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Kinder am Ende der Straße
Chronicles the lives and fortunes of two extraordinary black women--Baby and her daughter, Nanda--as they struggle to make places for themselves in the South, from the Depression to the era of the civil rights movement. By the author of The Keepers of the House. Tour.
336 pages, Paperback
First published July 19, 1994
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547 people want to read
About the author
Shirley Ann Grau
35 books108 followersShirley Ann Grau (b. 1929) is a Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist of nine novels and short story collections, whose work is set primarily in her native South. Grau was raised in Alabama and Louisiana, and many of her novels document the broad social changes of the Deep South during the twentieth century, particularly as they affected African Americans. Grau’s first novel, The Hard Blue Sky (1958), about the descendants of European pioneers living on an island off the coast of Louisiana, established her as a master of vivid description, both for characters and locale, a style she maintained throughout her career. Her public profile rose during the civil rights movement, when her dynastic novel Keepers of the House (1964), which dealt with race relations in Alabama, earned her a Pulitzer Prize.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
November 1, 2017
3.75 Stars
The year is 1934 as this story begins, midway between the beginning and the end of the Great Depression, and towns and cities everywhere in the country had people who lost everything, or walked away from what little was left of what they once owned.
”In 1934 this is the way that it was.
“Homeless people were moving in a steady flow across the southern part of the country, back and forth across the surface of the earth, seaweed on a tide that ebbed and rose according to the seasons, following rumors and hopes, propelled from place to place by police and sheriffs and farmers with shotguns, and closed doors and locked gates.”
……
“They were called roadwalkers. Each night they closed their eyes on a day of nothing and opened them in the morning to the exact same thing. There was nothing behind them and nothing ahead of them; they didn’t have a past and they didn’t have a future. Floating, drifting, they clustered together for comfort and safety.”
……
“Her name was Baby. And she was one of those children. She, her brother, and her sister. Roadwalkers, frog spawn. And black.”
They used to have a family with a mother and a father, and three more siblings. Once upon a time, they lived in a house with their grandparents, with a yard with four pecan trees. Then their grandfather died, run over by a car, and the money he brought in as a porter was gone, then, too. Their father was next, leaving for another woman. After Baby was born, and about six months had passed, their mother packed up her things in a sack and was seen no more. Then a fever struck them, and their grandmother died.
Six children left alone, the oldest daughter, Corey, moved in with the man who bought their doors and windows, since he needed a woman. That left five by the time they started on their way: two boys, Buster and Joseph. And Sylvie, Delia and Baby; the three girls.
For the first year, they stayed with their father’s brother, and then Buster took up with the owner of the Sweet Shop. Then Delia had an accident and then there were three. Joseph, Sylvie and Baby left for their Aunt Rosie’s, where they stayed for a couple of years, until one day when they were left behind mid-way on a drive when two of them had to go into the woods for relief, and when they returned, their bundled up worldly possessions were there, next to Baby. Joseph, Sylvie and Baby, on their own. Again. And yet, Baby learned to measure time by darkness and light, by the signs of the seasons.
”That was the way she reckoned. Not by days, nor hours. Time did not lead one day to the next. Her days were like a hoard of bright colored beads, their connecting thread broken, lying loose, single, jumbled.
“She grew still older. And she learned how to live.”
My parents rarely talked about those years, the Great Depression, but they were both very young when the Depression began. My mother’s father had owned a small “chain” of several pharmacies and I believe lost all but three during that time. One of the very few stories I know about my mother’s family was that her Aunt Lil used to mark her fence so that those “in need” would know they were welcome to eat there.
Shirley Ann Grau, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for her 1964 novel “The Keepers of the House” is known for her stories which are set, primarily, in the Deep South, which deal with race and gender. This was the first book of hers that I’ve read, and I knew nothing about her, until I read a review of this book by my goodreads friend Diane, who won me over with the words “There is something so addicting about Grau's writing, her prose is wonderful and the story flows very easily.”
I can’t really think of a better way to say how I felt about this story, except - despite some flaws - I really had to know how this story ended, and I was enjoying the journey to get there, and, yes, Grau’s writing is addicting, her prose is wonderful, and the story flows beautifully.
Thank you, Diane!
