Charms for the Easy Life

Kaye Gibbons has one of those rare gifts that not all writers possess: the ability to take the lives of fictional people who are seemingly nothing in a high profile society and make them sparkle with with more interest and more reality-based magic than any heavily financed publicity machine could ever do. You come to believe these three beautiful, strong women and the reasons for why they stand together--not because--but in spite of the unworthy men they've encountered. Grandma Charlie Kate, a smart, literature loving, though uneducated woman, is gifted in natural healings and believes that when a person dies and purges (foam at the mouth), it is all their hopes, dreams, and things left unsaid. She is odd by others' standards, outspoken, and that's what makes people respect her! Daughter Sophia is the more openly dreamy side of Charlie Kate, hopelessly romantic in spite of a disappointing marriage to a man in yellow shoes, and she loves high fashion. She faints easily at the sight of infections when she helps her mother on housecalls, and is mad for a man named Mr. Baines who takes his sweet time going to the altar. Sophia's daughter Margaret tells the entire story of the family's somewhat Hemingway-like suicidal history and recounts their lives mainly around WWII. Margaret is more like Charlie Kate, but she still has enough of her mother in her to fall in love with a wounded soldier who comes from a good home, having broken the circle of bad men on the first crack. Everyone makes such a big deal about the Vietnam soldiers suffering more than any others, and I know that they did their share, but if you read this book and the life breathed into it, you will see that no war and what it does are any good. Beautifully written, easy to accept as nonfiction, and full of bittersweet richness, this is easily a book that should reap rewards for its quiet grace, humility, and strength of character. I love this book dearly, and urge you to read it because of the human interest. You will never forget it long after you are finished.

Contrary to some of the reviews I have read for this book, I found it believable and enjoyable. Just because you come from a rural background does not mean you cannot develop an appreciation for fine literature or are unable to rise above your origins to make a better life for yourself -- college education notwithstanding. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Charlie Kate was an inspiration and reminded me of similar older people who I grew up with here in the much-disparaged rural state of South Dakota. Most of the people living in the 1930s had no other resources besides themselves. They had to rely on their own ingenuity and that of their neighbors, to pull them through. I think that was very well-illustrated in Gibbons' narrative. The main reason I enjoy Gibbons' books is because in spite of all the trauma her characters go through, they rely on humor to deal with it. That is one of the most valuable lessons that can be learned whether you live in urban America or not.

This book has more substance to it than some of the readers have recognized. If midwives and stories about medicine in the early to mid 1900's interest you, try this story. Or, if exploring mother-daughter relationships that are positive and make you feel good, try this story. If you love learning how people who love each other interact and take care of each other, read this. If you have ever longed for someone that could have the insight to tell you what is best for you and have a riotous sense of humor, read this. If you enjoy a read that takes a difficult time (WWII) and weaves it through the lives of some incredible women, try this story. You can make it very complex, if you must, or simply take the story as it is, and as it was meant to be. You will find yourself thinking back to these characters often, and wishing for that charming life that made living with each other easy. When you have that, you just may have what it takes for an "easy" life. This book can help in the meantime.

I cannot get enough of Kaye Gibbons! I thought this book was a sweet story and although I read it some time ago, the relationship of the grandmother and granddaughter has remained a lasting memory. I recommend the book as an enjoyable read. If you are looking for something intellectual and deep this is not the book for you. It is a story, entertaining, and reminiscent.