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The Valley Of Decision
Originally published in 1942, The Valley of Decision was an instant success, and its story of four generations of the Scott family—owners and operators of a Pittsburgh iron and steel works—has since captured the imagination of generations of readers. Absorbing and complex, it chronicles the family’s saga from the economic panic of 1873 through the dramatic rise of American industry and trade unionism, through waves of immigration, class conflict, natural disaster, World War I, and Pearl Harbor. In 1945 it was made into a major motion picture starring Greer Garson and Gregory Peck.
This reissue features a new foreword by noted steel industry historian John Hoerr, author of And the Wolf Finally Came, who places the novel in context as a classic depiction of twentieth-century America.
This reissue features a new foreword by noted steel industry historian John Hoerr, author of And the Wolf Finally Came, who places the novel in context as a classic depiction of twentieth-century America.
640 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1942
25 people are currently reading
1101 people want to read
About the author
Marcia Davenport
59 books25 followersAmerican author and music critic. She was born Marcia Glick, daughter of Bernard Glick and opera singer Alma Gluck, later stepdaughter of violinist Efrem Zimbalist when Alma Gluck remarried.
Davenport traveled extensively with her parents and was educated intermittently at the Friends School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the Shipley School at Bryn Mawr. She began at Wellesley College but eloped to Pittsburgh in 1923 to marry Fred D. Clarke. Eventually she earned her B.A. at the University of Grenoble. Her first child was born in 1924, but in 1925 she divorced Clarke.
She took an advertising copywriting job to support herself and her daughter. In 1928 she began at the editorial staff of The New Yorker, where she worked until 1931. In 1929, she married Russell Davenport, who soon after became editor of Fortune. Davenport's second daughter was born in 1934. That same year she began as the music critic of Stage magazine.
Davenport had close ties through her mother and stepfather to the classical music world and particularly to the heady opera world of Europe and America in the first half of the 20th century. She was first celebrated as a writer for her first book, Mozart, the first published American biography of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Her marriage to Russell Davenport ended in 1944.
She also wrote several popular novels, notably The Valley of Decision, a 1940s bestseller made into a successful movie with Greer Garson and Gregory Peck.
Davenport traveled extensively with her parents and was educated intermittently at the Friends School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the Shipley School at Bryn Mawr. She began at Wellesley College but eloped to Pittsburgh in 1923 to marry Fred D. Clarke. Eventually she earned her B.A. at the University of Grenoble. Her first child was born in 1924, but in 1925 she divorced Clarke.
She took an advertising copywriting job to support herself and her daughter. In 1928 she began at the editorial staff of The New Yorker, where she worked until 1931. In 1929, she married Russell Davenport, who soon after became editor of Fortune. Davenport's second daughter was born in 1934. That same year she began as the music critic of Stage magazine.
Davenport had close ties through her mother and stepfather to the classical music world and particularly to the heady opera world of Europe and America in the first half of the 20th century. She was first celebrated as a writer for her first book, Mozart, the first published American biography of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Her marriage to Russell Davenport ended in 1944.
She also wrote several popular novels, notably The Valley of Decision, a 1940s bestseller made into a successful movie with Greer Garson and Gregory Peck.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
January 25, 2019
Loved this story of Pittsburgh and the steel industry. So many landmarks in this book are still there and the story takes place on streets and areas that I know having grown up and lived in the Pittsburgh area all my life. And the story was great, too!
June 22, 2010
Pittsburgh, steel mills/iron works, unions, wealthy families, servants, 1800's....a great story about Pittsburgh.
The book has something for history buffs and also those readers who are interested in the lives of the people during that time period which stretches from the 1800's to December 1941...the day Pearl Harbor was bombed.
The book talks about the steel mills...specifically the Scott Iron Works...and how they grew and how the lives of its owners and workers were totally immersed and devoted. It also discusses unions and how difficult it was to get them started, and how the classes were more apt to snub each other which gave an indication of how life was in the 1800's.
I was not really expecting the book to be what it was, so don't get discouraged from the title and the subject matter. You will enjoy it. It doesn't get too technical...it is more about the Scott family and their lives through the generations. My rating is a 5/5
The Scott family and their history will keep your interest. The love and loyalty between Mary Rafferty and the Scott family was the main theme carried through up to the last pages of the book.
Mary, the main character, was about the same age as William Scott's daughters when she arrived for service at the Scott residence. Mary was a strong girl who held her poor, working class family together even though she only saw them once a week since she had to remain as a live-in servant at the Scott residence. She along with her brother, who worked at the Scott Iron Works, were the breadwinners since their father had been paralyzed by a mill accident a few years before. As Mary's brother James continued to work long hours each day in the mill he also was desperately trying to get a union started in hopes of better working conditions.
Mary's brother and Paul Scott, the son of William Scott, worked together on an invention to help steel production even though Paul was the owner and James was a steelworker. Meanwhile Paul begins to fall in love with Mary and she with him. This is not an acceptable match of course, and Mary tries to discourage it; but they both know that is difficult.
One of Mary’s MANY duties was her responsibility for Constance, the daughter of William and Clarissa Scott. This was a very trying situation because Constance was a handful. Mary's "side job" was to TRY to keep her in line.
Constance then does something unthinkable, and the family, especially her father, would like to disown her. She moves away, and Clarissa Scott insists that she take Mary with her as her personal servant. Mary and Paul are heartbroken. Mary remains with Constance for four years and then is summoned home....both she and Paul are thrilled.
As the months pass, a strike occurs at the mill, and it wasn't a pleasant affair. Paul and Mary continue to struggle with their relationship. Many good and bad things continue to happen to the Scott family both personal and business.
Life went on for the Scott family, and when the parents were gone, the children were left to live their lives as a distant family.....they didn't get along too well. Constance returned from London for a visit, Elizabeth and her husband were still uppity, and William Scott, Jr. and his wife also felt they were too good for the rest of the family. Jealousy and greed were a large part of this family's structure.
During all of this, the mill was flourishing, and Paul and Edgar were responsible for its success, but accidents and deaths in the mill were occurring and Edgar had other plans.
Relationships were starting to get edgy...especially Paul and Louise's marriage.
Mary held all the characters together and was the "glue" and stronghold that got the family through everything that happened in the lives of the Scott family....all the happiness, heartache, tragedies, decisions, births, and deaths. Every Scott loved Mary as if she had been a family member...she was the matriarch.
The story was wonderful....I admired Mary for her strength and loved how Marci Davenport allowed this female character to hold such a strong position throughout the book. It makes you want to be a part of that family and have the care and love that Mary brought to all of them. And....pairing up Mary and Claire made a power-house ending.
The book has something for history buffs and also those readers who are interested in the lives of the people during that time period which stretches from the 1800's to December 1941...the day Pearl Harbor was bombed.
The book talks about the steel mills...specifically the Scott Iron Works...and how they grew and how the lives of its owners and workers were totally immersed and devoted. It also discusses unions and how difficult it was to get them started, and how the classes were more apt to snub each other which gave an indication of how life was in the 1800's.
I was not really expecting the book to be what it was, so don't get discouraged from the title and the subject matter. You will enjoy it. It doesn't get too technical...it is more about the Scott family and their lives through the generations. My rating is a 5/5
The Scott family and their history will keep your interest. The love and loyalty between Mary Rafferty and the Scott family was the main theme carried through up to the last pages of the book.
Mary, the main character, was about the same age as William Scott's daughters when she arrived for service at the Scott residence. Mary was a strong girl who held her poor, working class family together even though she only saw them once a week since she had to remain as a live-in servant at the Scott residence. She along with her brother, who worked at the Scott Iron Works, were the breadwinners since their father had been paralyzed by a mill accident a few years before. As Mary's brother James continued to work long hours each day in the mill he also was desperately trying to get a union started in hopes of better working conditions.
Mary's brother and Paul Scott, the son of William Scott, worked together on an invention to help steel production even though Paul was the owner and James was a steelworker. Meanwhile Paul begins to fall in love with Mary and she with him. This is not an acceptable match of course, and Mary tries to discourage it; but they both know that is difficult.
One of Mary’s MANY duties was her responsibility for Constance, the daughter of William and Clarissa Scott. This was a very trying situation because Constance was a handful. Mary's "side job" was to TRY to keep her in line.
Constance then does something unthinkable, and the family, especially her father, would like to disown her. She moves away, and Clarissa Scott insists that she take Mary with her as her personal servant. Mary and Paul are heartbroken. Mary remains with Constance for four years and then is summoned home....both she and Paul are thrilled.
As the months pass, a strike occurs at the mill, and it wasn't a pleasant affair. Paul and Mary continue to struggle with their relationship. Many good and bad things continue to happen to the Scott family both personal and business.
Life went on for the Scott family, and when the parents were gone, the children were left to live their lives as a distant family.....they didn't get along too well. Constance returned from London for a visit, Elizabeth and her husband were still uppity, and William Scott, Jr. and his wife also felt they were too good for the rest of the family. Jealousy and greed were a large part of this family's structure.
During all of this, the mill was flourishing, and Paul and Edgar were responsible for its success, but accidents and deaths in the mill were occurring and Edgar had other plans.
Relationships were starting to get edgy...especially Paul and Louise's marriage.
Mary held all the characters together and was the "glue" and stronghold that got the family through everything that happened in the lives of the Scott family....all the happiness, heartache, tragedies, decisions, births, and deaths. Every Scott loved Mary as if she had been a family member...she was the matriarch.
The story was wonderful....I admired Mary for her strength and loved how Marci Davenport allowed this female character to hold such a strong position throughout the book. It makes you want to be a part of that family and have the care and love that Mary brought to all of them. And....pairing up Mary and Claire made a power-house ending.
April 24, 2014
I have waited long to review this book. I read this book more than ten years ago but lost the copy and couldnt remember the title. However, I always wanted to write a review for this book and its outline was formed ten years ago in me and has stayed for these many years, simmering as it were on the back burner of my mind!
One of the characters in the book, a music composer, is asked by his wife (Claire in the book, 3rd generation member of the Scott family whose life the book chronicles)to write a full symphony to the beat of a mill and he does. My review of the book is based on that imagery.
The Valley of Decision is a song written to the background score of the beat of a mill, a steel mill in fact. A symphony of various notes written to cover almost 70 plus years of history, the book chronicles the life of more than three generations of the Scott family, owners of a Pittsburgh steel mill.
The family's births, marriages, deaths, the changes in relationships these bring, the life of their friends, their struggles and their change of values through 3 generations are movingly portrayed through the eyes of one person Mary Raggerty. Mary, the daughter of Irish immigrants, enters the family as a maid and rises to become a beloved confidant of the family.
Her whole life becomes intertwined with that of the Scotts, in a song of life that marches to the cadence of a steel mill, weaving itself as a principal note in the harmony of their notes, not marring or jarring it but bolstering, strengthening, under girding, muting as well as enhancing the nuances such that song rises from being a mere litany of notes to become a crescendo, a musical artefact.
The style of the book, the pathos of it, its unassuming overtones of family culture, its silent trace of American history from the mid 1800s to the mid 1900s, all make it a literary gem worthy of being reading material for school & college students.
It leaves indelible mark on the reader, a book that will stay in memory, as it has stayed in my mind, with its accurate portrayal of human existence with all its joys and pains. It leaves you surfeited in every sense of the word and impacts you for life!
One of the characters in the book, a music composer, is asked by his wife (Claire in the book, 3rd generation member of the Scott family whose life the book chronicles)to write a full symphony to the beat of a mill and he does. My review of the book is based on that imagery.
The Valley of Decision is a song written to the background score of the beat of a mill, a steel mill in fact. A symphony of various notes written to cover almost 70 plus years of history, the book chronicles the life of more than three generations of the Scott family, owners of a Pittsburgh steel mill.
The family's births, marriages, deaths, the changes in relationships these bring, the life of their friends, their struggles and their change of values through 3 generations are movingly portrayed through the eyes of one person Mary Raggerty. Mary, the daughter of Irish immigrants, enters the family as a maid and rises to become a beloved confidant of the family.
Her whole life becomes intertwined with that of the Scotts, in a song of life that marches to the cadence of a steel mill, weaving itself as a principal note in the harmony of their notes, not marring or jarring it but bolstering, strengthening, under girding, muting as well as enhancing the nuances such that song rises from being a mere litany of notes to become a crescendo, a musical artefact.
The style of the book, the pathos of it, its unassuming overtones of family culture, its silent trace of American history from the mid 1800s to the mid 1900s, all make it a literary gem worthy of being reading material for school & college students.
It leaves indelible mark on the reader, a book that will stay in memory, as it has stayed in my mind, with its accurate portrayal of human existence with all its joys and pains. It leaves you surfeited in every sense of the word and impacts you for life!
February 22, 2025
Was teetering between four and five stars on this one -- some elements didn't wholly land for me: the first/only sex scene, the intensely unsympathetic portrayal of Louise, the way that the final third of the book spun away somewhat from what had been a fairly contained story -- but the sheer achievement of a 800-page 70-year 4-generation saga that GOT me in my feelings as hard as it did, it's impossible not to respect it profoundly. I went into this thinking for some reason that it was chiefly about steel mill unionisation and got totally walloped by the romance of Mary and Paul, by Mary herself, by Mary and Constance, Mary and Julka, and eventually by Claire in interwar Europe, even though that section sometimes felt less connected to Pittsburgh and the steel industry than I think was ideal... I don't know man, Marcia Davenport really made it work. This is the bit which got me, fairly early on, intensely invested in the book, when the rich guy's son is realising he's in love with his maid:
I literally sent this to multiple people going MY GOD!! OH MY GOD!!!!
Anyway last note is that my buddy-read and I were looking for contemporary reviews after finishing to fill the void and in so doing found Marcia Davenport mentioned in the published letters of Maxwell Perkins who discovered Fitzgerald and Hemingway and was her editor!!! And he opens a letter to her in March 1942 like this:
Relatable... It's true that there are many trees, lmfao. Anyway if you read some more of his letters you will discover that apparently Scribner's Sons signed Marcia Davenport on as an author pretty quickly:
Imagine having no agent but getting signed based on NOT A GREAT DEAL of MUSICAL BIOGRAPHY WRITING. Insane. Am I going to read a 1930s Mozart biography because of this??? Only time will tell
She was everywhere around him. He felt her ways in the smooth, tightly-tucked linen sheets, in the fresh starched curtains at the windows; he saw her pride in his family and their home, in the shining brasses of the gaslights and doorknobs. If there was always a small pot of flowers on the marble-topped whatnot beside his morris chair in the bay window, he had not noticed it, he thought, until now. If the silver cups that he had won at Yale for rowing had ever gleamed so brilliantly before, he had been oblivious of that too. He twisted his head uneasily on his pillow, pressing his knuckles above his eyes. He had a deep desire for rest, and a premonition that his desire would not be realized.
Suddenly, as he rolled over with a groan, he had a vivid picture of her upstairs in her room; wide-awake like himself; perhaps weeping; perhaps trying to find the answer through prayer.
"My God," he muttered, reaching up to turn out the gas. "Oh, my God."
I literally sent this to multiple people going MY GOD!! OH MY GOD!!!!
Anyway last note is that my buddy-read and I were looking for contemporary reviews after finishing to fill the void and in so doing found Marcia Davenport mentioned in the published letters of Maxwell Perkins who discovered Fitzgerald and Hemingway and was her editor!!! And he opens a letter to her in March 1942 like this:
I really think that the great difficulty in bringing "The Valley of Decision" into final shape is the old one of not being able to see the forest for the trees. There are such a great number of trees. We must somehow bring the underlying scheme or pattern of the book into emphasis, so that the reader will be able to see the forest in spite of the many trees.
Relatable... It's true that there are many trees, lmfao. Anyway if you read some more of his letters you will discover that apparently Scribner's Sons signed Marcia Davenport on as an author pretty quickly:
We immediately accepted her first book, "Mozart," even though not a very great deal of it was written. One could tell from what we saw of the manuscript that she had skill, and from what we saw of her that she was unconquerable and would do what she undertook.
Imagine having no agent but getting signed based on NOT A GREAT DEAL of MUSICAL BIOGRAPHY WRITING. Insane. Am I going to read a 1930s Mozart biography because of this??? Only time will tell
September 21, 2010
This 1942 novel was a Florence King recommendation, and she has yet to let me down. The Valley of Decision, the story of a Pittsburgh steel mill-owning family from the 1870s to the 1940s, is an epic, sweeping saga - a bestseller in its day, filmed in 1945.
The book opens on the day the well-to-do Clarissa Scott employs Irish teenager Mary Rafferty as a maid. Mary lives to see Clarissa’s great-great-grandchildren, and over the intervening years it is Mary who, elevated to housekeeper/companion, becomes the family’s rock, settling disputes, keeping up traditions, providing nurture and support. Despite her long-term romance with Paul, the son and heir, this is less a Cinderella fantasy than a novel about the importance of duty and sacrifice – not a very popular concept today. (The irresponsible 1920s, the period with which the book is least in sympathy, are covered in a token chapter). Mary’s service at home is paralleled by the military service of the men in the book and by the mill’s contribution to various war efforts. Some of the book’s patriotism appears simplistic (I couldn’t agree, for example, with the idea that all wars are part of the same war – wars are fought for different reasons in different circumstances) and one of Paul and Mary’s conversations struck a note somewhere between jingoism and mawkishness:
But the final section, which shifts the focus to journalist Claire’s experiences in 1930s central Europe, contains a powerful anti-isolationist argument in the form of a graphic account of the horrors of the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia which followed the Munich Agreement.
Even without two world wars, the book would be meaty: there are elopements, liaisons, feuds, betrayals, nervous breakdowns, strikes and boardroom battles galore. While there’s plenty about the history of Pittsburgh and of the steel industry, the story ranges much further afield. Clarissa’s daughter Constance lives in great luxury in Europe, bankrolled (it’s implied but never stated) by the Prince of Wales, and the descriptions of her lifestyle almost drip off the page:
This is a long, ambitious work. Like the 1947 film The Courtneys of Curzon Street (which may have been inspired by this), it is set against the background of enormous social and technological change and offers the opportunity to reinterpret the Victorian past in the light of Freudian analysis. The Valley of Decision has the faults of its genre. It sags somewhat in the middle, some plot twists appear contrived and melodramatic, and more than once moments of crisis are skipped over in favour of the everyday. But Marcia Davenport has enough talent to make the everyday fascinating, to evoke a vanished world and, most of the time, to keep the pages turning very fast indeed.
The book opens on the day the well-to-do Clarissa Scott employs Irish teenager Mary Rafferty as a maid. Mary lives to see Clarissa’s great-great-grandchildren, and over the intervening years it is Mary who, elevated to housekeeper/companion, becomes the family’s rock, settling disputes, keeping up traditions, providing nurture and support. Despite her long-term romance with Paul, the son and heir, this is less a Cinderella fantasy than a novel about the importance of duty and sacrifice – not a very popular concept today. (The irresponsible 1920s, the period with which the book is least in sympathy, are covered in a token chapter). Mary’s service at home is paralleled by the military service of the men in the book and by the mill’s contribution to various war efforts. Some of the book’s patriotism appears simplistic (I couldn’t agree, for example, with the idea that all wars are part of the same war – wars are fought for different reasons in different circumstances) and one of Paul and Mary’s conversations struck a note somewhere between jingoism and mawkishness:
“You see?” Paul said. He put his hand on her shoulder and his blue eyes stared deep into hers. “Anybody else might think me a sentimental fool, ” he said softly. “But you know me. You really know me. I tell you,” he said, “any time this country gets in a scrap, it’s my scrap and this mill’s scrap. Highspeed saws and fancy springs are all right in their place – but this mill makes death for anyone that bothers the U.S.A.”
“Oh, Paul. I-I love to hear you talk that way.” Her eyes were wet and shining.
But the final section, which shifts the focus to journalist Claire’s experiences in 1930s central Europe, contains a powerful anti-isolationist argument in the form of a graphic account of the horrors of the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia which followed the Munich Agreement.
Even without two world wars, the book would be meaty: there are elopements, liaisons, feuds, betrayals, nervous breakdowns, strikes and boardroom battles galore. While there’s plenty about the history of Pittsburgh and of the steel industry, the story ranges much further afield. Clarissa’s daughter Constance lives in great luxury in Europe, bankrolled (it’s implied but never stated) by the Prince of Wales, and the descriptions of her lifestyle almost drip off the page:
Constance, in a black velvet dinner gown and great pearls, sat at the head of the table critically attentive and judicious as perfect soles followed perfect turtle soup, a garnished filet of buttery red beef followed the soles, artichokes from the South of France followed that, a huge pâté en croute appeared with the salad, and a frozen bombe masked in golden spun sugar brought – Mary hoped – the formidable meal to a close. But no, there was the savoury to cope with, peppery devilled mushrooms on thrones of toast. There was sherry with the soup, Meursault with the fish, Richebourg with the beef, and Mary actually shuddered when Constance, helping herself to the sweet, said, “Champagne, Radford. The Cordon Rouge.”
This is a long, ambitious work. Like the 1947 film The Courtneys of Curzon Street (which may have been inspired by this), it is set against the background of enormous social and technological change and offers the opportunity to reinterpret the Victorian past in the light of Freudian analysis. The Valley of Decision has the faults of its genre. It sags somewhat in the middle, some plot twists appear contrived and melodramatic, and more than once moments of crisis are skipped over in favour of the everyday. But Marcia Davenport has enough talent to make the everyday fascinating, to evoke a vanished world and, most of the time, to keep the pages turning very fast indeed.
September 21, 2007
I admit I have a soft spot for this book because it's based in my hometown, but on top of that, it's a great ripping yarn about a steel owner's family, the servants that live with them, a feisty union member and on top of all that, has one of the best flood scenes I've ever read in a novel. Set in Pittsburgh in the 1800s, it's written by a woman who went on to be the partner of the son of a founder of Czechoslovakia.
November 27, 2020
“You can’t judge a book by its cover” is an axiom that could not have been proven truer than by Marcia Davenport’s book, The Valley of Decision.
Had I seen it sitting on a bookstore shelf, I wouldn’t have given it a second look but the fact that it’s been our family for at least half-a-century, I decided to give it a try. Published in 1942, the edition I read was reprinted in 1944. It was released as a movie in 1945 starring Hollywood icons such as Gregory Peck and Lionel Barrymore with Greer Carson as Mary.
The Valley of Decision is the story of the Scott family and an Irish servant girl named Mary Rafferty who falls in love with a young man named Paul Scott. Unfortunately for both Paul, who is heir to a Pittsburgh steel mill, and Mary, a servant girl, their marriage would be a social scandal that would destroy the family name. Yet Paul is ready to give it all up for the sake of Mary.
To save them both, Mary is sent to England as a servant for Paul’s wild sister Constance, whose craving for luxury eventually outgrows her means of sustaining it. Constance gives birth to a girl named Clarrie.
Mary returns to Pittsburgh at the request of Paul’s father where she is shunned by her Irish friends and viewed by some of the Scott family members as an opportunist. Paul married while Mary was in England and has children; however, his wife commits suicide once again opening the door for Mary and Paul. During a Union protest, Mary’s brother kills Paul’s father before being killed himself, and Paul inherits the steel mill.
Paul, being a progressive owner, promotes a “Hunkie” - a derogatory term for Eastern Europeans - to foreman, which is an outrageous act. As a result, Mary befriends the family and uses her influence to better their lives. Paul is made an offer to sell the mill, which several of his children favor, but it is from Mary’s staunch support that he resists. Paul does, however, reorganize the steel mill as a closed corporation.
Clarrie dies giving birth to daughter named Claire and with the United States involved in WWI, Paul literally works himself to death, contracting pneumonia from the long hours of work. He dies as the war ends, willing a large amount stock to Mary placing her as a member of the board of directors.
WWII is on the horizon and Claire, living in Europe is contracted by a newspaper to write exposes of German atrocities. Sought by authorities, Claire escapes to the United States. One of Paul’s sons initiates a hostile takeover of the steel mill with plans of contracting to Germany, and it is only at the last moment that Mary and Claire are able to obtain enough stock to prevent the takeover.
Against the wishes of family members to sell the family home, Mary is allowed to remain in the Scott mansion. The world around her has changed and the once-elite neighborhood has fallen into disrepair as wealthy neighbors moved, leaving Mary alone in what was once a grand mansion.
The Valley of Decision is a trilogy: Book 1, William, 1873-1884; Book 2, Paul, 1889-1929; Book 3, Claire, 1933 – 1941. Aptly named, it is ultimately a story of decisions and their consequences. It is a tale of sacrifice, duty, and honor not only Mary’s, but each character in their own way. I was very impressed by Marcia’s understanding of the steel industry, not only production but business side as well. I am thankful to have given it a chance rather than judging it by the cover.
The Valley of Decision is over 600 pages and there is no letdown from start to finish. Marcia does a masterful job of intertwining the lives of so many people, yet it all begins and ends with an Irish servant named Mary Rafferty who sacrifices her love for Paul in order to remain loyal to the family.
Whatever your reading interest, this book is guaranteed to satisfy, be it light romance, romantic tragedy, intrigue, history, or social commentary. I highly recommend The Valley of Decision to anyone searching for an outstanding human-interest story, and not intimidated by epic-length novels.
Had I seen it sitting on a bookstore shelf, I wouldn’t have given it a second look but the fact that it’s been our family for at least half-a-century, I decided to give it a try. Published in 1942, the edition I read was reprinted in 1944. It was released as a movie in 1945 starring Hollywood icons such as Gregory Peck and Lionel Barrymore with Greer Carson as Mary.
The Valley of Decision is the story of the Scott family and an Irish servant girl named Mary Rafferty who falls in love with a young man named Paul Scott. Unfortunately for both Paul, who is heir to a Pittsburgh steel mill, and Mary, a servant girl, their marriage would be a social scandal that would destroy the family name. Yet Paul is ready to give it all up for the sake of Mary.
To save them both, Mary is sent to England as a servant for Paul’s wild sister Constance, whose craving for luxury eventually outgrows her means of sustaining it. Constance gives birth to a girl named Clarrie.
Mary returns to Pittsburgh at the request of Paul’s father where she is shunned by her Irish friends and viewed by some of the Scott family members as an opportunist. Paul married while Mary was in England and has children; however, his wife commits suicide once again opening the door for Mary and Paul. During a Union protest, Mary’s brother kills Paul’s father before being killed himself, and Paul inherits the steel mill.
Paul, being a progressive owner, promotes a “Hunkie” - a derogatory term for Eastern Europeans - to foreman, which is an outrageous act. As a result, Mary befriends the family and uses her influence to better their lives. Paul is made an offer to sell the mill, which several of his children favor, but it is from Mary’s staunch support that he resists. Paul does, however, reorganize the steel mill as a closed corporation.
Clarrie dies giving birth to daughter named Claire and with the United States involved in WWI, Paul literally works himself to death, contracting pneumonia from the long hours of work. He dies as the war ends, willing a large amount stock to Mary placing her as a member of the board of directors.
WWII is on the horizon and Claire, living in Europe is contracted by a newspaper to write exposes of German atrocities. Sought by authorities, Claire escapes to the United States. One of Paul’s sons initiates a hostile takeover of the steel mill with plans of contracting to Germany, and it is only at the last moment that Mary and Claire are able to obtain enough stock to prevent the takeover.
Against the wishes of family members to sell the family home, Mary is allowed to remain in the Scott mansion. The world around her has changed and the once-elite neighborhood has fallen into disrepair as wealthy neighbors moved, leaving Mary alone in what was once a grand mansion.
The Valley of Decision is a trilogy: Book 1, William, 1873-1884; Book 2, Paul, 1889-1929; Book 3, Claire, 1933 – 1941. Aptly named, it is ultimately a story of decisions and their consequences. It is a tale of sacrifice, duty, and honor not only Mary’s, but each character in their own way. I was very impressed by Marcia’s understanding of the steel industry, not only production but business side as well. I am thankful to have given it a chance rather than judging it by the cover.
The Valley of Decision is over 600 pages and there is no letdown from start to finish. Marcia does a masterful job of intertwining the lives of so many people, yet it all begins and ends with an Irish servant named Mary Rafferty who sacrifices her love for Paul in order to remain loyal to the family.
Whatever your reading interest, this book is guaranteed to satisfy, be it light romance, romantic tragedy, intrigue, history, or social commentary. I highly recommend The Valley of Decision to anyone searching for an outstanding human-interest story, and not intimidated by epic-length novels.
August 20, 2020
Multi-generational family story of starting a Pittsburgh mill during the Civil War which grew with each successive war, the Spanish American War and the Great War, into a huge endeavor of a steel mill. Management versus labor is an issue throughout, as it was during that period. Written in 1942, the story dealt with the history of Czechoslovakia in the 1930's and then extends to the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the entry of the U.S. into the new war [ultimately World War 11].
After starting the book, I looked for information on its history and found that a movie had been made from the book, starring Gregory Peck and Greer Garson (?) who played the young Irish maid- surprising because she was in her 40's at the time the movie was made, but she was apparently quite popular. And the movie won some Academy awards.
As with other such books, I find it interesting that the author writes the story not knowing what, in fact, will happen after the book is written, that is: how the war will turn out and who will win what.
After starting the book, I looked for information on its history and found that a movie had been made from the book, starring Gregory Peck and Greer Garson (?) who played the young Irish maid- surprising because she was in her 40's at the time the movie was made, but she was apparently quite popular. And the movie won some Academy awards.
As with other such books, I find it interesting that the author writes the story not knowing what, in fact, will happen after the book is written, that is: how the war will turn out and who will win what.
April 27, 2025
This was one of my mother's favorite books. My sister-in-law bought it for my brother last year. Both of them tried, but neither could get very far into it. I took that as a challenge. It took me quite a while, but I did finally finish it. It was not my favorite book ever, but I can see what my mother liked about it. This saga follows the fictional Scott family from William (beginning in 1872) through his son Paul (1889-1929) to Paul's niece Claire (ending in 1941). The steadfast character throughout is the long-suffering Mary Rafferty. It depicts the history of the steel industry in Pittsburgh through a rather romantic lens. Star-crossed lovers Paul and Mary must never marry due to class constraints, but Mary stays faithful to the family that plucked her out of the poverty of the mill working class. On the positive side, there is quite a bit of the history of Pittsburgh from Andrew Carnegie and the Homestead strike to the steel industry's contribution to defense in the Civil War, World War I and heading into World War II. On the other hand, there is much melodrama. Of the three sections, I found Claire's story the most compelling and disturbing.
I found the film on YouTube. It was quite different from the novel. The movie ends completely about halfway through the book and on a happier note. Greer Garson was the starry-eyed yet fierce Mary Rafferty and Gregory Peck the affable Paul Scott. Lionel Barrymore (best known to me as Mr. Potter in "It's a Wonderful Life") is Mary's crochety, Scott-hating father.
Unless you have a vested interest in Pittsburgh's steel industry and a penchant for melodrama, there is no reason to read this book nor to watch the movie.
I did discover a lovely Irish word, macushla, "my pulse", loosely translated darling or sweetheart. Don't you love when you find such a perfect word?
I found the film on YouTube. It was quite different from the novel. The movie ends completely about halfway through the book and on a happier note. Greer Garson was the starry-eyed yet fierce Mary Rafferty and Gregory Peck the affable Paul Scott. Lionel Barrymore (best known to me as Mr. Potter in "It's a Wonderful Life") is Mary's crochety, Scott-hating father.
Unless you have a vested interest in Pittsburgh's steel industry and a penchant for melodrama, there is no reason to read this book nor to watch the movie.
I did discover a lovely Irish word, macushla, "my pulse", loosely translated darling or sweetheart. Don't you love when you find such a perfect word?
October 7, 2025
Read this over a two week trip! Written in 1947 it is a family saga of mammoth proportions!! My interest in it is that it takes place in Pittsburgh and it was cool to imagine all the places mentioned on the North Side and East Side during the story. The steel mill is imaginary but the story of the Irish, Polish, Slovak immigrants who came to Pittsburgh to work in the steel industry provided me with much understanding of the ethnic background Pittsburgh is well known for! The rise of the industry and unions and the differing viewpoints all lended to my learning of the history of my hometown. The book was interesting from this perspective however in time I found the family saga to be stretched out way too long and quite melodramatic in the author’s writing. I’m glad I tackled this and it certainly served its purpose to hold my interest over an extended period of travel!
January 24, 2012
This is a wonderful book about a family and a steel mill. But it has a larger theme, too: the importance of having a purpose. And it makes a decisive claim: to have a purpose means being part of something larger than yourself.
All through the story we see how people reach their potential by looking out for their family, working for the mill, fighting for their country. There is an element of self-sacrifice to all this which I do not like, but it's not preachy or treacly.
The novel is masterfully plotted. Davenport plants seeds in the first chapter that only come to fruition 600 pages later. She's especially good at leading you up to an event and then summarizing it from a perspective of five years later in the next chapter. You have to be good at this kind of stuff if you want to write a story that spans 64 years.
She's not a flashy stylist, but her descriptions of the mill and of a flood that rolls through a shantytown are really nice.
The characters are interesting but not superb. Sometimes Davenport seems to believe that temperament is destiny and we veer a bit toward naturalism. But then she shows her characters making key decisions on their own that demonstrate that they have free will. The best character is Claire, who finds her purpose as a journalist, a stock-holder of the mill and a lover in the latter part of the story.
I think if you're interested in the setting, especially the steel industry, and if you want to watch the evolution of a business and a family, this is the book for you.
All through the story we see how people reach their potential by looking out for their family, working for the mill, fighting for their country. There is an element of self-sacrifice to all this which I do not like, but it's not preachy or treacly.
The novel is masterfully plotted. Davenport plants seeds in the first chapter that only come to fruition 600 pages later. She's especially good at leading you up to an event and then summarizing it from a perspective of five years later in the next chapter. You have to be good at this kind of stuff if you want to write a story that spans 64 years.
She's not a flashy stylist, but her descriptions of the mill and of a flood that rolls through a shantytown are really nice.
The characters are interesting but not superb. Sometimes Davenport seems to believe that temperament is destiny and we veer a bit toward naturalism. But then she shows her characters making key decisions on their own that demonstrate that they have free will. The best character is Claire, who finds her purpose as a journalist, a stock-holder of the mill and a lover in the latter part of the story.
I think if you're interested in the setting, especially the steel industry, and if you want to watch the evolution of a business and a family, this is the book for you.
March 23, 2021
Love the characters, the plot is almost secondary to wonderfully developed characters. The first two sections are phenomenal. The third section is wandering and mediocre and has some conflict resolutions that stretch your imagination, but the first 80% and the last 5% make up for a weak final conflict.
I picked this up after moving to Pittsburgh and it helped me feel connected to the history here.
I picked this up after moving to Pittsburgh and it helped me feel connected to the history here.
October 29, 2018
I first became a fan of The Valley of Decision through my mother. It was a favorite movie of my mother's as a child.
In my teens Mom and I were talking about movies and what she liked as a child, this was one of them.
When my mother was stricken with Alzheimers, I puchased this on DVD for her, we sat and watched it together. It took Mom back to her childhood when she first saw this movie with her Mum.
Mom loved Greer Garson, and in this movie I fell in love with her as well.
It was not until many years later, after mom had passed away, that I found out it had been a book.
Well of course I had to have my own copy.
My copy is old and has cigar clippings throughout the book, it smells of cigar, which I guess is only fitting. Yep have to read the book or watch the movie to find out why. A must for all who love a great story.
In my teens Mom and I were talking about movies and what she liked as a child, this was one of them.
When my mother was stricken with Alzheimers, I puchased this on DVD for her, we sat and watched it together. It took Mom back to her childhood when she first saw this movie with her Mum.
Mom loved Greer Garson, and in this movie I fell in love with her as well.
It was not until many years later, after mom had passed away, that I found out it had been a book.
Well of course I had to have my own copy.
My copy is old and has cigar clippings throughout the book, it smells of cigar, which I guess is only fitting. Yep have to read the book or watch the movie to find out why. A must for all who love a great story.
August 14, 2016
My reactions to this book were twofold. On the one hand, the writing is very good and the historical setting of the Pittsburgh steel mills detailed and interesting. I had to admire the skilled way Davenport handles a huge cast of characters, weaving their storylines together over several generations and making even the smallest supporting players stand out so you remember them when you encounter them again. On the other hand, the pervasive immorality of a number of characters, including some we're supposed to like and root for, gives the story a sordid flavor and spoiled most of it for me. It's the kind of book where I had to keep reading just to find out how things turned out, but not one I'd re-read or recommend.
October 12, 2012
They don't write them like this anymore. Published in 1942, this is the story of an American steel mill family in Pittsburgh, that starts right after the Civil War and ends with the start of Pearl Harbor. The central figure in the book is the sixteen year old Irish maid that goes to work for them for the next 68 years. A very good read.
One very interesting item in my copy of the book (that is totally falling apart) on the 2nd page under the copyright it says "This book is manufactured under wartime conditions in conformity with all government regulations controlling the use of paper and other materials".
One very interesting item in my copy of the book (that is totally falling apart) on the 2nd page under the copyright it says "This book is manufactured under wartime conditions in conformity with all government regulations controlling the use of paper and other materials".
June 27, 2009
As I am currently reading The Kennedy Women I have been reminded of this book that I read ages ago but that continues to be one of my all-time favorites. Though Valley of Decision is historical fiction, it seems so real to me that it almost could be biographical. A really great story of a young Irish girl who comes to the household of the Scott family, the owners of the iron and steel works of Pittsburgh in the late 19th century, at 16 as a maid. Her sixty-eight years of service to the Scotts span the growth of the family's mills. A long read, but well worth the effort.
July 8, 2025
May’s book club selection, a long, long book. I loved the epic story of the Scott Family of Pittsburgh. The central character was Mary Rafferty, who came to work for the Scotts in her teens and became inextricably entwined in their lives and business for many generations. The story spans from 1873 until 1941. I wasn’t able to attend the book club, but heard that almost everyone liked the book, though several commented on the length of the book.
August 26, 2018
Apparently I am not a fan of the sweeping epic. This one jumped the shark for me around page 200 with the house that floated up the Allegheny River intact with star crossed lovers inside. By the time we got to the third (fourth?) generation I just didn’t care anymore and I was hoping saint Mary would just die already.
August 25, 2007
This book was hard to put down but it made me mad even while I enjoyed it because the heroine was the one who made all the sacrifices and ended up alone!
July 3, 2008
I found a very old hardback edition of this book tattered on the shelf at Grandpa's. I read it and loved the story.
July 27, 2013
Probably read this 15 or more years ago and have been meaning to reread it. I thought it was one of the best books I'd ever read. Will be interesting to see what I think now!
February 17, 2018
This book is an experience. A few thoughts:
Coming from the film, I had no idea what to expect for most of the book, particularly after Paul died (That’s not a spoiler. The book spans 70 years), so Book III was entirely new to me, but it also seemed to depart a bit from the rest of the story. The characters in Book III aren’t given much focus earlier, and there’s a ten year jump between Book II and Book III. At first I thought it seemed weird and tacked on. And the content, which deals largely with events leading up to World War II, were interesting but incredibly detailed and increasingly redundant and for pages at a time have just about nothing to do with Pittsburgh or the Scott-family’s steel mill. I started to get frustrated with it until I remembered when the book was published: October 1942. I can imagine Ms. Davenport felt a little like Claire as she was writing--trying to yell to a deaf world that America can’t stay out of the war forever. After mentally placing it in its proper historical context I was far more interested. In the end, the whole book actually feels like a clever little piece of propaganda. Get readers interested with a juicy cross-class love story set against a historical backdrop, and then--bam!--hit them with an emotional plea for them to get passionately, committedly involved in a war that’s happening right now and that America at large was still resistant to get involved in.
In that light the movie seems like a cop-out with its lack of any mention of any war despite battles in the Pacific still raging, but people were getting sick of war tales, of being riled up to support the troops or sacrifice more for the war effort. What they wanted in 1945 was pure escapist melodramatic froth, and that’s what they got. And while the Paul and Mary romance is my favorite part of the book, I appreciate Claire’s story as well.
All in all, it was a fine way to spend a couple weeks worth of commutes.
* In my review of the movie (which I adored), I suggested that if the movie had been made today “it would be an ongoing series that would wear itself out with increasingly dramatic cliffhangers and tiring, convoluted plot developments.” Well, at times, that’s how I felt about the book.
* Why so many mentions of Paul’s blonde mustache? I understand that his physical appearance in the book is not that of the tall, dark and handsome Gregory Peck that brings him to life on the screen, and I understand that mustaches were popular around the turn of the century, but do you have to mention it every 10 pages?
* Is that really how floods work? I had trouble picturing it, and videos on YouTube only help so much.
* Did anyone else feel bad for Louise? At least a little?
Coming from the film, I had no idea what to expect for most of the book, particularly after Paul died (That’s not a spoiler. The book spans 70 years), so Book III was entirely new to me, but it also seemed to depart a bit from the rest of the story. The characters in Book III aren’t given much focus earlier, and there’s a ten year jump between Book II and Book III. At first I thought it seemed weird and tacked on. And the content, which deals largely with events leading up to World War II, were interesting but incredibly detailed and increasingly redundant and for pages at a time have just about nothing to do with Pittsburgh or the Scott-family’s steel mill. I started to get frustrated with it until I remembered when the book was published: October 1942. I can imagine Ms. Davenport felt a little like Claire as she was writing--trying to yell to a deaf world that America can’t stay out of the war forever. After mentally placing it in its proper historical context I was far more interested. In the end, the whole book actually feels like a clever little piece of propaganda. Get readers interested with a juicy cross-class love story set against a historical backdrop, and then--bam!--hit them with an emotional plea for them to get passionately, committedly involved in a war that’s happening right now and that America at large was still resistant to get involved in.
In that light the movie seems like a cop-out with its lack of any mention of any war despite battles in the Pacific still raging, but people were getting sick of war tales, of being riled up to support the troops or sacrifice more for the war effort. What they wanted in 1945 was pure escapist melodramatic froth, and that’s what they got. And while the Paul and Mary romance is my favorite part of the book, I appreciate Claire’s story as well.
All in all, it was a fine way to spend a couple weeks worth of commutes.
March 28, 2022
I can get why people would not enjoy this: it's long and filled with drama. But I could not have loved this book more, even if the ending was a bit weak compared to the rest of the novel.
There are so many characters in this novel it would be hard to try and sum up how I felt about all of them in one review. It follows three generations - and it does so seamlessly. You feel every character, understand their different voices. No matter how polar opposite a character like Mary is to one like Constance, you can't help but like them both exactly for what they are and what they stand for. I'm really impressed with Davenport's characterization, to a point where I'm envious of her talent.
The relationships here could also be a reason why I could see people disliking the story; but I think they were beautiful. Even all the ones that fail. Because you really get to see just why they fail. And unlike many stories, that can only have utter turmoil and have no payoff, Davenport gives us the blissful moments that balances out the tragedy. I think that was what made everything that much more moving and real.
The history of Pittsburgh and its steel mills are right at the center of this story, even though it might feel secondary compared to the family dynamics. But the mills are just as essential to make this story work. I really enjoyed how she interwove this political drama in between everything else. You don't only care about Paul or Mary's success; you want the success of the mill too, not just so that the characters can be happy, but because the mill is a character itself, and it stands for something.
I have a feeling Davenport had a different ending initially planned for this book, but because of the entry into the second World War, ended it a different way. I don't think this is negative - I loved how clearly emotional the author was about the borderline destruction of the entire world. And she was very honest about it - honest about the fact that Americans funded the Nazi party and would do so if strong people didn't step up and put an end to it. But in terms of how this book was structured, it did feel a little out of left field, and unfortunately disjointed.
All in all, this is a new favorite of mine, flaws and all. I couldn't get enough of the writing. It is so beautifully written.
There are so many characters in this novel it would be hard to try and sum up how I felt about all of them in one review. It follows three generations - and it does so seamlessly. You feel every character, understand their different voices. No matter how polar opposite a character like Mary is to one like Constance, you can't help but like them both exactly for what they are and what they stand for. I'm really impressed with Davenport's characterization, to a point where I'm envious of her talent.
The relationships here could also be a reason why I could see people disliking the story; but I think they were beautiful. Even all the ones that fail. Because you really get to see just why they fail. And unlike many stories, that can only have utter turmoil and have no payoff, Davenport gives us the blissful moments that balances out the tragedy. I think that was what made everything that much more moving and real.
The history of Pittsburgh and its steel mills are right at the center of this story, even though it might feel secondary compared to the family dynamics. But the mills are just as essential to make this story work. I really enjoyed how she interwove this political drama in between everything else. You don't only care about Paul or Mary's success; you want the success of the mill too, not just so that the characters can be happy, but because the mill is a character itself, and it stands for something.
I have a feeling Davenport had a different ending initially planned for this book, but because of the entry into the second World War, ended it a different way. I don't think this is negative - I loved how clearly emotional the author was about the borderline destruction of the entire world. And she was very honest about it - honest about the fact that Americans funded the Nazi party and would do so if strong people didn't step up and put an end to it. But in terms of how this book was structured, it did feel a little out of left field, and unfortunately disjointed.
All in all, this is a new favorite of mine, flaws and all. I couldn't get enough of the writing. It is so beautifully written.
February 26, 2021
The only likeable character in this book is Constance Scott, later Countess of Melling. Her daughter Clarrie was okay, but we don't see much of her. Paul Scott is a total WUSS who is afraid to get what he really wants (Mary) and instead settles for some psycho named Louise, who luckily commits suicide. Paul's kids were boring and his son Dick married some saccharine pig named Ruth, who is detestable and a kissass. Brother William Scott is a jerk. Sister Elizabeth is a dried up old prune. And Brother Edgar Scott is a goody-goody who turns into a priest because of what he did to Mary's sister (Bridget). The worst character of all in this book is, unfortunately, the main character Mary Rafferty who worms her way into the Scott family and becomes, in Ben Nicolas' description, a scheming old servant who constantly forgets her place and acts like one of the family, which she is definitely NOT! The reader is kept in constant suspense as to when she will kick off, but she never does, right up to the end of the book. She is treated like a "priceless antique" (another Ben Nicholas epithet) by Claire (Constance's granddaughter) and the whole book is pretty awful on the whole. Definitely a novel to avoid!!!!!!!!
August 23, 2023
I NEED this book in the original version. I have it as 3 volumes in Slovak translation (gifted to me years ago by my grandma who bought them at a second hand book shop for me). They are and have been out of print for a while which is a shame. Also out of print in US/UK.
This story would make a wonderful TV series, I'd love for Apple TV to make this.
It's a family saga spanning from late 19the century into WW II. Set in Pittsburgh, a place where the iron and steelwork industry was blooming, the Scott family owns a small steel mill. It starts with a young Irish girl making her way to the Scott's house to start her first job as a maid.
It is just an amazing story, the writer is very gifted in showing you how life can be complicated, cheerful, passionate and also tragic at the same time. The dialogues are fun to read and it's just a gem more people should know about.
The Slovak translation was done in the 40s so there are many, many mistakes (not typos but stuff like "vedel, ako robiť peniaze" = he knew how to make money...) still I was drawn in and looked forward every opportunity I could turn a few more pages. Find this book and read it, you won't be sorry.
This story would make a wonderful TV series, I'd love for Apple TV to make this.
It's a family saga spanning from late 19the century into WW II. Set in Pittsburgh, a place where the iron and steelwork industry was blooming, the Scott family owns a small steel mill. It starts with a young Irish girl making her way to the Scott's house to start her first job as a maid.
It is just an amazing story, the writer is very gifted in showing you how life can be complicated, cheerful, passionate and also tragic at the same time. The dialogues are fun to read and it's just a gem more people should know about.
The Slovak translation was done in the 40s so there are many, many mistakes (not typos but stuff like "vedel, ako robiť peniaze" = he knew how to make money...) still I was drawn in and looked forward every opportunity I could turn a few more pages. Find this book and read it, you won't be sorry.
July 8, 2025
A little backstory before I give my review.....my mom had told me long ago that this was her favorite book. I managed to bring it back to my home after my parents' belongings were moved out of their home. I put it on a shelf in my bedroom and pretty much ignored it until I felt drawn to it. I opened it up and there it was--a book plate indicating that my cousins Skip (also my godfather) and Mike (now deceased) had given it to my maternal grandfather, Felix M. Brady, in 1944 when they were two and one years respectively. So, it is, in my eyes, a cherished family treasure.
So, my review: this is a multigenerational saga of the Scott family who owns and manages a steel mill in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We meet many family members throughout this novel, some dysfunctional and some perfectly normal. The ones who stood out for me were Mary Rafferty, maid to the Scott family, her dear friend Paul, son of William Scott, the patriarch and Claire, great-great-niece of Paul Scott. The relationships of all the family members are well-developed throughout and, if you have the stamina to read to the end of this 640-page novel, you will not be disappointed.
So, my review: this is a multigenerational saga of the Scott family who owns and manages a steel mill in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We meet many family members throughout this novel, some dysfunctional and some perfectly normal. The ones who stood out for me were Mary Rafferty, maid to the Scott family, her dear friend Paul, son of William Scott, the patriarch and Claire, great-great-niece of Paul Scott. The relationships of all the family members are well-developed throughout and, if you have the stamina to read to the end of this 640-page novel, you will not be disappointed.
July 27, 2025
First, actually more like a 3.5. Actually, hard to rate. On the one hand, stayed up past midnight to finish the last 100+ pages (which Granpa rarely does anymore). And on the other, did a lot of speed reading (which Granpa rarely does) and several times seriously considered moving to the dnf shelf.
Chose this as part of my WW2 reading for this year in my category of 'what were people reading when hell was in session?' Released in 1942 and #2 bestseller in America 1943. Made into a movie in 1945 with a young Gregory Peck and Greer Garson. The editor is Max Perkins of 'Editor of Genius' fame.
A bit melodramatic - yes. A bit of a soap - yes. A bit ahead of it's time - yes. A bit of a multigenerational 'Succession' - yes.
The reviews here are excellent and lots more depth than I'm presenting here. Also, considering adding Marcia Davenport's autobiography/memoir to the TBR list. One thing seems certain - Marcia Davenport did not lead an 'ordinary' life.
And, 80 years later, there are multiple copies available in the Fairfax, VA public library. Recommend this 1989 rerelease with a forward by Marcia Davenport.
Chose this as part of my WW2 reading for this year in my category of 'what were people reading when hell was in session?' Released in 1942 and #2 bestseller in America 1943. Made into a movie in 1945 with a young Gregory Peck and Greer Garson. The editor is Max Perkins of 'Editor of Genius' fame.
A bit melodramatic - yes. A bit of a soap - yes. A bit ahead of it's time - yes. A bit of a multigenerational 'Succession' - yes.
The reviews here are excellent and lots more depth than I'm presenting here. Also, considering adding Marcia Davenport's autobiography/memoir to the TBR list. One thing seems certain - Marcia Davenport did not lead an 'ordinary' life.
And, 80 years later, there are multiple copies available in the Fairfax, VA public library. Recommend this 1989 rerelease with a forward by Marcia Davenport.
June 30, 2023
Having read this book in my teens, I finally discovered its title and found it had recently been republished by the University of Pittsburgh Press. Not every book stands the test of time, perhaps especially those that were popular bestsellers in their day, but this one has and seems remarkably relevant today. It’s a multi-generational novel, centred around a few characters from the same family, and moves from the steel mills of Pittsburgh in the 1870s to England and finally to Czechoslovakia as the German invasion looms and WWII begins. So there’s lots of action, but what gives the book its strength is the focus on values, some of which seems dated to our modern eyes but very genuine to their place and time, and some of which have never seemed more important as fascism shows its ugly face again.
April 15, 2025
A powerful story connecting Czech roots with the setting of late 19th century Pittsburgh. Beyond the romantic storyline, I was fascinated by the perspective on my nation's history in the first half of the 20th century presented in the second part of the book. The author was very close to Jan Masaryk, son of the first Czech president T. G. Masaryk.
I would recommend it as a "must read" if you want to understand something about this country's story before visiting Prague.
The book offers a heartfelt window into Czech history through personal connections rather than just dates and facts. The author's close relationship with the Masaryk family gives readers an intimate perspective on pivotal moments that transformed the Czech lands - something you simply can't get from standard travel guides.
I would recommend it as a "must read" if you want to understand something about this country's story before visiting Prague.
The book offers a heartfelt window into Czech history through personal connections rather than just dates and facts. The author's close relationship with the Masaryk family gives readers an intimate perspective on pivotal moments that transformed the Czech lands - something you simply can't get from standard travel guides.
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