Not Far From the Tree
I was not expecting to be mesmerized by Esther Gropper's fictionalized memoirs, that genre not being my favorite, but I was. Since I am "of a certain age", I found her protagonist's written interactions with her granddaughters engaging me fully. Through the character, Martha, she artfully intertwines the stories of several generations of women and the challenges each encounters as she struggles to attain the full flowering of her womanhood. She does this by tracing both gender and family relationships over several decades as she responds to her granddaughters' requests for more information about herself as well as more family stories. Ms. Gropper, through the character of Martha, plumbs the frustrations of a bright, damaged woman who refuses to be content with the stereotypical roles that women were expected to be satisfied with. Although Martha participated in the prevailing marriage/wife/mother roles, she felt incomplete. She, however, did eventually finish college and embark upon careers in teaching in journalism where she relished the challenges and adventures.
With a deft hand in her correspondences with her granddaughters, Martha draws upon her accumulated experiences from which she draws the wisdom to guide the girls as they work their ways through the complexities of finding and fulfilling their calling as well as forging meaningful and fulfilling relationships with men. Martha's insights take the form of provocative questions which requires the young women to consider the choices they make, understand what underlying issues influence their decisions and to weigh the implications of those choices. Each of these women travels a perilous path; however, their respect for Martha's wisdom as well as their thirst for family stories take the reader on a journey through generational and cultural changes and challenges that are so different and yet so fundamentally similar. We will most likely see ourselves reflecting on our own lives, our values and the choices we have made...a worthwhile exercise indeed.
- Constance Boyers
