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Tennyson
It’s 1932, the Depression. Things are evening out among people everywhere. Tennyson Fontaine and her sister Hattie live in a rickety shack of a house with their mother and father and their wild dog, Jos. There is no school, only a rope swing in the living room and endless games of hide-and-seek in the woods on the banks of the Mississippi. But when their mother disappears and their father sets off to find her, the girls find themselves whisked away to Aigredoux, once one of the grandest houses in Louisiana, and now a vine-covered ruin. Under the care of their austere Aunt Henrietta, who is convinced the girls will save the family’s failing fortunes, Tennyson discovers the truth about Aigredoux, the secrets that have remained locked deep within its decaying walls. Caught in a strange web of time and history, Tennyson comes up with a plan to bring Aigreoux’s past to light. But will it bring her mother home?
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
20 people are currently reading
528 people want to read
About the author
Lesley M.M. Blume
17 books187 followersLesley M. M. Blume is an author, columnist and journalist. She did her undergraduate work at WIlliams College and Oxford University, and took her graduate degree in history from Cambridge University.
She now regularly contributes to Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal and Departures magazine.
She now regularly contributes to Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal and Departures magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 150 reviews
July 18, 2019
This was a good family novel and included a good historical story, but I would have liked to be exposed more to one or both of these things. I felt like it would have been a stronger story if it was longer and covered a larger amount of time.
July 30, 2018
I didn't like this. I thought it started out interestingly enough, but it quickly went downhill. I waited the whole book for it to become actually scary but I didn't find it creepy. I also felt that even though this is a middle grade book, and my expectations of maturity shouldn't have been overly high, it become increasingly MORE juvenile as the book went went on. The ending was terrible. It wasn't an ending at all, merely a cop out. I couldn't believe the author let the book end the way it did, and there is no sequel so that's just it I suppose. I wasn't impressed.
October 5, 2012
The setting of this historical fiction book is on the banks of the Mississippi in1932. The Great Depression is in full swing, but 11 year old Tennyson Fontaine and her little sister, Hattie, are oblivious to this as they spend their evenings with their father, telling stories and reading history books, and their days playing hide-n-seek in the swamp that surrounds their rickety shack which they named Innisfree. They live with their mother and father whom they called by their first names, Sadie and Emery. We get the idea that Sadie didn’t like being a mother; she felt that greater things awaited her. She longed to be a famous writer and often submits her stories to the Sophisticate, a literary magazine, but her characters never seemed to behave properly and she doesn’t get published. Tennyson, who has a natural gift for writing once fixed a story of her mother’s and it upset her; so after that Tennyson was careful to only write stories about little girl things like the adventures of their wild dog. But “once in a while Sadie could see the poetry in raising untamed little girls in a shabby house on stilts in the woods with poems and stories tacked to the walls and a rope swing in the main room and a wild dog named Jos with good manners. (Pg 17-18) but she never wrote stories about her home or her family. Tennyson worked very hard to make sure her mother continued to see the poetry in her life because she feared that the minute her mother no longer saw the poetry she would leave.
One day, after an all day game of hide-n-seek, her mother doesn’t come home so her father leaves the girls in the care of his estranged sister while he goes to search for her. The family home, Aigredoux, was once one of the grandest plantation houses in Louisiana. That was before the Civil War, now it is a vine-covered, decaying, old house surrounded by a “dense grove of ancient looking trees in the middle of sugarcane fields.” Upon seeing the house for the first time Tennyson remarks, “It has no color. Like a mirror or a lake on a cloudy day. She had never seen a colorless house before. Even their dirty little house on stilts at Innisfree had a color. It was brown, like sticks, like kindling being put into a fire.” (pg23)
The time the girls spend with their austere Aunt Henrietta is miserable for them. She is determined to make them into young ladies. She informs them that they will no longer be allowed to read and write because “ There is nothing more unpleasant than a girl who knows too much”. (pg71) Her aunt plans to train them to be proper young ladies and marry them off to a wealth nearby family who would then be obligated to pay for the renovation of Aigredoux.
Their Aunt spends all her time writing letters to the United States Government demanding that they return her families fortune that was stolen during the war. The only thing close to companionship they have is with Zulma, the maid, who is a sharp and no nonsense descendent of the mansions former slaves. Tennyson is given the job of walking to the post office to mail the letters that her aunt writes; that is where she meets the kind and compassionate Zipporah Tweed who helps her.
While Tennyson is in a dream like state, the house begins to reveal its history; she devises a plan that she believes will make her mother return and thus her father and they could all return to Innisfree, their home in the swamp. She secretly writes the stories that the house reveals to her, the stories of grandeur and wealth, the stories of loved ones lost, stories of cruelty and stories of war. She sends these stories to the Sophisticate, because she knew that her mother would read and them. Not only does Tennyson’s stories get published but they become extremely popular. The owner of the magazine sends the colorful, pretentious, New York editor on a “ghastly trip” to Louisiana to find the now famous Mr. Tennyson Fontaine and convince him to finish writing his book. But will her plan work? Are the publications of the stories enough to bring about her mothers return?
I would say that this book is maybe fourth through eight grades.
How to use in the classroom? I would use it when we talk about descriptive writing. Blume’s imagery in the book is fabulous as is her personification of the house; such as in the conversation after her little sister is stung by an entire nest of wasp, Hattie states, “Aigredoux hates us,” Tennyson ponders this and states that “it does and it doesn’t at the same time”. (pg 81) “Aigredoux had flung hateful things in their direction, like wasps and bats and rotten floors that waited in silent glee for little girls to fall through them. It pushed its way into Tennyson’s dreams and made her see funerals and spiders. But there were nicer things too…..”
In French, Aigredoux means bittersweet and the ending of this book is truly bittersweet
One day, after an all day game of hide-n-seek, her mother doesn’t come home so her father leaves the girls in the care of his estranged sister while he goes to search for her. The family home, Aigredoux, was once one of the grandest plantation houses in Louisiana. That was before the Civil War, now it is a vine-covered, decaying, old house surrounded by a “dense grove of ancient looking trees in the middle of sugarcane fields.” Upon seeing the house for the first time Tennyson remarks, “It has no color. Like a mirror or a lake on a cloudy day. She had never seen a colorless house before. Even their dirty little house on stilts at Innisfree had a color. It was brown, like sticks, like kindling being put into a fire.” (pg23)
The time the girls spend with their austere Aunt Henrietta is miserable for them. She is determined to make them into young ladies. She informs them that they will no longer be allowed to read and write because “ There is nothing more unpleasant than a girl who knows too much”. (pg71) Her aunt plans to train them to be proper young ladies and marry them off to a wealth nearby family who would then be obligated to pay for the renovation of Aigredoux.
Their Aunt spends all her time writing letters to the United States Government demanding that they return her families fortune that was stolen during the war. The only thing close to companionship they have is with Zulma, the maid, who is a sharp and no nonsense descendent of the mansions former slaves. Tennyson is given the job of walking to the post office to mail the letters that her aunt writes; that is where she meets the kind and compassionate Zipporah Tweed who helps her.
While Tennyson is in a dream like state, the house begins to reveal its history; she devises a plan that she believes will make her mother return and thus her father and they could all return to Innisfree, their home in the swamp. She secretly writes the stories that the house reveals to her, the stories of grandeur and wealth, the stories of loved ones lost, stories of cruelty and stories of war. She sends these stories to the Sophisticate, because she knew that her mother would read and them. Not only does Tennyson’s stories get published but they become extremely popular. The owner of the magazine sends the colorful, pretentious, New York editor on a “ghastly trip” to Louisiana to find the now famous Mr. Tennyson Fontaine and convince him to finish writing his book. But will her plan work? Are the publications of the stories enough to bring about her mothers return?
I would say that this book is maybe fourth through eight grades.
How to use in the classroom? I would use it when we talk about descriptive writing. Blume’s imagery in the book is fabulous as is her personification of the house; such as in the conversation after her little sister is stung by an entire nest of wasp, Hattie states, “Aigredoux hates us,” Tennyson ponders this and states that “it does and it doesn’t at the same time”. (pg 81) “Aigredoux had flung hateful things in their direction, like wasps and bats and rotten floors that waited in silent glee for little girls to fall through them. It pushed its way into Tennyson’s dreams and made her see funerals and spiders. But there were nicer things too…..”
In French, Aigredoux means bittersweet and the ending of this book is truly bittersweet
January 29, 2008
Another book I nearly abandoned, but thanks to Miss Erin's review, I stuck it out.
If a fleeting glance at the flap copy has led you to believe this is a tale of a plucky girl helping her family brave the Great Depression, think again. This is in fact a very strange book, of the sort that seems to cast an otherworldly spell over you as you read. Yet it's precisely the disquieting combination of real and unreal that compells you to keep the pages turning.
With its decrepit old house, bright but mildly savage characters, and cache of family secrets, the story itself strikes me as something like a younger cousin of The
Thirteenth Tale . Come to think of it, there's even a flavor of Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte in its decayed southern setting.
The conclusion didn't have quite enough concrete resolution for my taste, but I'm glad I stuck it out nonetheless. In the end, you sort of creep out from under this story and find yourself surprised to find the everyday world around you.
If you find yourself getting bogged down, just remember, "Gothic, gothic, gothic." No matter what you
think of it, Tennyson is a book that will stick with you, rather like cobwebs...
If a fleeting glance at the flap copy has led you to believe this is a tale of a plucky girl helping her family brave the Great Depression, think again. This is in fact a very strange book, of the sort that seems to cast an otherworldly spell over you as you read. Yet it's precisely the disquieting combination of real and unreal that compells you to keep the pages turning.
With its decrepit old house, bright but mildly savage characters, and cache of family secrets, the story itself strikes me as something like a younger cousin of The
Thirteenth Tale . Come to think of it, there's even a flavor of Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte in its decayed southern setting.
The conclusion didn't have quite enough concrete resolution for my taste, but I'm glad I stuck it out nonetheless. In the end, you sort of creep out from under this story and find yourself surprised to find the everyday world around you.
If you find yourself getting bogged down, just remember, "Gothic, gothic, gothic." No matter what you
think of it, Tennyson is a book that will stick with you, rather like cobwebs...
October 5, 2023
I picked up this book at a yard sale based on the cover. I found it very interesting and would have loved it when I was younger. A story set in the South during the Depression centered around family.
May 5, 2024
Spooky little book about a young girl (Tennyson) and her sister who have to stay with relatives in an old Louisiana plantation house. This was a creative story going back and forth between 1932 and 1865. Tennyson sees ghosts/flashbacks of the ruined plantation. The ghosts of her ancestors, and the people they enslaved, show Tennyson how the mansion used to be and what led it to its dilapidated condition.
February 16, 2014
RL 760.I enjoyed the premise of this book. Tennyson, named after her starving artist mother's favorite poet-- is dropped off at her ancestral home in Louisiana. The house is falling apart, a symbol of how the family is falling apart and how the reputation of Tennyson's relatives has been in the toilet since the Civil War.
SPOILER ALERT***
While staying with her old, uppity aunt-- she dreamwalks and sees the events that led to today's reality. She writes about them and submits her stories to a literary magazine, hoping to find her mother.
Loved it. And then it all fell apart at the end. I wanted more stories of Tennyson's ancestors. I wanted her father to come back or something. Instead, she's there with the editor of the literary magazine, whom she tells she will not continue writing the story until she is done being reunited with her father. Her mother is never returning. The point of her writing is gone. I DON'T GET IT. Very disappointing.
SPOILER ALERT***
While staying with her old, uppity aunt-- she dreamwalks and sees the events that led to today's reality. She writes about them and submits her stories to a literary magazine, hoping to find her mother.
Loved it. And then it all fell apart at the end. I wanted more stories of Tennyson's ancestors. I wanted her father to come back or something. Instead, she's there with the editor of the literary magazine, whom she tells she will not continue writing the story until she is done being reunited with her father. Her mother is never returning. The point of her writing is gone. I DON'T GET IT. Very disappointing.
June 13, 2008
I wasn't very interested in picking up this book-- the title and cover did nothing for me. There was no dust jacket to draw me in further. It waited on my nightstand for quite some time. Was it Gothic something-or-other? A ghost story? Meh.
It didn't take too much reading, however, to be thoroughly enveloped by the eerie mood in this novel. I loved the bohemian unschooling feel of Inisfree-- which was almost immediately dashed by tragedy. The sisters had each other if they had nothing else.
Tennyson's dreams and the almost visceral feel of Aigredoux were the real charm of the novel for me, though. The bitter hopelessness of the situation came through in her calmness, her oldness. The sense of history felt totally palpable.
It didn't take too much reading, however, to be thoroughly enveloped by the eerie mood in this novel. I loved the bohemian unschooling feel of Inisfree-- which was almost immediately dashed by tragedy. The sisters had each other if they had nothing else.
Tennyson's dreams and the almost visceral feel of Aigredoux were the real charm of the novel for me, though. The bitter hopelessness of the situation came through in her calmness, her oldness. The sense of history felt totally palpable.
September 8, 2008
This Southern gothic tale set during the Depression is filled with interesting characters and a credible plot. I really liked the story until the end, which came all too quickly and without any resolution. If I thought there would be a sequel then it would be okay, but as it was I was left with too many questions. I had a feeling that something more needed to be said and it wasn't. So ultimately it was an unsatisfying read, which is a shame because it had so much promise!
March 27, 2010
It's kind of hard to describe this book. Tennyson's mother leaves her family and Tennyson and her sister are dropped at the family "home" while her father searches for her mother. The book claims there is a "deep terrifying secret" but it's more of history of slavery and the consequences of it. While I enjoyed the story, it didn't live up to its potential.
November 22, 2009
I was irritated with the ending, mostly because it still has like 20 pages of useless appendices.
March 9, 2010
Southern gothic can be written with a delicate touch that is in fact much more painfully felt deep down and still vibrates when I think about this book . . . though I might be a midwesterner.
November 1, 2010
This book could have been so good. The writer set the story up to be so strong and powerful and then failed in so many ways. Too bad.
March 7, 2016
This creeped me out when I read it. The ending was just so sad. I felt so angry for Tennyson. And yeah this was spooky. I thought it was good.
January 17, 2016
What a selfish Mom! Honestly, the only thing that's wrong with this book is Sadie!
March 30, 2020
I found this book at a library $1 book sale. What caught me was the cover and title combo. I assume that the girl on the cover was Tennyson. And I thought to myself, I kind of like that for a girl’s name now, even if Justin doesn’t at all. But, look at that cover! Doesn’t it just pull you in?!?
The book takes place during the 1930’s. Eleven year old Tennyson and her eight year old sister, Hattie, live in a bayou on the border of Mississippi and Louisiana with their dad and their mom who yearns to be a famous writer. In the first two pages, the family realizes their mom has disappeared. So, dad leaves the girls with his old-Southern-plantation-old-money family while he searches for his wife. His sister still lives in the decrepit plantation house on the edge of the Mississippi. Tennyson uses the dreams she begins to have of the tragic family past during the Civil War to write a story to grab her mom’s attention to return.
I loved the book, the character of Tennyson, the ghost dreams, the secrecy, even the reason her mom left–which I would never ever do! But, there were two things I didn’t like. The first was the publisher–his character was a little ridiculous and bordered on the dime-comedic. It didn’t fit in the more Southern Gothic novel. The second was the end–it just seemed to cut off, the story half-unfinished. I get the point why the author decided to do that, to kind of reflect on Tennyson’s story that she decided not to finish, but I still didn’t like it. It seemed almost to have no resolution.
April 30, 2025
Sometimes the Mississippi lets the little girls at the bottom go after all.
This book is a little whimsical, a little gothic, and a little bit a of a book I would have been obsessed with between the ages of 9 and 11. Blume writes a bizarrely dreamlike southern gothic about the dark secrets of the South for tweens. That being said, while the writing itself was beautiful, the plot was bizarre - bordering on comical at times. Does it handle its subject matter very well? Perhaps not. However it’s a good, 2000s introduction for kids into some heavier themes mixed with a little magic and spookiness.
"Time does sort of follow its own rules down here, doesn't it," he said. "But that's what makes it so interesting to watch.”
This book is a little whimsical, a little gothic, and a little bit a of a book I would have been obsessed with between the ages of 9 and 11. Blume writes a bizarrely dreamlike southern gothic about the dark secrets of the South for tweens. That being said, while the writing itself was beautiful, the plot was bizarre - bordering on comical at times. Does it handle its subject matter very well? Perhaps not. However it’s a good, 2000s introduction for kids into some heavier themes mixed with a little magic and spookiness.
"Time does sort of follow its own rules down here, doesn't it," he said. "But that's what makes it so interesting to watch.”
July 15, 2017
"That’s what the Mississippi does. It tempts you in, and then it catches you. It loves you and doesn’t want to let you go. So it pulls you down to the bottom and keeps you there."
Like the Mississippi River, this book tempts you in, and then catches you.
Some of the passages were poignantly beautiful, unpretentious, and rang true to life for this New Orleans girl.
Other parts (ie, the New York editor) reminded me of a caricature. . . Not in a poorly written way, but seemingly written with that intention.
The ending was not completely satisfying. I'm not sure why not. I almost felt as if something was missing.
Still, so worth the read.
Like the Mississippi River, this book tempts you in, and then catches you.
Some of the passages were poignantly beautiful, unpretentious, and rang true to life for this New Orleans girl.
Other parts (ie, the New York editor) reminded me of a caricature. . . Not in a poorly written way, but seemingly written with that intention.
The ending was not completely satisfying. I'm not sure why not. I almost felt as if something was missing.
Still, so worth the read.
May 24, 2021
I first read this book as a child and it has stuck with me for over a decade. I enjoyed the blend of past and present. Most of all, I love how the author isn't afraid to write a middle-grade book that tackles tough subjects head-on, with surprising frankness: Not all parents are good parents - some are selfish, and we can't change that - and not all stories end the way we want them to. In all, a beautiful, haunting book that I am eager to return to as an adult.
August 9, 2021
I enjoyed this story very much; the writing and the plot were good. I especially liked the open-ended ending. Sometimes, however, the writing was a bit schizophrenic--vacillating between comedic and tragic, but not in a conventional, dark-humor kind of way. There were also moments of magic that kind of petered out without any follow-through (e.g., the vines that started receding from the window, but nothing else like that happened).
February 25, 2019
Amazing writing and intoxicating plot! Unfortunately, the ending was abrupt & as a reader you are left with so many unanswered questions. Would have liked to at least have more closure to a very dramatic story.
October 6, 2020
Not just a Children's book. This is literature. Absolutely brilliant writing and a powerful plot. I've read this book 3 times since it was published. Perfect vision of the Old South. I don't give many books 5 stars but this one definitely deserves it. Highly recommended.
March 6, 2020
This book has so much promise and so much left unsaid. It would have been a 5-star book if the story and the history had been more fully developed.
August 2, 2020
Such a good book!!! I loved it!!!
August 13, 2020
I read this as a kid and it's a banging book.
March 30, 2021
Suspenseful
April 23, 2023
childhood reread
as beautifully atmospheric and haunting as i remember, but there was a lack of actual story that i craved
as beautifully atmospheric and haunting as i remember, but there was a lack of actual story that i craved
June 4, 2025
I loved the book. I remember reading this when I was in highschool, but it's been awhile so I might read it again. just to refresh my memorie.
June 5, 2024
Kinda weird but I liked it. Reminded me of something I would have been assigned to read in a grade school English class. First time in a long time I've read anything that takes place in Louisiana/the bayou which was unique.
October 7, 2016
I chose this novel to read as I had a copy of one of Lesley M.M.Blume's in my library. I was pleasantly surprised at the high literary quality of this read. Older middle school girls will enjoy this read. The book has elements of the surreal yet can be seen as an interesting insight into the southern culture and its history.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 150 reviews