|
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Heart-Warming Literary Mystery, Jan 7 2004
The Northbury Papers is the second volume in Professor Joanne Dobson's series about Professor Karen Pelletier. In Quieter than Sleep, readers first met the professor. Doctor Pelletier found herself pregnant as a teen in high school, and dropped out of her plans to go to Smith to marry her truck driver lover. After a difficult pregnancy and marital abuse, she puts her life together to raise her daughter as a single Mom while pursuing her academic career. Finally finding love with a cop in New York, she abandons him to follow her desire for a career to settle at tony, elite Enfield College in New England. Arriving at Enfield, she's the new kid on the English department block sharing responsibilities for 19th century American literature with an aggressive, pompous womanizer who wants to discuss more than literature with her. She finds herself attracted to all the wrong men, and attracts attention from men she would rather avoid. Ah well, back to those term papers! Those who liked Quieter than Sleep will probably enjoy The Northbury Papers as well. I recommend reading Quieter than Sleep before this book because the characters won't make as much sense without having read that book first. Otherwise, you may find this book to be below average for a literary mystery. Professor Karen Pelletier has had a long-time interest in the neglected popular women authors in 19th century America. When her friend, Professor Jill Greenberg, gives her a gift of Jane Eyre which had once belonged to popular fiction author Mrs. Serena Northbury, her interest is redirected towards Mrs. Northbury's appealing work. Karen tracks down the seller, Dr. Edith Hart, and is delighted to find that the family home contains other books . . . and even personal papers that belonged to Mrs. Northbury. With Dr. Hart's encouragement, Karen begins sorting out the materials. With this literary beginning, the story also veers into academic infighting over the "literary canon" of what should be taught, racial and sexual harassment on campus, and new motherhood. The story takes a darker turn when Dr. Hart dies, and the police are suspicious. An intriguing manuscript also disappears . . . along with a mysterious photograph. An unexpected twist of fate puts Karen in the middle of a family battle royal. Unlike Quieter than Sleep, the mystery isn't exposed in the opening pages. This time, Professor Dobson waits a decent interval before providing the overly clear clues that will probably lead you to identify the evil-doers quiet easily. As a result, the book still isn't very mysterious, but it is an enjoyable and easy read. The Northbury Papers will especially appeal to those who have a feminist interest in literature. I found the book disappointing in three respects. First, the Karen Pelletier character isn't nearly as interesting as in the first book. She doesn't come alive as much for me either. Second, the Serena Northbury character is totally fictional. It would have been more interesting to speculate about a real literary character from that period who was unknown to me. I found Mrs. Northbury to be a little unrealistically drawn for her time. Third, although there are a lot of momentous events going on in the book, I didn't find myself emotionally engaged by the characters or the events. I felt more like I was reading a book of manners. The book's primary appeal for me was to have multiple level mysteries of current events against the background of hidden events in the 19th century that foreshadowed today's events. The book seems much better plotted in that sense than Quieter than Sleep was. As I finished the book, I was reminded of how important it is for us to stay in close communication with our parents and children . . . and to not let disagreements separate us.
|