Diane’s review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
April 30, 2014
3.5 It is the year 1934 , the depression just a few years in the past, many people have lost everything, some walked away from farms they could no longer keep. These people were called the Roadwalkers, often coming from the deep south hoping to get to the more prosperous North, others just walk trying to find new lives. Baby and her sister and brother join this group after they are left parentless and homeless. So begins the story of Baby.
There is something so addicting about Grau's writing, her prose is wonderful and the story flows very easily. There are holes in this story, but while reading I became so involved in her wonderful story telling ability that wasn't until after that I spotted a few things I would have liked to be different. The story is about Baby, the men who find her, the nuns who looked after her and later her daughter. I felt a remove from the characters in this one, but her characterizations are so great that this did not lessen my enjoyment of this story. While I can't say that I really liked these characters, I can say that I admired them. Baby came from nothing and built herself and a business into a very successful something.
I sometimes think that if an author can really write, they can make almost anything interesting. This author can write.
There is something so addicting about Grau's writing, her prose is wonderful and the story flows very easily. There are holes in this story, but while reading I became so involved in her wonderful story telling ability that wasn't until after that I spotted a few things I would have liked to be different. The story is about Baby, the men who find her, the nuns who looked after her and later her daughter. I felt a remove from the characters in this one, but her characterizations are so great that this did not lessen my enjoyment of this story. While I can't say that I really liked these characters, I can say that I admired them. Baby came from nothing and built herself and a business into a very successful something.
I sometimes think that if an author can really write, they can make almost anything interesting. This author can write.
August 10, 2016
This is the story of a mother (called Baby, later Mary) and then her daughter Nanda; and, unfortunately, it reads like two different books instead of one seamless work.
While I absolutely loved the first 'book,' I was rather disappointed with the second part. Perhaps that's because I think more of the first character (and the man whose subplot intersects briefly with hers) would've been perfect -- she and her story (and his) were so interesting, so compelling, so unique, as were all the characters in the first part of the book. We don't get any of that in the second half.
One scene in particular in the first half I know will stay with me -- it broke my heart and made me smile at the same time.
While I absolutely loved the first 'book,' I was rather disappointed with the second part. Perhaps that's because I think more of the first character (and the man whose subplot intersects briefly with hers) would've been perfect -- she and her story (and his) were so interesting, so compelling, so unique, as were all the characters in the first part of the book. We don't get any of that in the second half.
One scene in particular in the first half I know will stay with me -- it broke my heart and made me smile at the same time.
February 20, 2016
On completion:
Although I gave the author's The Hard Blue Sky five stars and her Pulitzer Prize winner The Keepers of the House four stars, this one disappointed me. My reaction is simply that the book was just OK, thus only two stars. Almost the whole first half is a review of numerous characters (several generations of families that really are not the main focus of the book) and historical events (Civil War, Reconstruction, WW1 and the Depression). Lead events are simply dropped, never to be mentioned again. It covers too much and thus lacks depth. We are told rather than shown. This portion has little dialog.
The latter half is about the daughter of one of the original "roadwalkers" introduced at the very beginning. As explained below, "roadwalkers" is the term used for the homeless wandering the South during the Great Depression. This portion about the daughter focuses upon being African American in the South, about being a teenager, about being "the girl who integrated" her school. There are some great lines in this section. It is a coming of age story AND focuses on one woman's path toward feeling comfortable with her black identity. BUT, it covers her entire life up to modern times....
This is not a long book. If you add two and two together it is obvious that you cannot in a short novel also achieve depth. A few sections zoom in on a short time period, and here the writing is at its best. I loved her time as a young adult. What sass! Some of her remarks about her parents are priceless. The dialogs are great too. BUT this section ends too, and falls back on breezing over many topics. It covers modern liberal views on drugs and sexuality. It covers modern views on black identity and equality of the sexes. Black identity is covered with deep perception...in parts.
The author, when she focuses on smaller events, really has a wonderful way with words! She describes clothes, gosh they are gorgeous. She conjures them in front of your eyes. She describes traditional Southern Christmas traditions, so you really wish you could be there too. The mother is a talented artist, and the author paints her creations with words. Beautiful! And dialogs are fantastic. Also, the coming of age section shows real insight and understanding of what kids go through.
I really enjoyed the narration by Karen Chilton. The smart aleck teenager and then the suave adult she later becomes are perfectly executed. The final section is told from the first person point of view; the words and the intonation are perfectly matched.
