Divining Women

Mary is a young woman, sent by her mother, to help her Uncle's new wife through the end of her pregnancy. Uncle Troop is a proud, cruel man and his family cannot understand why his lovely wife, Maureen, married him in the first place. Troop detests his eccentric family, on his father's side, and was taught to hate them by his own mother. Mary is walking into a disastrous situation, but she has been raised to stand up for herself and others. Troop has met his match when his niece arrives at his home. She steers the destiny of the family in a new direction. This is a book reminiscent of "Fried Green Tomatoes", not in timing, but in the relationship that develops between Mary and Maureen. It is a quick read, but written in lovely prose by Kaye Gibbons. Mary is a wonderful character who makes one proud to be a woman.

I'm not normally one to post things on the internet. However, I must make an exception when it comes to my favourite author Kaye Gibbons. I eagerly (and obsessively) awaited the publication of her latest novel. Of course, it was worth the wait. Yet again I feel validated as a woman, capable of anything, and am more keenly aware of the influence my life has on the males in it and vice versa. Ms. Gibbons writes the most darkly, inspiring stories in the most beautiful way. It's not just what she writes but the way she writes it. Thank you, Ms. Gibbons and when can we expect more?

I had high expectations for Kaye Gibbons's first book in six years, as she is one of my all-time favorite writers. Divining Women does not disappoint. The story: Mary is a young woman who grew up around wealthy, free-thinking relatives during the first part of the 20th century. One grandfather is a nudist, another plays host to the spirits who come through their house on the way to somewhere else in their afterlives. She has also enjoyed the benefit of a variety of strong female role models, including her mother and grandmothers. Due to WWI, Mary education is on hold. Her mother decides to send her to take care of her aunt (her mother's half-brother's wife), Maureen, who is heavily pregnant, in North Carolina. Maureen's husband and Mary's uncle, Troop, due to his upbringing and family history, is the worst sort of man: selfish, abusive, cowardly, and manipulative. He has constantly manipulates reality to suit himself and has gone through extreme trouble to crush every ounce of his wife's spirit and passion. As the women's relationship develops, the influenza outbreak worsens, the war goes on, and they slowly learn from each other and band together against the evil in their lives.This novel is dark, but it would be unrealistic if it were otherwise, as it takes place in a dark time: during World War I, in the midst of the influenza breakout. Gibbons draws off her own experiences with love, heartbreak, and renewal, as well as tragic events of modern times, such as September 11th. Her writing is magical, beautiful, and masterful. I often found myself reading the same passage over and over to ensure that I got every drop of enjoyment out of it. Unlike other reviewers, I found the characters to be completely unique, but utterly believable. Gibbons uses humor as well as tragedy to construct an amazing, gratifying, and empowering story. Additionally, the novel gives great insight into southern life in the early 20th century.Although Gibbons has written many wonderful books, this is one of her greatest. It is easily one of the best books of the year, if not of modern times.

In a time when we are "breaking the silence on domestic violence," it is especially poignant that Ms. Gibbons would so aptly express the psychological symptoms of a verbally abusive relationship. As a woman who made the difficult choice to leave such a relationship, I find that her insights into the paradoxes of such a complex volley of dimunuitive self-esteem are rare. Rare enough and so juicily described that I wonder if she herself or someone she has known has ever suffered such violence firsthad.It is a remarkable challenge to the strength of women, and regardless of the WWI area setting, is an amazing commentary on women of any area. Thank you, Kaye, for helping me put words to something I thought no one else could ever understand.

Kaye Gibbon's newest book "Divining Women" does not disappoint! It's the story of a particularly disfunctional marriage durring WWI and the flu epidemic. This book shoud be required reading by all young women who idealize marriage (they don't call it an "institution" for nothing!) and for whom marriage is being held up as a "goal" or a "prize" as in novels like "Bridget Jones' Diary" and ghastly TV shows like "The Bachelor" and "For Love or Money" and all that other wedding porn out there.