The stories begin in the late 1940s with a woman who is working in the mills in Lowell, Massachusetts. Her story is typical of such tales in which one women desires to find a man and a better life outside of the mills while another woman wants to work for better conditions in the mill. Though this story has been told numerous times before, Tracy Winn does not let the tale grow stale. The rest of the stories span from the 1940s to the present. Each gives a snapshot of the town as it changes over time.
Additionally, Winn expertly weaves all ten stories together. Characters that were briefly mentioned in one story can be the focus of an entire story later in the collection. Of course there were tales that were more interesting than others, but I never felt that the collection was unbalanced. I found that each character showed Lowell through a different lens that was telling about the town during that specific time period. Basically, I couldn't put it down!
I think that it is very safe to say that Tracy Winn is an author to watch. "Mrs. Somebody Somebody" is already being compared to "Olive Kitteridge" in which the town is the true focus of the collection. I agree with this comparison as the reader is able to see the town's growth as well as that of the characters. However, I would even go further and state that it is similar to Sherwood Anderson's "Winesburg, Ohio". Like "Winesburg, Ohio", I believe "Mrs. Somebody Somebody" will become a classic and I greatly look forward to Winn's future writings.
-DLP
No comments:
Post a Comment