SEASONS OF THE HEART

by Margaret orams ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 1964

Maggie Malone, a resourceful widow, lives in a small Texas town during the Depression with her 36-year-old son, Bertie, and her 14-year-old granddaughter, Mary Beth. Bertie has never fully recovered from the shock of the Crash, and he consoles himself in drink for his failure in finance and his humiliating job as a salesman of plumbing fixtures. The Malones await the return of Mary Beth's mother, Gladys, who left town for better prospects and is shortly to return with a new husband. In the meantime Maggie Malone stretches Bertie's salary by crocheting baby bottles, selling orange marmalade and pies to reluctant storekeepers, and packaging soap powder. In a mood of moral expansiveness she takes in three servants and in the case of a kleptomaniac housekeeper proves a victim of her own largesse. Her family consolations indeed seem few and even trifles present themselves as problems: should she invite the soap salesman to step inside? should she accept refreshments from a social inferior? introduce the maid to a dinner guest? Maggie Malone doesn't actually triumph but she manages to hold her own. Even lightweight tastes however may not be so indefatigable.

Pub Date: June 1, 1964

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1964

Categories: FICTION