In one sentence, the book tries to cover too much and thus lacks depth, but it is good when it focuses and it does have some great lines.
*******************************
After chapter two:
YES, the tone does change - by the end of chapter two, but they are long chapters. So be patient! Now I am enjoying the book. By the end of chapter two the book begins to focus. From the Civil War and WW1 and all the details about family relations you finally get to the 1930s. Things start happening! Descriptions of places are always excellent, but I needed some dialog, some excitement, some action, and now all this is delivered. Race and the power of money are, as usual, central themes - and the "roadwalkers", that is the homeless wandering the South during the Depression. What happens in this chapter I did correctly guess, but I am not telling YOU!
**************************
After two and one half hours of listening (of a total 10 hours):
What a shock. The tone of this book is so different from the last I read by the author: The Condor Passes! No one can accuse the author of repeating herself. This reads like Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books! Large time periods are rapidly covered - from the Civil War and Reconstruction through to WW1 and then the Depression. All very cutely presented. No depth. I am not saying it is bad, just maybe not for me. This reads like a delightful child's book.
Will the tone change?
Although I gave the author's The Hard Blue Sky five stars and her Pulitzer Prize winner The Keepers of the House four stars, this one disappointed me. My reaction is simply that the book was just OK, thus only two stars. Almost the whole first half is a review of numerous characters (several generations of families that really are not the main focus of the book) and historical events (Civil War, Reconstruction, WW1 and the Depression). Lead events are simply dropped, never to be mentioned again. It covers too much and thus lacks depth. We are told rather than shown. This portion has little dialog.
The latter half is about the daughter of one of the original "roadwalkers" introduced at the very beginning. As explained below, "roadwalkers" is the term used for the homeless wandering the South during the Great Depression. This portion about the daughter focuses upon being African American in the South, about being a teenager, about being "the girl who integrated" her school. There are some great lines in this section. It is a coming of age story AND focuses on one woman's path toward feeling comfortable with her black identity. BUT, it covers her entire life up to modern times....
This is not a long book. If you add two and two together it is obvious that you cannot in a short novel also achieve depth. A few sections zoom in on a short time period, and here the writing is at its best. I loved her time as a young adult. What sass! Some of her remarks about her parents are priceless. The dialogs are great too. BUT this section ends too, and falls back on breezing over many topics. It covers modern liberal views on drugs and sexuality. It covers modern views on black identity and equality of the sexes. Black identity is covered with deep perception...in parts.
The author, when she focuses on smaller events, really has a wonderful way with words! She describes clothes, gosh they are gorgeous. She conjures them in front of your eyes. She describes traditional Southern Christmas traditions, so you really wish you could be there too. The mother is a talented artist, and the author paints her creations with words. Beautiful! And dialogs are fantastic. Also, the coming of age section shows real insight and understanding of what kids go through.
I really enjoyed the narration by Karen Chilton. The smart aleck teenager and then the suave adult she later becomes are perfectly executed. The final section is told from the first person point of view; the words and the intonation are perfectly matched.
In one sentence, the book tries to cover too much and thus lacks depth, but it is good when it focuses and it does have some great lines.
*******************************
After chapter two:
YES, the tone does change - by the end of chapter two, but they are long chapters. So be patient! Now I am enjoying the book. By the end of chapter two the book begins to focus. From the Civil War and WW1 and all the details about family relations you finally get to the 1930s. Things start happening! Descriptions of places are always excellent, but I needed some dialog, some excitement, some action, and now all this is delivered. Race and the power of money are, as usual, central themes - and the "roadwalkers", that is the homeless wandering the South during the Depression. What happens in this chapter I did correctly guess, but I am not telling YOU!
**************************
After two and one half hours of listening (of a total 10 hours):
What a shock. The tone of this book is so different from the last I read by the author: The Condor Passes! No one can accuse the author of repeating herself. This reads like Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books! Large time periods are rapidly covered - from the Civil War and Reconstruction through to WW1 and then the Depression. All very cutely presented. No depth. I am not saying it is bad, just maybe not for me. This reads like a delightful child's book.
Will the tone change?
March 7, 2021
This is the story of a mother (called Baby, later Mary) and then her daughter Nanda; and, unfortunately, it reads like two different books instead of one.
I was ready to give this 5 stars until I got to PART 2. Baby's story was so compelling and interesting that The second half was completely disconnected from the first half. It's almost as if it was written by a different author. The tone and style bear no relationship to the first story, which could stand alone as a novella.
And then we were thrown into Nanda's story.. I wanted to know more about Baby/Mary Woods.
Excellent writing, poor story telling. No discernible plot. Just a series of events shaped around characters who, when you finally feel like you are getting to know them, are pushed to the side
I was ready to give this 5 stars until I got to PART 2. Baby's story was so compelling and interesting that The second half was completely disconnected from the first half. It's almost as if it was written by a different author. The tone and style bear no relationship to the first story, which could stand alone as a novella.
And then we were thrown into Nanda's story.. I wanted to know more about Baby/Mary Woods.
Excellent writing, poor story telling. No discernible plot. Just a series of events shaped around characters who, when you finally feel like you are getting to know them, are pushed to the side
June 15, 2017
This is the extremely well written story of children abandoned by their parents to roam the rural roads during the great depression. It is a story of adventure and survival. And to say more would give away the plot.
There is no bad spelling or editing to distract and indeed, I stayed awake far too late on several nights in order to read just one more page.
There is no bad spelling or editing to distract and indeed, I stayed awake far too late on several nights in order to read just one more page.
October 5, 2015
This is a beautifully-written book, and for the first half of it I believed I was going to give it five stars, however the promise of a story just around-the-corner never was fulfilled. There is virtually no plot. It's just a cluster of character profiles that were put there for no obvious purpose. Actually quite maddening. Okay so I've got this guy down: I know all about his personality, background, motivations, daily routine, dreams—WOOoosh! There he goes! Never to be seen again. Here comes another character...
October 30, 2021
I don’t understand how the beginning and the end were the same book.
August 27, 2019
See the review by Teresa, very much how a feel. Halfway through, I thought it was one of the best books I have read in years. 2/3 through, it fell flat, leaving unresolved stories, several interesting characters disappeared, and almost fairytale endings were employed. The section set in a fictional Clark County, can possibly and should be read as a stand-alone short story.
June 17, 2022
I'd have to agree with other reviews- there are two separate novels here, marginally connected. I did, however, find the writing excellent and quite readable, and the stories compelling in their own right.
July 29, 2017
A very unusual book.
August 6, 2018
The first 40 pages were beautifully and hauntingly written. I was immediately invested in the characters and the story. Unfortunately, the rest of the book felt disconnected and fell flat for me.
September 18, 2018
very nice reread (1st read was in 1998), not breath-taking, surely not the best i ever read, but good enough for 4 stars.
October 17, 2018
its an okay easy read with lots happening with very little details. You really have to utilize your imagination.
January 27, 2019
Interesting story but I did not like the flow.
October 27, 2020
Beautiful language, but I could not follow the story.
May 29, 2021
Amazingly evocative and atmospheric.
December 16, 2023
The first part was terrific. The second not so much and a big disappointment after the glorious first part.
March 6, 2025
Makes me want to go outside and see the big world and forget and abandon
December 19, 2025
3.5 -> some things were awesome, i wanted more of others etc etc!
August 10, 2024
This book really appealed to me about the depression era through to adult hood. It kept me involved and interested. I could picture the characters and feel their lives
February 18, 2021
Strong, nuanced portraying racism.
March 3, 2022
Beautifully written, with finely drawn characters, this book left me wondering exactly what its point was: the story of a young black girl abandoned and alone who grows up into a successful fashion designer and whose daughter finds affluence and a successful life in a Southern city. Grau is known for her sympathies with the civil rights movement, but does this "rags to riches" story suggest that any impoverished poor soul can find happiness in America by working hard? If so, it's politically naive. But I enjoyed the novel.
September 24, 2016
This book is... Odd. For lack of a better word.
Like the author was observing a woman then her daughter from afar. Spying on them. Writing down their actions without actually ever speaking to them.
It started off with promise. I find the premise interesting and would like to find out more about real life "Roadwalkers" during the depression. If they existed.
There are two narratives. The first half belongs to "Baby". The second half to her daughter Nanda.
Baby and her six siblings start off with two parents. Living in a house. Their father disappears after killing his mistress. Their mother disappears. The number of siblings dwindles until it's down to two. Baby and her brother Joseph. Roaming the countryside.
