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Miss Madeira
Miss Madeira is the story of an “Old Maid” schoolteacher in the first half of the 20th century. No one knew the shocking secrets of her home life—only that she was a brilliant but formidable teacher, who produced several generations of students forever known as “Madeira’s Kids.”
Torn between her love for a woman who would later became her sister-in-law and a former student, Amelia Madeira lived a complex life, the pain of which informed but did not destroy her astonishing career. Miss Madeira reveals what lies beneath the façade of a typical Midwestern town.
Torn between her love for a woman who would later became her sister-in-law and a former student, Amelia Madeira lived a complex life, the pain of which informed but did not destroy her astonishing career. Miss Madeira reveals what lies beneath the façade of a typical Midwestern town.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
306 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 7, 2011
Full Disclosure: I know this author, whose real name is Gary Heyde. He was my teacher at Franklin High School (TN) a decade ago. That said, I read "Miss Madeira" with the same critical eye I would any novel. The character of Amelia Madeira is complex, as is any number of any other characters, especially her genius student, Chester O'Malley. These two main characters' lives run rather parallel with each other. As Chester says about his novel, "Janus," we are the sun and the moon--two halves of the same person; we hide our true selves from others and reveal it only to one another. This novel is about life in a small Midwestern town (Prospect, MO) from about 1917-1952. Under the surface of this seemingly benign town, there is a tremendous amount of drama. The author foreshadows a lot of what comes in Part II through literary allusions. I imagine this book will be a choice among Book Clubs and the favorite of librarians (since the title character not only teaches English but is also a librarian). I loved that she passed off her own poetry as Emily Dickinson's and no one except Chester could tell the difference. I was also impressed with the growth of all the characters. Even though there is a lot of horrifying events in Part II, I know for a fact that these things happen in small towns. Suicides, murder, incest and all forms of insanity may seem implausible, but not the way Austin Gary describes it. The writing is, at times, lyrical, and other times like reportage. There are elements of epistolary novels (letters, journal entries, etc), but this is a character-driven novel and it holds you 'til the final revelation. I gave it Five Stars (not only because Mr. Heyde was a wonderful teacher but) because I think "Miss Madeira" is deserving. Hope it's a best-seller!
February 6, 2019
This book was published over 7 years ago and I had never heard of it until a former student sent it to me as a gift. She had highlighted several passages:
“Many students admitted to fearing her; others were put off by her high standards”
“You’ll never know the influence you’ve had on your students.”
“Most of her former pupils could come forward and tell you how she changed their lives for the better.”
“commanded respect and engendered fear”
“no one cares more for her students, no one demands more of them than you. And, no teacher I’ve ever known has asked more of herself or given more of herself.”
The student, whom I taught many years ago, wrote that those passages described how she thought of me. She suggested I might enjoy the book because she thought that as a teacher I was much like the protagonist.
The novel tells the story of Amelia Irmelinda Madeira who begins teaching in the fall of 1917 in Prospect, Missouri. Her career as an English teacher and librarian continues until 1952. She is a gifted teacher who stands up to the narrow-mindedness she encounters in the small town. Her comments against sexism, homophobia, and bigotry make her an unconventional, somewhat controversial figure but her reputation as a caring teacher wins over most people.
It is not just her teaching, however, that is the focus. Though she separates her professional and personal life and maintains a “stern façade” in the classroom, her personal life is full of struggles and loneliness. Her father and brother make her life difficult, and her life-long love is not openly reciprocated. Her happiness lies in sharing knowledge and exposing her students to literature.
This book would definitely appeal to teachers. It highlights how the personal struggles of teachers are often unknown to students. At one point Miss Madeira tells a colleague, “Great teaching requires great acting.” I used to say the same to my students at the end of a semester by which time they had usually realized there was more to me than a “stern façade.”
There’s a great comparison of teaching and parenting: “good teachers are like ideal parents. We give children the skills to make better, informed choices. We try to instill a desire to expand their horizons, to live a better life . . . hopefully an authentic one. And in the end, we prepare them to leave us. That’s the one thing I can state categorically. No matter what void we fill or what bonds we form . . . they will all leave us.” But my students laughed when I spoke of their being my adopted children!
The literary quality of this novel is not exceptional. There are expository passages that go on and on: “In the daylight, the view from overlooking Forest Park was spectacular, the crest of the hill, twelve hundred and seventy two acres, nearly two square miles, strewn with nine hundred distinct buildings; fifteen gargantuan neo-classic palaces festooned with electric lights and covering a tenth of the total acreage; towering colonnades reaching fifty-feet in the air, and massive fountains; the wide expanse of the Plaza of St Louis; the Grand Basin, a giant manmade lake dotted with gondolas; and a virtual sea of humanity. In all, twenty-two countries and forty-four states had erected exhibition halls at a total cost of $45 million, an expenditure of over fifty cents for every man, woman and child living in the United States.”
Though I enjoyed the book because I could certainly see myself in some aspects of Miss Madeira and because the observations about teachers are accurate, I think the book requires revision and editing.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
“Many students admitted to fearing her; others were put off by her high standards”
“You’ll never know the influence you’ve had on your students.”
“Most of her former pupils could come forward and tell you how she changed their lives for the better.”
“commanded respect and engendered fear”
“no one cares more for her students, no one demands more of them than you. And, no teacher I’ve ever known has asked more of herself or given more of herself.”
The student, whom I taught many years ago, wrote that those passages described how she thought of me. She suggested I might enjoy the book because she thought that as a teacher I was much like the protagonist.
The novel tells the story of Amelia Irmelinda Madeira who begins teaching in the fall of 1917 in Prospect, Missouri. Her career as an English teacher and librarian continues until 1952. She is a gifted teacher who stands up to the narrow-mindedness she encounters in the small town. Her comments against sexism, homophobia, and bigotry make her an unconventional, somewhat controversial figure but her reputation as a caring teacher wins over most people.
It is not just her teaching, however, that is the focus. Though she separates her professional and personal life and maintains a “stern façade” in the classroom, her personal life is full of struggles and loneliness. Her father and brother make her life difficult, and her life-long love is not openly reciprocated. Her happiness lies in sharing knowledge and exposing her students to literature.
This book would definitely appeal to teachers. It highlights how the personal struggles of teachers are often unknown to students. At one point Miss Madeira tells a colleague, “Great teaching requires great acting.” I used to say the same to my students at the end of a semester by which time they had usually realized there was more to me than a “stern façade.”
There’s a great comparison of teaching and parenting: “good teachers are like ideal parents. We give children the skills to make better, informed choices. We try to instill a desire to expand their horizons, to live a better life . . . hopefully an authentic one. And in the end, we prepare them to leave us. That’s the one thing I can state categorically. No matter what void we fill or what bonds we form . . . they will all leave us.” But my students laughed when I spoke of their being my adopted children!
The literary quality of this novel is not exceptional. There are expository passages that go on and on: “In the daylight, the view from overlooking Forest Park was spectacular, the crest of the hill, twelve hundred and seventy two acres, nearly two square miles, strewn with nine hundred distinct buildings; fifteen gargantuan neo-classic palaces festooned with electric lights and covering a tenth of the total acreage; towering colonnades reaching fifty-feet in the air, and massive fountains; the wide expanse of the Plaza of St Louis; the Grand Basin, a giant manmade lake dotted with gondolas; and a virtual sea of humanity. In all, twenty-two countries and forty-four states had erected exhibition halls at a total cost of $45 million, an expenditure of over fifty cents for every man, woman and child living in the United States.”
Though I enjoyed the book because I could certainly see myself in some aspects of Miss Madeira and because the observations about teachers are accurate, I think the book requires revision and editing.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
December 1, 2011
I received this from the author free through Goodreads, First reads! This book was such a joy to read and a hard to put down kind of read. Miss Madeira was indeed an "old maid" school teacher, but she was so much more and old maid does not do her justice! Her love of Emily Dickinson and the writing in the style of this author is so wonderful. I love that her diary is an on-going letter to "Emily", as though they were intimate friends, which of course they were because of her long and loving reading of Emily. She knew intimately everything that had been written by Emily. Her life was one of hardship, sadness, peppered with joy from the children she taught. She had great love, but it was unrequited. A life that is the ultimate one for great poetry. Written with the same style and development of character of the great masters of yore... this book should and shall become a stand alone classic in itself. I would recommend it for just about anyone, but especially those who love great poetry, great literature and just plain great story! Thank you so much Austin Gary for the opportunity to enjoy this wonderful work of yours.
November 20, 2011
Miss Madeira is a story about a young teacher, who loves teaching literature and sacrificed so much for the love of teaching. This book takes place in a small midwest town and the secrets of the craters are dark and heart breaking. I think it is a wonderfully written book full of poetry and love of literature. It should have been a depressing book. Some of the subjects were hard to read about but really makes you understand people have dark secrets and past. It makes you wonder why Austin Gray would write this book, but then read about him and you understand just a little, maybe. Over all I liked this book. Would make an interesting book club book.
December 15, 2011
Well written, keeps moving, but boy it can get you depressed. It is a tough world out there.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews