfort to come back to this book in life.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews