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Scarlet Sister Mary
Scarlet Sister Mary is a 1928 novel by Julia Peterkin. It won the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1929. The book was called obscene and banned at the public library in Gaffney, South Carolina. The Gaffney Ledger newspaper, however, serially published the complete book. Dr. Richard S. Burton, the chairperson of Pulitzer's fiction-literature jury, recommended that the first prize go to the novel Victim and Victor by John Rathbone Oliver. His nomination was superseded by the School of Journalism's choice of Peterkin's book. Evidently in protest, Burton resigned from the jury.
153 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1928
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About the author
Julia Peterkin
23 books14 followersJulia Mood Peterkin won Pulitzer Prize for novel with
Scarlet Sister Mary
in 1929.
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May 16, 2021
I had a hard time with this one for the same reasons that it is unlikely that I will read American Dirt by Jeannine Cummins. Here we have a white woman who owns a plantation who writes about her black ex-slaves as if slavery and oppression, not to mention lynchings and so forth, existed. This book is somewhere between a romanticized apology and a minstrel song, and belongs, like Gone with the Wind, to the American revisionist historical literature which tries to minimize the hateful, violent aspects of slavery and confine its black characters to stereotypes. It is a fairyland where women are victims of abusive males, where women remain adolescent in maturity until they become crones. There are some beautiful passages of writing about the vegetation and weather of the South, and there are attempts to bypass the genre of minstrel writing, which is truly what this work is, but I didn't really see this as Pulitzer quality material. I guess it was considered the vanguard for a white woman to write about the lives and culture of her black indentured servants, but it was hard for me to see beyond the stereotypes that Peterkin was tossing around.
I guess it was a weak year in literature in America coming just after the Wall Street crash.
My rating of all the Pulitzer Winners: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
I guess it was a weak year in literature in America coming just after the Wall Street crash.
My rating of all the Pulitzer Winners: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
February 7, 2024
Her baptizing robe was put away in the bottom of the cupboard to be used for her shroud when she died, and her name was no longer Mary but Sister Mary.
I tried very hard to keep this book in the time period in which it was written and view it from that perspective. If a black woman had written this story (and you can be sure if she had it would have been quite different), it would never have seen the press. In 1929, this book, no doubt, broke through many barriers.
Even with that in mind, it was a bit difficult to read this white woman’s take on a black woman’s life without wincing now and then. The lives of the blacks are not made to seem easy, but a great deal of what drove the lives of black men and women at the time was simply not addressed, and people outside the community this novel focuses on were made to seem always kind and helpful.
On the train everybody was kind, from the engineer to the conductor. They gave him two seats and asked if the baby’s milk was hot and sweet. They washed the milk bottle and did everything they could to help him. People are kind all over the world.
Yes, people are kind all over the world, but people all over the world are not always kind.
I think it was done with a good spirit. Like Uncle Tom’s Cabin, it was meant to be a revelation that these were people with feelings and problems and heartaches, but it also reinforced the idea that these were people who didn’t quite understand the moral code of the Bible and were somewhat simple-minded, even when they were strong. These were people who needed to be tolerated and guided.
White people are curious things. They pass laws no matter how fool the laws are, and put people in jail if those laws are not kept. People had come into the world over the same old road ever since Eve birthed Cain and Abel, and now everybody had to learn how to birth children a new way.
I suspect Julia Peterkin was very proud of her open-mindedness and compassion and that she felt she had accomplished a great deal with writing from the African-American point of view. Perhaps she was right. Black women had no voice at all in the 1920’s rural South, so the voice of a white woman was probably better than no voice at all.
Her writing style is very folksy and the story flows along. The attempt to capture dialect was rather off-putting, but then again, this is me looking back a century later. This book is mostly useful from a historical point of view, for it is only in that context that you could imagine it being awarded a prize.
One thing Julia Peterkin did that I will be forever grateful for is to facilitate the publishing of A Lamb in His Bosom. Caroline Miller asked for her help and Peterkin forwarded the manuscript to her publisher. Lamb in His Bosom won the Pulitzer in 1934. Now that is a book still worth reading!
I tried very hard to keep this book in the time period in which it was written and view it from that perspective. If a black woman had written this story (and you can be sure if she had it would have been quite different), it would never have seen the press. In 1929, this book, no doubt, broke through many barriers.
Even with that in mind, it was a bit difficult to read this white woman’s take on a black woman’s life without wincing now and then. The lives of the blacks are not made to seem easy, but a great deal of what drove the lives of black men and women at the time was simply not addressed, and people outside the community this novel focuses on were made to seem always kind and helpful.
On the train everybody was kind, from the engineer to the conductor. They gave him two seats and asked if the baby’s milk was hot and sweet. They washed the milk bottle and did everything they could to help him. People are kind all over the world.
Yes, people are kind all over the world, but people all over the world are not always kind.
I think it was done with a good spirit. Like Uncle Tom’s Cabin, it was meant to be a revelation that these were people with feelings and problems and heartaches, but it also reinforced the idea that these were people who didn’t quite understand the moral code of the Bible and were somewhat simple-minded, even when they were strong. These were people who needed to be tolerated and guided.
White people are curious things. They pass laws no matter how fool the laws are, and put people in jail if those laws are not kept. People had come into the world over the same old road ever since Eve birthed Cain and Abel, and now everybody had to learn how to birth children a new way.
I suspect Julia Peterkin was very proud of her open-mindedness and compassion and that she felt she had accomplished a great deal with writing from the African-American point of view. Perhaps she was right. Black women had no voice at all in the 1920’s rural South, so the voice of a white woman was probably better than no voice at all.
Her writing style is very folksy and the story flows along. The attempt to capture dialect was rather off-putting, but then again, this is me looking back a century later. This book is mostly useful from a historical point of view, for it is only in that context that you could imagine it being awarded a prize.
One thing Julia Peterkin did that I will be forever grateful for is to facilitate the publishing of A Lamb in His Bosom. Caroline Miller asked for her help and Peterkin forwarded the manuscript to her publisher. Lamb in His Bosom won the Pulitzer in 1934. Now that is a book still worth reading!
December 21, 2017
Julia Peterkin pioneered in demonstrating the literary potential for serious depictions of the African American experience. Rejecting the prevailing sentimental stereotypes of her times, she portrayed her black characters with sympathy and understanding, endowing them with the full dimensions of human consciousness.
In these novels and stories, she tapped the richness of rural southern black culture and oral traditions to capture the conflicting realities in an African American community and to reveal a grace and courage worthy of black pride. (From the publisher.)
~~~~
Scarlet Sister May is vibrant with the urge of life, poetical in its conception and finished in its art. Oklahoma City Oklahoman
~~~~
Scarlet Sister Mary is a noble book, reaching into the hearts of a simple and highly attractive people. It is a novel like fine old wood, deep-grained, pungent, stout. Philadelphia Public Ledger
~~~~
All but cries with color, scent, sound, in a style that is a happy combination of solidity, brilliance and pure beauty. New York Times
~~~~
While all these things may be true, I still cannot ignore the silent scream that was in my head the entire time I was reading Sister Mary.
Julia Peterkin may have been correct in her representations, but she was also a White American; moreover, a WA who was married to a plantation owner and who enjoyed immense and (probably) undue privilege in her lifetime, having garnered it on the backs of those people she ultimately came to write about. I am having the most difficult time in my life deciding whether she honours the memory of the Gullah people of South Carolina, or whether this is the most egregious example appropriation of voice ever written.
Usually there are some clues to tip the reader one way or the other, but this one leaves me ... without breath ...
The novel is enjoyable, and very well written. There isn't one weak note that jumps out and says, "I am false", whether or not one agrees with the heavy-handed Christian ethos that runs like a spine throughout the work. Scarlet Mary is true to herself, right to the end: always on the edge of reconciling with God, in the end she strives for and achieves the ultimate conversion: accepted by her community, but very much on her own terms.
I cannot begin to imagine why Peterkin chose to write this book in this voice -- there is very little biographical information available on her. What there is is sparse, and repetitive: obviously each culled, almost verbatim, from previous sources.
The novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1929 amid controversy, but no one speaks of the objections in any detail: Dr. Richard S. Burton resigned from the committee when his own choice was not upheld for John Rathbone Oliver's Victim and Victor. There are a few enigmatic hints that Peterkin's novel was rejected, based on "obscenity", but that charge was never elaborated. Was it obscene because Sister Mary had (most of her) children out of wedlock or was it obscene because she seemed to turn her back on God? Was it obscene because she dared write an African-American's story; or obscene because she wrote an African American's story through appropriation of voice?
In 1930, Ethel Barrymore starred in a blackface performance of this novel, on Broadway.
And there lies the rub ...
Was Barrymore being true to the author's intent?
I had a nagging feeling throughout that Peterkin may not have been completely on the up-and-up in wishing to portray a true vision of the Gullah. I was overwhelmed with doubt about her authenticity. What kept coming to mind was Scarlet O'Hara writing a book in Mammy's voice: in true Scarlet fashion, she would use it to advance her own cause.
My impressions of Peterkin may be completely off-centre, but it is a persistent doubt that I will continue to carry. Far too many questions are left unanswered in her sketchy biography. It is interesting to me that she later became an actress, a role that perhaps suited her better in the end.
I will return to Peterkin one day to pursue my doubts. For now, I'll let her rest at a comfortable 3 stars.
In these novels and stories, she tapped the richness of rural southern black culture and oral traditions to capture the conflicting realities in an African American community and to reveal a grace and courage worthy of black pride. (From the publisher.)
~~~~
Scarlet Sister May is vibrant with the urge of life, poetical in its conception and finished in its art. Oklahoma City Oklahoman
~~~~
Scarlet Sister Mary is a noble book, reaching into the hearts of a simple and highly attractive people. It is a novel like fine old wood, deep-grained, pungent, stout. Philadelphia Public Ledger
~~~~
All but cries with color, scent, sound, in a style that is a happy combination of solidity, brilliance and pure beauty. New York Times
~~~~
While all these things may be true, I still cannot ignore the silent scream that was in my head the entire time I was reading Sister Mary.
Julia Peterkin may have been correct in her representations, but she was also a White American; moreover, a WA who was married to a plantation owner and who enjoyed immense and (probably) undue privilege in her lifetime, having garnered it on the backs of those people she ultimately came to write about. I am having the most difficult time in my life deciding whether she honours the memory of the Gullah people of South Carolina, or whether this is the most egregious example appropriation of voice ever written.
Usually there are some clues to tip the reader one way or the other, but this one leaves me ... without breath ...
The novel is enjoyable, and very well written. There isn't one weak note that jumps out and says, "I am false", whether or not one agrees with the heavy-handed Christian ethos that runs like a spine throughout the work. Scarlet Mary is true to herself, right to the end: always on the edge of reconciling with God, in the end she strives for and achieves the ultimate conversion: accepted by her community, but very much on her own terms.
I cannot begin to imagine why Peterkin chose to write this book in this voice -- there is very little biographical information available on her. What there is is sparse, and repetitive: obviously each culled, almost verbatim, from previous sources.
The novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1929 amid controversy, but no one speaks of the objections in any detail: Dr. Richard S. Burton resigned from the committee when his own choice was not upheld for John Rathbone Oliver's Victim and Victor. There are a few enigmatic hints that Peterkin's novel was rejected, based on "obscenity", but that charge was never elaborated. Was it obscene because Sister Mary had (most of her) children out of wedlock or was it obscene because she seemed to turn her back on God? Was it obscene because she dared write an African-American's story; or obscene because she wrote an African American's story through appropriation of voice?
In 1930, Ethel Barrymore starred in a blackface performance of this novel, on Broadway.
And there lies the rub ...
Was Barrymore being true to the author's intent?
I had a nagging feeling throughout that Peterkin may not have been completely on the up-and-up in wishing to portray a true vision of the Gullah. I was overwhelmed with doubt about her authenticity. What kept coming to mind was Scarlet O'Hara writing a book in Mammy's voice: in true Scarlet fashion, she would use it to advance her own cause.
My impressions of Peterkin may be completely off-centre, but it is a persistent doubt that I will continue to carry. Far too many questions are left unanswered in her sketchy biography. It is interesting to me that she later became an actress, a role that perhaps suited her better in the end.
I will return to Peterkin one day to pursue my doubts. For now, I'll let her rest at a comfortable 3 stars.
April 23, 2023
Sister Mary was born and has grown up on a plantation in South Carolina. The community, comprised of the current generations of former slave families, is strongly religious. Mary has often relied on the support of the community. Her mother died when she was very young and she was raised by another member of the community, Maum Hannah, whose crippled son, Budda Ben, is everything Mary could want in a brother. As an adult, though, Mary often finds herself in conflict with the church, the community and their view of sin. Mary defines her life within the community but independent of the community.
The language of this novel is simple, making it a quick read. This novel won the Pulitzer in 1929. There are a number of comments about this novel being a form of appropriation. The author, a white woman and daughter of a former plantation and slave owner, is writing about the lives of current generations of former slaves. I don’t agree with most of what I read about appropriation. If a writer feels that they have the necessary knowledge, insight or perspective to write about a person, group or place, then they should write about it. Just as I won’t let anyone put boundaries around what I read, as a reader I am not going to put boundaries around what someone writes. It is certainly justified, however, for a reader to assess whether author’s voice feels authentic and accurate, but that is different than judging them based on their hereditary credentials. Just an opinion.
The ending of Scarlet Sister Mary opens up a whole new topic of discussion that would no doubt be lively, but I can’t go there without revealing the ending and too much of the story, which I am not going to do.
The language of this novel is simple, making it a quick read. This novel won the Pulitzer in 1929. There are a number of comments about this novel being a form of appropriation. The author, a white woman and daughter of a former plantation and slave owner, is writing about the lives of current generations of former slaves. I don’t agree with most of what I read about appropriation. If a writer feels that they have the necessary knowledge, insight or perspective to write about a person, group or place, then they should write about it. Just as I won’t let anyone put boundaries around what I read, as a reader I am not going to put boundaries around what someone writes. It is certainly justified, however, for a reader to assess whether author’s voice feels authentic and accurate, but that is different than judging them based on their hereditary credentials. Just an opinion.
The ending of Scarlet Sister Mary opens up a whole new topic of discussion that would no doubt be lively, but I can’t go there without revealing the ending and too much of the story, which I am not going to do.
September 15, 2016
I read this as part of my Pulitzer Project quest to read all of the Pulitzer winners.
Scarlet Sister Mary was the somewhat contentious recipient of the 1929 Pulitzer. In 1929, the jury nominated Victim and Victor by John Rathbone Oliver to receive the prize. However, by the time the suggestion reached the Board, they superseded the pick with Scarlet Sister Mary, which was a nominee from the School of Journalism. The chair of the jury resigned in protest.
Scarlet Sister Mary is the story of Mary, “a young black woman on a coastal South Carolina plantation who is abandoned by her husband and ostracized by her church for her sinful ways. Aided by a love charm she obtains from the local conjurer, Mary bears a houseful of children by different men.” Ten children, to be exact. The title of the book harkens back to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter, and I suppose in a way, it’s the Black version of Hawthorne’s novel.
I will start with the positive aspects of the book. I can understand that in the late 1920s, this book may have been seen as very modern — a woman is sexually active with many different partners and is unapologetic about her actions. This is also the first novel that won a Pulitzer that was written about African Americans. Peterkin also has some lovely writing about the atmosphere and Southern environment. However, I don’t think this book has withstood the test of time.
What I found problematic about the story is that the author, Julia Peterkin, is a white plantation owner. She is renowned for her ability to capture the Gullah dialect and lifestyle. The Gullah people live in the Lowcountry regions of Georgia and South Carolina. However, Peterkin’s imagining of the life of Black people was offensive to me. In her book, Mary actually loves picking cotton, and she finds it fun and relaxing. She is also able to have a life of leisure and fun while being a single mother to ten children. I’m not sure where Peterkin’s imagination is coming from, but are you freaking kidding me? More than anything, it seems to me that Peterkin is imagining a happy life for African-Americans post-slavery as a way of alleviating any White guilt that she may feel. Peterkin may have felt a genuine affection for the Gullah culture, but I don’t think that this book is a respectable homage to the people or times.
I’ve spent some time reading about this book and its impacts on American literature. I find it hard to believe, but Scarlet Sister Mary actually became a favorite book during the Harlem Renaissance. W.E.B. Dubois wrote:
“Peterkin is a southern white woman, but she has the eye and the ear to see beauty and know truth.”
Apparently, several authorities (not really sure what this means) cite Peterkin’s work as paving the way for more realistic novels by African Americans including Zora Neale Hurston. If this is true, then I suppose I should relent and be grateful that Peterkin’s work exists. However, the fact that this book was adapted into a famous Broadway play consisting entirely of black-face performances makes me cringe. I am eagerly looking forward to reading a Pulitzer-awarded book actually written by a person of color. The near future of my Pulitzer reading isn’t looking too hopeful. Next up, we have a book written about Navajo Indians by a white man, and then shortly after, a book written about Chinese people written by a white woman. While these choices may have seemed very modern or open-minded at the time, I think we can all agree today that diversity is so important, not only in subject matter but in authors, editors, and jury members as well.
I honestly wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone unless you’re trying to read all the Pulitzers.
Scarlet Sister Mary was the somewhat contentious recipient of the 1929 Pulitzer. In 1929, the jury nominated Victim and Victor by John Rathbone Oliver to receive the prize. However, by the time the suggestion reached the Board, they superseded the pick with Scarlet Sister Mary, which was a nominee from the School of Journalism. The chair of the jury resigned in protest.
Scarlet Sister Mary is the story of Mary, “a young black woman on a coastal South Carolina plantation who is abandoned by her husband and ostracized by her church for her sinful ways. Aided by a love charm she obtains from the local conjurer, Mary bears a houseful of children by different men.” Ten children, to be exact. The title of the book harkens back to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter, and I suppose in a way, it’s the Black version of Hawthorne’s novel.
I will start with the positive aspects of the book. I can understand that in the late 1920s, this book may have been seen as very modern — a woman is sexually active with many different partners and is unapologetic about her actions. This is also the first novel that won a Pulitzer that was written about African Americans. Peterkin also has some lovely writing about the atmosphere and Southern environment. However, I don’t think this book has withstood the test of time.
What I found problematic about the story is that the author, Julia Peterkin, is a white plantation owner. She is renowned for her ability to capture the Gullah dialect and lifestyle. The Gullah people live in the Lowcountry regions of Georgia and South Carolina. However, Peterkin’s imagining of the life of Black people was offensive to me. In her book, Mary actually loves picking cotton, and she finds it fun and relaxing. She is also able to have a life of leisure and fun while being a single mother to ten children. I’m not sure where Peterkin’s imagination is coming from, but are you freaking kidding me? More than anything, it seems to me that Peterkin is imagining a happy life for African-Americans post-slavery as a way of alleviating any White guilt that she may feel. Peterkin may have felt a genuine affection for the Gullah culture, but I don’t think that this book is a respectable homage to the people or times.
I’ve spent some time reading about this book and its impacts on American literature. I find it hard to believe, but Scarlet Sister Mary actually became a favorite book during the Harlem Renaissance. W.E.B. Dubois wrote:
“Peterkin is a southern white woman, but she has the eye and the ear to see beauty and know truth.”
Apparently, several authorities (not really sure what this means) cite Peterkin’s work as paving the way for more realistic novels by African Americans including Zora Neale Hurston. If this is true, then I suppose I should relent and be grateful that Peterkin’s work exists. However, the fact that this book was adapted into a famous Broadway play consisting entirely of black-face performances makes me cringe. I am eagerly looking forward to reading a Pulitzer-awarded book actually written by a person of color. The near future of my Pulitzer reading isn’t looking too hopeful. Next up, we have a book written about Navajo Indians by a white man, and then shortly after, a book written about Chinese people written by a white woman. While these choices may have seemed very modern or open-minded at the time, I think we can all agree today that diversity is so important, not only in subject matter but in authors, editors, and jury members as well.
I honestly wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone unless you’re trying to read all the Pulitzers.
September 20, 2013
Written by former plantation mistress Julia Peterkin, Scarlet Sister Mary is a novel of intellect, individualism, coltish word play, tradition and most importantly, respect. The novel, like, Their Eyes Were Watching God and The Color Purple, is written in an old southern vernacular, and it tells the story of Sister Mary or Si May-e, a young and sprightly woman at the novel's start. It is some time after Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, and freedon (used loosely, historically speaking), has come for those individuals who were field slaves or indentured servants. Their opportunity to flee has come, to seek opportunities for self and financial betterment. For some, however, betterment is not up north or anywhere else in the country; it is exactly where it is: the native coastal terrain of South Carolina - the setting for the novel. Religion, faith, folklore, generational history and magic are the ties that bind the folksy and hard working men and women of the Quarters. Dignity and peacefulness does not come from being nomadic, as was in the case of the pioneers to the Midwest and far West; it is closer. It is in the hoeing, the field labor, the mud between the crevices of the rough and crackling flesh. It is in the earth. To combat the joyous harshness of the work is love and a family. And thus, Sister Mary comes into the picture; she is at the marrying age, and July, her suitor, is ready to be her protector and provider. Or so one would believe. Using faith in lore and mythology, Sister Mary's marriage is almost doomed from the start: "'Do, Master, look down and see what a rat is done!' Mary's heart flew up into her mouth. Cold chills ran over her as she ran to see what happened. There it was, a great hole gnawed deep into the bride's cake's tender meat...she fell into bitter dumb sobs...Such bad luck was hard to face." (p.29) And it only advances to something worse via the aid of a love charm and another woman's insatiable lust for the groom's affections. Time passes, and Mary is all alone with her son Unex (shortened for Unexpected). A suffocating cover of depression smothers Sister Mary, and as time heals old wounds, Mary rises into a life of self-satisfaction and sexual gratification. She enters the dominion of sin and religious transgression; she is altered in the eyes of those around her. From Sister Mary, she becomes Scarlet Sister Mary - red with hungry passion as the adjective implies. She has a flock of children, but they are not heart children, as in the case of Unex, but they are passion, lust children. Redemption is nil, and her destiny upon her final breath (in the eyes of her brethren) is clearly understood; her spirit, her soul, is scudding rapidly to the flaming and billowing sulphur pitts of hell. Can redemption and acceptance ever come into her grasp? Will peace ever rectify the wrongs incurred in her heart and mind? Her somewhat sardonic life philosophy and world-weary actions narrow down the chances for hope. But that hand-clenching curiosity does get solved. Banned in Boston when it was first published in 1928 and winner of the 1929 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Scarlet Sister Mary is a classic among classics - lyrical in prose and description, vivid in the intellectual exploration of the "Negro question" - (vii) and complex as well as humane. But it is by no means an accurate representation of a specific catagory of people. Consequently, the work, although brilliant, is slightly antiquated and beguiling.
October 26, 2019
I treasure having found this book. It satisfied a lot of my current interests - southern literature, Pulitzer Prize winners, and books based around my home state of South Carolina. It's obviously never been that popular based on the # and average of ratings out there and it being awarded the Pulitzer Prize was so heavily challenged by Dr. Richard S. Burton, chairperson of Pulitzer's fiction-literature jury, that he ended up resigning when his nomination, Victim and Victor by Dr. John B. Oliver, was superseded. However, I found Scarlet Sister Mary to be a rustic jewel!
The setting takes place on a plantation in the South Carolina Lowcountry some time post civil war and around the first time of the automobile. The characters are a community of Gullah people. Not much is mentioned about the white man and hence is not the focus which is nice because you feel more immersed in their world beyond the white man, although that world may've been a little romanticized by Peterkin. The focus is the heart and salvation of the main character "Si-Maye" (Sister Mary). The writing is fluid and lyrical which lends to crystal clear visualization of the beautiful, yet sometimes oppressive Lowcountry setting. The Geechee language that rolls from the characters' tongues make the time spent with this community feel very authentic. I didn't find the Geechee talk to be difficult or disruptive in any way. Of course I'm sure that being from the region has probably made me more acquainted with the dialect than I know. Perhaps that is why some people look at me funny when I'm being lazy or rushed in speech and say things like "I says...", "gOne...." "mighten' it". I guess this could be considered a little Geechee like. Just a sampling from the book...
"I know e ain' me. No, Jedus. When I birth chillen, I know it. Mebbe you had em, Auntie."
"Shut you mout', Si May-e, don' gi' me none o you' slack talk! No! Whose baby is dis? Whose?"
I liked that the book was heavy in this authentic dialect as it reminded me of the authentic regional dialect used by some of the characters in Jane Eyre. For me, that was one of the most endearing qualities of that famous and wonderful novel.
The continuous lyrical writing and wistful tone of Scarlet Sister Mary did make me start to wonder around page 100 whether it was ever going to get real serious about anything, but rest assured it does. Mary's behavior turns out to be quite shocking and a sad situation towards the end of the book enables it to pack-a-punch, of sorts. However, I still only gave it 3 stars as something still seemed a little too brief about it. I don't mean this so literally as the book was 345 pages, though probably more of a 200+ page book due to the large and spread out type set, but more so in its style. Its whimsical style made it seem just a tad too brief and not enough to get attached to memory-wise. However, I still see it as a rustic little jewel that I'm happy to have found.
The setting takes place on a plantation in the South Carolina Lowcountry some time post civil war and around the first time of the automobile. The characters are a community of Gullah people. Not much is mentioned about the white man and hence is not the focus which is nice because you feel more immersed in their world beyond the white man, although that world may've been a little romanticized by Peterkin. The focus is the heart and salvation of the main character "Si-Maye" (Sister Mary). The writing is fluid and lyrical which lends to crystal clear visualization of the beautiful, yet sometimes oppressive Lowcountry setting. The Geechee language that rolls from the characters' tongues make the time spent with this community feel very authentic. I didn't find the Geechee talk to be difficult or disruptive in any way. Of course I'm sure that being from the region has probably made me more acquainted with the dialect than I know. Perhaps that is why some people look at me funny when I'm being lazy or rushed in speech and say things like "I says...", "gOne...." "mighten' it". I guess this could be considered a little Geechee like. Just a sampling from the book...
"I know e ain' me. No, Jedus. When I birth chillen, I know it. Mebbe you had em, Auntie."
"Shut you mout', Si May-e, don' gi' me none o you' slack talk! No! Whose baby is dis? Whose?"
I liked that the book was heavy in this authentic dialect as it reminded me of the authentic regional dialect used by some of the characters in Jane Eyre. For me, that was one of the most endearing qualities of that famous and wonderful novel.
The continuous lyrical writing and wistful tone of Scarlet Sister Mary did make me start to wonder around page 100 whether it was ever going to get real serious about anything, but rest assured it does. Mary's behavior turns out to be quite shocking and a sad situation towards the end of the book enables it to pack-a-punch, of sorts. However, I still only gave it 3 stars as something still seemed a little too brief about it. I don't mean this so literally as the book was 345 pages, though probably more of a 200+ page book due to the large and spread out type set, but more so in its style. Its whimsical style made it seem just a tad too brief and not enough to get attached to memory-wise. However, I still see it as a rustic little jewel that I'm happy to have found.
July 2, 2014
Pulitzer 1929 - Scarlet Sister Mary is about a former slave post civil war and her life as she goes from being a single woman looking for a husband to an independent woman. I was surprised to find out that Julia Peterkin was a former white plantation owner herself. Considering the book was written in 1929 it is surprising forward in its themes. Something else that was surprising was that there isn't a single white character in the book. Although they are mentioned none of them actually appear. The language the characters speak is "pigeon" English and after a few pages you get the hang of it and it is just part of the book. I got really invested in Mary, her life, and the people around her. The church was a central figure in the book as well as the congregation would routine oust people and then allow them back in based on their sins - dancing, cursing etc.
In additional to Mary there are several elder people that brought her up - many of them spiritually significant to her through a belief in both god and magic.
I'm not surprised this book was banned in various places in the country when it was published. This is a great read and again putting it into context of the time it was written is amazing.
In additional to Mary there are several elder people that brought her up - many of them spiritually significant to her through a belief in both god and magic.
I'm not surprised this book was banned in various places in the country when it was published. This is a great read and again putting it into context of the time it was written is amazing.
