Daughters of the New World

I saw this book in a used book store. Towards the end of reading the book, I saw a part of it on Lifetime last year. I did not know it was a tv movie. This was an AWESOME BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have not read the book and I might plan to. I cannot seem to find this movie on home video for it appeared as a t.v. movie on NBC. The movie was terrific. Eleanor's name was changed to Susan and Anna's name was changed to Annie. The movie is about four hours, that includes commercials. Amanda is the storyteller of her family's history and throughout the whole movie each woman will defy their point in history. From the 1890s to the 1990s, " A Will of Their Own" once again shows that we women are the true equals of men and that we have just as much influence on the world like men. I recommend that you watch the movie and read the book.

This is a great book that held my attention throughout the whole novel. The author gives a true description of how women in the past century have had to overcome oppresion to do what made them happy, even if it went against society's norms. It may not be a "feel good" novel, but then again, oppresion is not a "feel good" subject for those that have lived and perhaps overcome it.

Shreve does a good job of portraying strong female characters from several eras in America's history. They are different from most of our average ancestors, yet are just barely believable as people who could have been real. I especially enjoyed the theme that character traits often skip generations; that a woman who sees no resemblance to herself in her mother can often look at her grandmother as if into a mirror. Although I felt at times that I was being swept through history at a pace too rapid to comprehend, I realize that this correlates to a human life - how time seems to move ever more swiftly the older we become. Not a quick read, nor a brainless one. Pick this up if you enjoy character development and the roles we all play in the history of our families and our nation. (Recently aired as TV movie called "A Will of Their Own")