Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

The Home-Maker (1924) at 320 pgs.
It’s the 1920s and gender roles are set in stone—can it be anything but “unhappily ever after” for the hapless Knapps?

Evangeline is quite possibly the best home-maker in town, but keeping her home and family in immaculate condition is killing her—and them. Her husband, Lester, is suffering too—a poet and a dreamer trapped in the body of a bookkeeper, he’s professionally inadequate and personally disengaged. Meanwhile, the Knapp children are chafing under the weight of their mother’s too-great expectations.

But then, life (quite literally) knocks a man to the ground, and spouses (figuratively) swap shoes—can the Knapps have a second chance at domestic bliss when they throw social conventions out with the dishwater?

Im guessing Rosemarie and Kathy are in for this read, anyone else thinking about this lesser know?

I appologize for my switching of titles :(

I am in!

I read The Home-Maker in 2023, and for the 1920s, Dorothy Canfield Fisher's story is very modern (and basically shows a dysfunctional for the entire family scenario where the husband is unhappily working and the wife is unhappily tied to the house as a home-maker and which changes to the positive when the husband becomes house-bound and responsible for the children etc. after an accident and the mother goes to work). Not as much fun and not quite as engaging as the author's delightful Understood Betsy, but yes, The Home-Maker is excellent and amazingly forward thinking for its time period.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I’m in also!

This looks fascinating! I had never heard of it before. Not sure if I'll be able to fit it into this month, but I'd certainly like to.

Looks like there's a free Librivox recording if any are interested

Greg wrote: "Looks like there's a free Librivox recording if any are inte..."

Thank you Greg for sharing that.

This will stay in active through December.

I will be reading it too. I first heard of the book some years ago in NTLTRC when we used to play "Guess the Author" from the picture that was posted. My memory is that Lesle would post and we would guess. "We" largely consisted of Rosemarie and myself guessing what Lesle would post. I think.
One entry was this picture which turned out to be Dorothy Canfield Fisher. Rosemarie was acquanted with her, but I think it was mainly from Understood Betsy. I had never heard of her before.

As Rosemarie knew far more than me, she taught me a lot in that game. I became acquainted with many new authors from seeing their pictures in that game, which was not long after I joined this group in 2015 or 2016. It was a fun game but took a lot of time and effort.

Ms. Fisher's picture and books have stayed in my brain for years. Now I will get to read her.

Brian E wrote: "I will be reading it too. I first heard of the book some years ago in NTLTRC when we used to play "Guess the Author" from the picture that was posted. My memory is that Lesle would post and we woul..."

That seems like so long ago haha!
I actually liked setting it up.
Thought it helped me more than anything since I was new to Classics.

We are blessed to have someone so knowledgeable as Rosemarie in our group!

Thank you! They were fun and some were really hard.

Brian E wrote: "not long after I joined this group in 2015 or 2016. ..."

I hate to inform my Advisor of Mistakes that he has been slacking:

-1115 comments "Really Brian! a negative 1115 comments!!"
Member since Apr 06, 2016

I've started the book and am so thankful that my mother wasn't like her-a controlling cleaning freak. Poor children and husband.
That woman does not know how to relax and have fun because she's hard on herself as well. I feel sorry for the whole family.

Lesle wrote: "-1115 comments "Really Brian! a negative 1115 comments!..."

Negative? Moi? And I try so hard to make positive comments ;)

I first noticed a year or two ago that I was no longer listed as one of the more active NTLTRC members in terms of the # of posts. I used to be right near Kathy. As I was "off the charts" I figured either the computer tracking system or Lesle was out to get me. Or working as cohorts. I bet that's it.

Brian
Haha!! Haha!!

Im hoping it is just a goodreads gliche like everything else.

If you use a laptop you can hover over your name as in:
message 13: by Brian E

When you do that it will show you how many comments you have!

Lesle wrote: "-1115 comments "Really Brian! a negative 1115 comments!"
Lesle wrote: "If you use a laptop you can hover over your name as in:
message 13: by Brian E
When you do that it will show you how many comments you have!I..."

It now says -1114 comments. Like the Jeffersons, I'm "movin' on up!!"
Maybe I can get into positive numbers by the end of the decade.

-1113 Comments. Slowly climbing out of the abyss.
Please be aware that, in order to accelerate the speed of my climb, I will be more apt to send multiple posts than to edit a previous one or write a long one.

I've already read two-thirds of the book. It's good!

Rosemarie wrote: "I've already read two-thirds of the book. It's good!"

That's great news. I've just read the first chapter and

have enjoyed the little I have read so far.

I've just finished it and rated it four stars, which means I really liked it. It has a good pace and I really cared about all the characters.

Brian to help with the comment total. Maybe after each paragraph you can make a short blurb about it! lol

Brian did you hover over Rosemarie's??

Estonishing!!

Lesle wrote: "Brian did you hover over Rosemarie's??
Estonishing!!"

Yes it is! Almost doubling yours.
Especially astonishing because I generally find myself wishing Rosemarie would say more, not less. She's fairly terse. and doesn't write reviews, which I understand as I'm finding it very time consuming. I'd say more but I think she's listening.

While time-consuming, I chose to start writing reviews as a result of this more-oft occurring internal monologue:

Did I read that?
I did?
What did I think about it?

I was finding that a star-rating itself was not sufficient info. Their intended role as a memory refresher is also why my reviews have a bit more plot summation, non-spoiler variety, than necessary if they were only for others to read. I do have to watch about telling too much of the plot.

I was a French and German literature major in university and spend a lot of time writing essays about literature. That is why I generally write very short reviews when I write any at all. It feels like work!

Brian E wrote: "Yes it is! Almost doubling yours.
Especially astonishing because I generally find myself wishing Rosemarie would say more, not ..."

Well what can I say. They would rather hear from Rosemarie than me lol!

I do reviews for myself too but try to put enough info to maybe leave them hanging and want to read it if I liked it.
Rosemarie's memory is so great she does not need to write reviews.

I forget why I came here.....

Oh... Brian I did report the negative number for comments to the lovely goodreads support. It supposedly has a group of volunteer staff that helps answer questions. Who knows.

I did find one other Member with a negative number but she is only -28.

Lesle wrote: "I did find one other Member with a negative number but she is only -28.."


Don't bother mentioning her again until she reaches -1000. The Piker.

Haha!

I will just let that slip from memory.

I am 1/2 way through The Home-Maker and am enjoying it very much. It presents a tale of 1920s America that reminds me a bit of Booth Tarkington.

After initially focusing on the Knapp family, the story has added the department store setting as the Knapp workplace which has expanded the story to its advantage. It now reminds me a bit of my favorite Zola The Ladies' Paradise with its story about a sales clerk and the owner of a department store.

A Department store is a setting that can reveal a lot about the contemporary society. Not only are the products themselves revelatory but the conversations between sales clerks and customers reveal a lot about the values and customs of that society.

I finished. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Brian E wrote: "I finished. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

I liked your review Brian. Enough I put this one on my wish to by list!