Perseverance: Morris visits library for 'Mother' reading
Published on March 7th, 2007
STONEHAM, MA - "It's a book I've wanted to write for years and years," said author Mary McGarry Morris of the novel that readers all over town have been devouring.
The author was speaking of her latest book, The Lost Mother, the story of one family's struggle through the desperate years of the Great Depression in rural Vermont, and she was speaking directly to the many townspeople who have picked up the book. Stoneham Public Library hosted McGarry Morris last week as the author read excerpts from the book, spoke of the inspiration for the story, and answered readers' questions.
As part of a community collaboration on Perseverance: A Celebration of the American Spirit in the 1930's, Stoneham Public Library and Stoneham Theatre have joined forces to celebrate a sometimes forgotten time in our history that has left an indelible mark on those who lived through it.
McGarry Morris's fascination with that period stemmed from her mother's history, which inspired her to write the story. The Lost Mother is told through the eyes of a young boy, Thomas Talcott, and his perception of living in desperate times with his father and sister, following his mother's desertion. McGarry Morris's grandmother left her family during the Depression when the author's mother was a young child. Her mother's recollection of living through that time has always fascinated the author.
The idea for this book had been in the back McGarry Morris' mind for a long time, and she had been working on another book when she knew it was finally time to pen The Lost Mother.
"Once Thomas' voice came to me...I was smart enough to grab a pad of paper. The words flowed...It's one of those books that's a gift to a writer."
According to many in attendance on Wednesday night, the story brought back vivid memories of living through the Depression, while introducing others to a period ( not that long ago relatively speaking) when Americans faced desperately harsh conditions due to a collapsed economy, that are hard to imagine on the backdrop of life today. One reader, who admitted that she thought her own parents were exaggerating when describing life during the Depression, said she had a much better appreciation of that time after reading the book.
The Lost Mother was the February book selection of the Stoneham Library Book Group, as well as the Stoneham Book Group which meets monthly at the Senior Center.
"I thought she was very, very good. I though the book was very, very good", said Betty Whelan of the Stoneham Book Club. "My group enjoyed it. I was glad to see so many there."
McGarry Morris plans to meet with the Stoneham High School Junior Class which is currently reading the The Lost Mother.
"I'm very interested in getting their point of view," she said.
McGarry has been compared to John Steinbeck and Carson McCullough's for her story telling ability. The Lost Mother is her sixth novel.
To complement and continue the theme of perseverance, Stoneham Theatre is currently presenting a production of Frank Galati's award-winning adaptation of the John Steinbeck class The Grapes of Wrath, a story of the Joad family's journey from Oklahoma to California to find a better life during the Great Depression. McGarry Morris spoke to theater goers after Sunday's matinée. The Grapes of Wrath runs through March 18.
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