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Back of the Yard
Set during the Depression in the South Chicago neighborhood of Sinclair's The Jungle, Betty O'Leary's family struggles to scrape by in this harsh, foul-smelling, yet compassionate area. The youngest in her Irish Catholic family, Betty is overshadowed by her pretty sister, Maureen, and when tragedy threatens to shatter her world, Betty is sent away to stay with relatives.
As grief and loss take its toll on family members, Betty eventually meets Phil, who offers hope for long-awaited happiness. But secrets begin to unravel, and depression gradually descends on Betty. Is a family history of asylums and madness the cause? And unlike her disturbed mother, will Betty ever find peace and fulfillment?
The story gives voice to those struggling with emotional pain and shows how families can heal with love, courage, and promise. It tells of a unique neighborhood reflecting America's cultural changes and how one's childhood is forever present.
As grief and loss take its toll on family members, Betty eventually meets Phil, who offers hope for long-awaited happiness. But secrets begin to unravel, and depression gradually descends on Betty. Is a family history of asylums and madness the cause? And unlike her disturbed mother, will Betty ever find peace and fulfillment?
The story gives voice to those struggling with emotional pain and shows how families can heal with love, courage, and promise. It tells of a unique neighborhood reflecting America's cultural changes and how one's childhood is forever present.
235 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 3, 2021
565 people are currently reading
539 people want to read
About the author
Meg Lelvis
8 books70 followersMeg Lelvis grew up in northern Minnesota and taught English and psychology in Houston and Dallas. Her fiction and poetry have won awards from Houston Writers Guild and Houston Writers House. Her first novel, Bailey's Law, won the 2017 Maxy Award for best mystery. Her short story featuring Bailey's Law character, Jack Bailey, was published in Houston Writers Guild mystery anthology, Waves of Suspense. Meg's second Bailey novel, Blind Eye, was released in April, 2018. It won Maxy Award's runner-up for best mystery in 2018.
Her third novel, A Letter from Munich, was released in April, 2020. Thisl also features previous protagonist, Jack Bailey. Book four, Back of the Yard, is due for release in June, 2021.
Her third novel, A Letter from Munich, was released in April, 2020. Thisl also features previous protagonist, Jack Bailey. Book four, Back of the Yard, is due for release in June, 2021.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
February 25, 2023
This book read like a memoir. I don’t usually like memoirs. It was very factual and non-descriptive. I didn’t feel any connection to the characters. And the tragedy that apparently made the mom, Betty, and Dennis become depressive was barely described in detail that I didn’t even realize anything had happened till they kept bringing it up. I would’ve liked to have had more about when the “shadows” visited Betty so I could’ve felt some kind of emotion from this book (other than longing boredom).
March 2, 2022
stuffed emotions
Those of us in a certain age group were taught to stuff bad experiences, sorrows, and problems and move on. This is a story of a family that just that. It is also a reminder that stuffing things allows them to fester and rot. From the inside, rot works its way out. One event caused the O’Leary family to rot, one member at a time. The symptoms varied, but it was still rot. Only when brought into the open did healing begin.
Back of the Yard is heartbreaking but well worth reading. It’s very well written. There’s also some exceptional figurative language in it.
Those of us in a certain age group were taught to stuff bad experiences, sorrows, and problems and move on. This is a story of a family that just that. It is also a reminder that stuffing things allows them to fester and rot. From the inside, rot works its way out. One event caused the O’Leary family to rot, one member at a time. The symptoms varied, but it was still rot. Only when brought into the open did healing begin.
Back of the Yard is heartbreaking but well worth reading. It’s very well written. There’s also some exceptional figurative language in it.
February 6, 2022
While the beginning of this book—Back of the Yard: A Great Depression Family Saga—was period piece about the Great Depression and was fast-paced, exciting, and really good; the second half was about clinical depression. The second half of the book read more like a journal or a memoir.
November 28, 2023
First time I’ve read this Author, but impressed with her writing. The story is so familiar with depression era and the stigma of mental health issues. The emotions were so well described. Now, was it depressing, absolutely, but with a point to convey.
December 15, 2022
Great Depression Novel !
Excellent novel starts in the 30's & continues thru the 80's.
It's mostly about one poor family,who lived by the Chicago Stock yards, They called it "Back of the Yard."
A tragedy takes place early in the book,which affects the whole family for more than 20 yrs. Most of them,just cannot move past it.
The children grow up, marry ,& have children of their own & the daughters seem to have good lives,but the brother has severe issues & nobody wants to talk about it.
This is a very long book,which I love ! and if you like learning more about the Depression Era, & how families survived, you will thoroughly enjoy this novel.,
Excellent novel starts in the 30's & continues thru the 80's.
It's mostly about one poor family,who lived by the Chicago Stock yards, They called it "Back of the Yard."
A tragedy takes place early in the book,which affects the whole family for more than 20 yrs. Most of them,just cannot move past it.
The children grow up, marry ,& have children of their own & the daughters seem to have good lives,but the brother has severe issues & nobody wants to talk about it.
This is a very long book,which I love ! and if you like learning more about the Depression Era, & how families survived, you will thoroughly enjoy this novel.,
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2022
Back of The Yard
/ Depression Years / 1929 - 1939
Based on true stories in the depression years in the USA. In south side Chicago many new immigrant families worked at the feed lots and cattle yards. They survived from day to day.
This had an effect on the entire family, from each generation. Some of the children had folks who tried to protect them and help, but it wasn’t for long enough, and consequently they suffered.
The families were so busy trying to survive they didn’t realize what effect it had on their families and they suffered of severe mental anguish. Children were not supervised as well as they could have been, and eventually the problems of the adults were passed down to the children.
This lifestyle perpetuated with some of the children, which caused them to question their families and lives even when they were adults. With their brief moments of success and love in the back if their minds, they reminded themselves that good things might not last.
This is a tragic and painful story. With the depression and right after it the 2nd World War, a lot of these folks were forgotten and not dealt with. Such a tragic and sad life for so many, especially those who had psychological issues. Basically all of the families who immigrated hoped for a better life. The poverty that the families grew up with, in the depression, caused many severe suffering and devastating feelings of inadequacy. This is astonishing storyline that is hard to forget.
/ Depression Years / 1929 - 1939
Based on true stories in the depression years in the USA. In south side Chicago many new immigrant families worked at the feed lots and cattle yards. They survived from day to day.
This had an effect on the entire family, from each generation. Some of the children had folks who tried to protect them and help, but it wasn’t for long enough, and consequently they suffered.
The families were so busy trying to survive they didn’t realize what effect it had on their families and they suffered of severe mental anguish. Children were not supervised as well as they could have been, and eventually the problems of the adults were passed down to the children.
This lifestyle perpetuated with some of the children, which caused them to question their families and lives even when they were adults. With their brief moments of success and love in the back if their minds, they reminded themselves that good things might not last.
This is a tragic and painful story. With the depression and right after it the 2nd World War, a lot of these folks were forgotten and not dealt with. Such a tragic and sad life for so many, especially those who had psychological issues. Basically all of the families who immigrated hoped for a better life. The poverty that the families grew up with, in the depression, caused many severe suffering and devastating feelings of inadequacy. This is astonishing storyline that is hard to forget.
September 8, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The story kept me engaged and interested throughout. The characters felt real, the emotions they felt were valid and the storylines authentic and engrossing. As Betty grows up in a Depression-era South Chicago neighborhood, she struggles to understand a family tragedy and the fallout that occurs. Sent away to live with relatives, Betty believes her mother must not want her and that feeling persists throughout Betty’s life. Betty, despite having a loving husband and children, begins to struggle with depression and begins her journey to find help. Betty’s mother’s depression and struggles to find appropriate treatment have influenced Betty’s childhood and adulthood. She longs for understanding and compassion from her mother. She longs to understand the illness ravaging her mother as she battles her demons. This was such a powerful story of loss and love. Of the influence of mental illness on all the members of a family and how that family learns to cope, often in dysfunctional ways. Highly recommended!
July 8, 2022
This is a story of a family, as told by the youngest daughter, set in the time of the great depression. This family lived near the stockyards in Chicago, an area of poverty and stench. Through the eyes of this young girl we experience the family's experiences with poverty, a tragic accident, mental illness and the various and often destructive coping mechanisms employed by the various family members. We see how a negative experience can haunt you your entire life. I was relieved to see how some members of the family eventually realized that honestly facing their experiences instead of trying to repress them actually led to a healthier life and outlook. Overall, however, this was a difficult, but realistic journey taken with Betty, who eventually revealed that healing can take place with facing your demons.
February 8, 2022
A very different story but a really good read.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The characters are so real and lovable and down to earth and very well chosen for their parts. Happy times and sadness and misunderstanding. Depression is also in there. But the end is very positive as broken hearts are mended and love flows. I recommend this to any one. Well worth the read.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The characters are so real and lovable and down to earth and very well chosen for their parts. Happy times and sadness and misunderstanding. Depression is also in there. But the end is very positive as broken hearts are mended and love flows. I recommend this to any one. Well worth the read.
July 24, 2023
Reads Like a Memoir
The general plotline of Back of the Yard is solid--a young girl, Betty, growing up in a poorer neighborhood in Chicago, near the stockyards. The family faces a tragedy, which exacerbates her father's drinking and draws out and intensifies her mother's severe mental illness.
But there are several significant issues I had with the book, the first of which is that the story reads like a memoir. It also contains several statements that I found to be quite racist. There is also the very big problem of referring to the protagonist's mental illness as depression. Although depression is surely a coexisting condition, seeing three shadow figures is most likely indicative of schizophrenia. And feeling untethered from one's body is indicative of a dissociative condition, perhaps also related to schizophrenia or possibly bipolar disorder. Betty certainly experienced postpartum depression, but the totality of her (and her mother's) symptoms indicate far more severe illnesses.
The book is only partially set during the Great Depression. In fact, the Depression only takes up a sliver of the story. The subtitle of the book truly should just be removed altogether. The title by itself is more fitting.
And lastly, Betty as a child is sweet and loveable. Betty as an adult, however, is a whiny, judgmental, moody individual. These traits have nothing to do with her illness. She becomes angry and snappy with her children when they ask if her childhood neighborhood is poor. She feels sorry for herself when anyone looks at her in a way she questions or when she feels that her privacy has been invaded by people who care about her. She feels glad that her sister's life "isn't as perfect" as Betty thought, when her sister has been the only solid part of her immediate family structure. And the way she demands that people explain themselves and divulge their deepest pain is insufferable, especially given the fact that she holds herself to a completely different standard. Her general dislike of nearly everyone she comes across is exhausting.
However, as many issues as I had with the book, I applaud any author who publishes their work. I'm certainly not talented enough to do what this, or any, author has done. And I enjoyed reading the book, particularly the first quarter of the story as well as any portion involving Betty's sister or Auntie. Those two characters were the most realistic and well-defined, and ones I truly felt drawn to. Betty would be better left as a secondary character, with her sister, the glue of the family who is relied on by everyone, being a deserving protagonist.
The general plotline of Back of the Yard is solid--a young girl, Betty, growing up in a poorer neighborhood in Chicago, near the stockyards. The family faces a tragedy, which exacerbates her father's drinking and draws out and intensifies her mother's severe mental illness.
But there are several significant issues I had with the book, the first of which is that the story reads like a memoir. It also contains several statements that I found to be quite racist. There is also the very big problem of referring to the protagonist's mental illness as depression. Although depression is surely a coexisting condition, seeing three shadow figures is most likely indicative of schizophrenia. And feeling untethered from one's body is indicative of a dissociative condition, perhaps also related to schizophrenia or possibly bipolar disorder. Betty certainly experienced postpartum depression, but the totality of her (and her mother's) symptoms indicate far more severe illnesses.
The book is only partially set during the Great Depression. In fact, the Depression only takes up a sliver of the story. The subtitle of the book truly should just be removed altogether. The title by itself is more fitting.
And lastly, Betty as a child is sweet and loveable. Betty as an adult, however, is a whiny, judgmental, moody individual. These traits have nothing to do with her illness. She becomes angry and snappy with her children when they ask if her childhood neighborhood is poor. She feels sorry for herself when anyone looks at her in a way she questions or when she feels that her privacy has been invaded by people who care about her. She feels glad that her sister's life "isn't as perfect" as Betty thought, when her sister has been the only solid part of her immediate family structure. And the way she demands that people explain themselves and divulge their deepest pain is insufferable, especially given the fact that she holds herself to a completely different standard. Her general dislike of nearly everyone she comes across is exhausting.
However, as many issues as I had with the book, I applaud any author who publishes their work. I'm certainly not talented enough to do what this, or any, author has done. And I enjoyed reading the book, particularly the first quarter of the story as well as any portion involving Betty's sister or Auntie. Those two characters were the most realistic and well-defined, and ones I truly felt drawn to. Betty would be better left as a secondary character, with her sister, the glue of the family who is relied on by everyone, being a deserving protagonist.
November 24, 2025
While the topics forming this story are life changing and have damaged several family members, the writing doesn’t change from a child’s pov and vocabulary to a teen’s, young adult and married woman’s.
There are interesting places, but their descriptions are extremely simple and repetitive.
The theme of grief bringing on mental illness is terribly sad, almost overwhelming.
I wondered how Phil, an educated professor, would marry an 18 year old uneducated, socially anxious girl.
Perhaps they were happy for a while, but as her psychological appeared and worsened, affecting their lives dramatically, he seems strangely undisturbed.
The ending seemed like a laundry list of the family’s later years, which I found unsatisfying.
I could have enjoyed less whining about the main character’s problems in the first third if the story. That space could have been used at the end to lighten my mood and help me understand this family better.
There are interesting places, but their descriptions are extremely simple and repetitive.
The theme of grief bringing on mental illness is terribly sad, almost overwhelming.
I wondered how Phil, an educated professor, would marry an 18 year old uneducated, socially anxious girl.
Perhaps they were happy for a while, but as her psychological appeared and worsened, affecting their lives dramatically, he seems strangely undisturbed.
The ending seemed like a laundry list of the family’s later years, which I found unsatisfying.
I could have enjoyed less whining about the main character’s problems in the first third if the story. That space could have been used at the end to lighten my mood and help me understand this family better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2025
a great personal story of struggle and hope.
I really enjoyed this book! Without being overly dramatic it exposes the darker side of life that we all have, the side we work hard to keep private. But it is also such an uplifting book. It tells us that every person has struggles. Yes, some are more difficult than others, but we see that we are not alone, and even our biggest struggle, the one that shames us, is not reserved just for us, but shared by others. It makes our problem nearly “normal” if only in the sense of its common occurrence.
And finally, it shows that our problems don’t have to define us. Familial love, even if fragile or wounded is our strong ally. It can outweigh and conquer.
I really enjoyed this book! Without being overly dramatic it exposes the darker side of life that we all have, the side we work hard to keep private. But it is also such an uplifting book. It tells us that every person has struggles. Yes, some are more difficult than others, but we see that we are not alone, and even our biggest struggle, the one that shames us, is not reserved just for us, but shared by others. It makes our problem nearly “normal” if only in the sense of its common occurrence.
And finally, it shows that our problems don’t have to define us. Familial love, even if fragile or wounded is our strong ally. It can outweigh and conquer.
July 16, 2021
A Powerful Read
I chose this book thinking it was about life in the Great Depression of the 1930s. Well it was, but it was more about clinical depression and ways people tried to handle it. It is the story of members of a family and medications and other treatments that were used to help bring victims of depression to enjoy a more normal life. I will not say that I enjoyed the details of each person's treatments, but I did come to understand that treatment can be a lifelong involvement. Read this book if you wish to learn more.
I chose this book thinking it was about life in the Great Depression of the 1930s. Well it was, but it was more about clinical depression and ways people tried to handle it. It is the story of members of a family and medications and other treatments that were used to help bring victims of depression to enjoy a more normal life. I will not say that I enjoyed the details of each person's treatments, but I did come to understand that treatment can be a lifelong involvement. Read this book if you wish to learn more.
February 5, 2022
Book is good
First part of the book reminded me of the stories my grandmother used to tell of the Depression. Her dad died when she was 7 and her mom ran a farm with four kids oldest was 12. She always had a saying "Times are tough.....but darling so are you" I didn't expect the book to be as good as it was. I've never experienced much in the way of the depression part but I've heard a lot about the treatments for it back then, mental hospitals were awful. I feel bad for anyone put in those situations.
First part of the book reminded me of the stories my grandmother used to tell of the Depression. Her dad died when she was 7 and her mom ran a farm with four kids oldest was 12. She always had a saying "Times are tough.....but darling so are you" I didn't expect the book to be as good as it was. I've never experienced much in the way of the depression part but I've heard a lot about the treatments for it back then, mental hospitals were awful. I feel bad for anyone put in those situations.
February 7, 2022
A story that really hit home!
Simply written, we follow the O'Learys thru the depression, WWII & beyond. A devastating accident takes place in1938 and shifts their whole family dynamic. We get a chance to glimpse how tragedy and mental illness are intertwined and can crack everything into pieces that will never be the same. I can relate to much of their story, as I have had similar in my life. Even the settings are a part of my own history. A great read for baby boomer women.
Simply written, we follow the O'Learys thru the depression, WWII & beyond. A devastating accident takes place in1938 and shifts their whole family dynamic. We get a chance to glimpse how tragedy and mental illness are intertwined and can crack everything into pieces that will never be the same. I can relate to much of their story, as I have had similar in my life. Even the settings are a part of my own history. A great read for baby boomer women.
August 1, 2022
Things We Do to Our Children Without a Thought!
Because we are young while raising our children, we do things that hurt them a lifetime, without us knowing, and without them noticing; only the subconscious keeps it lock away, and it keeps coming up again and again, until maybe we get lucky and a good doctor finds it, make us face it, and get rid of it!
This book is a great example of that! We don’t find it, we will face depression, never knowing the source. Well written book!
Because we are young while raising our children, we do things that hurt them a lifetime, without us knowing, and without them noticing; only the subconscious keeps it lock away, and it keeps coming up again and again, until maybe we get lucky and a good doctor finds it, make us face it, and get rid of it!
This book is a great example of that! We don’t find it, we will face depression, never knowing the source. Well written book!
December 9, 2023
"People say time marches on, but to me, time sneaks away, silently fading into memories you keep, and memories you wish you could erase." -Betty O'Leary, from the novel
I always enjoy historical fiction and this one subtitled A Great Depression Family Saga involves a time period I have not read often. Main character Betty O'Leary is born in 1930 in Chicago, back of the stockyards, hence the title. She is the youngest in her Irish family and while Betty is a small child, the family experiences a tragic loss which will affect them all in the future, emotionally and mentally. Betty not only grieves the loss but blames herself for it and feels abandoned when she is sent to live with her aunt and uncle because her mother is incapacitated. So much angst for a young person!
I rated the book a 4 and I especially liked Betty's early years and her experiences with school and books. (That's the elementary school teacher in me!) I was rooting for her all along to find peace, hope and happiness in her life.
I am personally acquainted with this author, and I will want to read more of her work.
I always enjoy historical fiction and this one subtitled A Great Depression Family Saga involves a time period I have not read often. Main character Betty O'Leary is born in 1930 in Chicago, back of the stockyards, hence the title. She is the youngest in her Irish family and while Betty is a small child, the family experiences a tragic loss which will affect them all in the future, emotionally and mentally. Betty not only grieves the loss but blames herself for it and feels abandoned when she is sent to live with her aunt and uncle because her mother is incapacitated. So much angst for a young person!
I rated the book a 4 and I especially liked Betty's early years and her experiences with school and books. (That's the elementary school teacher in me!) I was rooting for her all along to find peace, hope and happiness in her life.
I am personally acquainted with this author, and I will want to read more of her work.
January 19, 2024
This was another coming-of-age story of a young girl during the Great Depression. This particular story is set in Chicago and it proceeds methodically through the '30's, '40's, '50's and into the 1960's. The pacing and storytelling through each phase of Betty's life is consistent and as interesting as the last. Betty has her share of ups & downs at each point of her life and sometimes the downs outweigh the ups. Through it all however, the author keeps you intrigued and interested. If you like similar period stories such as Kristin Hannah's "The Four Winds," you'll enjoy this book.
March 5, 2024
Mixed thoughts
I have mixed thoughts on this book. I don't know why they call it a great depression saga, when only a portion of the book is set in the depression era. It progresses up and through the 50s and 60s. It was an interesting but very sad read of a dysfunctional family struggling mentally and emotionally through a tragic accidental death of a son and brother at a very young age. It mostly deals with the struggles of mental illness that ran through the maternal side of the family. Real downer. Not a happy read
I have mixed thoughts on this book. I don't know why they call it a great depression saga, when only a portion of the book is set in the depression era. It progresses up and through the 50s and 60s. It was an interesting but very sad read of a dysfunctional family struggling mentally and emotionally through a tragic accidental death of a son and brother at a very young age. It mostly deals with the struggles of mental illness that ran through the maternal side of the family. Real downer. Not a happy read
November 20, 2024
This book didn't make me feel any connection or empathy toward the characters. It reads very "factual" with little to no description. I also felt like the title sold the geography and era of the book, but very little of it was actually set in the Depression Era or in the Back of the Yards. I just felt cheated in a way. This story could have been set in any time frame and basically nothing would have changed. I would have liked more description of the MC being overcome by the "shadows". There was nothing to make me feel like I could see from the character's perspective.
March 4, 2022
A look a mental illness impacting a family
You hear a lot today about mental illness and people not being aware being aware of what it is or how to treat it how to treat it. Try to imagine in early 1900s having a mental illness with very few options and even less understanding in general.
This story takes you through 2 generations of family's impact by mental illness poverty poverty and loss. Recommended read although it won't be light or quick.
You hear a lot today about mental illness and people not being aware being aware of what it is or how to treat it how to treat it. Try to imagine in early 1900s having a mental illness with very few options and even less understanding in general.
This story takes you through 2 generations of family's impact by mental illness poverty poverty and loss. Recommended read although it won't be light or quick.
March 20, 2022
Relatable topics
This story touched me on multiple levels. I, too have been impacted by painful life and death events that changed family lives forever and were seldom talked about. I also identify with the mental anguish that manifests from years of carrying emotional burdens never shared with those who lived through the same events that shook me to my core. I felt the pain of every member of this story's characters.
This story touched me on multiple levels. I, too have been impacted by painful life and death events that changed family lives forever and were seldom talked about. I also identify with the mental anguish that manifests from years of carrying emotional burdens never shared with those who lived through the same events that shook me to my core. I felt the pain of every member of this story's characters.
March 30, 2022
Thanks for the memories.
Thankfully, we have come a long way from these days of secrets and unexplained and taboo reasons, I hope. This book is a necessary record of those days; a warning example of how these attitudes destroy individuals and families. On the other hand, it invoked for me memories worth revisiting. The story will linger on in my memory.
Well researched and poignantly enjoyable. Thank you.
Thankfully, we have come a long way from these days of secrets and unexplained and taboo reasons, I hope. This book is a necessary record of those days; a warning example of how these attitudes destroy individuals and families. On the other hand, it invoked for me memories worth revisiting. The story will linger on in my memory.
Well researched and poignantly enjoyable. Thank you.
May 25, 2023
Chicago south side
I liked the book but I am from Chicago and the geography was a little off. For example no called called the Back of the Yards “South Chicago.” It has always been the south side.South Chicago was east near the Indiana border . I taught in the Back of the Yards and when I got my masters in history , I did a paper on the area.
I did like her discussion and treatment of mental health especially how the treatments changed as science grew.
I liked the book but I am from Chicago and the geography was a little off. For example no called called the Back of the Yards “South Chicago.” It has always been the south side.South Chicago was east near the Indiana border . I taught in the Back of the Yards and when I got my masters in history , I did a paper on the area.
I did like her discussion and treatment of mental health especially how the treatments changed as science grew.
November 23, 2023
A book about a family troubled with mental health and dealing with a family tragedy. Shows difficulty the family goes though to over come and move on. Interesting way to see how mental health has changed over time. Hard to connect with the characters and feel like you are in the story. Found myself skimming pages, hard to get into the story. Very different than what I would normally read. If you like the Great Depression era than give the book a try.
January 3, 2024
A reminder that we are all influenced by our childhood relationships and experiences.
I was so caught up in this book I could not put it down. This little girl not only lost her brother but her entire family. She needed her mom more than she ever had,but her mom was not there. I liked that it brought to life how devastating mental illness is but not hopeless if you can get the right treatment.
I was so caught up in this book I could not put it down. This little girl not only lost her brother but her entire family. She needed her mom more than she ever had,but her mom was not there. I liked that it brought to life how devastating mental illness is but not hopeless if you can get the right treatment.
July 24, 2021
Beautiful
Wonderfully written lives of a family whose mother lost her ability to overcome the death of her youngest son. She blamed her older son and her husband. Her youngest child was sent to live with her Uncle and Aunt, eventually returning home and over her lifetime dealing with a fear of being mentally unstable like her mothers
Wonderfully written lives of a family whose mother lost her ability to overcome the death of her youngest son. She blamed her older son and her husband. Her youngest child was sent to live with her Uncle and Aunt, eventually returning home and over her lifetime dealing with a fear of being mentally unstable like her mothers
September 7, 2021
Excellent Book
I read this because I'm trying to get a deeper understanding of the Great Depression. While it does take place during that time it's really a book about the mental illness depression. It was an excellent book, not what I intended to read but engrossing from start to finish.
I read this because I'm trying to get a deeper understanding of the Great Depression. While it does take place during that time it's really a book about the mental illness depression. It was an excellent book, not what I intended to read but engrossing from start to finish.
November 26, 2021
This novel is definitely more about clinical depression than the Depression of the 1930's. An interesting novel which shows how depression can start to afflict someone and how to deal with it. Accurate accounts from therapy used in the 1930's as well as a generation later give a good review of the development of psychiatric knowledge.
February 4, 2022
Could not put this book down
I loved this book about a Irish family starting during the depression in Chicago. The main characters are very well developed and the authors writing style made me feel like I was right there. I have already recommended this to my best friend and sisters.
I loved this book about a Irish family starting during the depression in Chicago. The main characters are very well developed and the authors writing style made me feel like I was right there. I have already recommended this to my best friend and sisters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews