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This #persephoneclub read was astonishing. SO ahead if its time! A brilliant portrayal of a 1920s family where ‘home-maker‘ is flipped on its head with father taking the role on. The result = previously unhappy parents finding utter fulfillment in the role reversal. Absolutely beautifully written showing so many viewpoints (even Stephen!) of their now flourishing family life. Imagine the sadness/bitterness if they continued as they were!

Another sad #BookReport. I really need to stop seeing people and doing stuff and spend more time reading instead 😆

Thought some of you might be interested in this article about Dorothy Canfield Fisher and The Home-Maker. (Perri Klass is also a #BetsyTacy fan.)

https://www.newyorker.com/books/second-read/the-author-who-brought-the-montessor...

#persephone #persephoneclub #persephonebookclub #persephonebooks

#persephoneclub finished last night , I really enjoyed it , moments of utter sadness and simple misunderstandings, I can see how it would have been radical for the time . Out of the 3 persephones I‘d rate this as no3 , no 1 being highwages - Dorothy Whipple is a genius a lot of authors compared to Austen she is the real deal I think , and no2 to bed with grand music the other also wrote little boy lost which is equally a great read.what‘s next ?😊

Another persephone winner 🏆 loving 🥰 it and loving the ambience scenes on YouTube perfect back ground reading
#persephonebookclub
#bookspinbingo
#februaryreads
#februarybingo

Best. Description. Ever.

Oh, bebe Stephen you are a big little character!

#persephonebookclub #persephone #persephoneclub
#impofdarkness

#persephonebookclub #persephone
Wer late ⏰ but Iv finally started it , this will be the third Persephone Iv read so far this year and at the moment my least favourite . Remove the children and it‘s describing my life since loosing our cleaner in lockdown !! I‘m going to work today for a rest 😂!!

Gender roles, societal expectations, parental styles, child development, psychosomatic illness, toxic masculinity & consumerism all receive attention in this surprising story from the 1920s. No wonder it ruffled a few feathers back then. The characters are so well written, the children particularly finely drawn. I was glad it ended the way it did, but couldn‘t help feeling a little dread for the family‘s likely fortunes post 1929.
#PersephoneClub

I loved this one. It's in my top 3 Persephone that I've read so far. I have to admit I did read this awhile ago, but I'm posting now to join in with the #persephoneclub read. I liked this one so much I also gifted it to 2 friends. It's a really interesting examination of gender roles that makes it still a relevant read today. And just a good engrossing read on top of that.

Lester + Eva Knapp seem discontented with their family roles, + their children are lost. When an incident occurs, life turns upside down. I really enjoyed this book, which reflects on society's expectations of parental stereotypes, what children need from their parents, + the importance of Teddy bears. Another thumbs up for
#persephoneclub @LeahBergen @rubyslippersreads @quietjenn @Cathythoughts @Aimeesue @CarolynM @jlhammar @elkeOriginal @Gissy

What an interesting turn of events we have here. I had tears for this family. Wonderful, insightful writing! And what an ending. Loved this one ♥️
#PersephoneClub

#Bookreport #WeeklyForecast

Reading is so slow at the moment ! But … this #PersephoneClub Bookclub pick is a page turner, and has me back in the reading zone , thank god ! Great characters, storytelling, a great read. I‘m about 100 pages in and I don‘t want to put it down.

Happy reading week all. ♥️
Hi Cindy 😁

Just getting started. The passage about the teddy bear struck a chord with me. This is my daughter's bear. Once upon a time he was pure white in a red velvet suit. She carted him everywhere with her from the time she could walk until she started school (well, except when he was lost & we all dropped everything to search for him😬) She's 23 now and he still sleeps in her bed and comes out whenever she's feeling fragile.
#PersephoneClub

There is wisdom is the old adage, “Ain‘t nobody happy if mama ain‘t happy.”

Definitely a progressive novel and I can see why contemporary critics suggested Fisher return to writing in a traditional vein, as in “fairy tales” more appropriate for women.

I enjoyed Fisher‘s short essay on successful marriages! Basically, by whatever “pattern” a couple achieves a reasonably happy & healthy unit is all good. 😊 #persephoneclub

I really enjoyed this thought-provoking, ahead-of-its-time 1924 novel.

Eva, a house-proud, unhappy mother, finds her world turned upside down when her husband is paralyzed in an accident. Will their lifestyle be accepted when she finds a fulfilling career and her husband flourishes as a “househusband”? I was fully invested in their sweet childrens‘ lives, too!

What did you think, #PersephoneClub ? 😀

#persephoneclub

@Aimeesue
@LeahBergen @jlhammar @rubyslippersreads @quietjenn @sisilia @CarolynM @Oryx @elkeOriginal @BookNAround @Eyelit @Gissy @Tamra @andrew61 @HeatherBlue @Cathythoughts @rsteve388 @Kristin_Reads @willaful @mom_of_4
it‘s on the way 😆sorry I‘m late ⏰ 😀il start it as soon as it arrives 🙌 happy 😃 reading , the reviews look great & a super cosy read , Iv never read a bad Persephone have any of you? 😊 xx

Im not sure why, but I feel like this one should be read by candlelight, or in a cozy bedroom. Definitely with your teddy bear.
True story: I have a teddy bear I sleep with, because I have shoulder issues and it fits better than any of the pillows I've tried. I am scared to wash him for fear that he will lose his shape and be rendered useless for shoulder support purposes. The terror is real, friends. 🧸
#Persephoneclub

Really loved this. Maybe I was just feeling emotional, but I was moved. It was wonderful to watch the evolution of this family from stifled to thriving. DCF looks critically at the gender and child-rearing norms of the day and invites an open mind. What does it really mean to make a home? Something very different to Lester than to Eva. I‘ll always smile thinking of Lester‘s newspapers on the floor solution.

#PersephoneClub

Ooof, passages like this bump me right out of the flow of the narrative. 🫤 Novel of its time.

#Persephoneclub

Breakfast with Eva. Oh my, the first two chapters certainly set a tone. 😳

No Persephone edition this time - this edition was on my shelves. 👍🏾 #persephoneclub

After reading the preface last night and learning there was a 1925 silent film adaptation, had to do a little browsing. Found some fun movie posters. “It will start a red hot discussion!” - what a great tagline! Another poster read “Do you believe every man should be a money-getter?”

#PersephoneClub

“She was scrubbing furiously at a line of grease spots which led from the stove towards the door to the dining-room.”

So excited to be starting our #PersephoneClub pick for the month!
#FirstLineFridays

It‘s now February so that means it‘s time for one of our #PersephoneClub reads!

@Aimeesue ‘s pick for us this month is The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher. This is a casual buddy read; read and comment on each other‘s posts and reviews as you see them. We usually aim to finish by the middle of the month but that‘s not written in stone. 😉 And anyone is welcome to read along with us, of course!

I received this lovely gift. I love it , feels very appropriate as I‘m getting the house sorted for Christmas. I have my suspicions…. Who is it from ?

Ready for #PersephoneClub 2023! I couldn‘t believe these arrived just days after ordering. I was expecting weeks. They are currently reprinting Harriet so will try to order that later. So looking forward to reading these.

repost for @LeahBergen:

Here it is: our #PersephoneClub reading schedule for 2023! Thanks to all of our group members for voting.

Anyone on Litsy is welcome to join us for any monthly read; this is a casual #BuddyRead where we simply comment and chat on each other‘s posts and reviews.

original post: https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2514821

Here it is: our #PersephoneClub reading schedule for 2023! Thanks to all of our group members for voting.

Anyone on Litsy is welcome to join us for any monthly read; this is a casual “buddy read” where we simply comment and chat on each other‘s posts and reviews.

@Aimeesue @andrew61 @CarolynM @Cathythoughts @elkeOriginal @Gissy @jlhammar @LeahBergen @quietjenn @rubyslippersreads

(See more below 👇)

What a complete charmer of a book! After a terrible accident that prevents her husband from working, a stifled and frustrated housewife takes a job herself while her husband tends to the house and children. They all come alive in different ways once they're able to throw off societal expectations and upend gender norms. Unexpectedly dark at times, but also joyful and tender, this is one of my favorites of the year so far. #PersephonePick

I got way behind this month with the books I'd intended to read, and I'm just now getting around to my July #PersephonePick. But I'm very happy to have finally arrived! I've been looking forward to this one. 💜

I loved this! This might be my favourite Persephone to date. Written and set in the 1920s, it's the story of a role reversal in marriage, with the mother going to work, and the father becoming the home-maker. It's so readable, and I was totally invested in this family being ok!

Even though I'm loving Malibu Rising, I've also got completely sucked in by The Home-maker. I made the mistake of following Persephone on Instagram and suddenly this book ended up at my house....

Daisy going about her day in the background, sasquatch style

4⭐️ The women have always been the natural home-makers. When an accident happened, Evangeline was forced to work and earn the money, while Lester stayed home taking care of the kids and the houseworks. Surprisingly, the arrangement was what both thought as ideal. The thought of a role-reversal must be unforgiven in the 1920s when this novel was published.👇🏻

Well, reading a lovely book but not in a lovely setting. Took my littlest to the ER - hoping it‘s just strep throat! We‘re in for a long night though - it‘s busy.

Congratulations, @Librarybelle on your great, big Litfluence!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I‘ve been dying to get my hands on the tagged book ever since reading @BarbaraBB ‘s glowing reviews. Thanks for the fun giveaway! 😘😘

#200KGiveaway

September wasn‘t the best month for me. I didn‘t read much, partly because I didn‘t really like any of the books I read. All 2 or 3 star reads, with the exception of the tagged one - that one I looooved 💜.

#SeptemberStats #SeptemperWrapUp

An apparently cozy novel about a family where the man becomes paralyzed and is home bound, which means that the mother has to go to working. However, there is so much under the surface. Written in 1924, Canfield Fisher breaks in each sentence with traditional role patterns, as experienced by both adults, their children and their community. A beautiful, poignant book.

#ReadingUSA2019 #Vermont

"the fanatic feminists were right"

#BookPyramid of #PersephoneBooks end papers topped off by the shop. Learned about it here on Litsy this week. #PhotoadayNov16

#PhotoADayNov16 Day 4 - Set in a Small Town

One of the few #PersephoneBooks set in America, THE HOME-MAKER, published in 1924, explores gender roles in an early twentieth century, small, Midwest town. A housewife must become the breadwinner when her husband becomes seriously injured and is confined to their home with the children.

#SetInASmallTown #Feminism #GenderRoles