Attorneys of Tennessee

Page from a Tennessee Journal

Description

In Francine Howard’s stunning debut, Page from a Tennessee Journal, rural Tennessee of 1913 remains an unforgiving place for two couples--one black, the other white--who stumble against the rigid boundaries separating their worlds. When white farmer Alexander McNaughton falters into forbidden love with Annalaura Welles he discovers that he has much more to fear than the wrath of her returning gun-toting husband. Alexander’s wife – flinty and pragmatic Eula Mae –wages her own battle against the stoicism demanded of white women of her time and social standing. Former sharecropper John Welles, flush with cash from his year's sojourn working the poker tables in "the second best colored whorehouse in all of Nashville," wrestles with his devils as he struggles to assign blame for his wife's relationship with a white man. The convergence of the lives and choices of these fascinating characters– made from fear, pride, determination, spite, nobility and revenge –leads to a heart-pounding and heartbreaking climax that feels at once original, audacious and inevitable.

Reviews

Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-08-22
Summary: "Page-turner about the hardest choices..."

This book was remarkable in that it puts a spin on the age-old tale of abuse of power and the ramifications of this abuse. Not sure I loved it, could be a bit maudlin and I'll be needing a frivolous read after such a heady story, but a nonetheless outstanding piece of historical literature where every character is flawed to the point of culpability.

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-08-17
Summary: "well written"

I enjoyed this book very much, it was my first Kindle novel,probably the fastest novel I've ever read through,couldn't wait to pick it up, could be partly because of the new Kindle!!!I will watch for others by her!

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-08-11
Summary: "Female strength despite horrifying conditions"

There have been so many books and movies a la "The Color Purple," that demonstrate the strength of women both black and white facing adverse conditions that you might assume that this is just one more. You would be wrong. Francine Thomas Edward's depiction of the condition of women in the early 1900's is mind opening. Of course we knew that women were oppressed. Of course we knew that freeing the slaves did not make African Americans free. But the raw reality of the place of women at this time in our history and in the rural south ( it is, after all, set in Tennessee for a reason) is shocking. Ms Edward pulls no punches, lets out all the stops in describing the bare fact of oppression and yes, abuse. The truth is that the lives of the freed slaves were not much better in the early 1900's than they were under slavery. And the lives led by the white women are really not much better than those of their black counterparts. The enslavement of all women continued long after the emancipation proclamation. But what we see in this book is a glimmer of hope for a different world. We see compelling multi-dimensional characters who grow rather than change abruptly and who show surprising heroics under frightening circumstances. The women are heroic in a quiet, steadfast way--by fighting back in the only way they know how--by making their own choices when these choices seem non-existent. Alex, the landowner in love with Annalaura, his black tenant; John, Annalaura's frequently absent husband; Eula, Alex's wife whose farm journal reveals more to her than numbers; and Annalaura , a victim but yet not, all reveal depths of character and quiet heroism that haunts the reader long after finishing this book. Thought-provoking, surprising (you may think you know the ending but you don't) and suspenseful, you will not be able to put this book down. And you will be recommending this book to your friends for a long time to come.

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-08-03
Summary: "It will make you think...."

It's a page turner. If you are a woman and a mother, this book will bring so many moral issues to your heart and brain that you'll have a hard time sleeping. You can't but help but ask "what would I do?" You'll turn the pages in sadness, confusion, outrage, and hope. It's a really wonderfully provoking story.

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-07-29
Summary: "Stark Reminder of Slavery in the Post-Slavery Era"

Francine Thomas Howard should be congratulated for reminding us about the existence of slavery in the post-slavery era. The story begins with a description of Annalaura Welles and her four small children. Annalaura's husband, John, had suddenly left his family before the tobacco crop harvesting had been completed. He took with him most of the family's funds and food. Annalaura and her young children had to subsist on soup made from water and dandelions while spending their days working in the hot sun. The owner of the farm, Alex, presents Annalaura with the "choice" of becoming his mistress and receiving food and clothes for her children or leaving the farm with nothing.

As Ms. Howard's novel unfolds, the sad plight of African Americans as well as white women unfolds. Annalura's husband, John, beats her when he returns from his journey because of her "choice" to sleep with another man. Annalaura has no recourse from John and surely had no option with Alex. Alex's wife, Eula Mae, had a roof over her head and food in her stomach, but she had little else. When she learned of Alex's infidelity, she was supposed to not mention it again and continue living in harmony with him. The highlight of her life to that point had been keeping a journal of provisions in the house.

I highly recommend reading this book because Ms. Howard's words describe an era that is difficult to otherwise fully appreciate.