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Title: The History of Us
Author: Leah Stewart
Narrator: Cassandra Campbell
Format: Unabridged
Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
Language: English
Release date: 01-08-13
Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC
Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 48 votes
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
Publisher's Summary:
Eloise Hempel is on her way to teach a class at Harvard when she receives devastating news. Her sister and her husband have been killed in a tragic accident, and Eloise must return home to Cincinnati to take her sister's three children, Theodora, Josh, and Claire, out of the hands of her own incapable mother. Nearly two decades later, Eloise is still in that house, still thinking about what she left behind.
With Claire leaving for New York City for a promising ballet career, Eloise has plans to finally embark on a life that's hers alone. But when her mother makes a competition out of who inherits the house, and Claire reveals a life-changing secret, their makeshift family begins to fall apart.
Critic Reviews:
"A genuine and heartwarming story about the complicated thing we call family, and what it means to be home. I laughed. I cried. And I was very sorry to turn the last page." (Meg Waite Clayton, author of
The Four Ms. Bradwells and
The Wednesday Sisters)
"Leah Stewart possesses magic. It is awe-inspiring to see how clearly and sensitively she presents the numerous ways her characters are broken and then finds a way to offer some hope of healing. With the family at the heart of
The History of Us, Stewart shows that she is unafraid of difficult characters and that she is equally unafraid of making sure they matter to us." (Kevin Wilson, author of
The Family Fang)
"Leah Stewart plunges deep into questions of home and heart. The History of Us is a lovely novel. Just lovely." (Ann Hood, author of
The Red Thread and
The Knitting Circle)
Members Reviews:
Disappointing
When I read the summary of the book, I thought this would be a book about Eloise & the changes required of her life when she suddenly inherits her sister's children. I thought I had somehow skipped part of the book when all of a sudden, the children were in the 20's and the book was all about them, not about Eloise at all. The narrator is OK, not great, and the story is OK to listen to, but definitely not what I was expecting or what I wanted the story to be about.
Sounded more interesting that was
This book took a long time to get to the story. I never fell in love or hate of any of the characters. The store is about the relationship between family members with each other and there house. I had a hard time buying the whole scenario.
Readable, Enjoyable, But Missing Something
With the precipitous first scene where Eloise is thrust out of her prestigious job and new comfort zone, into the demands and requirements of instant parenthood for three young children, I expected the novel to stay consistently with Eloise, and offer the children's story lines through her eyes.
Didn't happen. The story is really about the kids-now-20-somethings, and has very little to do with Eloise and her dilemma of being aunt/parent. The kids' seem to be variations of one character and their struggles are so similar I had trouble keeping them distinct. Plus, the story focused more on romantic entanglements than life decisions in context. I liked Josh's (middle child) conflicts with leaving his band and for that reason he stands out, but in spite of all their talents and bright futures, the adventures of kids this age are not really fertile ground for an engaging story arc.
