The Moonflower Vine, Jetta Carleton (3)
I characterized the first 1/3 of this book as ‘an old
lady’s book’ and continually put it down. I think the first section was too
void of conflict and too milquetoast. After the first two sections (each
chapter highlights a different family member’s point of view, though not their
first person narrative), the real truth began to emerge and the characters
became more real, complex and far more interesting. This is a story of a family
in a relatively isolated small town in Missouri during the mid twentieth
century. The father is a taciturn teacher, who has a clever, but not school
smart wife and several daughters with very different personalities. Ms.
Carleton does a very good job illustrating the dynamics of such a family – both
good and bad. She also had painted a picture of the literal environment of
Missouri that is far more lovely and inviting then I remember. While I don’t
believe this is the missing classic many purport it to be, the eventual plot
and character development won me over.
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