Keeping the House by Ellen Baker
Of Marriage and Mansions
Keeping the House by Ellen Baker is about a newlywed who moves into
a new town where her husband opens a car dealership with an Army buddy in 1950. Dolly
beings her married life there and starts to make friends while trying to please
her husband, which is not always so easy. Byron is a veteran of WWII who continues
to build a wall around him that Dolly has a difficult time penetrating. With the
help of popular magazines such as the Ladies' Home Journal, she strives to make her marriage work with tips like: “Take an interest in his appearance. Keeping his clothes in order is your job; encouraging
him to look his best and admiring him when he does should be your pleasure.”[i] As
amusing as this suggestion may be, it was sound and serious advice for the
times, but it is still not quite doing the job in making their marriage work. As
Dolly becomes more disillusioned with her husband, she also becomes more intrigued
with the big abandoned mansion in town. She
dreams of living in it and fixing it up—a true HGTV woman before her time. It becomes an obsession with her. Through the Ladies’ Aid quilting group she attempts
to learn more about generations of Mickelsons who lived in the grand home since
the late 1800s. The book meanders back and forth through the Mickelsons’ family
history as well as Dolly’s current life.
I found the book to be an interesting trip back in time and a fun read. I enjoyed Dolly's enthusiasm both in her marriage and her mansion mania. My book club liked it, too.
You’d be surprised at the number of table mats, napkins, curtains, and sports things that have to be ironed, even with only two in the household….
--Good Housekeeping, January 1950.
I received Keeping the House from www.paperbackswap.com. This is an online book club where you swap
used books with other members. I’ve been
a member since 2008 and have received (and sent) about 120 books. It’s so easy
to do. When you sign up, you must post ten
books you are willing to trade. Once you
have those first ten books posted, you automatically get two book credits and
can start “shopping” right away. You
search for the books you want and click a button to request them. Once accepted, the sender mails the book to
you. Likewise, when someone
requests one of your books, you must mail them to the requestor in an allotted
amount of time, usually two days. Using media mail rates saves you money. The
rate depends on the weight of the book, but my books usually cost about $3.50
to send. That’s a small price for a book!
If you cannot find the book you want, you can place it on a “wish
list” and you will receive an email once it becomes available. Not all books are paperback either. I requested the hardback version of Keeping the House.
Although the books are all used, they must be in good
condition to swap. I haven’t received a bad book yet. You can also create conditions under which
you are willing to accept the books. For
example, many people are allergic to smoke and request books from non-smoking
homes only.
Paperbackswap.com is a whole little community. There is a nominal yearly fee for joining the club, but it's well worth it. You can make friends, read or write reviews
on books. You can join discussion forums, or view popular book lists, and even
trade recipes. You can get involved as
much or as little as you want. They also
have a sister site where you can swap DVDs. Check it out at www.paperbackswap.com
Happy reading!
Annette
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