The Three Miss Margarets by Louise Shaffer
3.5 stars
Reasons for reading: Southern lit; Number title for Triple 8 Challenge
Summary: "Thirty-odd years ago the three Miss Margarets did something extraordinary, clandestine, and very illegal. Although their lives are haunted by the night that changed their lives, they believe that their crime was simply a matter of righting an egregious wrong. But when a stranger’s arrival in town and a tragic death open the floodgate of memory, their loyalty, friendship, and honor are tested in ways they could never have imagined."
First line: "She'd gone to bed with her shoes on, and not by accident."
My thoughts: The three Miss Margarets are 80-ish Dr. Maggie, 70-ish Miss L'il Bit, and 60-ish Miss Peggy. The first two come from fine old families in Charles Valley, GA and Miss Peggy married into the Garrison family, for whom almost everything in the area is named. Circumstances decades ago forged a strond bond among the three women, and it's about to be tested.
This was a really interesting book. I really enjoyed that it had so many different stories to tell - about each of the Miss Margarets' lives, about an amazing black girl and her family, about another girl whose family was torn apart by their lie, and about the mighty Garrison family, especially its ruthless last son, Grady. And, the main one, about the tragic events that bind all of these stories together.
Each Miss Margaret is a fully imagined character, bound together by the past and by their own eccentricities. Depending on which Miss Margaret is speaking, they're either weird or outsiders or odd. They're at once completely part of their Southern world of 30 years ago while also being very rebellious - Maggie became a doctor and started out by treating poor black patients, L'il Bit was all but orphaned and inherited her house and fortune and 17, and Peggy rose above her humble station to marry into the most important family in the region and outlive all of the Garrisons.
It also explores some interesting moral questions. Can you justify hurting one family to save another? If someone deserves to be punished, does it matter how that punishment comes about? Are some people more deserving of being saved than others?
4 comments:
great list! My daughter read Jonathan Strange and loved it--I take one look at the size of it and decide to pass! :)
Looking forward to reading your reviews--especially of Chili Queen if you decide to read it.
*smiles*
Kim
(page after page)
Thanks, Kim! I have added Chili Queen to the list, it sounds like a great read. And Johanathan Strange is really huge, but I'm going to give it a go. I might not make it, but I'll try. :)
Great review and I totally want to read it! Although, the names might make me a little big headed! :)
I'm Maggie and my momma is Peggy, and the only times we are called Margaret is when we are in trouble. We both insist on the nicknames as our very own names - and not the Wicked Witch of the West name. Matter-of-fact, my 6th grade teacher was named Margaret Hamilton!
Maggie - The book does sound tailor-made for you! :) That's funny about your teacher - I hope she wasn't a witch!
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