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Country People
Her first book. This is one of a special edition of six hundred copies presented with the compliments of the author and the publisher to their bookseller friends assembled in New York for their twenty-fourth annual convention, May, 1924.
213 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 1999
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About the author
Ruth Suckow
35 books7 followersRuth Suckow (August 6, 1892 – January 23, 1960) was an American author.
Suckow is sometimes recalled as a "regionalist," but she did not consider herself such a writer. She said that she wrote about "people, situations, and their meaning." Her fiction was often set in Iowa, but was not parochial in outlook. Today her writing has value for readers who enjoy good storytelling as well as for social historians looking for details about life in the early 20th century, particularly in the small towns of Iowa.
Suckow's childhood home has been preserved at Calliope Village in Hawarden, Iowa.
(from Wikipedia)
Suckow is sometimes recalled as a "regionalist," but she did not consider herself such a writer. She said that she wrote about "people, situations, and their meaning." Her fiction was often set in Iowa, but was not parochial in outlook. Today her writing has value for readers who enjoy good storytelling as well as for social historians looking for details about life in the early 20th century, particularly in the small towns of Iowa.
Suckow's childhood home has been preserved at Calliope Village in Hawarden, Iowa.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 12, 2024
I read this book for our library book club. It is the 100 year anniversary of it’s publication and this author graduated from our high school where I live. The book reminded me of my own great grandparents who immigrated from Germany and settled in a German farming community in Iowa. I liked how Emma evolved.
October 1, 2015
This is not an easy book to find!
It is, however, an easy book to read. The 213 small pages go by quickly.
It relates the story of an Iowa farming family from the 1850's to the early 1920's. There is not a lot of deep gritty detail. There are also no major disasters or sudden unexpected windfalls. The main character, August Kaetterhenry comes from a family where he was made to work hard and when he goes out on his own, he expects the same from his wife and children - some, of course, wind up working harder than others. He works hard almost all his life, saves his money, finally retires and moves to town, only to die before he has had very long to enjoy his retirement. The only thing remotely out of the ordinary that might not have happened to any farm family during the period anywhere in the country is that when they become very ill, as sort of a last resort they visit the then fairly new Mayo Clinic. Emma Kaeterhenry has gallbladder surgery on her visit and recovers well. August, when he reluctantly goes, is diagnosed with high blood pressure, and there isn't much they can do for him.
But the story is very true. As I said, there is nothing here, from the nature of their courtship to such problems as they had with children and older parents that couldn't have happened in a similar fashion to almost any farm family anywhere in the country during the same time period. When you are tired of war, murder, people abusing each other, tension, and stress, this is a good choice.
It is, however, an easy book to read. The 213 small pages go by quickly.
It relates the story of an Iowa farming family from the 1850's to the early 1920's. There is not a lot of deep gritty detail. There are also no major disasters or sudden unexpected windfalls. The main character, August Kaetterhenry comes from a family where he was made to work hard and when he goes out on his own, he expects the same from his wife and children - some, of course, wind up working harder than others. He works hard almost all his life, saves his money, finally retires and moves to town, only to die before he has had very long to enjoy his retirement. The only thing remotely out of the ordinary that might not have happened to any farm family during the period anywhere in the country is that when they become very ill, as sort of a last resort they visit the then fairly new Mayo Clinic. Emma Kaeterhenry has gallbladder surgery on her visit and recovers well. August, when he reluctantly goes, is diagnosed with high blood pressure, and there isn't much they can do for him.
But the story is very true. As I said, there is nothing here, from the nature of their courtship to such problems as they had with children and older parents that couldn't have happened in a similar fashion to almost any farm family anywhere in the country during the same time period. When you are tired of war, murder, people abusing each other, tension, and stress, this is a good choice.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews