MEADOW BROOK

by Mary Jane Holmes

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone

Genres: Classics

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1857

About the author

Mary Jane Holmes (a.k.a. Mary J. Holmes) was a bestselling and prolific American author who wrote 39 popular novels, as well as short stories. Her first novel sold 250,000 copies; and she had total sales of 2 million books in her lifetime, second only to Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Mary Jane Holmes, nee Hawes (1825-1907) was an American author who wrote many popular novels. Holmes was born in Brookfield, Massachusetts. At age 13 she taught in a school. She married Daniel Holmes and they settled in Versailles, Kentucky. In 1854 she wrote her first novel, Tempest and Sunshine. The theme for most of her novels was domestic life. Other works include: The English Orphans; or, A Home in the New World (1855), 'Lena Rivers (1856), Homestead on the Hillside (1856), Meadow Brook (1857), Dora Deane; or, The East India Uncle (1859), Cousin Maude (1860), Rosamond Maude (1860), Darkness and Daylight (1864), Hugh Worthington (1865), Family Pride; or, Purified by Suffering (1867), Ethelyn's Mistake (1869), Edna Browning; or, The Leighton Homestead (1872), West Lawn (1874), Edith Lyle's Secret (1876), Forrest House (1879), Christmas Stories (1885), Bessie's Fortune (1885), Tracy Park (1886), Gretchen (1887), Paul Ralston (1897), The Cromptons (1899) and Bad Hugh (1900).

Portraying domestic life in small town and rural settings, she examined gender relationships, as well as those of class and race. She also dealt with slavery and the American Civil War, with a strong sense of moral justice. Her popular work was excluded from most 19th-century literary histories, but she has received recognition and reappraisal since the late 20th century.

Reviews

[Sarah Coller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young Rosa Lee narrates this Victorian story of a life, originally published in 1857. We follow her loves, losses, friendships, and frustrations, from her early years as a school teacher in Massachusetts (13 years old!!) through to her marriage, 6+ years later, to a Southern plantation owner. There's plenty of 19th century reprimands on the dangers of immodesty, immorality, and drink---complete with all the flowery King Jamesy phrases that era used to remind the people that Teetotalism was next to Godliness.

These long saga type stories that coincidentally bring back characters for multiple rounds remind me of the historical romances my mom read in the 80s. The author seems to be well read as the story has a little Austen, a little Bronte, even a little Dickens with its plethora of social commentary.

From the embarrassment of unrequited love to the shame of unhealthy friendships to the pain of unfulfilled longings, this story has all the elements of a classic Victorian cautionary tale.

Besides being surprised by the idea of a 13 year old teaching school, I was also sorta grossed out by flirty Dr. Clayton who would have been arrested for his behavior toward Rosa Lee nowadays. This story also gives an interesting, if overdramatized, look into the lives of slaves in the pre-war South.

The cover on my particular copy is gorgeous (see photo above) and looks like it could have been published yesterday. Whomever had this book in the past shelved it for a VERY long time. The spine is worn but the cover is bright and immaculate. I found a gift notecard inside with very old handwriting wishing the recipient "Congratulations and Best Wishes". I'll bet she never even finished the book.

[Kate_Nagy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A weird one. I'm guessing the first half, at least, is pretty autobiographical -- It's hard to explain, but a lot of the details Holmes offers just have that sort of verisimilitude about them. For example, at one point Rosa, our heroine, gets kicked out of family prayers for being fidgety and goes up to the attic, where she plays with "six perfect kittens." I'll eat my hat if that never happened in Holmes' life. And Rosa's first crush, on a good-natured but slightly craven doctor, rings painfully true. As the book progresses and Rosa ends up a governess on a Georgia plantation, however, the autobiographical elements drop off and we're left with nothing more nor less than a fairly typical midcentury melodrama. If that's your speed, you'll probably like this book.

...Or maybe not. There's a lot in here that may, and probably should, horrify the reader. Rosa is thirteen when she falls for the doctor...and he kinda-sorta returns her affection. (I know, kids grew up faster in 1857. But still! Thirteen!) The eventual hero, Richard, is a plantation owner with all that implies, but that's apparently okay with the Massachusetts-bred Rosa because the people he enslaves love him and are devoted to him and to the plantation, and also he doesn't object to "Uncle Tom's Cabin." (To be clear, because: Internet: I did not find that "okay.") Richard also literally drives a team of horses to their death in pursuit of Rosa after she gets tired of the bullshit going on at the plantation and decides to return to New England, and the only one who protests is one of the enslaved workers -- and it's played for laughs. Overall, for every charm this book holds, there's something appalling, but for every truly eye-popping scene, there's a moment of quiet charm.

The 1850s, man. They were weird.