The Fields by Conrad Richter

[Brian E]

I liked that scene too, Sue.
I've finished and have been trying to craft a good comment and have failed. In default, I will post my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Your review left me thinking about Portius again, Brian. (view spoiler)[I don't find him likable because I feel too much of the strength in the family is required from Sayward. She has saved him from that isolated, drunken and worthless life he was leading. I wonder if he sees that at all or if he only thinks he brought a finer education and position to this marriage. Does he see himself as better than her? Is that one of the reasons he strays with the school teacher? I wonder if he knows how important the kids are to his life. Having Resolve to follow in his footsteps, and Resolve being such a fine young man because of his mother. And what about the child he has fathered with another woman? Does he just abandon that child? He is an incomplete picture for me right now. I am looking forward to what we can learn about him in the final book. (hide spoiler)]

[Sue]

Sara (taking a break) wrote: "Your review left me thinking about Portius again, Brian. [spoilers removed]"

I'm hoping that the character of Portis is more developed in the next one too, Sara. It seems Richter purposely underdeveloped him here. When it comes to the birth of Resolve we see the action of him ignoring him as a baby. I perceived that as being scared and/or ignorant on how to handle a baby. Later, we don't see the action but there is evidence that he has been teaching all the kids to read and write all along at an age younger than Sulie was. If we had seen these intimate sessions, we'd have a different idea of him as a father.

I agree with all you say in your spoilers, Sara and wonder about how and whether these questions will be answered.

For me it seems like it's one part culture clash and 1 part fear/weakness in Portius.

[Savita]

I am only on chapter 9 😟 . I am struck by the strange and very difficult lives of the settlers - no comfortable homes , no regular markets, no education and entertainment places , dangerous wild life to contend with ..... this reading is a learning experience for me . In chapter 7 how bravely Sayward ☆☆Beware Spoilers(view spoiler)[ goes out hunting for food in the dark , snowy woods . Some courage , and love for her young ones ! Brave mother ! (hide spoiler)] ☆☆

[Sara, Old School Classics]

I agree, Savita. There is so much in life we take for granted. Imagine having to mill your flour (the grain that you had to plant and grow and harvest) or shoot game in order to have a meal. It is a wonder they had time to do anything else.

[Sue]

I'm glad you brought up that moment with Sayward in the woods, Savita. It was powerful. This series is a constant reminder of how lucky we all are to be born in more comfortable times.

[Savita]

Sara (taking a break) wrote: "I agree, Savita. There is so much in life we take for granted. Imagine having to mill your flour (the grain that you had to plant and grow and harvest) or shoot game in order to have a meal. It is ..."

Yes , Sara !!

[Savita]

Sue wrote: "I'm glad you brought up that moment with Sayward in the woods, Savita. It was powerful. This series is a constant reminder of how lucky we all are to be born in more comfortable times."

True , Sue !

[Sam]

I thought this novel was more balanced emotionally than The Trees, and I liked it more so as a result. The Trees kept stressing anxieties and this one gives us moments that appeal to other emotions. The question is whether Richter intended this or if The Fields is a better book. I think there is an argument that Richter intended the writing in The Trees to be as taxing as the pioneer life was and that with civilization we are allowed the pacifying stabilities that accompany it. We will see what The Town brings.

On Sara's spoiler: (view spoiler)[ I did not get the sense that Sayward being punished for her actions which were responsible for Pontius's going astray stemmed from Richter's maleness. Richter hasn't been too kind to his father figures so far in the series with both Worth and Pontius being far from perfection. However, there may have been been roundabout explanations that are almost the same thing. Sayward is violating two potential rules of the time here. First she is breaking a vow of obedience to the husband that would have been implied and second is the religious "Go forth and multiply," that would have been a serious duty then. I do not know Richter's religious beliefs but as son of a Lutheran minister, I would think they may be present. Note Sayward's comparison of her duty to that of the oxen. But also note that such rules were male ordained and as I said in a roundabout way she is being punished from a male perspective. (hide spoiler)]

[Sara, Old School Classics]

I agree with your assessment, Sam. I did not get a firm sense that Richter was (view spoiler)[actually saying she was responsible, but I did get the sense that she would have seen it that way and that the society would definitely have seen it that way. I appreciate your explanation and feel that the religious explanation is the correct one. I had failed to consider the injunction to obey the husband, which would, of course, have been an integral part of the marriage ceremony and taken very literally at the time. (hide spoiler)]

[Shirley (stampartiste)]

Sue wrote: "Chapters 9 10 & 11 - I loved these three chapters. It was great to see the advancements of [spoilers removed]"

I love your comments, Sue. I agree with everything you said. It is amazing how much progress was brought to these wild woods within 20 years! It was a matter of seeing a need and someone stepping in to fill that need. What a unique period this was in history.

And yes, so very sad that Resolve felt the need to (view spoiler)[break his own leg in order to find time to study. To me, Richter was making a huge statement on how much more valuable something is when you really have to sacrifice for it (hide spoiler)].

[Shirley (stampartiste)]

I have finished Conrad Richter's The Fields. Wow, this book really touched me with Richter's multidimensional handling of the relationship between Sayward and Portius. His thoughtfulness in this regard brought this book up to a five-star read for me (a rating I give for books I feel will stay with me for a long time). I am truly amazed by Richter's deep understanding and mercy of people's choices.

First, there is the decision that Sayward made regarding her health. (view spoiler)[By this time, Sayward was 34, had birthed 8 children, worked ceaselessly and was in poor health. All of the childbirths, child rearing and hard physical labor had deeply affected her health. This, in turn, affected her duties to her family. As a result, she made the only decision she could do to assure that she would have no more children... abstinence from her marriage bed with Portius. She hoped that he would understand and would accept it in time (hide spoiler)].

Second, as a result of Sayward's decision, Portius (view spoiler)[spent every weekend in Tateville "practicing law". As Genny so astutely pointed out, how much business could he have to be gone overnight every weekend? And how strange was it that he convinced the beautiful, educated Miss Bartram to leave Tateville and come teach in a backwoods area? Although Richter does not address it, I am convinced that Portius and Miss Bartram were already having an affair before she came to teach at his school, and her moving there made it more convenient for them to meet. (hide spoiler)]

Richter's inclusion of Shakespeare's Sonnet 129 (in Chapter 16) really stabbed me. (view spoiler)[This was the sonnet that Portius had recited to Resolve when he tried to explain how he could defend Alec Blew, a man who had assaulted a married woman. Resolve could detect in his father's tone of voice, that the words affected him personally and deeply. This sonnet is what convinced Resolve that his father was having an affair with Miss Bartram (hide spoiler)]

And it was sad how Portius dragged Resolve (view spoiler)[into his dark secret. As Richter pointed out, Resolve "might be closest to his mam, but he looked up to his father more than any person in this world". So, by his infidelity, Portius was responsible for Resolve betraying his mother's love and trust (hide spoiler)].

I so admired Sayward for making the hard decision to (view spoiler)[resume her full marital duties. It cut her deeply, but she understood that Portius was a man who was not ready to live a celibate life, and she had to do what she could to keep him from straying. Sayward was SO much better and wiser than Portius, for all his "book learning" (hide spoiler)].

And finally, I really felt sorry for Miss Bartram. This is another situation where I admired Richter so much. He showed that (view spoiler)[in any illicit relationship, the woman will always be the one to suffer humiliation and degradation. Oh, how she had fallen! She had a child out of wedlock which she would never be able to live down, she married a man - who although a nice man - was way beneath her station in life, and she lived in relative poverty and had ceased to take care of herself (hide spoiler)].

And through all this, Portius was completely unaffected by (view spoiler)[all of the hurt and humiliation he had caused his family and Miss Bartram. There would be no piper to pay for him (hide spoiler)].

I appreciated Richter so much for his willingness to show just how hard life was for women and the choices they were sometimes forced to make. He made it so obvious who deserved praise and who deserved condemnation. I was not expecting him to have this deep level of understanding.

And lastly, I was so happy to see that Sayward did get to benefit from living "in town", but it was a town of her own making... not the planned community of Tateville which would have been so foreign to her.

I can't wait to start The Town! I do hope Richter gives us closure on Worth, Wyitt and Sulie. I was glad that he (view spoiler)[killed off Louie Scurrah so that Genny will now have a chance to marry the good, hard-working Will Beagle - who I'm so glad is no longer called "the bound boy". He's really come up in the world! (hide spoiler)]

[Shirley (stampartiste)]

Sara (taking a break) wrote: "I spent a lot of time online looking up some of these places, words, and things they did and enjoyed learning a lot from these books.."

I did the same thing, Sara, particularly about the bench loom and the spinning wheel. Such tedious work! And as you said, when Sayward had to start from "scratch", shearing sheep, to make Resolve's suit, that was amazing! So much hard work every day, and to think that Resolve was willing to do this! What an amazing kid he was!

I wonder if they have a pioneer museum in that section of Ohio, preserving the skills that were required to homestead the land. I would love to see the fencing they erected, the grist mill, and preserved sections of the old Indian trace, among other things. I have visited Natchez Trace (mostly in Mississippi) several times, and it is amazing to see how the Native Americans and the first settlers traveled to and from New Orleans. It was definitely not a safe way to travel, as robbers were always lying in wait.

[Connie]

Those were wonderful comments about the choices people made, Shirley, and how women were most adversely affected by an affair. In the days before good birth control, women often had to choose between two unsatisfactory situations.

[Shirley (stampartiste)]

Sara (taking a break) wrote: "Your review left me thinking about Portius again, Brian. [spoilers removed]"

Oh Amen, Sara! I couldn't have said it better. Yes, I also can't wait to read The Town to see if Portius comes up any in my book.

[Shirley (stampartiste)]

Connie wrote: "Those were wonderful comments about the choices people made, Shirley, and how women were most adversely affected by an affair. In the days before good birth control, women often had to choose betwe..."

Thank you, Connie. Yes, you are so right about women having to make untenable decisions. For Sayward, only her strong character made her able to live with her decisions. I loved Sayward!

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Oh, Shirley, thank you so much for breaking all that down. I enjoyed reading your post so much! (view spoiler)[As Portius went down in my regard, Sayward went up. She is, as so many women were (and are), the person willing to sacrifice for the good of the family. Things have changed quite a lot, but it was much easier then to dismiss a woman's role, when it was often the role that preserved the very family itself. I also felt for Miss Bartram. She did not profit from her love for Portius. I had not thought about there being a prior relationship there, but I believe you are exactly right! (hide spoiler)]

When I lived near D.C., I went several times to Mt. Vernon and then in Virginia, we lived near Williamsburg and also have been there a number of times. There was an operating grist mill at Mt. Vernon that was totally amazing to watch in operation, and I have seen many of the activities described in this book being displayed at Williamsburg in demonstrations. I always love to go to places that are authentic for the period and see how people actually lived. If anyone thinks life was easy they are being naive. It took a lot of hard work and many hands to run a home and raise a family. As hard as it would have been on a large estate or in a thriving town, think what it would have been like to have been in the kind of environment Sayward was in and being the one who was carving the civilization out of the forest.

[Sue]

Shirley (stampartiste) wrote: "I have finished Conrad Richter's The Fields. Wow, this book really touched me with Richter's multidimensional handling of the relationship between Sayward and Portius. ..."

Love all your comments, Shirley! You are so right about how Richter excelled at showing the strength of the women through all their hardship.

[Sue]

Sara (taking a break) wrote: "Oh, Shirley, thank you so much for breaking all that down. I enjoyed reading your post so much! [spoilers removed]

When I lived near D.C., I went several times to Mt. Vernon and then in Virginia, ..."

Williamsburg was one of our favorite vacations, Sara. It would have been nice to live near there.

[Connie]

I loved the authentic colonial restaurants in Williamsburg where you could try anything from Squirrel Stew to Frogs Legs. In one restaurant they had small bowls of salt with tiny spoons on the table. I had never heard of that tradition, and assumed it was sugar and dumped a few spoonfuls in my tea!

The Williamsburg Village was wonderful, and left me wondering how anyone had time to sleep since each task required so much labor.

[Brian E]

Sue wrote: "Williamsburg was one of our favorite vacations, Sara. It would have been nice to live near there..."

We had a good time there too, on a trip that included D.C. Our kids enjoyed the historical stuff at Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown but most enjoyed the historic park (water variety) and historic gardens (Busch variety).

Living in Springfield, Illinois our kids have had several opportunities to tour the nearby New Salem Historical Park which has a replica 1830s village with in-character time period craft demonstrations.

[Connie]

There are some wonderful historical villages near my home too. Connecticut has the Mystic Seaport with a village, a shop that constructs ships using colonial techniques, a whaling museum, and many historic ships.

Over the border into Massachusetts is Sturbridge Village, a wonderful colonial village and farm. The bake shop's cookies and the old-time toys like hoops are a hit with the kids. There are people dressed in period costumes in both villages to explain the crafts and give tours of the houses.

We're very lucky in all our states to have people who had the foresight to preserve the historical treasures so we can learn from them now.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

I have also been to Mystic, Connie. Whenever we traveled, I tried to see as many historical sites as possible. I agree that it is so important to have these examples of history there, particularly for the children. I used to take my grandchildren to a Colonial Farm that operated exactly as it would have done in those times. We milked cows and then churned butter. We then sampled butter that had been churned earlier in the day and the kids were shocked at the difference in fresh butter and anything you get in a grocery. Wonderful experience that cannot be easily had these days.

[Connie]

Sara (taking a break) wrote: "I have also been to Mystic, Connie. Whenever we traveled, I tried to see as many historical sites as possible. I agree that it is so important to have these examples of history there, particularly ..."

Milking a cow and churning butter sounds like a fun experience. I've helped make soup and ice cream at a colonial home. It's great to take kids to these historic places - and I always enjoyed it as much as the kids.

[Terry]

My daughter went to a Montessori school where they made butter by shaking pints of cream. It was part of an entire Thanksgiving dinner that the kids made. Amazing!

[Sue]

Brian wrote: "Sue wrote: "Williamsburg was one of our favorite vacations, Sara. It would have been nice to live near there..."

We had a good time there too, on a trip that included D.C. Our kids enjoyed the his..."

I didn't know you lived in Springfield, Brian! We've been to that village a few times and of course the Lincoln museum & tomb My favorite IL attraction is the Cahokia Mounds even though it's just the museum and the mounds with no reenactments. Walking those 9th century mounds was a surreal experience for me.

[Sue]

I love all this reminiscing about history trips with kids. It brings back such great memories. Even now, vacationing without kids, I'm more drawn to historical sites.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

It was great with the kids, Sue, but I am always pulled to historical sites, with or without them.

[Brian E]

Sue wrote: "My favorite IL attraction is the Cahokia Mounds even though it's just the museum and the mounds with no reenactments. Walking those 9th century mounds was a surreal experience for me..."

We enjoy Cahokia Mounds too. You drive by it on I-55 to and from St. Louis. It has a decent museum, good enough for satisfactory souvenir shopping for the kids.
Walking up the Mounds was a memorable experience for me and, with my hip and knee problems, will likely remain as just a memory of an experience.

Sue, I grew up in the Chicago suburb of Evergreen Park and have lived in Springfield since getting out of the U of I in 1978.

[Savita]

I'm on chapter 16 . Loved reading the above comments shared by the members . They make the reading of the book more interesting .
Chapter 11 : ☆☆Beware Spoilers (view spoiler)[ Making the school was a sweet , wonderful and necessary achievement. I think it will all grow and grow - another step to a wonderful future if they persevere.... which they surely will ! (hide spoiler)] ☆☆

[Savita]

I finished chapter 18 . ☆☆Beware Spoilers (view spoiler)[ I was sorry to read this chapter ☹ . The betrayal was painful and cruel ! Poor Sayward , she took it on herself and moved back to the marriage bed . My heart goes out to her . Bringing up seven growing children on one hand and handling a faithless husband on the other ! It would have been so wonderful if this brave and hardworking housewife had had a husband who appreciated her rare qualities , and cherished her and the sweet kids . Portius is a fool to live on animal instincts ! Surely he could have risen higher . I scorn his education and salute Sayward . (hide spoiler)] ☆☆

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Absolutely, Savita!

[Savita]

Glad you agree , Sara !

[Terry]

So that I can finish this before the month is over, I have downloaded the Audible version, even though I have a copy of the book. As I may have mentioned, I seem to have more listening time available than actual reading time this month. I will start listening Wednesday morning.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Hope it works well as an audio, Terry. I can relate to the time constraints!

[Sue]

Terry wrote: "So that I can finish this before the month is over, I have downloaded the Audible version, even though I have a copy of the book. As I may have mentioned, I seem to have more listening time availab..."

I'll be curious what you think of the audio, Terry. I tried it with The Trees and didn't like it. It's the same reader for all 3. I may try audio again because I have too many books to get to in Sept. Maybe now that I know the characters I'll hear him differently.

[Terry]

Sue, I will be sure to comment on the narration. If it works, I may do the same for The Town.

[Terry]

Sue, I started listening this morning and I have to agree that this narrator is not great. I kept thinking how much better it would be with a better actor — like Dustin Hoffman’s voice in Little Big Man. This series, though, is not my favorite among the great books we have read. I also keep wishing that the author was a better writer.

[Sue]

I agree, Terry. It would be much better with the right actor. I'm glad I purchased the Kindle version for The Town. I don't know if I've heard Dustin Hoffman read, but I bet he'd be good.

So far these have been 4 stars each for me where I believe most if not all our other buddy reads were 5 stars for me. I have high hopes that the last one will be 5 stars.