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Mother Mason
Bess Streeter Aldrich is known for her portrayals of wise and witty women whose identities are strengthened, not smothered, in the bosom of the family. Molly Mason, fifty-two, is the devoted wife of the bank president, mother of four fun-loving Masons, and a reliable standby for the library board, missionary society, and the women's clubs. She has a hand in everything that happens in her midwestern town. In fact, Mother Mason never has any time to do just as she likes. Then one day she makes a headlong dash for liberty—and look out! Bess Streeter Aldrich published stories about the Masons in American magazine during World War I. Homesick American soldiers asked for more, and in 1925 the same family became the subject of Mother Mason .
269 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1924
25 people are currently reading
258 people want to read
About the author
Bess Streeter Aldrich
40 books147 followersBess Genevra Streeter Aldrich was one of Nebraska's most widely read and enjoyed authors. Her writing career spanned forty-some years, during which she published over 100 short stories and articles, nine novels, one novella, two books of short stories, and one omnibus. In her work, she emphasized family values and recorded accurately Midwest pioneering history.
One of her books, Miss Bishop, was made into the movie, Cheers for Miss Bishop, and her short story, The Silent Stars Go By became the television show, The Gift of Love.
Bess graduated in 1901 from Iowa State Normal School, now known as the University of Northern Iowa, and taught for four years. She returned to Cedar Falls and worked as Assistant Supervisor at her alma mater, receiving an advanced degree in 1906. She married Charles Sweetzer Aldrich the following year.
In 1909 the Aldriches and Bess's sister and brother-in-law, Clara and John Cobb, bought the American Exchange Bank in Elmwood, Nebraska, and moved there with the Aldrich's two-month old daughter, Bess's widowed mother, and the Cobbs. Elmwood would become the locale, by whatever name she called it, of her many short stories, and it would also be the setting for some of her books.
Aldrich had won her first writing prize at fourteen and another at seventeen, having been writing stories since childhood. However, for two years after the family moved to Elmwood, Aldrich was too busy with local activities to write. Then in 1911 she saw a fiction contest announcement in the Ladies Home Journal and wrote a story in a few afternoons while the baby napped. Her story was one of six chosen from among some 2,000 entries. From that time on, Aldrich wrote whenever she could find a moment between caring for her growing family and her household chores. Indeed, she commented that, in the early days, many a story was liberally sprinkled with dishwater as she jotted down words or ideas while she worked. Aldrich's first book, Mother Mason, a compilation of short stories, was published in 1924.
In May 1925, shortly before her second book, Rim of the Prairie was published, Charles Aldrich died of a cerebral hemorrhage, leaving Bess a widow with four children ranging from four to sixteen. Her writing now became the means of family support; with her pen she put all the children through college.
Aldrich's short stories were as eagerly sought and read as her novels, and she became one of the best paid magazine writers of the time. Her work appeared in such magazines as The American, Saturday Evening Post, Ladies Home Journal, Collier's, Cosmopolitan, and McCall's. Aldrich also wrote several pieces on the art of writing, and these were published in The Writer.
In 1934, Aldrich was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Nebraska, and in 1949 she received the Iowa Authors Outstanding Contributions to Literature Award. She was posthumously inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Fame in 1973.
One of her books, Miss Bishop, was made into the movie, Cheers for Miss Bishop, and her short story, The Silent Stars Go By became the television show, The Gift of Love.
Bess graduated in 1901 from Iowa State Normal School, now known as the University of Northern Iowa, and taught for four years. She returned to Cedar Falls and worked as Assistant Supervisor at her alma mater, receiving an advanced degree in 1906. She married Charles Sweetzer Aldrich the following year.
In 1909 the Aldriches and Bess's sister and brother-in-law, Clara and John Cobb, bought the American Exchange Bank in Elmwood, Nebraska, and moved there with the Aldrich's two-month old daughter, Bess's widowed mother, and the Cobbs. Elmwood would become the locale, by whatever name she called it, of her many short stories, and it would also be the setting for some of her books.
Aldrich had won her first writing prize at fourteen and another at seventeen, having been writing stories since childhood. However, for two years after the family moved to Elmwood, Aldrich was too busy with local activities to write. Then in 1911 she saw a fiction contest announcement in the Ladies Home Journal and wrote a story in a few afternoons while the baby napped. Her story was one of six chosen from among some 2,000 entries. From that time on, Aldrich wrote whenever she could find a moment between caring for her growing family and her household chores. Indeed, she commented that, in the early days, many a story was liberally sprinkled with dishwater as she jotted down words or ideas while she worked. Aldrich's first book, Mother Mason, a compilation of short stories, was published in 1924.
In May 1925, shortly before her second book, Rim of the Prairie was published, Charles Aldrich died of a cerebral hemorrhage, leaving Bess a widow with four children ranging from four to sixteen. Her writing now became the means of family support; with her pen she put all the children through college.
Aldrich's short stories were as eagerly sought and read as her novels, and she became one of the best paid magazine writers of the time. Her work appeared in such magazines as The American, Saturday Evening Post, Ladies Home Journal, Collier's, Cosmopolitan, and McCall's. Aldrich also wrote several pieces on the art of writing, and these were published in The Writer.
In 1934, Aldrich was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Nebraska, and in 1949 she received the Iowa Authors Outstanding Contributions to Literature Award. She was posthumously inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Fame in 1973.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
October 29, 2008
Mother Mason will introduce you to a delightful, normal ,healthy family whose members love and support each other through all the happy and stressful times of life. Molly Mason is a worthy role model, a mom who gives herself wholeheartedly to her family (after a brief time- out at the beginning of the book) and learns that happiness comes from being where God wants her. I loved this book because I could identify with this busy mother who was active in her church and in her children's extracurricular activities. I could also laugh as I got to know her children and watched their antics in the neighborhood, at college, and on the job. At the end of the book I hated to say goodbye.
August 29, 2019
This book may be short but it's also full of depth and charm. Funny, touching, heart-warming!
Highly recommended.
4.5 stars
Highly recommended.
4.5 stars
August 28, 2011
Very nice collection of short stories about an American family. Reminded me of Katherine Mansfield, L.M. Montgomery, Meet Me In St. Louis, and Penrod.
March 31, 2009
I finally got my hands on a copy of this classic midwestern author who wrote in the 1920's. While her style may not be for everyone, I absolutely loved this book. It made me laugh and smile constantly (and not many books do that.) Aldrich's humor is wonderful and Moms can sure relate to her portrayl of the family. I just found it "charming."
August 21, 2019
Light-hearted and delightful! What a great snapshot of real but lovely motherhood. A little dated in the fact that Mother Mason is in her early 50's, has false teeth and is introduced as "not quite senile" but that made it all the more fun, as I am near her age. I didn't relate to the teeth, but I absolutely related to almost everything else. A charming find.
January 12, 2019
This book showed the beauty of the family without being hokey. There were many parts which make the reader laugh aloud to the curiosity of others in the room. Reading this book is like spending time with a favorite family, you don't want to go home.
December 18, 2020
Lovely book. This author amazes me with how she captures a mother's heart and the beauty of family life. Reminded me of Little Women or L.M. Montgomery, a bit lighter than the others I've read by this author, but just as enjoyable.
October 15, 2022
Refreshing. Simple, yet thought provoking.
September 22, 2024
A quaint, sweet little story about a midwestern family a hundred years ago. I thought it would be boring, but it ended up quite funny and I loved the apt character descriptions. A few Scripture references are made and the family is very moral, but I wouldn’t say it is actually a Christian book. I enjoyed the midwestern nostalgia as well. Made for a relaxing book to keep in my nightstand for insomnia reading.
June 17, 2023
I can't get enough of this author, and now I think I've read them all. Sadness!!
Mother Mason is a 52yo mother of five....and this book is organized into a chapter for each family member. ..Far better than Cheaper By The Dozen...it's hilarious and touching.
Mother Mason is a 52yo mother of five....and this book is organized into a chapter for each family member. ..Far better than Cheaper By The Dozen...it's hilarious and touching.
June 30, 2022
This is a kindred-spirit sketch of a happy family. Each chapter of this charming, episodic book follows a different member of the family. A charming slice of family life. It's hard to express how much I loved this; it's a breath of fresh air that stands out amongst other books published around the same time.
First published in 1924. Available free for Kindle through Project Gutenberg.
First published in 1924. Available free for Kindle through Project Gutenberg.
December 7, 2022
This family story from the 1920s is riotously funny, touching, and wonderful. I learned about it when a Goodreads friend added it to her to-read list, and I bought a copy because I knew I would love it. Big family stories set in the Midwest are my jam, and this was an absolute delight. The chapters are episodic in nature, rotating through different characters and situations, and they delight as both time capsules and universal representations of human nature.
When Mother visits her distressed, overwhelmed daughter-in-law and reassures her about parenting and housekeeping, she's 100% right about how universal this has been since biblical times. I was nodding along and thinking about my mom friends, laughing at all of the realistic details. With some different clothes and a dash of social media anxiety, this chapter could have been set in the 2020s instead of the 1920s. The universal themes are just so timeless, and handled perfectly.
The chapters offer great variety in themes and adventures, while all feeling like parts of a single whole. Mother's wisdom, wit, and self-aware humor are a constant delight, and the omniscient narrative voice is AMAZING. This is why I love omniscient narrator voices so much, guys. The witty commentary on what everyone is thinking! The clever asides from the outside perspective that sees everyone, all at once, in all of their foibles! I write most of my Midwestern large family stories in first-person, but this has inspired me to start using an omniscient POV again sometimes. It's a challenge to write it well, but it provides endless opportunities for humor.
I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys slice-of-life family stories. This is a delightful, humorous book that combines humorous realism with wholesome messages, and it celebrates the beauty of family life without being saccharine. Also, people who are sensitive to racial issues in this type of book will be glad to know that there aren't any caricatures or slurs here. There are references to young boys being as wild as Indians, but it's just casual vernacular that hasn't aged well, without inappropriate language or deeply prejudiced messages.
When Mother visits her distressed, overwhelmed daughter-in-law and reassures her about parenting and housekeeping, she's 100% right about how universal this has been since biblical times. I was nodding along and thinking about my mom friends, laughing at all of the realistic details. With some different clothes and a dash of social media anxiety, this chapter could have been set in the 2020s instead of the 1920s. The universal themes are just so timeless, and handled perfectly.
The chapters offer great variety in themes and adventures, while all feeling like parts of a single whole. Mother's wisdom, wit, and self-aware humor are a constant delight, and the omniscient narrative voice is AMAZING. This is why I love omniscient narrator voices so much, guys. The witty commentary on what everyone is thinking! The clever asides from the outside perspective that sees everyone, all at once, in all of their foibles! I write most of my Midwestern large family stories in first-person, but this has inspired me to start using an omniscient POV again sometimes. It's a challenge to write it well, but it provides endless opportunities for humor.
I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys slice-of-life family stories. This is a delightful, humorous book that combines humorous realism with wholesome messages, and it celebrates the beauty of family life without being saccharine. Also, people who are sensitive to racial issues in this type of book will be glad to know that there aren't any caricatures or slurs here. There are references to young boys being as wild as Indians, but it's just casual vernacular that hasn't aged well, without inappropriate language or deeply prejudiced messages.
May 21, 2023
What an absolute treasure of a book! Such a refreshing read with everyday family stories and amusing situations that did have such satisfying conclusions while also thought provoking in a sense. It's a rather unusual writing/speaking style in a sense at times but in no way bothersome. It was a definitely grace filled Christian book with the endearing mother who displayed such kindness and wisdom. The Mason family were a loving, jolly, and boisterous lot that had in one story caused one of the daughters to almost feel ashamed when she brought a boyfriend to visit because of this but due to his own dreary and lonely childhood, had the most wonderful time as he adored all the various family members with their sometimes peculiar ways that she felt remorseful realizing how precious her family was.....Another little story that I actually laughed until I cried was how the unusual housekeeper/friend of the family decided to take up with a odd woman who was into philosophy and enlightenment etc....left to travel with her and others. She accidentally ended up with some other woman who belonged to the sanitarium and who weren't "in their right minds"....So she decided that if she couldn't tell the crazy folks from the philosophy students she was studying, then was just as well off back at the town she left where she knew the only actual two loony ones ;) That just struck me so funny....( Yes, the terminology isn't exactly politically correct for these days but it was written in 1924) This is to be added as a definite favourite as so sweet! I will be looking for more by this author that's for sure.
August 25, 2021
Mother Mason is a little sedate, but
It was just what I needed right then when I started reading it. I do so enjoy Ms. Aldrich's portrayal of families, and how well or poorly they get on. Her stories aren't for thrill seekers or those who love the paranormal, but I love happy endings and not so serious disputes.
It was just what I needed right then when I started reading it. I do so enjoy Ms. Aldrich's portrayal of families, and how well or poorly they get on. Her stories aren't for thrill seekers or those who love the paranormal, but I love happy endings and not so serious disputes.
August 6, 2024
Mother Mason is keeping a large happy family organized in 1920's Nebraska. This is what I call a pleasant book. Each chapter tells a story about one member of the family, nothing earth shattering, just a loving family meeting life's challenges.
I grew up just a few miles from where Bess Streeter Aldrich lived, I feel that quite a few things about the book are autobiographical.
I grew up just a few miles from where Bess Streeter Aldrich lived, I feel that quite a few things about the book are autobiographical.
January 13, 2018
I loved getting to know the whole Mason family -- through the eyes of Molly, a kind, wise, loving matriarch. Special events, family crises, and everyday doings are all infused with gentle wit and sparkling humor.
So glad I finally discovered Bess Streeter Aldrich. Very highly recommend!
So glad I finally discovered Bess Streeter Aldrich. Very highly recommend!
November 6, 2021
I'd sum up this book with one word. Pleasant. To the point of not holding my full attention. I enjoyed the bits of life wisdom from Mother Mason sprinkled throughout the book. I almost enjoyed that more than the actual story.
September 14, 2022
This is Bess Streeter Aldrich's first novel and is an expansion of some of her short stories. It is very well written and a wonderful snapshot of a family in the early 1900's small Midwest town. Just a wonderful simple story, lighthearted but full of life as it is lived.
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January 28, 2023This one that I picked from the "chance" books at the library. I like the idea because it makes it a surprise and makes me read something I wouldn't normally read. However, the book didn't have much to do with the description of it.
June 21, 2018
I've always loved Ms. Aldrich's homey tales of average folks and this is no exception. Consider me charmed.
November 22, 2019
Excellent book! As I was reading, I kept seeing many of the actors from Meet Me In St. Louis, especially the housemaid Tillie!
November 15, 2020
I just love Bess Streeter Aldrich's books set in a simpler, harder time. Her characters always leave me feeling optimistic, because they all seem to weather disappointment so well.
December 18, 2023
Simply delightful!
October 8, 2024
Every book I read by Aldrich, I think over and over again, “This is such a lovely book!” I found myself laughing often as I read Miss Mason. I’ve decided Aldrich is my favorite author now.
January 13, 2025
Bess Streeter Aldrich can do no wrong in my eyes.
April 15, 2025
The first story had me a little nervous, but the wrap up was delightful, then each story after that had something to smile or laugh about. The 😵💫 of eleven-year-old boys hit close to home!
October 10, 2025
Loved this from cover to cover. Hit me at the right time. A happy, cheerful reminder of how good it is to make a home and love the ones you've been given and take what comes. Validating and hopeful.
January 2, 2026
very pleasant
February 17, 2026
Didn't want it to end!
January 19, 2012
This book might not be a four star (definitely a three star) but last night I read it after my kids were in bed and I was laughing and cried a little, and just enjoyed the sweetness of the stories. Especially the story of Mabel and how she couldn't handle the housework and toddler anymore. Felt so true to life. I also loved the love story of Marcia. It was a relaxing read and while nothing was ever climatic or exciting, it was perfect for last night, so I'm still giving it four stars.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews