Herbs and Apples

by Helen Hooven Santmyer

Originally published sixty years ago, this semi-autobiographical first novel by the author of "...And Ladies of the Club" is laced with nostalgia and the sweeping drama of life in America

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Helen Hooven Santmyer was born in 1895 and lived in Xenia, Ohio. In addition to her career as a writer, she worked as an English professor, a dean of women, and a librarian. She was 87 when her novel "And Ladies of the Club" was published as a Book of the Month, and passed away at the age of 90 in February of 1986. She was inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame in 1996

Reviews

[Diane Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helen Hooven Santmyer published "........And Ladies of the Club" when she was 88 years old. It was a Book of the Month Club selection ( remember those?) and was a huge hit. She only wrote 4 novels during her life and this was the first one. It's an old fashioned novel that might bore the pants off a lot of modern readers, but just what I was in the mood for. Semi-autobiographical, it follows Derrick Thornton from her childhood in Tecumsah, Ohio in the early years of the 20th century, to college in New England, 3 years as a working girl in New York having a great time with friends, then back home to care for her big family after her mother dies. She discovers that sometimes lofty dreams have to be put aside when real life intrudes. I think we've all been there. I remember very well the day I came to the realization that I would never be rich and famous!

I loved ".....And Ladies of the Club" when I read it years ago, all 900 pages of it, enough to search for and read her other 3 novels as well. This was the last of them so I guess that makes me a completist. Her writing takes me to another time and place in a gentler world, not that there was no tragedy and heartbreak, but to be among friendly, decent people who treated each other with respect and kindness. That's a nice place to be.

[Lore Lippincott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this in 2000, when I was thinking of returning to my native Ohio after living away from it many years. Since my premiere dive into Santmyer's town of "Tecumseh," I've read cover to cover at least nine times. I've now befriended this book so thoroughly that, on any given day, if I'm restless and in dire need of comfort, I can grab it, open it, and begin reading exactly where I opened it without being lost as to what came before. I know this book better than any other that's passed in front of my eyes.

There is much more to this book than its pink and girly cover, and vague description suggests. It has a wonderful, subtle feminism lodged in the women who share their college lives (at a nameless Eastern college that is really none other than Wellesley), their budding careers in New York City at the time the world faces its first multi-national conflict. After many rereads, I was able to form essays about the mysterious characterization of Madeleine, particularly the dyad of Madeleine and Derrick Thornton (the story's protagonist). Madeleine is the question mark of the entire book, whom, I fear, was regrettably at the end of many Santmyer edits (at the insistence of her publisher), so that we are left with many ellipses surrounding Madeleine's reasons, her long and complicated friendship with Derrick that may (if it hadn't been for those edits) crossed the threshold into an intense feminine affection (more on Madeleine's side than Derrick's, although, given the hints, everyone in their group is aware of it). The characters are plentiful, entertaining, and just like the people you would've known, had you grown up in that era.

Derrick is not defined by the situations that develop around her as she grows up, reaches adulthood; rather, she is drawn into a character created by herself, by her own will, through her loyalty to her friends and her love for her hometown of Tecumseh (Xenia), Ohio.

If you have an interest in feminist books that are probably not on your Women's Studies list, pick this up at a second hand store or online. It's an interesting study of a woman who seeks a career in the 1910's, finds that marriage is not an option for her, and yet contents herself on being "a sitter in the world," quite the opposite of her youthful intentions.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read ... And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer years ago and quite enjoyed getting the women and their lives, so when I saw this book, I decided to revisit the author's works.

First printed in 1925, Herbs and Apples (not sure of the significance of the title), is largely biographical, but still manages to surprise.

It is the tale of Derrick Thornton, a young woman coming of age in small town America in the early part of the last century. Derrick has literary aspirations from a young age and she joins other young women in New York where they share their hopes and dreams for the future. Unlike many young women of their day, love, marriage and family don't top their list of future endeavours.

I found the story surprisingly philosophic and realized that while times have changed for young women, many of the realities of life haven't.

I found the casual racism startling, but believe that that was how things were then. It goes some way to explain some elderly people's views.

It was worth immersing myself in an earlier, simpler time.

[Karyl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Santmyer's first novel, written in the 1920s, and re-published after the success of ...And Ladies of the Club. This novel in no way approaches how wonderful ALotC is, but you can see the development of Santmyer as a writer from this first novel. I found it interesting that though this book is written from a first-person perspective, the narrator spends most of the novel describing the childhood and life of another character. While I look forward to re-reading ALotC one day, I don't think I'll need to revisit this book at all.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've now read this book at least three times and I expect to read it again. It was written in the 1920s and reveals how different daily life was back then in many ways. And yet, some of the struggles faced by the characters are still the same today. It's the literary equivalent of comfort food for me.

[Lynie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wanted it to be as wonderful as And Ladies of the Club....ummmm, not so much....

[kate rehurek · Rating 2 out of 5]

+ ⭐️: Derrick’s character development was wonderful, especially since it wasn’t written from her point of view. It’s impressive to see the development through another character’s eyes. Derrick’s character was written wonderfully and I heavily related to her.

+ ⭐️: Loved the description of each of the stages of life. From a child truly wondering about God and the stages of wrestling through big questions together, then the big questions of apartment life and family…it was all so well written.

- ⭐️: Jake just…dies, and is brought up maybe twice, then nothing else about that? He was a huge character to have developed in the story, especially with his influence on Derrick, so I was a little surprised to see not much on Derrick’s side for that one.

- ⭐️ ⭐️: Explaining who the narrator was in this book was HORRIBLE. Little to no explaining, and I’m still a little lost; Was this whole book from Sue’s retelling, even the parts of Derrick’s childhood, when there were things that the rest of the characters didn’t know? This was a challenge to keep up with, especially since this book is an older read. It seriously subtracted from the experience.

[Cheryle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had read ...And Ladies of the Club a couple of years ago and loved it. This book I did not enjoy. Herbs and Apples centered around a young girl who wants to be an author when she becomes an adult. The blurb about the book says it most likely is autobiographical.
Herbs and Apples, the novel Helen Hooven Santmyer wrote at the height of her youthful creative powers, is the work that many critics have loved even more than . . . And Ladies of the Club. Laced with nostalgia as well as timeless insight into human character, Santmyer's enchanting novel is as contemporary today as the day it was written.

[NCgran · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like this book as well as "Ohio Town, a Portrait of Zenia". Well written however too much angst, found the characters not believable.

[Jeanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is actually not that good a book, but I liked it because of the way she wrote about her life, well under cover as one of her characters. There was a reality about what was going on that felt accurate, like being part of her history. Her description of her education or how it felt to be part of the War, seemed the way it would have really been and that was interesting to me.

[Dottie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While And Ladies of the Club is her ultimate favorite of mine, I enjoyed exploring all of her writing and liked eveything I read. ALotC though is a five star plus while the tohers I liked well-enough but didn't find thme life-changing or interrupting as CR's gail would have termed it.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my top favorite books is "And Ladies of the Club" by Santmyer, so I chose this book hoping for more of the same. "And Ladies..." it is not, but it was worth reading. It was the first novel she wrote and was autobiographical.

[Lj · Rating 2 out of 5]

By the same author as "ladies of the Club", however this book is not nearly as captivating. Once the characters are in college I was became caught up in the characters themselves, however the plot did not keep me interested.