June 14, 2015
Definitely the most interesting thing about this book is its place in U.S. literary history, with its scandalous (ahem) subject matter, controversial Pulitzer win, defiance of norms, and feminism, as Peterkin dared to write about a black woman. Not to mention that the woman is in charge of her own life, sins, basically tells the judgy church deacons to buzz off, etc. Unfortunately, the story and writing leave much to be desired. Yeah, there's some Southern nature, all nocturnal owls in swamps and hanging moss and pine forests and whatnot, but this ain't no Faulkner. The narrative takes weird chronological jumps, and there are some seriously racist descriptions of people, which reveal a lot, that even this author who thought she was defying all the traditions of power and class nonetheless reveals ingrained thoughts that make readers uncomfortable decades later. Frankly, the writing is just untalented. Julia would be that one in your writing group who works really hard and often comes up with a good phrase, but lacks the innate compelling voice the best writers have. I would not want to read this book again, but contemplating its place in the scheme of things is worthwhile.
August 28, 2010
I didn't dislike this book but it was a bit of a chore to get through. It told the tale of a black community trying to figure out their new freedom. It followed the life of Sister Mary and her dozen children. None of the characters particularly stood out to me and I wasn't really taken in by the narrative. It was interesting from a historical perspective, but I would have liked to see more emotion coming from it, or being elicited from me.
In summation : I can't say that I'm particularly thrilled to have read this, nor do I expect it to stay with me for long. This is one of those books that a year from now I will be unable to recall much about.
In summation : I can't say that I'm particularly thrilled to have read this, nor do I expect it to stay with me for long. This is one of those books that a year from now I will be unable to recall much about.
May 26, 2022
Read this on my quest to read all the Pulitzers. It was difficult to find, purchased the ebook from Apple Books.
The protagonist is a strong, resilient character. That’s about the most positive thing I can write about this book. About a third of the way, the book skipped forward 15 years — an unusual literary device! I found that odd because the narrative was tracking along from one day to the next. I think the huge leap forward in time was to emphasize Mary’s unconventional approach to having relationships and children, showing what a fiercely independent woman she was.
The protagonist is a strong, resilient character. That’s about the most positive thing I can write about this book. About a third of the way, the book skipped forward 15 years — an unusual literary device! I found that odd because the narrative was tracking along from one day to the next. I think the huge leap forward in time was to emphasize Mary’s unconventional approach to having relationships and children, showing what a fiercely independent woman she was.
August 7, 2008
I wrote my senior thesis on this novel, which i LOVED. The seminar class was Southern Renaissance Lit-- betcha didn't even know the South had one, eh? Well Thomas Wolfe and William Faulkner will tell you otherwise.
May 6, 2016
Based on some of the GR reviews, I almost didn't read this book. But, it's on the Pulitizer list, so I decided to try it. I'm glad I did! The story was enjoyable and the characters were interesting.
August 5, 2017
I'm sorry to have to say this, but this book was terrible. In every way. The writing was poor. The vocabulary was limited. The depth and range of expression was minimal. The plot organization and coherence was non-existent. I have absolutely no earthly idea how this book could have even made the list of contenders, much less won a Pulitzer prize.
The book itself is about the life of a poor, black woman named Mary living on a former plantation in South Carolina after the abolition of slavery. For the life of me, I could not tell what the purpose or the meaning was in the story. This woman is poor, gets married young and while already pregnant, is rejected by her church, her no-good philandering husband leaves her, she has multiple other children over the next 15 years by multiple other men. And that's really about all we know about her. We learn nothing about the context of her living environment. For all the ink spilled in creating characters, we actually know nothing meaningful about them. It's a purely descriptive (and in a simple middle school sort of way, at that) presentation of black people in rural South Carolina.
And it's rather offensive, too, in the sense that the dialogue is stereotypical simpleton ignorant slave speak. To wit: "A devil spirit is got you, honey. It's more'n likely Cinder put a conjure on you an' July all two. But try prayin. It'll do you all de good. Jedus'll show you how to live wid you sorrow. Jedus is de main man, honey, de best one what ever lived. He had a heap more trouble'n you. Dem mean Jews hung em on a cross an' e ain' done em a wrong ting, either. Jedus axed Gawd to have mussy on em de same as you got to ax Gawd to have mussy on Cinder what done you wrong." And on and on and on, just like this. I know this is supposed to be some effort to capture a Gullah dialect, and maybe it does this well; but I just found it pretentious, gratuitous, and unnecessary.
And the "Scarlet" I presume is a reference to Hawthorne's "Scarlet Letter" since what makes Sister Mary "Scarlet" is having children out of wedlock. But even that reference is trite and stupid.
There really is nothing redeemable about this book. If it weren't for my stubborn commitment to read all the Pulitzer winners, I wouldn't have wasted time on this book. And if you value your limited reading time on this earth, you shouldn't waste your time on it, either.
The book itself is about the life of a poor, black woman named Mary living on a former plantation in South Carolina after the abolition of slavery. For the life of me, I could not tell what the purpose or the meaning was in the story. This woman is poor, gets married young and while already pregnant, is rejected by her church, her no-good philandering husband leaves her, she has multiple other children over the next 15 years by multiple other men. And that's really about all we know about her. We learn nothing about the context of her living environment. For all the ink spilled in creating characters, we actually know nothing meaningful about them. It's a purely descriptive (and in a simple middle school sort of way, at that) presentation of black people in rural South Carolina.
And it's rather offensive, too, in the sense that the dialogue is stereotypical simpleton ignorant slave speak. To wit: "A devil spirit is got you, honey. It's more'n likely Cinder put a conjure on you an' July all two. But try prayin. It'll do you all de good. Jedus'll show you how to live wid you sorrow. Jedus is de main man, honey, de best one what ever lived. He had a heap more trouble'n you. Dem mean Jews hung em on a cross an' e ain' done em a wrong ting, either. Jedus axed Gawd to have mussy on em de same as you got to ax Gawd to have mussy on Cinder what done you wrong." And on and on and on, just like this. I know this is supposed to be some effort to capture a Gullah dialect, and maybe it does this well; but I just found it pretentious, gratuitous, and unnecessary.
And the "Scarlet" I presume is a reference to Hawthorne's "Scarlet Letter" since what makes Sister Mary "Scarlet" is having children out of wedlock. But even that reference is trite and stupid.
