THE FRIENDLY PERSUASION

by Jessamyn West ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 8, 1945

Almost she does persuade me to deeper appreciation of my Quaker heritage, as -- in a story that has much of the quality that made Mama's Bank Account irresistible -- Jessamyn West does some delicious quiet tilting at windmills in a refreshingly human series of episodes rooted in the traditions of her own Indiana Quaker background. It is the story of Jess and Eliza Birdwell, he a nurseryman in Indiana, about the time of the Civil War and after; she a ""preacher"" in Meeting. Strict to outward conformity, Eliza had her human side, and found ways to compromise, as when she allowed Jess to have an organ -- in the attic; when she went to Court to reclaim her ""pacing goose""; when she was secretly delighted at the unsuspected speed of the deceptive little mare. There's wit and humor, pathos and a certain spiritual value, sentiment at its best.

Pub Date: Nov. 8, 1945

ISBN: 015602909X

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harcourt, Brace

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1945

Categories: FICTION