Yet, Here We Are

by Brenda K. Massman

It is 1948. Feeling trapped within her farm-life existence as a young wife and mother, Elizabeth harbors a fervent desire to escape to the city of Chicago for a brief respite. While there, she is met with both profound love and devastating loss-experiences that will haunt her for years to come.

It is 1975. An unexpected visitor from Elizabeth's past in Chicago upends her quiet life. Meanwhile, one of her daughters finds herself unwittingly caught up in the counterculture battle for control over the emerging Twin Cities' food co-op community, and the other begins to experience mysterious visions. Together, their search for conclusions leads to astonishing discoveries that will impact the entire family.

Yet, Here We Are weaves together the threads of how forbidden love and poignant loss shape the life of one woman with the tale of a tumultuous time in our history that changed the course of food co-ops as we know them today.

322 pages, Paperback

Published July 19, 2024

Reviews

[Marsha]

This book was passed on to me by a friend who had told me it was not ‘the best’….but it was handy when I needed a book….. do think the writing was good. The author has potential snd I hope she keeps writing, but this book is just not ‘it’. The author could have gotten two good books out of this. One, Elizabeth’s story and , two, the Co-op story. She could have developed either into a great novel.
Personally, I felt as if I were being preached to about the additives and co-op wars. Peck’s character needed to be more deeply developed. His editorial at the end was unnecessary. But the co-op story itself had great potential. Why try to weave it into one book?
Elizabeth’s story was SO sad. But, here again , the depth of her story was missing. This very Nicholas Sparks type story could have been much more. His fans would have loved it. I actually just felt so sad for these characters.
Also, the author could use a better editor! A canoe doesn’t have oars!!!! Try one paddle for just one person! Geez. I could go on…..

[Diane]

A wonderful story with stunning descriptions -- made me want to travel back in time. A romance with hard decisions and mystery. I am excited to see what else this author will bring to her readers.

[Aspenn Ward]

A must read! I started for the prose and stayed for the story. The writing itself pulled me right in. Massman sets a scene in a way that is so descriptively beautiful, it makes me want to travel back in time. The story itself is a fascinating combination of historical chronicle and romantic tale, with the perfect touch of mystery. The Ley women are complex and compelling, definitely characters to remember. This will definitely be a reread for me!

[Rachel Stone]

Through shifting perspectives and elegant prose, Massman skilfully weaves past and present, social justice themes and mystery in a sweeping exploration of love, loss, the complexities of marriage and motherhood, and the healing power in family bonds.

[Gena Wessel]

The parts in 1940’s were most interesting but what the heck happened??? There’s no closure to the story and the co-op parts didn’t make a lot of sense. They seemed disconnected from the entire rest of the story. I kept waiting for some big moment but it didn’t come.

[Winona Howe]

I was sold on the first page of Yet, Here We Are—beautiful language is always a draw for me. And, as I continued to read, I enjoyed the sharply observed details that brought to life the different eras and settings of the narrative. The book focuses on a mother and her two daughters who must confront and navigate the problematic issues in their lives. Elizabeth, the mother, has the most compelling story; she must decide whether she will live the life she longs for, or whether she will sacrifice her own desires in order to protect and nourish those she loves.
A generation later, her daughters must also make decisions that determine what direction their future lives will take. A noteworthy aspect of the problems the women face is that the issues are directly related to the time period that the characters inhabit. Too often, these pairings (problems that an individual may face) are not aligned with the specific era—for example, a novel set in the 19th century may present a young woman who could only have existed in the 20th century, demonstrated by her attitudes, speech, etc.

Yet, Here We Are is a debut novel, but Massman handles her characters and their situations brilliantly, leading to a compelling narrative that is thought provoking as it poses universal questions that are recognizably relatable to readers. Some reviewers have commented on how hard it was to put this book down and it’s true. I kept reading because I was invested in the characters, and I wanted to find out how their lives would change and develop—and whether they would be true to themselves. And again, the language was beautiful. I enjoyed many passages, but I’ll only share my favorite sentence in the book: “Had she ever experienced that wondrous freefall into an abyss of pleasure when with another?” I have never read a better description of the magical delirium of new love—and it’s contained in a single sentence.

[Elisabeth]

The writing is beautiful enough and able to reel you in here and there but the characters and their stories felt disconnected and incomplete. Almost like two different books going on. Just a few examples…the coop story fell flat. What was the point of dragging the reader in great detail through all that? So focused on them resurrecting and the characters within the coop then they just disappeared altogether. There was no closure about the coop leader after several chapters were spent on the daughter aggressively trying to figure out who it was. Elizabeth’s story just trailed off the pages then wrapped up quickly the last chapter. The situation with Neil was unclear. Took Elizabeth to the end to open that stupid letter which makes zero sense as anyone would’ve ripped it open immediately. The story just jumped around and went back and forth up and down in ways that made it a chore vs enjoyable. The individual character stories seemed rushed to wrap up at the end. I’m not seeing what others are in this book. Anyway, I greatly disliked it! Onward and upward…

[Angie Kaelberer]

I would round up to 2.5 stars. Completely agree with the review that said this novel would have been better as two separate books. I got the feeling that the author had two ideas but neither was fleshed out enough for an entire book, so she combined them into the story of Elizabeth in 1948 and her daughters in 1975. I much preferred the daughters' story, even though the emphasis on co-ops and organic food got a little tedious after a while. Elizabeth's story was like reading a Harlequin romance--the writing became very flowery. A better plot would have been if she had taken the solo trip to Chicago and instead of meeting her dream man, discovered new friends and opportunities and came home a changed person. And the ambiguous ending wasn't my favorite. Perhaps the author plans to write a sequel, but not sure if I care enough to read it.

[Glenn R. Miller]

Massman creates an interwoven narrative exploring one young woman's artistic and cultural awakening in the late 1940s, and her daughters' subsequent ecological awakening in the 1970s. The strong female characters in Massman's debut novel are richly portrayed and the storyline is well-rooted in our current era's environmental angst. As a resident Minneapolitan, I particularly found the history of the food co-op movement to be fascinating and, like any industry, fraught with developmental drama perfectly captured by Massman. Yet, Here We Are would make wonderful grist for any book club discussion.

[Jane]

I loved this book!! I woke up the morning after beginning 'Yet, Here We Are' excited to figure out what would happen next. This is not a usual occurrence for me. It was so easy to identify with the characters, care for them and want to see them succeed and be happy. Great read, fascinating history, and a book you will find hard to put down!

[Rachel Bremness]

A beautiful story about the humanity of parents and different types of romantic love written into a unique point of history in Minneapolis, MN. To me, Elizabeth, the main character, exemplifies a woman caught between love of family and her individual dreams. The choice she makes, or doesn't make, echos in her later life as she must reconcile past events with her daughters as they all seek healing. The suspense kept me reading straight through to the end!

[Katie]

The ending fell a little flat for me, but otherwise really good. Beautifully written.

[Amy]

What ever happened to Stephen ? This was a good book until the last quarter. The ending seemed to be written so differently.

[susan g. chrastil]

This book was so disappointing. I feel like the author has 2 ideas for stories and threw them together to fill enough pages for publication. Do not recommend.

[Nikki Robbins]

Yet, Here We Are is a fantastic story, I loved it. The characters are interesting and complex. I like how information about food coops was weaved throughout the story. The plot was intriguing and kept me going until the very end. What a great story!

[Vanessa Ivelisse]

This book follows a woman named Elizabeth and her daughters between 2 timelines. Although the story is interesting, I can't give it 5 starts because it had a slow start, and I had a hard time finishing this book.
The story switches between timelines by chapter, which I felt that at times it made me lose my interest because as soon as I was getting into one timeline, it switched to another with no seemingly obvious connection.
On a positive note, the author has a very poetic way of writing and a unique perspective. I hope to read her future writings in a book that feel a little more cohesive.

Overall, it was a great book club discussion book.

[Wendy]

Not a fan of alternating timelines. The co-op storyline seemed totally disconnected from the main storyline, and I didn’t really understand its purpose.
I did enjoy the storyline of Betty & Stephen which kept me going to finish the book, but was totally disappointed in the ending. 2.5⭐️

[Kathy Ballman]

I totally hated the parts about the co-ops but at the end they make sense. A young couple who own a farm in Iowa have 2 daughters. She miscarried a son and has post-partum depression goes on a solo trip to Chicago. She meets a man and falls in love but they are both in a boating accident and he is believed to be dead. For 24 years she believes this until a “friend” of his tells her he survived but his whereabouts are not known. Meanwhile her husband has an accident while spraying DDT on his crops. He survives with scars both physical and mental. He becomes depressed and his wife realizes he drove his tractor into a ditch where it overturned on him killing him. It’s a lot to take in and it will stay with me for a long time. Tragic lives lost…