The Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleton

The Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one of those old books that has not received the recognition it probably deserves. Jetta Carleton never published another book after this one first published in 1962. That was about the same time that The Hobbit came out, I believe. Perhaps the hoopla accompanying that novel and its sequels accounts for the little attention given to other books published at the same time. I enjoyed this book about as much as anything I've read in several months. It is set in the early 20th century and following the lives of a couple and their four daughters. Each section of the book is from the viewpoint (though not in the voice) of a different character. This approach allows the reader to make judgements about characters based on the perceptions of the others; then when the character's viewpoint is given, a new understanding and perception is experienced. This is much like real life -- if we really knew the stories behind the actions of others, we would be much less judgmental.

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