I’m going to guess you have never heard of this book. I would be very surprised if you have. You may be wondering how I came across this book. Well, leave it to someone on the “Freida McFadden Fans Group” on Facebook to post this recommendation, apparently previously recommended by Freida herself. I thought it looked interesting, so since it was rather cheap on Amazon, decided to give it a try. This was a “try” I did not regret!
I normally would give a synopsis of the book; however, there really isn’t a great synopsis given on the back of the book. I found this one by the author herself:
In Maude, readers will find the story of a woman who knew great love and great tragedy. Orphaned at eight years old, her married sister took her into her home and raised her to the age of fourteen, when she married for the first time. Life to Maude meant being obedient, and that did not change until she was much older and decided to take fate into her own hands. She had five children and had to bury four of them, yet she clung to her faith and went about her life as best she could.
Just a few thoughts…
- This was a really good book that moved your through pivotal moments in U.S. history through the eyes of a female – moments such as WW1, 19th Amendment, Great Depression, WWII, and post-WWII.
- Many of the stories resonated with me. They reminded me of my grandparents. There was even one story of a guy who poured his coffee into a saucer so it could cool (then he would sip from the saucer). My grandfather did the EXACT same thing!!!! I have literally NEVER read this in a book before or heard any similar habits from friends. I can remember as clear as day my grandfather pouring his coffee into a saucer and sipping it.
- Maude also reminded me of my grandmother who grew up in the Mississippi Delta (in Mississippi…not Arkansas). After reading a novel about early pioneers of Mississippi (Trials of the Earth), I decided to do a little “family history” venture so she could tell us stories of her childhood. Here is the link to that blog post (there is also a Part 3 you can search for in my blog).
- The history – I think we sometimes study history as “events” without considering the impact these events had on individuals and families. We tend to pick and choose who to empathize with (even school curriculums). What I love about reading books like this is the perspective and insight given to the daily struggles of individuals and families who lived through these historical events (like WW1, Spanish Flu, Great Depression, etc.). Schools teach the reasons for the Great Depression and general impact on families but what about the tiny details? Food? Clothing? Relationships? Loss of friendships? Day-to-day struggles?
I am not a memoir-type of person; however, I really liked this book. I was captivated from the very beginning and literally could not put it down. I love history and reading different perspectives of how families struggled and survived through momentous events we all know. I have always said that each person’s life is a novel waiting to be written. Donna Mabry proves this to be true. Happy Reading!
Additional Resources: ( I had to stop searching and posting links…it was addictive to search for the people and names you felt like you knew from reading the book)
- Interesting fundraiser to raise funds for a Maude movie (teaser trailer in link)
- Amazon link (to book)
- Twitter link to photo of Aunt Betty Sue
- Maude – Findagrave website (includes photos)
- Curious about George’s mom…this “findagrave” death doesn’t match the book (not a big deal but curious if his mom was really as mean as the book depicts LOL)
- Smith Mayse – link
- Donna Mabry’s blog post after publication of book
- Another blog post – tells more of a story in the book towards the end
- This Forbes article (link), though, gives a great overview of the book (there are spoilers).
