'Lena Rivers

by Mary Jane Holmes

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Genres: Classics, Fiction, Ebooks

278 pages, Paperback

Published November 3, 2006

About the author

Mary Jane Holmes (a.k.a. Mary J. Holmes) was a bestselling and prolific American author who wrote 39 popular novels, as well as short stories. Her first novel sold 250,000 copies; and she had total sales of 2 million books in her lifetime, second only to Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Mary Jane Holmes, nee Hawes (1825-1907) was an American author who wrote many popular novels. Holmes was born in Brookfield, Massachusetts. At age 13 she taught in a school. She married Daniel Holmes and they settled in Versailles, Kentucky. In 1854 she wrote her first novel, Tempest and Sunshine. The theme for most of her novels was domestic life. Other works include: The English Orphans; or, A Home in the New World (1855), 'Lena Rivers (1856), Homestead on the Hillside (1856), Meadow Brook (1857), Dora Deane; or, The East India Uncle (1859), Cousin Maude (1860), Rosamond Maude (1860), Darkness and Daylight (1864), Hugh Worthington (1865), Family Pride; or, Purified by Suffering (1867), Ethelyn's Mistake (1869), Edna Browning; or, The Leighton Homestead (1872), West Lawn (1874), Edith Lyle's Secret (1876), Forrest House (1879), Christmas Stories (1885), Bessie's Fortune (1885), Tracy Park (1886), Gretchen (1887), Paul Ralston (1897), The Cromptons (1899) and Bad Hugh (1900).

Portraying domestic life in small town and rural settings, she examined gender relationships, as well as those of class and race. She also dealt with slavery and the American Civil War, with a strong sense of moral justice. Her popular work was excluded from most 19th-century literary histories, but she has received recognition and reappraisal since the late 20th century.

Reviews

[Ginny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such melodrama! So many manipulative characters! So many machinations and secretive goings-on leading to marriages that should never have taken place and others that are nearly prevented from taking place but turn out happily, if melodramatically, after all.

I was drawn to this book because my grandmother's younger sister was named Lena Rivers Routh. I never knew why her middle name was Rivers, but about 15 years ago I found a list of books she'd read for a high school English class. It included the title Lena Rivers. I began to think my great aunt might have been named after the title character and that the book could have been one of her mother's favorites. I sent for the book via interlibrary loan and read it, but I remembered very little about it from this reading. A couple of months ago, I found a copy in very nice condition in an antique store and was happy to buy it for my own collection.

It was a compelling read despite the melodrama and stock characters. It provides an interesting glimpse of domestic life in 1850s society in both New England, where people prided themselves on their abolitionist beliefs, and Kentucky, where slavery was deeply entrenched. I can't say this would ever be a favorite book of mine, but I like the possible family significance it has for me.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was originally written in 1856, right before the Civil War. It was a great read, with five female fainting spells and even one male fainting. It would make a great melodrama play. If you want to read some authentic turgid prose and get transported back to the 1850's, this is your book. According to the Dictionary of Literary Biography, this orphan narrative was Holmes' greatest commercial success. "The orphan theme aside, 'Lena Rivers is significant as one of the best examples of Holmes's attention to regional custom, dialect, and setting. Though Holmes is more of a sentimental novelist than local colorist or literary realist, she flavors her tales with details culled from her youth, effectively infusing her fiction with a distinct authenticity."

Sometimes you will laugh at the purple prose, but the plot keeps you going.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

An otherwise delightful old fashioned novel marred by ugly language and stereotypical depictions of race

If sentimental mid- 19th century melodramas are your thing, you will love this sweet story. Filled with all the usual tropes (budding romance, a young woman of questionable parenthood, pathetic deaths) this story still manages to have a sense of humor and an occasional plot twist. My biggest criticism of this book is the frequent use of the N- word and the disparaging way the author writes about the "darkies" kept as slaves in the main character's homes. In some ways, they are more intelligent than their owners, but they are also portrayed as weak, lazy, and even thieves. It was difficult to read at some parts because it made me so angry but I read on because there were other times where I felt like she was mocking the institution of slavery and slaveowners. If you going to get through this book, you will need a huge dose of cultural literacy, and an understanding of the typical attitudes at the time it was written

[Renee K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dare I say that I actually read this book twice?! Once as a teen and again in my twenties. I've read a lot of books that were much better in plot and intrigue, but there was something about this book that drew me in...and it is the only book I have ever read twice, and I've read 100's of books in my 71 year lifetime. I still have the book and have been tempted on several occasions to read it again to learn what it was that pulled me in. However, in reading the reviews of others, I can pretty much figure that out...and will leave it to future reader and pick a new title instead. It's unlikely I would have read this book except for the fact that my grandmother's books were all from late 1800's and early 1900's and I would pick them up when staying with her to occupy my time. I recommend the original Grimm's fairy tales...that was eye opening to a young reader after seeing the Disney renditions!

[Anne Wise · Rating 5 out of 5]

A “Trifling” Novel

This book took me by surprise. About a third of the way in I was immersed hook line and sinker and could not stop reading! So many funny characters that were too dramatic to be real AND YET.....
How in the world do I even hear about this novel written in 1856? Well it was mentioned by a published diarist, Kate Stone, who mentioned it in her book “Brokenburn - The Journal of Kate Stone 1861-1868. She states in her journal for 1861 : “June 4- wrote a little French and read Lena Rivers, a trifling novel.” I was intrigued and when I found it on Amazon I decided to try it out.
Hah! I’m glad I did.

[Donna Nova · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hate runs deep

I have yet to read about the author, her horrific racism bled right through her characters. I couldn't help but enjoy the story, until it would be ruined.
It was 'Jane Austen' for Klan ladies.
I can't imagine anyone reading this and not feeling sickened, then sad, then mad. Then embarrassed that a great deal of humans felt and feel okay that this is a PG version of history.
It could have been a good story. The author's feelings ruined that.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoy novels from the mid 1800's to early 1900's, this is a good one. The author lets on early about the main secret but there were many more small ones and misunderstandings by characters that led you through twists and turns until you saw the large one revealed and the conclusion of the story.

I like British and American novels from that era because you don't have to worry about running across something kinky and there is never a problem of profanity.

[Shari Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel, published in the 1850's, was a Kindle freebie. It is the story of Lena Rivers, and orphan growing up in the mountains of New England with her grandparents. Her mother died when she was a baby, and she never knew her father because he left her mother before she was born. When her grandfather dies, she and her mother go to live with her uncle in Kentucky. Her uncle is hen pecked by his wealthy wife, who is not happy about having to take in "poor relations", and her 3 children are spoiled.

Lena's grandmother would be considered a "redneck" today, she even chewed tobacco! I loved her character too, she added many moments of hilarity to the story. The story is basically one of star crossed lovers, 3 couples who's lives are not working out because of the interference of her Lena's aunt, who believes her children should marry for for wealth and social position, not love. And there is also a story behind the secret of Lena's parentage.

I enjoyed this story; it's not great literature, but it was fun read. The characters tended to be a little dramatic at times, especially Lena with all her fainting spells, but I think that style of writing was probably popular in novels of this kind in that day. Some of language is not politically correct either, especially in regards to the slaves, but I think that is because of the time it was written in; back then, there was no such thing as being "P.C."

I looked up that author, Mary Jane Holmes, on Wikipedia; she was a quite prolific and best selling author of 39 novels during the mid to late 1800's, almost as popular as Harriet Beecher Stowe. I have a few of her other novels on my Kindle, and look forward to reading those too.

[Suzie Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so excited to find this book online! My maternal grandmother read this book as a young woman in the early 1900's. She may have been drawn to it because her first name was Lena. She loved the book so much that she changed her name from Lena Susan to Lena Rivers. My mother had told me this story about my grandmother for many years and that's why I wanted to read the book.

So, of course I had an emotional tie already. But it is a good story and very old fashion, which I loved. It gives you a glimpse into days of yesteryear when life was much less complicated but many times so unfair.

[Alexis Chateau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I couldn't put it down! I will even venture to say it roused an emotion or two in me for Lena's sad plight. Misery has never before been so written.

On account of reading it, I have learned two important thinks- or rather, they were reinforced. (1) Never trust a mother-in-law who dislikes you, and (2) In love and general life never, never assume. Things are not always what they appear to be.

Looking forward to more works from this author. :)

[Linore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, old-fashioned romance. Proves that mainstream romantic fiction WAS Christian fiction. A fun, quick read.

[Linda K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story despite all the highly emotional scenes from most all the characters. Lena is a charming heroine and displays great grace under so much hardship.

[JoAnn Stearns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story!

I couldn't put it down! This story had so many twists and turns. The ending couldn't have been more satisfying!

[Carol J Pennington-York · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lena

This book had it all. Love, sadness, joy and humor. An old story with good old-fashioned values. I wish it hadn't ended.