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The Shrouding Woman
The moving story of a young girl's struggle to face her mother's death.
"She traveled to our small white house near the Iowa border on a buckboard, her green bag caked with the dusty road . . . I knew that she was called "the Shrouding Woman" because I'd heard Papa use those words to describe her. I didn't know what it meant but I knew it had something to do with death."
It was once common practice for small towns to have a shrouding woman to help put their dead to rest. Still, when eleven-year-old Evie's Aunt Flo-herself a shrouding woman-comes to town, Evie knows little of a shrouding woman's ways and wants nothing to do with this aunt of hers, especially after her own mother's recent death. But as this mysterious woman slowly makes her way into Evie's life, her strong and sensitive presence brings far more than signs of death to a grieving girl's home.
Set in the mid-1800s, this beautifully written story, centered on the little-known practice of shrouding, touches on death and healing with sensitivity and quiet dignity.
"She traveled to our small white house near the Iowa border on a buckboard, her green bag caked with the dusty road . . . I knew that she was called "the Shrouding Woman" because I'd heard Papa use those words to describe her. I didn't know what it meant but I knew it had something to do with death."
It was once common practice for small towns to have a shrouding woman to help put their dead to rest. Still, when eleven-year-old Evie's Aunt Flo-herself a shrouding woman-comes to town, Evie knows little of a shrouding woman's ways and wants nothing to do with this aunt of hers, especially after her own mother's recent death. But as this mysterious woman slowly makes her way into Evie's life, her strong and sensitive presence brings far more than signs of death to a grieving girl's home.
Set in the mid-1800s, this beautifully written story, centered on the little-known practice of shrouding, touches on death and healing with sensitivity and quiet dignity.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2002
1 person is currently reading
97 people want to read
About the author
Loretta Ellsworth
14 books344 followersLoretta received her BA from the University of Northern Iowa, and an MFA from Hamline University in writing for children and young adults. A former middle and high school teacher, she's the author of four young adult novels, The Shrouding Woman, In Search of Mockingbird,In a Heartbeat, and Unforgettable. Her WWII historical novel, Stars Over Clear Lake, will be published in 2017. She has four children and six grandchildren, and lives in Minnesota. Follow her on Twitter @lellsworth.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 2, 2024
Wonderful book about women's work and the importance.
October 13, 2018
Aunt Flo gives up her homestead in the Dakotas to come live with her brother and his daughters following the death of his wife. While her younger sister Mae welcomes this new maternal figure, Evie is resentful and hostile. When she discovers that her aunt is "a shrouding woman," it only increases her uncertainty and fear. Eventually, she is able to come to terms with her aunt and appreciate her unusual calling.
This book focuses on an interesting profession that has vanished from most parts of the modern world. There were once dedicated individuals who would "lay out the dead" -- washing, dressing, and preparing a person for burial. Partly, this evolved from the taboo of touching a dead body, so the task was delegated to certain individuals within a community. Now preparation of a body for burial is performed behind the scenes in funeral homes and is no longer considered a sacred rite or a last act of love.
Personally, I didn't connect with the character of Evie from whose point of view the story is told. I could pity her grief, but her temper was off-putting.
This book focuses on an interesting profession that has vanished from most parts of the modern world. There were once dedicated individuals who would "lay out the dead" -- washing, dressing, and preparing a person for burial. Partly, this evolved from the taboo of touching a dead body, so the task was delegated to certain individuals within a community. Now preparation of a body for burial is performed behind the scenes in funeral homes and is no longer considered a sacred rite or a last act of love.
Personally, I didn't connect with the character of Evie from whose point of view the story is told. I could pity her grief, but her temper was off-putting.
March 7, 2026
Just a wonderful read. Great character development and you really can feel the emotions of a young girl who lost her mother, trying to find a way to go on. I’d never heard of shrouding, so this was also a wonderful historical lesson of the tradition.
December 1, 2018
A short little middle-school book that reminded me of Patricia MacLachlan's writings.
April 13, 2009
In the novel The Shrouding Woman a young girl named Evie, around the age of 11 is coping with the horrific event of her mother’s death. Evie and Mae soon find out that their father’s sister, Aunt Flo will be living with them. The girls have not met her, but have seen a picture of Aunt Flo and her father when they were babies. They thought she was very mysterious because she was tall, skinny, pail skinned and the girls had never seen anything like her.
The next morning upon Flo’s arrival the girls get to know Flo a little bit better. Aunt Flo makes breakfast in the morning, braids Mae’s hair and offers to make her a gingham dress. What a wonderful aunt! Evie on the other hand isn’t very fond of Flo living in the house. Under Aunt Flo’s bed is a small wooden box that she lets nobody see. Evie is very suspicious of this box. She doesn’t really know what to think. At the end of the story Flo takes Evie to a shrouding. Evie finally understands the definition of shrouding which is to wrap or clothe for burial; Evie soon becomes a shrouding woman and helps her Aunt Flo.
I believe that this was a very interesting book. The book is very descriptive in how they described death. This book isn’t scary, or even gross. The appreciation it has for human was well written. The book is a good piece of fiction that relates to a lesser spoken point of history. This book is also a combination of history of the past and fantasy because Evie was to shy to ask Aunt Flo about the box. I strongly agree that this book had a lot of descriptive scenes. The imagery incorporated in this novel painted a picture in my mind. I also think that it was a cliffhanger because you never knew what was going to happen next. This book is very good for young children. It will be a so called mystery for the children. I believe that everyone that reads this book can relate to it in someway. This book is just like Sarah Plain and Tall because of the caretaking components embedded into the novel. In that novel there is a new caretaker just like this one. If you need a good book to relax to this is just the book for you. Loretta Elsworth did a very good job writing this book. I would definitely read all the other books she publishes. You can pick up this book at your local book store. Enjoy!
The next morning upon Flo’s arrival the girls get to know Flo a little bit better. Aunt Flo makes breakfast in the morning, braids Mae’s hair and offers to make her a gingham dress. What a wonderful aunt! Evie on the other hand isn’t very fond of Flo living in the house. Under Aunt Flo’s bed is a small wooden box that she lets nobody see. Evie is very suspicious of this box. She doesn’t really know what to think. At the end of the story Flo takes Evie to a shrouding. Evie finally understands the definition of shrouding which is to wrap or clothe for burial; Evie soon becomes a shrouding woman and helps her Aunt Flo.
I believe that this was a very interesting book. The book is very descriptive in how they described death. This book isn’t scary, or even gross. The appreciation it has for human was well written. The book is a good piece of fiction that relates to a lesser spoken point of history. This book is also a combination of history of the past and fantasy because Evie was to shy to ask Aunt Flo about the box. I strongly agree that this book had a lot of descriptive scenes. The imagery incorporated in this novel painted a picture in my mind. I also think that it was a cliffhanger because you never knew what was going to happen next. This book is very good for young children. It will be a so called mystery for the children. I believe that everyone that reads this book can relate to it in someway. This book is just like Sarah Plain and Tall because of the caretaking components embedded into the novel. In that novel there is a new caretaker just like this one. If you need a good book to relax to this is just the book for you. Loretta Elsworth did a very good job writing this book. I would definitely read all the other books she publishes. You can pick up this book at your local book store. Enjoy!
March 4, 2010
I had the good fortune to met Loretta Ellsworth recently. Previous to talking with Ellsworth, I had only read "In Search of Mockingbird." I have been on a mission since our meeting to read all of her Young Adult books. I have not been disappointed.
This piece of historical fiction, appropriate for middle schoolers, is written by Minnesota author, Loretta Ellsworth. Set in 1870's Caledonia, Minnesota, it looks at the tradition during this time period of using "shrouding women" to prepare the dead for burial. The book is unique in its portrayal of something most know little about. And Ellsworth handles a subject, which might make some squeamish (including the characters in the book), with grace.
Evie (11) and Mae(5) have just lost their mother. Their father's sister, Aunt Flo comes to live with them to help care for the girls and the farm. Mae takes to her right away. Evie, however, is afraid of losing the memories of her mother and is resistant to anything Aunt Floe does or proposes. Her calling as a "shrouding woman" is particularly troubling to Evie, especially when she finds out that this is a calling handed down from one generation to the next in her father's family. Since Aunt Flo has no children, Evie figures that she is intended to be next in line. Aunt Flo is kind, loving, and patient towards Evie, despite some of her childish, even cruel, behaviors. Eventually, and predictably, Evie is drawn to Aunt Flo and the mysterious box in which she keeps her shrouding supplies. This soon leads to acceptance and love, of both Aunt Flo and her calling.
Because this is middle school literature, the detail and character development are somewhat thin. However, I really enjoyed learning about the history of the area in which I live. This is a sensitive portrayal of a difficult subject, the cycle of life.
This piece of historical fiction, appropriate for middle schoolers, is written by Minnesota author, Loretta Ellsworth. Set in 1870's Caledonia, Minnesota, it looks at the tradition during this time period of using "shrouding women" to prepare the dead for burial. The book is unique in its portrayal of something most know little about. And Ellsworth handles a subject, which might make some squeamish (including the characters in the book), with grace.
Evie (11) and Mae(5) have just lost their mother. Their father's sister, Aunt Flo comes to live with them to help care for the girls and the farm. Mae takes to her right away. Evie, however, is afraid of losing the memories of her mother and is resistant to anything Aunt Floe does or proposes. Her calling as a "shrouding woman" is particularly troubling to Evie, especially when she finds out that this is a calling handed down from one generation to the next in her father's family. Since Aunt Flo has no children, Evie figures that she is intended to be next in line. Aunt Flo is kind, loving, and patient towards Evie, despite some of her childish, even cruel, behaviors. Eventually, and predictably, Evie is drawn to Aunt Flo and the mysterious box in which she keeps her shrouding supplies. This soon leads to acceptance and love, of both Aunt Flo and her calling.
Because this is middle school literature, the detail and character development are somewhat thin. However, I really enjoyed learning about the history of the area in which I live. This is a sensitive portrayal of a difficult subject, the cycle of life.
March 24, 2015
gr 5-8 146 pgs
Caledonia, Minnesota post Civil War. 11 year old Evie misses her mother who died a year ago. When her Aunt Flo comes to live with them and help Evie's father take care of Evie and her 5 year old sister Mae, Evie wants nothing to do with her. She insists on doing things the way her mother always did them and won't let Aunt Flo help with the garden that she and her mother planted. Evie especially wants nothing to do with Aunt Flo's shrouding box. Her aunt is a shrouding woman who helps prepare bodies for burial.
An interesting story about a topic that you don't always hear about. It was especially interesting to see how Evie's view of Aunt Flo changed over the course of the story. At first, Evie wanted nothing to do with Aunt Flo or anything that would remind her of death. As Evie recovers from her grief, she begins to see Aunt Flo's work in a new light. She sees the appreciation of the people that Aunt Flo helps.
Caledonia, Minnesota post Civil War. 11 year old Evie misses her mother who died a year ago. When her Aunt Flo comes to live with them and help Evie's father take care of Evie and her 5 year old sister Mae, Evie wants nothing to do with her. She insists on doing things the way her mother always did them and won't let Aunt Flo help with the garden that she and her mother planted. Evie especially wants nothing to do with Aunt Flo's shrouding box. Her aunt is a shrouding woman who helps prepare bodies for burial.
An interesting story about a topic that you don't always hear about. It was especially interesting to see how Evie's view of Aunt Flo changed over the course of the story. At first, Evie wanted nothing to do with Aunt Flo or anything that would remind her of death. As Evie recovers from her grief, she begins to see Aunt Flo's work in a new light. She sees the appreciation of the people that Aunt Flo helps.
June 24, 2008
This book is about a young girl whose mother dies and her aunt comes to live with the family to take care of them. The aunt is a "shrouding woman" which really freaks Evie out. She thinks nothing to do with death could be a good thing. The book is all about Evie's healing and grieving process. It is a children's book, and I'm not sure all children would love it, but I loved the hopeful, happy way Evie is able to move through her grief without is seeming trite. It's all set in Caledonia, MN and is really a wonderful local read. Another book by the author I met at the writer's workshop, but I liked this one better than her newer book.
October 30, 2009
When 11-year-old Evie's mother dies of consumption on the plains of Minnesota in the mid-1800s, Aunt Flo arrives to help take care of the family. Evie's little sister, Mae, is delighted to have an affectionate mother figure, but Evie remains remote, concealing her grief and bitterness by keeping her aunt at arm's length. The typical story of the child's inner struggle to accept someone in her mother's place is unexpectedly augmented here by the disclosure that Aunt Flo is a shrouding woman, a woman who prepares bodies for burial. Her affection and gentle good humor disprove her scary work, and Evie finds herself both curious and afraid.
February 2, 2012
i just got done reading it tonight Feb.1st, 2012 and it is the most awesomest book ever. it is so good and it want you to keep reading and it has short chapters on it which is good so you aren't getting to confusted. I would have people who love you read about the olden days because that is exactly what it is about.!!!
June 25, 2013
Grieving the loss of her mother who recently died from tuberculosis, Evie fears Aunt Flo, this woman who comes to care for Evie, her father and sister, and the farm. Aunt Flo is a "shrouder," one who cares for the dead. Over time Evie comes to love the woman and respect her calling, an important part of women's history. This book is on the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Aware Master List.
March 27, 2009
The relationship is bond between their family and their business. They entertwine the story well.
March 9, 2010
Only thing going for it is the short length. Death on the prarie. 4th grade and up.
October 20, 2011
Interesting. I think I enjoyed the author's explanation of why she wrote the book and shrouding rituals the best.
July 15, 2013
Little House on the Prairie-esque -- love this touching view of an antiquated (and important) feminine vocation. Recommended for fifth graders, but found it worth my time and tears. (Read July 2013)
January 26, 2016
A short young adult book about the art of preparing bodies for burial.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews