[COMPLETE] The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield - tg

KevinS · Post by **KevinS** » December 30th, 2020, 8:40 pm

Can't help but like Steven, though.

commonsparrow3 · Post by **commonsparrow3** » December 31st, 2020, 7:18 am

KevinS wrote: ↑December 30th, 2020, 8:40 pm Goodness! What a good reading! I listened and got seriously unnerved by the quiet frenzy of the poor mother.

Can't help but like, Steven, though.

Thank you, Kevin! You encourage my fiction-reading confidence.

Yes, Mrs. K's suppressed "frenzy" is unnerving - to her whole family - so I'm glad it came through to the listener.

Steven is cast as a "brat" on the surface, but he's the one digging in his heels and refusing to be unnerved. Tough little survivor.

Right now, Mrs. K may be easy to dislike -- but we shall see a change in her, as the plot thickens! Just wait!

commonsparrow3 · Post by **commonsparrow3** » January 10th, 2021, 8:48 pm

Here's Chapter 3 - (length 19:13)
https://librivox.org/uploads/triciag/homemaker_03_canfield_128kb.mp3

KevinS · Post by **KevinS** » January 11th, 2021, 2:50 pm

commonsparrow3 wrote: ↑January 10th, 2021, 8:48 pm Here's Chapter 3 - (length 19:13)
https://librivox.org/uploads/triciag/homemaker_03_canfield_128kb.mp3

PL OK!

I see a little hope beginning in this story perhaps.

commonsparrow3 · Post by **commonsparrow3** » January 11th, 2021, 7:38 pm

KevinS wrote: ↑January 11th, 2021, 2:50 pmPL OK!

I see a little hope beginning in this story perhaps.

Thanks, Kevin!
Yes, in this chapter we saw Evangeline when she was doing what she enjoyed, and was good at!

commonsparrow3 · Post by **commonsparrow3** » January 17th, 2021, 8:34 pm

Here's Chapter 4 - (length 24:22)
https://librivox.org/uploads/triciag/homemaker_04_canfield_128kb.mp3

Here we finally get our first glimpse of Lester's inner life -- and we find him severely depressed.

commonsparrow3 · Post by **commonsparrow3** » January 18th, 2021, 10:54 am

Chapter 5 - (length 10:51)
https://librivox.org/uploads/triciag/homemaker_05_canfield_128kb.mp3

A short chapter in which Lester hits rock bottom. (Don't worry, we will shortly see things change for the better.)

KevinS · Post by **KevinS** » January 19th, 2021, 6:32 pm

Ch. 4 and 5 PL OK!

commonsparrow3 · Post by **commonsparrow3** » January 20th, 2021, 3:37 pm

Thanks, Kevin!
More to come in a few days!

commonsparrow3 · Post by **commonsparrow3** » January 24th, 2021, 7:59 pm

Here's a very short Chapter 6 - (length 06:33)
https://librivox.org/uploads/triciag/homemaker_06_canfield_128kb.mp3
Brief, but action-packed! Poor Lester falls off an icy roof -- but reports of his death are greatly exaggerated.
(Don't worry, Lester has better things awaiting him in later chapters!)

And here is Chapter 7 - (length 26:57)
https://librivox.org/uploads/triciag/homemaker_07_canfield_128kb.mp3
In which we meet Mr. & Mrs. Willing, the new owners of the department store, who will be our other set of main characters in this story.
Mrs. W. (Nell) is our first glimpse of a working wife, her husband's full partner in the business, though she works from home doing advertising and marketing, while he works the on-site side of the business.
We see that Mr. W. sees nothing wrong with women working; he accepts Nell's input, values her business smarts, and agrees with her suggestion that he look into hiring a woman as store manager.
(Having already seen Evangeline's talents, we can guess where this is going! Very shortly now, the puzzle pieces will begin to fall into place!)

KevinS · Post by **KevinS** » January 27th, 2021, 10:07 am

Ch. 6 and 7

I've lived in small towns. Life wasn't too far off from this years ago.

commonsparrow3 · Post by **commonsparrow3** » January 27th, 2021, 4:19 pm

KevinS wrote: ↑January 27th, 2021, 10:07 am Ch. 6 and 7

I've lived in small towns. Life wasn't too far off from this years ago.

Thanks, Kevin! Chapter 8 is recorded, just awaiting editing.

I've never lived in a small town. (Outskirts of a medium-sized city myself). But from books I've read about small-town life, I sort of gather that this "everyone knows everyone else's business" is a regular feature of small-town life, as shown here by everyone's gossipy involvement in the Knapps' situation. I suppose it has its plusses (more help and sympathy) and its minuses (more unsolicited advice). But not having personal experience, that's only my impression from books, and books might be selective in what they emphasize.

commonsparrow3 · Post by **commonsparrow3** » January 28th, 2021, 1:11 pm

Here's Chapter 8 - (length 27:43)
https://librivox.org/uploads/triciag/homemaker_08_canfield_128kb.mp3

Evangeline got the job, of course; we knew she would.
Jerome Willing does put me off a bit. His desire to monopolize the department store trade in this town and put rivals out of business strikes me as rather cut-throat. Not to mention random bigoted references to Jewish businessmen. On the other hand, he is all in favor of hiring and promoting women, which is not common at the time, and is beneficial to Evangeline. But personally, his driven and pushy personality isn't my cuppa tea.

KevinS · Post by **KevinS** » January 28th, 2021, 2:58 pm

Maybe Jerome will fall off a roof.

KevinS · Post by **KevinS** » February 3rd, 2021, 8:08 pm

Ch. 8 PL OK!

It's interesting to have a novel concern itself with such business matters. I like the serious tone, too. (If Hollywood made this a film, it would have to be a comedy. Or maybe I'm being too pessimistic.)