The Evidence Against Her: A Novel - Hardcover

Dew, Robb Forman

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316890197 ISBN 13: 9780316890199

Publisher: Little, Brown, 2001

Synopsis

On a bright September day in 1888, three children are bornRobert Butler, Lily Scofield, and her cousin Warrenand they are inseparable from birth. Robert and Lily marry, but for all her days Lily loves Warren. When he falls in love with the younger Agnes Claytor, Lilys life is changed irrevocably. Set against the landscape of a small mid-western town, this is a classic story, a love story, a story of a family that readers will ache to follow into the next generation.

About this title

About the Author

Robb Forman Dew is the author of the novels Dale Loves Sophie to Death, The Time of Her Life, and Fortunate Lives, as well as a memoir, The Family Heart. Dew lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts, with her husband, who is an author and Professor of History at Williams College.

Reviews

Appearing after a decade-long hiatus, Dew's latest novel proves well worth the wait. In her vibrant new work, Dew (Dale Loves Sophie to Death) once again demonstrates her mastery of the nuances of family life; her slow, painstaking accretion of detail, like the cross-hatching on a D�rer etching, produces a rich and resonant landscape fully representative of its time and place. The setting here is Washburn, Ohio, a small town made prosperous by the Scofield engine manufacturer. Lily Scofield, her cousin Warren, and Robert Butler, son of the pastor of the Methodist church, are born on the same day in 1888, and their lives are intimately intertwined. Headstrong, clever Lily is their leader, first in their childhood and later as they mature. When she marries Robert, townspeople gossip that Warren is heartbroken, but the truth lies elsewhere; Warren carries a secret burden that he cannot acknowledge. His marriage to the much younger Agnes Claytor, eldest child in a dysfunctional family, disrupts the threesome's dynamic. World War I ends; the flu epidemic claims several victims. Another generation of children is born and become inseparable. And an accidental death occurs. Under the surface of these events Dew records minute changes in the emotional atmosphere, epiphanic moments that interrupt quotidian routines and small events, such as an argument over a riding habit, that signal domestic crises with lasting repercussions. A marvel of lyrical understatement, the narrative flows like a river smooth, with surprising depths, some turbulence and the inexorability of time's passing. Does character conspire with fate, or against it? Does love solve problems, or cause them? Both ambiguous and satisfying, the ending is laden with portent, suggesting another novel to come. Meanwhile, the subtlety and complexity of Dew's absorbing story is a signal achievement. (Sept. 19)Forecast: An arresting cover is a plus for this novel, and critical attention will surely be forthcoming for Dew, the granddaughter of poet John Crowe Ransom. Handselling should alert discerning readers.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

In a small Ohio town on the fifteenth of September, 1888, three children are born within hours of each other: first cousins Lily and Warren Scofield, and Robert Butler, the minister's son. This unusual occurrence, which spawns lifelong friendships, creates a seemingly invincible triumvirate able to withstand childhood squabbles, teenage rivalries, college separations--even war. Yet when Lily and Robert marry, Warren becomes an outcast for the first time, a position that renders him particularly vulnerable to the unorthodox charms of Agnes Claytor. Headstrong and vivacious, Agnes' marriage into the staid Scofield clan releases her from the tyranny of her own family's unstable dynamics, wrought by an autocratic father and a manipulative mother, only to be thrust into Warren's equally tumultuous family structure. As the young couple raise their children within the intimidating confines of the Scofield compound, they learn to navigate the emotional minefields such close alliances produce. In tone, setting, and substance, Dew's style is reminiscent of such great early-twentieth-century novelists as Cather, Ferber, and Welty, as she insightfully portrays a fundamental understanding of human nature. With an unfailing eye for detail and an intense concentration on the intricacies of ordinary lives, Dew flawlessly reconstructs a bygone era of privilege and passion, one she cautiously infuses with contemporary insights into spousal abuse, alcoholism, and manic depression. And Dew is masterful in her depictions of subtle family interactions--the arched eyebrow, the caustic inflections--that strain those tenuous ties that bind, and threaten to unravel, even the most closely-knit families. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

The cover of Dew's latest novel is intriguing: the back of a woman in a Victorian lace dress, holding a Granny Smith apple behind her, one finger outstretched. The title entices further. Unfortunately, this somnolent, discursive tale of family life in small-town Ohio lacks vitality. Born on the same day in 1888, Robert Butler, Warren Scofield, and his cousin Lily share a deep bond, thinking of themselves as "one third of a triumvirate." When Lily marries Robert, everyone in Washburn knows Warren's heart is broken. Then he falls in love with schoolgirl Agnes Claytor, and Lily must learn to share. Lily's pique is momentary, the plot drags, and there's no true climax. This novel by the author of Dale Loves Sophie to Death may appeal to readers who appreciate its gentle storytelling or its focus on Ohio. Otherwise, it is recommended for comprehensive collections only. Christine Perkins, Jackson Cty. Lib. Svcs., Medford, OR
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Little, Brown
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0316890197
• ISBN 13: 9780316890199
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336