Any Given Day: The Life and Times of Jessie Lee Brown Foveaux

Brown Foveaux, Jessie Lee

ISBN 10: 1570425698 ISBN 13: 9781570425691

Publisher: Warner Adult, 1997

Synopsis

Set against the backdrop of twentieth-century American history, the memoirs of a ninety-eight-year-old woman chronicle her life from the turn of the century, through two world wars and an abusive marriage, to the present day.

About this title

Review:

Born in 1899, Jessie Lee Brown Foveaux evokes the early 20th-century Midwest with tactile vividness. She recalls traveling by horse-drawn wagon one cold Thanksgiving, with hot rocks and hay placed under the blankets. Her description of all-day laundry routines will make modern women grateful for their washers and dryers. Foveaux's account of a bad marriage and struggle to raise her eight children has the same immediacy and vigor as her childhood memories. Begun as a gift to her grandchildren, this charming text speaks to all readers of the grace and nobility crafted from an "ordinary" life.

From AudioFile:

Tyne Daly portrays Foveaux in various stages of her long life. As a child in Kansas and Missouri during the early 1900's Jessie understood the importance of "family." During WWI, Daly portrays Jessie as a dedicated worker in love with a young soldier; later Jessie faces her own battles with an alcoholic husband. Jessie's remarkable strength is revealed in Daly's insightful interpretation, highlighting the nearly impossible task of combining single parenting with the financial support of eight children. Despite the frustrations, a triumphant older Jessie emerges, finally having discovered independence and self-respect. Daly's superb performance reveals how remarkable an ordinary life can be. B.J.P. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Warner Adult
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 1570425698
• ISBN 13: 9781570425691
• Binding: Audio Cassette
• Number of pages: 2