There really is nothing redeemable about this book. If it weren't for my stubborn commitment to read all the Pulitzer winners, I wouldn't have wasted time on this book. And if you value your limited reading time on this earth, you shouldn't waste your time on it, either.
May 7, 2019
Julia Peterkin won the Pulitzer Prize for Scarlet Sister Mary in 1929. The story is about an orphan African American woman named Mary who grew up in an abandoned plantation in South Carolina post slavery. Mary gets married and her husband deserts her shortly after their marriage and the birth of their child. Mary provides for her child and has 8 more children with different fathers. Her love for her children is unconditional and she is portrayed in the book as strong and confident woman who stands her ground. I understand this book was banned in some states when it was published. The writing and dialogue are very good. I give this book 4 stars.
February 16, 2021
PULITZER PRIZE WINNER: 1929
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3.5 rounded up
I honestly quite enjoyed this book. It was a fairly quick read, the characters were interesting and well-rounded, and though the Christian ethos throughout isn't my thing, it felt authentic for the characters and the time.
I did have a hard time personally separating out the fact that this was a novel centering a Black woman (and an entirely Black cast of characters) but written by a Southern white woman. To me, it didn't feel icky or appropriative, but I'm also not the person to make that call, and not knowing enough about the author or their viewpoints/intents, it did make it hard to completely submerse myself in this world.
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3.5 rounded up
I honestly quite enjoyed this book. It was a fairly quick read, the characters were interesting and well-rounded, and though the Christian ethos throughout isn't my thing, it felt authentic for the characters and the time.
I did have a hard time personally separating out the fact that this was a novel centering a Black woman (and an entirely Black cast of characters) but written by a Southern white woman. To me, it didn't feel icky or appropriative, but I'm also not the person to make that call, and not knowing enough about the author or their viewpoints/intents, it did make it hard to completely submerse myself in this world.
September 26, 2017
If you can convince yourself that Ms. Peterkin isn’t just making fun of black people, and instead focus on the theme of female struggle against religious patriarchy and domestic abuse, it’s a surprisingly relevant and powerful story.... but that’s a hell of a big “if.”
September 19, 2023
This is an testimony for reading challenges such as all the Hugo winners or all Pulitzer Prize winners - I'd never have heard of (let alone read) this book without seeing it on the Pulitzer prize winners list.
Checked the Kindle store - price $1 - bought, started reading and couldn't put it down. Finished in two days.
Scarlet Sister Mary is one of the oldest tales - woman falls in love with a scumbag, who misuses her, said woman experiences and has to work through heartbreak.
It's set on an abandoned plantation somewhere in the South of America - as far as I could make out none of the main characters were slaves - they all own little patches of land and work at bringing in their own cotton harvests. There are many beautiful scenes describing the nature and the animals inhabiting the swampy surroundings, across the seasons.
A strong focus of the story, apart from unremitting matters of the heart, is on the influence of religion - the fear of hell, being a part of or cast out of the church, attending church meetings and midweek meetings, which served as social gatherings. These are wonderfully and evocatively written - the chanting of the hymns, the dancing and stamping, almost entering into a trance. They seemed to have no issue with mixing magic with their Christianity - Maum Hannah says "magic is the one thing that, unlike praying, works as well for a sinner as for a good Christian".
Written in 1928, this book was actually banned in some places for obscene language. Can't say I noticed any. It also caused a furor on the board of the Pulitzer Prize judges, with one fella resigning in disgust. Reading it today, the only difficulty might be in the way Peterkin reproduces their particular vernacular. No complaints from me, but some people struggle with that.
I found it a very sympathetic look at a group of people - obviously, not being part of that group, I'm just imagining it to be sympathetic, but I did not detect a hint of superciliousness. I think the point of the story was to encourage freedom from religious strictures, particularly for women - a sort of early feminism, very mild by today's standards. The ending lost some strength, as it suddenly sped up, covering decades, without seeming to have a goal in mind for it. Lost me a little bit in the last couple pages.
Would I re-read: no.
Checked the Kindle store - price $1 - bought, started reading and couldn't put it down. Finished in two days.
Scarlet Sister Mary is one of the oldest tales - woman falls in love with a scumbag, who misuses her, said woman experiences and has to work through heartbreak.
It's set on an abandoned plantation somewhere in the South of America - as far as I could make out none of the main characters were slaves - they all own little patches of land and work at bringing in their own cotton harvests. There are many beautiful scenes describing the nature and the animals inhabiting the swampy surroundings, across the seasons.
A strong focus of the story, apart from unremitting matters of the heart, is on the influence of religion - the fear of hell, being a part of or cast out of the church, attending church meetings and midweek meetings, which served as social gatherings. These are wonderfully and evocatively written - the chanting of the hymns, the dancing and stamping, almost entering into a trance. They seemed to have no issue with mixing magic with their Christianity - Maum Hannah says "magic is the one thing that, unlike praying, works as well for a sinner as for a good Christian".
Written in 1928, this book was actually banned in some places for obscene language. Can't say I noticed any. It also caused a furor on the board of the Pulitzer Prize judges, with one fella resigning in disgust. Reading it today, the only difficulty might be in the way Peterkin reproduces their particular vernacular. No complaints from me, but some people struggle with that.
I found it a very sympathetic look at a group of people - obviously, not being part of that group, I'm just imagining it to be sympathetic, but I did not detect a hint of superciliousness. I think the point of the story was to encourage freedom from religious strictures, particularly for women - a sort of early feminism, very mild by today's standards. The ending lost some strength, as it suddenly sped up, covering decades, without seeming to have a goal in mind for it. Lost me a little bit in the last couple pages.
Would I re-read: no.
November 14, 2021
Julia Peterkin's novel, Scarlet Sister Mary was a well-written novel about a black community in the early part of the 20th century. The vernacular used by the Gullah people is in every sentence, which makes it both more difficult to read, and more authentic. I found her characters to be well-rounded, fully-fleshed-out and very real. She gave these people true lives, good and bad, with genuine experiences and emotions. Each character resonated with me. As far as the story goes, I was disappointed in the overall theme of sinner versus saint. The protagonist, Mary, is treated as a sinner for decades; excluded from church for her sins.
I do need to acknowledge that the author is a white woman, who spent her adult life living on a plantation, with servants who were probably ex-slaves. The privilege she had is tangible and easily recognizable under the scope of 2021. By no means is this book #ownvoices and one must wonder how much input came from the Gullah people themselves.
I do need to acknowledge that the author is a white woman, who spent her adult life living on a plantation, with servants who were probably ex-slaves. The privilege she had is tangible and easily recognizable under the scope of 2021. By no means is this book #ownvoices and one must wonder how much input came from the Gullah people themselves.
December 2, 2016
I was extremely excited when I found this book. Julia Peterkin was the 1929 Pulitzer Prize winner with Scarlet Sister Mary. I was drawn in by the avid descriptions of African-Americans on the plantation and the short chapters and dialect captured wonderfully by Peterkin, but after about 6 or 7 chapters this text became a dated black exploitation novel. The plot line was not extensive or meaningful. It was too outdated. I did feel that Peterkin captured a time period and wrote about African-Americans post slavery very honestly. I feel like she was writing about my relatives. This book would be excellent for students studying the history of African Americans on the southern plantations who never left. I feel that the main character was never really developed emotionally.
July 17, 2012
21/2 stars
This was a difficult book for me to find, and I lucked out at a used bookstore. That said, the book left me disappointed. Like other readers, I found the dialect a challenge to follow, and the story - while interesting - seemed to summarize in parts. There is a fifteen year leap in the action, for example, that nearly lost me.
Not the best of the Pulitzers I've read. I'm interested now to read the book some on the committee wanted to win.
This was a difficult book for me to find, and I lucked out at a used bookstore. That said, the book left me disappointed. Like other readers, I found the dialect a challenge to follow, and the story - while interesting - seemed to summarize in parts. There is a fifteen year leap in the action, for example, that nearly lost me.
Not the best of the Pulitzers I've read. I'm interested now to read the book some on the committee wanted to win.
July 2, 2013
This one was a little difficult for me to find. I had to special order it at the library and then they sent me the 1928 edition. Since it was hard to find, I assumed that it was going to be a heavy slow read. However, I was pleasantly surprised that it really wasn't. It was far less dry than some of the other early Pulitzer winners I've read.
Some of the sentiments in the book are now obviously outdated, but I'd say for its time, it's a pretty decent book.
Some of the sentiments in the book are now obviously outdated, but I'd say for its time, it's a pretty decent book.
September 21, 2019
I loved the first half of this book. It reminded of Their Eyes Were Watching God. However, the second half was a letdown. It didn't hold my interest but I pushed through. The ending was pretty good, but many things annoyed me about the path to get there. I'm surprised that this won a Pulitzer. 2.5 stars rounded up.
February 13, 2010
This book seems like a precursor to Zora Neale Hurston's works - it has the dialect of an isolated black community in South Carolina, and a very strong female character in Sister Mary - in all her strengths and weaknesses. I really cared about all the characters - plus the descriptions of the land and the seasons were beautiful.
June 1, 2008
Most racist book I have ever read. That this won a Pulitzer is a real tribute to how far race relations in this country have come. Read this for historical perspective, and for no other reason.
December 24, 2012
My challenge is to read all the Pulitzer by the end of 2013.... Love this one... And would smoke a pipe if it was acceptable ...
October 30, 2013
Read my full review here: http://thepulitzerblog.wordpress.com/...
September 10, 2021
I am reading the Pulitzer Prize winners and this was next up on the list. I can see how this book would have been very controversial in the time it was written and how many people today view it as a white woman's view of black culture and therefore, not authentic. But living in South Carolina and worked with Gullah people, this book does show a way of life that existed and still does exist. While I don't think people were happy to go work in the fields all day as depicted by Mrs. Peterkin, this was the work they did as sharecroppers after the Civil War. It was their livelihood. The book tells of Mary's life as a wife and mother living in a close knit community. It tells of her struggles and her successes. It shows the values and the traditions of the community and how Mary defies them to be her own person... right down to the last sentence. That is why this book won the Pulitzer Prize and continues to be an important work today.
December 3, 2024
3.5 stars. An engaging account of the life of Sister Scarlett Mary, a black independent woman who works on a plantation. She falls in love at sixteen years of age with July. She has sex before marriage and Maum Hannah, the woman who brought her up, notices that Mary is pregnant before the marriage to July takes place! It is not long into the marriage that Mary is hit by July, who expects Mary to stay at home and prepare his meals. Meanwhile July is out most evenings! It is not long after the baby is born that July leaves Mary for another woman. Maum Hannah’s partner, Buddha Ben, who is crippled, also provides good support to Mary during her difficult years of being the sole carer of her child.
Around half way through the novel, the story moves forward fifteen years. I particularly enjoyed the second half of the novel as Mary grows in confidence as a single mother.
This novel was the winner of the 1929 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
Around half way through the novel, the story moves forward fifteen years. I particularly enjoyed the second half of the novel as Mary grows in confidence as a single mother.
This novel was the winner of the 1929 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
April 21, 2023
A fascinating slice of life novel about the insular Gullah people of coastal South Carolina. Sister Mary starts off as a church-going person but she quickly falls into sinful temptation and is in absolutely no hurry to get back on the straight and narrow. Along the way we get to experience her people's culture, their traditions, superstitions, cuisine (I'll pass on the possum) and social order. I understand how the sensitive people of today are offended by this book in completely different ways from how people were offended by it back when it was first published. There's a story there in itself.
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