Författarbild

Terry Gamble

Författare till The Eulogist: A Novel

4 verk 277 medlemmar 28 recensioner

Om författaren

Inkluderar namnet: Ms. Terry Gamble

Verk av Terry Gamble

The Eulogist: A Novel (2019) 117 exemplar
Good Family (2005) 89 exemplar
The Water Dancers: A Novel (2003) 70 exemplar

Taggad

Allmänna fakta

Medlemmar

Recensioner

I had a hard time getting going on The Eulogist, but the story slowly drew me in and ​really made me imagine what it would have been like to live in southern Ohio in the 19th Century. ​I came to like the character Olivia very much, and I enjoyed the references to Cincinnati and​ environs as well as to the historical characters like Salmon Chase and Henry Clay. ​The writing was a little stilted at times, but the style seemed to me to reflect the time period in which the story took place. Perhaps the author tried to cram too much into one story -- the life of immigrants in this country, attitudes toward women, feminism and a nod toward lesbians, economic ups and downs, the realities of slavery and differing views of it, the Underground Railroad, etc. etc. -- but I didn't really have a problem with that. While all those big issues​ were dealt with rather superficially, ​I felt like I got a broad overview of the societal issues of the times.​ My only quibble was the last chapter where ​the author tied up all the loose ends so quickly I was dizzy at the end​, but I finally got a sense of why the book was titled The Eulogist.

From Nancy: I really liked the book, loved reading about Ripley, Augusta, Maysville, Lexington and Cincinnati, of course. We got laughs out of how we each read the final chapter. I realized I had to be wide awake, put off reading it until the next morning. It did lead us into a discussion of how our ancestors came to America, which was very interesting.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
NMBookClub | 25 andra recensioner | Oct 11, 2023 |
When fifteen-year-old Olivia (Livvie) Givens and her family emigrate from Ireland to America in 1819, disaster haunts them from the start. Their ship nearly founders in an Atlantic storm, so the captain jettisons most of their worldly goods, including a piano. When they finally settle in Cincinnati, Livvie’s mother dies in childbirth, and her father leaves on a river boat headed for New Orleans.

Livvie and her two brothers must now fend for themselves, barely possessing the proverbial pot, and, as she notes, the future looks most unpromising. Her elder brother James, astute, ambitious, and hard-working, may have a head for business, but he lacks both capital or gift for conversation, so he’s unlikely to attract investors, let alone a wife. The other brother, Erasmus, “not right in the head,” has no talents except seduction and debauchery and can’t be trusted to carry out any task James gives him.

However, James digs in, and over the years, his grit and determination pay off. Erasmus turns preacher, wandering off, abandoning his responsibilities, as usual. Livvie picks up various pieces of their lives and takes political stands that cause an uproar, as when she expresses doubts about God’s supremacy.

The good people of Cincinnati don’t take freethinking lying down, and Livvie’s observations provide a vivid picture of striving America in those years, with all the flies, smells, and pretensions, not to mention political strife.

It’s my favorite aspect of The Eulogist, how Gamble paints her American portrait with finesse and well-chosen detail. Even better, Livvie’s wit makes you laugh.

But just when you think you’re getting a novel of manners, the narrative and tone shift. Cincinnati lies close to Kentucky, where slavery is legal, and as the years progress, that issue dominates public life. Livvie, who begins the novel naturally opposed to slavery while refusing to take a meaningful stand, becomes an ardent abolitionist, though for her safety, she must be discreet. I like how Gamble handles the transformation, which extends to Livvie’s influence on her family.

I also admire how, with authority over the smallest intricacies, the author demonstrates how the slaves suffer, how risky and terrifying their attempts to flee to Ohio, and the lengths to which patrols and bounty hunters searching for runaways and their “abettors” take brutal revenge.

Along the way, Campbell creates memorable minor characters, like the cranky Kentucky store owner who’s an “abettor,” and Salmon P. Chase, the ambitious attorney well known to history, who defends a slave in a case in which Livvie has a central interest.

That said, The Eulogist’s shift in tone and substance comes as a surprise. I would have been better prepared had I consulted the jacket flap, but, as my regular readers know, I don’t until after I’ve read the book. In this case, I’m doubly glad. Not only does this one make the shortlist for the Worst Ever Jacket Copy Prize, going on forever and revealing far too much plot, you might think The Eulogist is more essay than novel, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

Even so, I have to say that the two halves of the book don’t entirely fit, and not just because the voice changes. Does the first part serve only to cement Livvie’s iconoclasm, so that you can accept her unusual political stance and activities later?

I don’t think that’s necessary; and I object to how the author contrives the mystery of certain characters’ origins, which involves a trick or three and yet another layer to a narrative that’s complicated enough. And as long as we’re talking about devices, neither Livvie nor her brothers even think of their late mother, the stillborn sibling who died with her, or their father, vanished forever. That seems a little convenient.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
Novelhistorian | 25 andra recensioner | Jan 27, 2023 |
I normally really enjoy historical fiction. The Eulogist was ok. I found myself stepping away from it and then coming back but never really feeling that tied to the characters. It is dark and disturbing at times. I cannot say that it was an easy book to read as it takes place in a very difficult time in this country’s history. I appreciate the feel the book gives for the roles and limitations placed on women during this period and its portrayal of slavery and plantation life.
I found the idea of women silently supporting the the abolitionist movement interesting but how did this fit into this story?
This book is not high on my list unfortunately, but on the whole, it was not a bad story, it just left me flat. Perhaps The Eulogist is one of those books you read again.

… (mer)
 
Flaggad
Pat_Bunk_Malecki | 25 andra recensioner | May 3, 2022 |
Well, another surprising read! The Eulogist tells the story of a Plantation of Ulster family(Ulster, an area in Ireland, was colonized by the British and Scottish Protestants who were loyal to the Crown. Here is more information on that):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantation_of_Ulster

Our protagonist, Olivia, is one of three children who emigrate to The New World with their parents. They arrive in America in 1819 and settle in Cincinnati. The story follows Olivia and her two brothers for 70 years, as each of them takes a different path in carving out a life for themselves. One of the main topics being abolitionists and the river that separates free men on the Ohio side from slavery on the Kentucky side.

I was at a firm 3 stars through out most of the story. The story was well told, the characters well formed. Still something always seemed to be missing for me. Then I got to the closing chapter. The last 5 pages of the book brought everything together-all the pieces I thought were missing had been there all along. Bravo![a:Terry Gamble|662048|Terry Gamble|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1547752713p2/662048.jpg] Bravo!
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
JBroda | 25 andra recensioner | Sep 24, 2021 |

Priser

Du skulle kanske också gilla

Statistik

Verk
4
Medlemmar
277
Popularitet
#83,813
Betyg
½ 3.5
Recensioner
28
ISBN
18
Språk
2

Tabeller & diagram