Herbs and Apples

Derrick Thornton, a girl growing up in a small Ohio town before the First World War, swears to herself that one day she'll be a great writer. Encouraged by a mother who sacrificed her own budding artistic career to bear and rear a family, young Derrick goes off to college - moves, with several of her chums, into a New York City apartment - and goes to work for a newspaper. As the War to End All Wars rages, she publishes her first poems, works on a play, and discovers that she's in love (despite her best intentions otherwise) with a childhood friend.All that sounds tame, doesn't it? A typical coming of age novel, feminine style. Yet in reading this first novel by the author of ...And Ladies of the Club, I found myself reminded over and over again of just how much social upheaval my grandmother's generation (which happens to also be Derrick's generation) created during its young adult years. While I don't agree with Santmyer's generalizations about women's ambitions vs. those of men, her characterizations are vivid and the story she tells is compelling. First published in 1925, this book stands the test of time very well indeed.

Helen Hooven Santmyer became somewhat of a cult heroine in the '80's when her book "And the Ladies of the Club" was published during her old age. Knowing that makes this book, her first published in 1925, even more poignant. "Herbs and Apples" is semi-autobigraphical and while the story revolves around its main character, Derrick, it is narrated by one of her best friends, Sue. Derrick is from a rather well-to-do family in the small fictional town of Tecumseh, Ohio. She is a bright girl and is always the nominal leader among her group of friends. They look up to her because of her intelligence and philosophical view of life as well as her writing talent. She and her college friends proclaim their motto to be "Down with Matrimony, up with Art, Fame before Forty or bust. These idealistic women all plan to become famous or important for something, but, as Derrick discovers, Life has a few surprises in store and reality does not always allow a person to follow her dreams. Although the book seems to be about a simpler time, the struggles and attempts to find one's self are certainly as serious and difficult as any in our current time. This book is full of beautiful language and descriptions of Derrick's world, both internal and external. It is a wonderful read for those who like to contemplate life and purpose.

This book is well worth reading, especially if you liked ...And Ladies of the Club. It's a less amibitious book, but a finely wrought one. It takes all the cliches of the coming-of-age novel and transcends them at the same time as it sheds a new light on them. The main character is entirely believable, as is the resolution of her dilemma.