When her brother starts making trouble, Baby is left alone. She's found and, eventually comes to lives with other orphaned children with nuns as her guardians. She is renamed Mary.
I had more questions after the book was done.
We learn Baby survived by selling herself. Her passion for drawing led to a lucrative career in design. But what happened post orphanage? Why was Charles introduced at all? He certainly didn't play a large role. It was pivotal. But, no need to learn his background for it.
I'm assuming her daughter lacked feelings because Baby did? Even though it seemed like Baby cared for her daughter when she was young. As she grew older it was different. Was it because she saw how readily her family left her growing up? Between the two women, they never displayed emotion. Detached.
That time period was very tumultuous in terms of race relations. Segregation ended in 1964. How did Nanda and Tom just hang out? Her being readily accepted to his family gatherings?
There's more. But I'll leave it at that.
Like the author was observing a woman then her daughter from afar. Spying on them. Writing down their actions without actually ever speaking to them.
It started off with promise. I find the premise interesting and would like to find out more about real life "Roadwalkers" during the depression. If they existed.
There are two narratives. The first half belongs to "Baby". The second half to her daughter Nanda.
Baby and her six siblings start off with two parents. Living in a house. Their father disappears after killing his mistress. Their mother disappears. The number of siblings dwindles until it's down to two. Baby and her brother Joseph. Roaming the countryside.
When her brother starts making trouble, Baby is left alone. She's found and, eventually comes to lives with other orphaned children with nuns as her guardians. She is renamed Mary.
I had more questions after the book was done.
We learn Baby survived by selling herself. Her passion for drawing led to a lucrative career in design. But what happened post orphanage? Why was Charles introduced at all? He certainly didn't play a large role. It was pivotal. But, no need to learn his background for it.
I'm assuming her daughter lacked feelings because Baby did? Even though it seemed like Baby cared for her daughter when she was young. As she grew older it was different. Was it because she saw how readily her family left her growing up? Between the two women, they never displayed emotion. Detached.
That time period was very tumultuous in terms of race relations. Segregation ended in 1964. How did Nanda and Tom just hang out? Her being readily accepted to his family gatherings?
There's more. But I'll leave it at that.
July 28, 2023
This was a DNF for me. The first part of the book was spectacular and I flew through it only for the rest of the book to lose my interest.
The journey of the main character through part one was halted and attention was suddenly shifted onto the entire life story of a side character, and then shift back briefly to our main character before being dropped in order to time jump years into the future and focus on the main character's daughter. I couldn't maintain my interest in the book after that.
The journey of the main character through part one was halted and attention was suddenly shifted onto the entire life story of a side character, and then shift back briefly to our main character before being dropped in order to time jump years into the future and focus on the main character's daughter. I couldn't maintain my interest in the book after that.
July 4, 2015
This is the story of an Afro-American mother and daughter homeless in the South during the Great Depression. First is the Mother’s story of being abandoned at a nunnery as a baby. She eventually wins recognition as an artist. Her daughter Nanda’s story continues as Nanda is sent to a private convent school (residence school) where she is the first to integrate the school. Her non-acceptance by the other students is partially because of her own reticence and attitude. The eventual rejoining of the mother and daughter completes the circle.
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April 8, 2020The first half of this book is a compelling read; it is four stars. The second half was completely disconnected from the first half. It's almost as if it was written by a different author. The tone and style bear no relationship to the first story, which could stand alone as a novella. If you average my rating, four stars and one star, you get a rating of two. That rating doesn't do justice to the first half and it is too high for the second.
November 30, 2012
This was a strange book. While it was about the same characters, it was not a linear or coherent story. I think it was well written and kept my interest enough that I needed to finish it. I think, in part, I kept reading because I was waiting for the revelation of what the story was about. I never actually got that.
October 10, 2016
Excellent writing, poor story telling. No discernible plot. Just a series of events shaped around characters who, when you finally feel like you are getting to know them, are pushed to the side to make room for the next character. This felt like it should have been two books. I wanted to know more about Baby/Mary Woods, but suddenly we were thrown into the story of her daughter Nanda.
August 3, 2010
I was disappointed in this story. The reviews I've read have all raved about it, but I never really connected with these characters. There was no *feeling* in them; both girls/women seemed to move through life emotionless. I kept reading to see if it would get better. Unfortunately it did not.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews