The Full Matilda

Read this book. You will love it. At the start of The Full Matilda, David Haynes's writing swept me into the world of propriety, power brokers and the servants who ran the true Washington, D.C. in the early 1900s. The story opens from here and reaches all the way to present day. Matilda makes a complex and headstrong narrator for alternate chapters. Her experience throughout the Civil Rights movement creates a counterpoint to the more contemporary chapters narrated by the men in her family. The Full Matilda builds a subtle yet powerful tension between tradition and change which more closely mirrors my own experience as a minority than any other book I've read. With its humor and reverence this book makes me think deeply about who I am and who I owe for the world I live in. This is one of those rare books which can change your outlook.

David Haynes' latest novel, The Full Matilda, focuses on the memoirs of a tough and feisty fictional character, Matilda Housewright, who was born during the early years of the last century, and grew up in Washington, D.C. in the home of a head steward or majordomo to a US Senator.The story is recounted through the voice of Matilda as well as various male members of her family passing from one generation to the next.Haynes' delightful work of fiction is resplendent with warm dialogue, mesmerizing words and descriptions. You almost have the feeling that the narrators are in the same room as yourself. Just reading the title of the first chapter, The First Thing I have To Tell You sets the theme and tone of what is to follow. Immediately, the principal narrator, Matilda Houswright, informs us that although her father may have been in the service of a well-known US Senator, her family was to remain invisible.It is this invisibility that continually runs through the book, reflecting the poignant remarks made by Matilda at her father's funeral when she states: "Jacob Housewright, a man who, although almost always there in the corner of the room just waiting to respond to every need, seemed at the same time to be invisible, seemed not to be there at all." Readers are also provided with an insightful perspective through the eyes of three generations of the life and times of African Americans, who although may not have grown up in the ghetto, were not spared the blatant racism as well the insensitivity that surrounded them. When Matilda's brother Martin goes into the catering business, that eventually propels him to wealth and success, he is still constantly reminded that he and his staff are African Americans and are to "remember their place." Matilda, who initially joins her brother in his catering business, passes on instructions to their staff that they are to accept their role as invisibility although they may not like it. These were the lessons that she was taught by her father and she or they were not to question their justification. On the other hand, she makes it clear that "although on the surface it might seem otherwise, our lives have almost nothing to do with blind obedience. The blindly obedient do not think. We do. What our lives are about is easing the way, smoothing things over; we are a kind of social Vaseline." The Housewright's principal role in life was to take care and to perform their tasks as flawlessly as possible.Haynes, who is an underrated novelist, has fashioned a great story that once you have completed this latest novel will entice many to read some or all of his previous work, if they have not already done so. Norm Goldman Editor of Bookpleasures.com

The Full Matilda is written in the elegant and refined prose of David Haynes, one of America's best literary authors. I loved the comical scenes as well as the bitter sweet scenes that built up to a huge crescendo. Matilda's sacrifice was very disturbing. It was the in-your-face reality of someone in Matilda's position. Haynes has created a great sense of place that is well grounded in time and space as well as a full fledged family genealogy. I felt the real presence of the Housewright family across the generations and their place in American History.One of the most remarkable chapters begins on page 320-it is a portrait of the artist as a young man but unlike Joyce, Haynes has ingeniously put it towards the end of the novel rather than at the beginning.It is very touching that teenagers in their awkward coming-of-age make the time to visit Matilda-the hothouse flower, and that they look forward to spending time with her. The sprinkling throughout the book of Housewright Maxims was like icing on the cake.David Haynes's The Full Matilda is a book of substance written in an elegant prose that puts me in mind of Kazuo Ishiguro and Michael Ondaatje. I look forward to Haynes's next work of art.

The Full Matilda by David Haynes is a superb piece of writing. Brilliantly conceived, unforgettable and universal characters, extraordinarily engaging: this book is a terrific read. Haynes is a mellifluous storyteller. Highly recommended. Make this the next book you read.

After reading Haynes' The Full Matilda, I was left just that - full. The author manages to capture all the humanity and quirky personas of his characters with humor but with generosity and realism, so that the book is not merely "funny," it is satisfying. You see all sides of the characters, not just their quirkiness or comedy. Just as Matilda's full range of emotions is tapped, so is the reader's, and the writing is engaging from first page to last. One of those books you're sorry to see end. Read it.