One Thousand Porches

by Julie Dewey

Set in the majestic yet untamed Adirondack Mountains of New York more than a century ago, an extraordinary story unfolds about a little known town called Saranac Lake. The town is home to a man with a disease known as consumption, white plague, or as some called it, the red death. It is here that Doctor Edward Livingston Trudeau finds a hopeful cure for tuberculosis in the form of open air.
Trudeau’s patients vary in age, gender, class, and race, but they have one thing in common. They must all choose to embrace life, even in the face of death, if they wish to heal at the sanitarium.
Christine, a woman at the helm of her family, has already lost two children to the dreaded plague. But when her daughter, Collette, contracts the disease, she is determined to keep her alive. Venturing into unknown territory, Christine risks her own health and that of her unborn child, as well as her marriage, to help her daughter seek a cure that to many is absurd. Christine embarks upon a life-changing journey as she moves from caregiver to patient. In the face of adversity she must find the courage to sustain herself.
When Lena, a factory worker and mother of three, begins coughing up blood she is faced with a decision no mother wants to make. She either stays with her family and risks her own death, or leaves her loved ones behind while she goes off in hope of a cure at the 'Sans'.
Big Joe, once a strong man for a traveling circus, seeks a quiet place to live out his final days in hiding. When he is sent to the Sanitarium, he is terrified to learn he will be housed with fellow circus performers for he is a hunted man. Gaunt and thin, he can only hope no one from his past recognizes him in his current state.
Little Amy, a six year old child, must care for her entire family of seven, all whom are afflicted with different forms of plague. When she is diagnosed with a very rare form herself, she is sent to the Sanitarium and put under the care of Dr. Trudeau. Alone and afraid, Amy faces her fears and allows herself to dream of a future.
With a cast of characters so vivid, One Thousand Porches is a heart warming and engaging story that will instill hope and faith in even the most pessimistic reader.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Drama, Book Club

282 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2013

Reviews

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found One Thousand Porches by Julie Dewey to be quite educational. I vividly remember as a young child in the early 1950's my family receiving a letter from my dad's sister's family saying she had tuberculosis and was in a sanitarium. My father was very worried and upset not only for his sister but for her unborn baby who was later born in that sanitarium. My family's story had a happy outcome thankfully as treatment had come a long way by that time but my dad still remembered when happy endings did not always happen. I would highly recommend this book.
I've since read another Julie Dewey book about mental illness and how it was perceived and treated in earlier times. It was quite eye opening and downright horrifying. I might not have the title exactly right but I think it was The Back Building and I would recommend it as well.

[Jan K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the late 1800's, this work of historical fiction takes the reader to a time when TB (also known as consumption or white plague)was a disease that families and towns feared, with no apparent cure. And based upon one of the foremost sanitoriums and doctor of that time, Dr. Edward Trudeau and the Adirondack Cottage Sanitorium in Saranac Lake; this story is told through the eyes of several characters, individuals who either live or are related to those at the Sanitorium; the author gives insight to the different strains of the disease and how these strains affect people from different walks of life. Interesting to read that one of the early patients at the Cottage was author Robert Lewis Stevenson and his fame helped to establish this sanitorium as a premier treatment center for the study and treatment of tuberculosis. I appreciated the first person narratives, although some of the events/personal stories seemed a bit more modern that the late 1800 time period might suggest. This is a tale of family and perseverance, as well as hope and friendship in a time of great uncertainty and fear.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I stopped reading One Thousand Porches almost half way through. I really looked forward to reading this book because of the compelling historical events upon which the story is based. I believe that the story line missed a wonderful opportunity to honor the commitment and sacrifices of ordinary people to ease the sufferings of so many afflicted with tuberculosis (white plague). Maybe it does further into the book--? The little bit that I did read, though, motivated me to research the life of Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau and the cure cottages he founded in Saranac Lake, New York. I hope to find another book that will highlight the human spirit of this time in history.

I could not connect with the characters in One Thousand Porches; they seemed too one-dimensional. As well, the exploits of some of them appeared quite unrealistic. For example, Christine comes to town and magically changes community health standards and ordinances--? I do think her accomplishments would have been more believable through developing her character and showing the struggles and victories of affecting political and social change. Her relationship with Big Joe was odd, and I wasn’t sure if they really needed each other to fulfill the vacancies in their hearts. Then suddenly, without warning, Big Joe and his lady lust, Donna, were engaging in a sexual act of the circus variety (I suppose appropriate for characters’ contribution to the story line).

This is where I closed the book… So unnecessary to include sexual content of this nature. A story based on historical events could easily appeal to the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual senses by simply staying true to the internal message, or theme, of the story. I just wasn’t sure what the author’s purpose was for writing about this terrible time in history. Sure, there are physical needs (human nature!), but I had no moral baseline from which to understand the behavior of these two characters, or other characters for that matter. When I find myself mentally rewriting a story by projecting characters’ beliefs and/or motives, it’s time to close the book.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to really like this book. It's historical fiction, informative, and interesting. But I was distracted and frustrated by the (few) grammatical and clerical errors, as well as a few pronoun mistakes. Granted, the facts of the story were still there, and I learned a lot about Saranac Lake and tuberculosis, but I'm not sure this is the best story for it.

Each section of the book has a different narrator. Some of the narrators have tuberculosis, had tuberculosis, or have a family member with tuberculosis. Their paths all end up at a sanitarium in Saranac Lake, New York, which is a real place with a real history of housing tuberculosis patients. That part is certainly interesting. I was somewhat frustrated with the goal of the story. It seemed purely informational, which works for some people, but I was hoping for more of a story with objectives and a "point." I didn't really find that here. I also felt that some of the dialogue was placed in the text because the rest of the story needed that framework, not because it was actual dialogue that felt organic and natural.

What I did like about this story was the way it took you back to the late 1800's and early 1900's. You could identify with some of the characters, and the space they inhabited was described adequately.

[Kelly Jahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a huge surprise to me. It was a "cheap book" on Kindle and sounded intriguing. Little did I know how I would get sucked into this one. I couldn't put it down! For me, it wasn't just the characterization of the people in the book, but also a topic that I discovered I knew virtually nothing about: tuberculosis. I was intrigued enough to go out and do some brief research on the Internet and was doubly surprised to see how much of this book was based on real people, places, and events. I wanted to pick this book to discuss with my book club group, but was really disappointed to see that none of the libraries in our system have it. How disappointing!

Many thanks to Julie Dewey for penning this wonderful book!

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to give them book 3.5 stars but since that's not an option I'll give it 3. I learned a lot about consumption (TB) in this book and really loved how the storyline became intertwined. It started out really slow but I got through the last half of the book in about a day. The characters grew on me.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars for the research and information on TB but the book is poorly edited and therefore confusing and contradicting. It also seemed the sexual relations in this book were out of place and unnecessary. I believe this could have been a great story....what a shame.

[Rosemary OBrien · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book!

When I started this book I had no idea that it was about TB, the title certainly didn't give it away. I wasn't sure I would continue reading it, because as a retired Nurse who had tested positive for TB exposure in my second year of training and had been monitored closely for the illness for several years, I thought I knew all about the disease. I'm glad I continued to read because not only did I learn things I didn't know but I enjoyed the story line of the individual people struggling with this horrible illness. Luckily, I never developed the illness from my exposure and if I had certainly the treatment would have been easier in the 1970's than that described in the book but the book was written in such a way that I felt a kinship with these fictional people. I would heartily recommend this book!

[Teri Heyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to read One Thousand Porches as my paternal grandmother, Johanna, spent a year in a tuberculosis sanitarium in the California mountains. I remember her telling about her days there & how she fell in love with a young man who died of tuberculosis. I think my grandmother carried this heartache with her until she passed away at the age of 75. Her tuberculosis was dormant for all those years, but then it did return in the last year of her life. Also, she married & had 3 sons & many grandchildren & great grandchildren, but she always missed her first love. That said, One Thousand Porches, was an interesting read that held a special meaning for me.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy the story but it was a bit of a sad story. I did learn alot about Tuberculosis, the author included a bunch of good information. I really enjoyed the characters in the story. The ending was somewhat sad & sweet. Of course, with Tuberculosis there were lots of losses.

[Lila Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A true story

I like the fact that this was a real place. However it took concentration to stay with it. I felt like the paragraphs were too long.

[Loretta Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

It's a story about love, loss,and hope and finding joy in the circumstances life gives you. I fell in love with each of the characters and their story

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Thousand Porches by Julie Dewey is a novel that takes you back in time when diseases simply took people’s lives. Back in the 1800′s medications such as we have today did not exist. This novel weaves fact with fiction and takes us back to when tuberculosis was a deadly disease and many lives were lost.

At the beginning of this novel TB is starting to make its presence known in many smaller towns. We meet Christine who loses two children to the disease and when a third comes down with it she vows not to lose her but realizes quickly she’s fighting a losing battle. That is until her husband tells her of a place called Saranac Lake in the Adirondack Mountains that is referred to as a sanitarium and takes on the sick and cares for them. Being a family of means he is able to secure a spot for his daughter Collette and Christine goes along to be of service any way she can.

Arriving there Christine realizes that there are many that need help and not just those in the sanitarium. She also sees though that the work that Dr. Trudeau is doing with these TB patients is making a difference and some actually go on to live a normal life. It is believed the clean mountain air and rest is what helps these patients recover. The patients spend the majority of their days sitting out on the porch in lounge chairs that are dubbed the cure chairs. The most remarkable thing about being at this sanitarium is that the town does not shun TB patients which is in great contrast to how they are treated elsewhere.

This novel was fascinating. Of course I know of TB but to hear the history behind what Dr. Trudeau did for so many is remarkable. It was also interesting to learn more about the disease and very interesting to see how doctors tried to treat diseases like this in the past. I can’t imagine how hard it was for families to watch their loved ones die one after the other because there was no way to help them. Entire families were wiped out. We are very fortunate today to have the medications that we do that save so many lives.

I think anyone interested in history and especially the history of TB and the development of the first sanitariums should enjoy this novel. I’ve read one other of Julie’s books and I find her writing to be very frank and real. Nothing is sugar coated and is presented in such a way that you feel the pain and hardship of her characters. I look forward to seeing what subject Julie tackles next!

[Melinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Julie Dewey generously sent me an electronic copy of this book after I reviewed her previous novel, Forgetting Tabitha. In that review, I had expressed my concern about the editing of the book--that there were so many grammatical and historical errors. While these do still appear in One Thousand Porches, there are far fewer of them.

However, I had other issues with this book. The book has several different narrators and, frankly, I'm not sure why that is. I felt that this constantly switching voice was keeping me from really getting into this book. I wish she had streamlined things more and stuck to one or two story lines. If she wanted to use multiple points of view, I wish she had chosen fewer characters--such as just Christine and Colette. As it was, it was sometimes confusing to switch between the characters and I had to continually remind myself who was speaking. I also felt that some of the characters didn't need their own sections. Lena, for example, only really appears in the chapters she tells and then disappears. Big Joe really only needed to be a character in Christine's narration as his chapters felt superfluous.

Dewey includes a great deal of medical information, which I appreciated. I know very little about tuberculosis or how it was treated in the 19th century. However, I wish she had massaged these sections more into the book. As it is written, it seems like all of a sudden the book turns into a medical text for a few pages and then reverts back to being a novel.

There were parts of the story that I found hard to believe--most notably Christine's relationship with her first husband and Amy's relationship with Daniel. While I don't question either relationship, I do believe how they unfolded were unrealistic, especially in the former case. As for Amy and Daniel, it just seemed too quick and easy.

While this book was not for me, I appreciate Dewey's efforts to write about this chapter in our history--and I did learn quite a bit. I think that Dewey is developing into a good writer and I do plan to read any future book that she writes.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the early and mid 1900's, tuberculosis was a major health issue with no cure. This book is about a community that was formed specifically to treat patients in a healthy environment concentrating on fresh air, good nutrition, and exercise of the mind and body(when able). From a one room cottage with a porch, a town was built which treated the patients as residents and with respect and dignity. The trials of patients such as Colette, Christine and Joe can be painful to read but their spirit and endurance is what makes this a book of hope. It emphasizes the positive in the worst of times and the amazing generosity of Dr Trudeau, a pioneer in the study of TB, and of the citizens of Saranac in the Adirondacks.
In this age of desensitization over diseases which were at one time catastrophic, it is good to look at the reality of what some countries are still dealing with and that we have a lot to be thankful for.

[Janet Golden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book recommended to me & I was able to receive a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed the historical fiction theme of the book, giving voice & personality to what was likely true life experiences during this time. It was easy to me to visualize the porches & sanitariums having staying in one once that was made into a summer camp, so this book had much more reality to me than perhaps for others. I liked the way there was a kind of central character who ran through the threads of the stories of other people in the book but would have much preferred to read more detail of the lives of fewer characters than the amount that were included. It felt a bit startling to suddenly be dropped into a new life although I understand the point of showing the broad spectrum of lives this disease effected. I would recommend this book to others & once you read it you may look at porches running along homes in a whole new light as I find myself doing.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this story. Though there were a few slight grammatical errors (I can't help it; it's just how my brain's programmed), i absolutely fell for this book. Living with multiple chronic illnesses myself, including asthma, kidney disease, and multiple congenital heart defects, I could sympathize with doctors of this time who seize onto any cure that eases symptoms. I understand the pain of feeling okay, but still unable to entirely keep up with others. Finding out at the end that it was based on true events literally made me cry. In this day and age, it's hard to comprehend that diseases with a simple cure once ravaged entire communities. The only thing that slightly bugged me was the abruptness of switching narrators. You get so used to a narrator, especially the first one, that when a change happens without warning, it makes you feel a little sad. I would totally give five stars if the transitions were smoother.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Thousand Porches was such a great read! It tells the stories of Christine, her daughter Collette, Lena, Amy, Joe and Dr. Trudeau--all people who were diagnosed with tuberculosis and ended up at a sanitarium in the Adirondack Mts. of New York. I learned so much in reading this book about how prevalent TB was at one time in the USA and the terrible toll it took on people's lives. This novel is set in the time period before any medicines had been discovered to treat TB and the only treatment was rest and exposure to fresh air which led to the creation of TB sanitariums. Although the book paints a realistic picture of the life of a person with TB at that time, each one of the characters mentioned above were people who refused to give up and chose to live their lives as fully as possible. The author divides the novel up between the stories of these primary characters.

[Carol Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an interesting read on a historical medical issue that was faced in the late 1800's in the USA. The author gave faces to the victims of TB and told their stories of how the disease affected their lives and their relationships with their family and society in large. If one just went with the story, it kept your interest and moved along at a decent pace. The story was heartwarming, heartbreaking and you found yourself rooting for the characters to overcome this disease. Above all, the book makes you so glad that you live in the 21st century with a better appreication for our modern medical science! Would really recommend this book to anyone that wants to learn about a unique time in our country's history. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Julia · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only reason I didn't stop reading this book after 50 pages was because I paid for it (not very much, thankfully) and felt it would be a waste to not finish it. In reality, it was a waste TO finish it. The only reason I went through it so quickly was to be done with it. The writing was amateurish (run on sentences, issues with tenses and grammar), basic, and forced; the characters were underdeveloped and unrealistic; and the whole thing was just too plucky and positive to be a book about the horrors of the TB epidemic. There was so much potential to write this type of story about the work of Dr. Edward Trudeau, and I found this to be an embarrassing attempt and reflection. Especially that last section told from his perspective - that was the worst of the book in my opinion. All in all, a waste of $3 and 4 days.

[Yaaresse]

I wanted to like this book so, so much, but...well, thank goodness for Amazon's sample program because had I bought this without benefit of being able to sample it, I'd have been utterly annoyed. I did finish the sample, but barely. It goes firmly in the 49-Page Rule Reject pile.

My two qualms with the book:
1. Stilted narration. Yes, historical novel narration should make an attempt to sound like it comes from the period (or at least not like a dialog one would overhear at Walmat), but the tone here skips past "period" into "period caricature." I find it a very artificial, annoying voice.
2. Exposition. Exposition inserted into the story with all the subtly of a two-ton fuchsia elephant wearing neon plumage in the middle of an Amish wedding.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I missed it, but the author never told me how tuberculosis spreads, where one is likely to catch the germ and what treatments are used today to combat the disease. The author's combination of fact and fiction was not good. The only relationship that I found important was that between Catherine and his first husband. There were too many throwaway characters doing too many throw away actions. I liked the author's telling of how the sanitorium in the mountains of New York state was founded and grew. Robert Louis Stevenson was taken to the mountains when he was symptomatic. What is it about mountain air that helps the patient? Could it be that the bacteria cannot live in cold air. The book was not informative enough about tuberculosis.

Thank you, Ms. Dewey, for a good read.

[MaryJane Rings · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting fictional book based on a historical time in the late 19th century when tuberculosis was a common killer of all ages with no cure. Dr. Trudeau contracted the disease. He decided to study himself and found the mountain air in upstate New York was therapeutic. This is his story based on his autobiography,with fictionalized characters which shows the sadness of patients,the breakup of families from the patient's isolation and the fear from the public of contracting the disease. Well documented and the characters come alive as the story enfolds. An excellent read about this very frightening time period and the development of science and medicine through research.

[Melanie Jolly (Wilkinson) · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting historical read about TB in America and the pioneering Edward Livingston Trudeau. Particularly interesting to read about how he helped himself and other TB patients and how some were able to live with the disease in a pre antibioitic era. My first husband had TB as a child of 5 in 1958. He may well not have lived if it hadn't been for antibiotics but he still spent many months in hospital, months in a sanitorium on Dartmoor and then a year in Switzerland getting lots of that cold clean fresh air that Edward Trudeau prescribed.
I only gave this book a 3* because of the style. Very short sentences and paragraphs and a bit twee. Shame.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very much attracted to this book as I reside partway in between the novel's starting place and ending place, and have visited in and around Saranac Lake a number of times and been in facilities that had previous lives at TB sanitariums. I did enjoy the premise of the novel, but I had some issues with the writing being a bit underdeveloped, and um, well I guess trite is the best word perhaps. I do have another of her works, The Back Building, on my kindle and still look forward to reading that. I like her choice of subject matter.

[Kimberly Cannaday · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating

This is an interesting book about the consumption epidemic that doesn't get the recognition it deserves. Many families were changed forever because of this disease. My great grandmother died of TB . My grandmother was the oldest of four girls and she helped her father raise them. She was hardly a teenager when she had to grow up quickly. This book shows the many challenges faced by tuberculosis patients and their families. I like the switch of narrators throughout the book because it shows the great connection in the characters' relationships.

[Marilyn Murphree · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a marvelous gift you have. I loved One Thousand Porches. I know it is a novel and novels are fictitious but it read like a true story all the way thru.

I am from Rochester New York. My mother died of TB in 1940 while in Iola Sanitarium in Rochester. At the time I was 6 and also in Iola. In reading the book it made me realize what my mother must have experienced when she was diagnosed and hospitalized. It made me feel as though I was with her. I don't remember her but have photos. Thank you for this experience. God Bless You.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love this book, but I did enjoy learning about the scourge of TB and how a dedicated doctor helped change lives for the better. It was our monthly book club selection and I really think all the romance, etc. interfered with the story. Like Polio and small pox, TB was and in some places still is a killer disease and the author brings home that point in her story. The idea of going to a sanitarium and sitting on a porch (hence the title) for fresh air and rest was revolutionary for its time. I wanted more about that than the love story.

[Terry Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
One Thousand Porches is a very good and very fast read. I definitely learned a lot about tuberculosis--I did not know there were different kinds of TB. I do not know that I had ever heard of Dr. Edward Trudeau but he is a man much to be admired for all that he did for TB patients and the experiments he conducted to learn more about the disease. This book was well worth the read and was also a great history lesson.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story about folks dealing with tuberculosis in Saranac Lake, Upper New York. The book focuses on several peoples stories from one who studies and tries to cure Tb to those who have it. I thought it was really interesting how the Author mingles her own family history with this disease (in fact, one of the people featured in this book is a family member) with some fictionalized people as well.