The Madam

This book presents a view of West Virginia that has not really been seen. It gives a voice to women who are usually not included in the history books. An excellent choice for anyone interested in feminist theory and books written by women writers, or for anyone who likes a good, quick read.

This is one of my favorite novels. I love how it examines the quiet, domestic, emotional interior lives of characters and subject matter that are usually sensationalized. The sentences sparkle, not a word out of place. Stunningly poetic and visual. I loved the characters. It would make an excellent movie.

Everything I've loved in Baggott's other novels, Girl Talk and The Miss America Family--is here, but with a sense of place and time that draws you in from page one. There's the wild, off-kilter characters, desperation brimming just under deliberately tough exteriors, the family flung apart by circumstance and reconstituted into something altogether new, unexpected and yet exactly as it should be. The language is lush and evocative--as another reviewer said, you can tell a poet is at work here (Baggott's This Country of Mothers is an award-winning book of poetry and a must-read), but it's completely to serve the story, which culminates in a tense and powerful scene of a family saving itself. Baggott has taken on new territory here and made it her own.

In spare, exact prose, Julianna Baggott transports us to 1920's West Virginia and continues to examine all sides of what it means to live within a family. This time, she not only explores the extended family, which she has done masterfully before in Girl Talk and the Miss America Family, but has added other characters to the bloodlines--and because of this begs the question--just what does family mean?Julianna also looks at ONE moment in a lifetime (not as earthshattering as Sophie's Choice, but because it's NOT as heartbreaking but still involves children, still well-worth the contemplation) and asks, How does this change a life, and more to the point, how does that one moment change all the participants in that decision? In, what I would call sepia tones, Julianna goes exploring. I say sepia tones because I believe we go exploring with Julianna as if we were exploring old photos in a scrapbook. Maybe it is because of the time period--those late 1920's when life could be hard as dirt. Each page is photo-perfect in unfolding the story.What I appreciate most about Julianna is her braveness in exploring a totally different voice than her first two novels while continuing to explore some of the same themes. Risky, sure, but ultimately rewarding for the reader. You won't pick up this novel and say, I've read this before. As a sidenote, if you ever get the chance to go to one of Julianna's readings, you will be sold for life. Some authors are just born to read their works and some appear to be wearing shoes two sizes too small. Julianna is wearing comfortable shoes. I've left the character particulars (Alma, Henry, the children) to other reviewers. Grab a cup of java, pick out your most comfortable chair, and settle down with The Madam. You'll be flung back in time and want to sit a spell.

Julianna Baggott's third novel, The Madam, is an incredible story of strength and suffering. Built with poetic language and a riveting narrative, The Madam is a must read for book groups, classes, and individuals. This is a different style for Baggott after her debut, Girl Talk and her fabulous follow-up, The Miss America Family. But if you look carefully at the themes, the poetic prose, the lovable and insane cast of characters, you'll find that The Madam is all Baggott.