Jessamyn West (1)Reseñas

I loved Friendly Persuasion and Except for Me and Thee.

FROM AMAZON: A Companion to The Friendly Persuasion -- These further adventures of Jess and Eliza Birdwell, the beloved hero and heroine of The Friendly Persuasion, are cause for celebration to the millions who have met them in Jessamyn West's memorable book or in its enduring film, of which Miss West was co-author. Now their world comes vibrantly alive once more in Except for Me and Thee. Here are those gallant Quakers, young and in love, meeting the challenges of nature and man as the growing family travels westward, then encountering the bitterness and savagery that explode into the Civil War, later guiding their children through the confusing aftermath, and, finally, looking at their world with bittersweet maturity. For all its fascinating differences, their world confronts dilemmas strikingly contemporary--youthful rebellion, racial intolerance, social inequity, and warfare's misery. To each, Miss West brings deep and meaningful insights. And she brings more in the many moments of spirited comedy and gentle humor that are equally a part of living and so natural to this appealing couple and their family. Here, then, are full measures of joy and sadness, tenderness and brutality, hope and despair--a sweeping spectrum of human experience ranging continuously through this compelling story. Its beauty and wisdom, merged into the swift narrative, bear the hallmark of its distinguished author. Its readers will be delighted, will be moved, and will long remember Except for Me and Thee.

You know a book is worth 5 stars if just seeing the title makes you want to read it again, because you have such pleasant memories of it.

FROM AMAZON: A quintessential American heroine, Eliza Birdwell is a wonderful blend of would-be austerity, practicality, and gentle humor when it comes to keeping her faith and caring for her family and community. Her husband, Jess, shares Eliza's love of people and peaceful ways but, unlike Eliza, also displays a fondness for a fast horse and a lively tune. With their children, they must negotiate their way through a world that constantly confronts them-sometimes with candor, sometimes with violence-and tests the strength of their beliefs. Whether it's a gift parcel arriving on their doorstep or Confederate soldiers approaching their land, the Birdwells embrace life with emotion, conviction, and a love for one another that seems to conquer all.

This book contains over 60 extracts from the writings of members of the Religious Society of Friends from 1650 to 1962. It includes passages from the works of such well-known authors as George Fox, William Penn, Walt Whitman and John Greenleaf Whittier. The passages illuminate both the faith and practice of the Quaker faith throughout the ages.

This book contains over 60 extracts from the writings of members of the Religious Society of Friends from 1650 to 1962. It includes passages from the works of such well-known authors as George Fox, William Penn, Walt Whitman and John Greenleaf Whittier. The passages illuminate both the faith and practice of the Quaker faith throughout the ages.

2022 movie #81. 1958. Former sea captain (Peck) goes west to marry his fiancée Baker). His future FIL is in a range war over water access. Burl Ives, in a snarling performance, won Best Supporting Acting Oscar as the opposing rancher. Good cast and an entertaining Western.

Reminiscent of "A Lantern in Her Hand" and other books by Bess Aldrich.

Reprinted 1970. The further adventures of the Birdwell family during and after the Civil War.

Episodic chapters about the Birdwell family, nineteenth century Quakers living in Indiana during the period following the Civil War.

Reprint originally published 1949

The Woman Said YES reads like an exciting novel of love, life, disease, and death, told with deep personal insights and high wit.

It would be enhanced by the inclusion of the photographs so carefully described since
beauty is an important element in the early story of that Mother who said YES - seeing what that meant would be welcome.

The fairly dispassionate way that Jessamyn West wrote left me feeling oddly distant from the three captivating women.

See entry for DVD copy.

This novel about Quakers in the Midwest explores the variety of ways friends deal with violence and strive for peace.

Donation

I really like the movie. And I really like the book. But they are not the same. The movie has a lot of material that didn't come from the book. And the book has a lot of material that didn't make it into the movie. And some of the stories taken from the book got shifted a bit on their way into the movie script.

The cover calls the book a novel. I have to disagree. It is a collection of short stories, previously published over several years in various magazines. (I'm sad that magazines don't publish much fiction anymore. But that's another story.) The common denominator of the book is that all the stories deal with the Birdwell family, and the stories are arranged in roughly chronological order. But there is no real narrative thread connecting the stories - with the exception of the two stories involving a horse named Lady - they are adjacent in the book, and are carried over mostly intact in the movie. Still, every story is able to stand alone. Character development takes place within each story, not in between them.

I originally bought the book because I liked the movie. We discussed it one time in book club. And I decided to pull it out and reread it because it showed up on my GoodReads recommendation page.

This book is self-described as "A Companion to The Friendly Persuasion." It is neither a sequel nor a prequel - it mostly overlaps with the time frame of Friendly Persuasion, and deals with the same Birdwell family.

Most of the stories are about 20 pages long, and are lovely insights into the family relationships. The longest one, though, is about 90 pages long, called "Neighbors." It deals with the Fugitive Slave Act, and the conflict between the principle of obedience to law and the importance of helping the sick and hungry, especially those who were subject to abuse. It was extremely affecting.

I found this at the library and decided to give it a try. I was nervous, because I had not much cared for Cress Delahanty. As you can see by the 5 star rating, my nervousness was unwarranted.

The story of a Quaker family in India in the days prior to the Civil War.
The main characters are Indiana Quaker Jess Birdwell, his wife, Eliza and their children, Labe, Josh and Mattie, an 1850 junior miss.
It is interesting to hear the men discuss politics and politicians such as Stephen A. Douglas.
The story moves slowly as if we were witnessing farm life and the growth of crops and getting them ready of market. There is a scene I enjoyed where Jess and his wife take a neighbor to court over a goose. As court begins, the judge tells the bailiff to swear the witness in. Ezra says, "we're Quakers, we do not swear, Quakers affirm. When the Judge tells her this is Ok and questioning begins, the attorney tells her to address the judge as "your honor." She states, "We Quakers, do not make use of such titles, What is thy name? I think thee'll go far in out state and they name's one I'd like to know." The flustered judge agreed and at the end of the case, Ezra won her claim.”

The further adventures of Jess and Eliza Birdwell, beloved characters of the author's earlier "The FriendlyPersuasion." Originally published individually as short stories. Jessamyn West was born in Indiana of Quaker parents, grew up in California, graduated from Whittier College, and was a frequent contributor to the New Yorker, Harper's, and the New York Times Book Review.

A gentle, poetic rendering of centered Quaker lives in the old Midwestern countryside. A famous, beloved book.

2004:
It's a classic! Of course, we are no longer 19th c. Quakers, but it still gives an accurate picture of who we were and to some extent still are. The movie is quite faithful to the book, but I would still recommend reading over watching and doing both will be optimum!

2014:
I reread the book in preparation for a "pizza and movie" might at our Meeting. There were some in our Meeting who felt the movie presented Quakers in a hypocritical light of promulgating peace while fighting in a war and of being a "John Wayne" movie (what can you expect beside 'shoot 'em up'?).

The book is so much more nuanced than the film. What would truly be hypocritical would be to pretend that Quakers have not fought in every war. I found, however, that the notion of caging a starling to be reprehensible!

And, for the record, the lead was played by Cary Grant.

Very loosely based on a true incident, it's the story of white men tried for the murder of innocent local Indians, a novel idea in 1824. We see the story through various character's eyes with an emphasis on Caleb Cape, self taught preacher of the district, and his daughter Hannah. Caleb is a cousin to Johsn Birdwell of The Friendly Persuasion, the solid man who tries to do good, and other characters remind me of some of West's other books, but that's fine. The characters are the usual down to earth characters that West uses, and there's a subplot about Hannah's romances, but against the background of the crime and the trial, it's not a light hearted story. I was a little disappointed because I'd thought a piece evidence would turn out to be a red herring and lead to a plot twist, but that would have been a different book. Another love story, to which the focus shifted late in the book, was very moving. Maybe a little too perfect, but still, moving. I thought that one character made the wrong choice and find myself thinking about her and wondering how that choice turned out for her and what happened next, which for me is a sign of a good book with vivid characters.

“Cress Delahanty” by Jessamyn West is one of those rare books that causes me to celebrate life. Mrs. West is a masterful writer. I read this book in the 1980s when I was teaching fourteen-year-olds and loved it. Now, having a granddaughter of that age, after reading it a second time, I revere it.

The reader experiences the growth toward emotional maturity of Crescent Delahanty from age 12 to 16 in the late 1930s and early 1940s. She and her parents live on a citrus ranch near Santa Ana, California. Not particularly attractive physically but highly observant and introspective, she is an only child awkwardly seeking social standing and peer approval. As she grows older, she learns indelible lessons about people and life that her supportive, usually perceptive parents frequently sense she is experiencing and strive to guide her through. These lessons are revealed through vignettes, selected occurrences that do not preach, do not explain, do not dramatize. We experience what Cress sees, hears, thinks, and feels. We adults, drawing on our own experiences, are permitted to infer what Cress has discovered for the first time. This is a coming-of-age novel in the best sense. No stereotypes here. Each experience is intelligently selected and sparsely, cleanly, and sometimes humorously narrated.

I will provide one example.

Late during her thirteenth year Cress is invited to stay over the weekend at the house of a classmate, Ina Wallenius. Ina wants to be Cress’s friend. Cress doesn’t particularly want to go. Cress had reached [precariously] the upper level of her high school’s social structure and Ina was at a lower level “reaching upward. A visit could put Ina up where she was, or just as easily put Cress down where Ina was.” Ina is somewhat peculiar in appearance and conduct. She lives with her father in a neighborhood of small houses built on a hill amid oil derricks. “A ratty little town,” Ina apologizes as the two girls get off the school bus to begin the weekend.

They enter Ina’s house. To Cress’s great surprise, the rooms are immaculate. Every household item is precisely placed. “Half a lemon rested in the exact center of a saucer, and the saucer had been placed in the exact middle of the window sill. The chairs, ranged around the set table, were all pushed under it a uniform distance.”

Cress meets Mr. Wallenius, who greets her and goes off to wash for dinner, which his daughter has carefully prepared. Before they eat, he asks Cress to read a chapter from the Bible, a daily occurrence in his house. He has selected a chapter that contained words that, elsewhere, “it would be very wrong for her to whisper or even think about.” The father asks Cress, “Did you understand what you read?” Not wanting to be tested, she answers that she hadn’t. Mr. Wallenius seems pleased.

He asks Cress, “Have you ever been kissed?” Knowing he doesn’t mean family kisses, she answers, ”No.” He tells her she is big enough. “I guess it goes more by age than size,” Cress responds.

Mr. Wallenius invites Cress to take a little walk with him while Ina washes the dishes. Feeling uncomfortable, Cress answers, “I wouldn’t feel right, not helping.” Mr. Wallenius says, “Washing them alone is a little punishment I planned for Ina. A little reminder. Isn’t that true, Ina?”

They go outside. The father warns Cress about rattlesnakes. He is carrying a long stick, tells her how he has killed a few. They come upon one of the sump holes in the neighborhood. Mr. Wallanius goes into the bushes and comes out with a live gopher snake balanced on his stick. “With a gentle movement, Mr. Wallenius laid, rather than threw, the soft, brown, harmless thing in the sump hole. Ignoring Cress’s pleas to spare the snake, he watches it fight to survive. “Sink—swim; sink—swim. … Up—down; in—out,” he repeats. “It’s dying!” Cress protests. She breaks away from him, flees down the hill, and walks the long distance home.

Her parents ask her why she has come back. “Homesick” is her answer. Does she want a bedtime snack? The chapter ends this way: “It sounded good, but Cress was silent. She sat down in her father’s chair and nodded yes to him, because suddenly she was too tired to speak even so small and easy a word.” Ina and her father and this experience are not referred to thereafter in the book.

I admire Jessamyn West’s ability to provide sensory detail in her narration almost as much as I do her selection and portrayal of her subject matter. She is not pretentious in her word selection; instead she is simple, direct and, most importantly, exact. Here are two examples:

“Mrs. Delahanty stood in front of the fireplace, close to the fire until her calves began to scorch, then on the edge of the hearth until they cooled.”

“It was only the smell of the oil—which was taste as much as smell—the sight of an occasional sump hole at the end of a side street, and the sound of the pumps that reminded Cress where she was. The sound of the pumps filled the air, deep, rhythmical, as if the hills themselves breathed; or as if deep in the wells some kind of heart shook the earth with so strong a beat that Cress could feel it in the soles of her feet.”

“Cress Delahanty” is not a novel that teenagers would especially enjoy, in my opinion. Oh, but what a pleasure it is for parents and grandparents to read! I can imagine them finishing each chapter thinking, “Yes, this is how it is” or “I can believe this. Such a good person being made stronger. Mankind needs strong, sensitive people.”

The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West. Epiphany Library section 13: Adult Fiction. This classic written in 1940 is a collection of stories about the Birdwell family of 1860's Indiana. The family is Quaker. Jess, the father, is a tree nurseryman and farmer. His wife Eliza is a Quaker minister. They have a number of children, notably Josh, a 16 year-old son; Mattie, his slightly younger sister who is sweet on a local young man, and little Jess, the youngest son. The book is a delightful blend of Jess’s love for his farm, his trees and the seasons; Eliza’s pride in home and family, and closeness to her God; the shenanigans of their children; the eccentricities of their neighbors; and the humor found in daily living. I remember being struck by the book’s beauty as a teen, its richness is so evocative of a past place and time.
You may recall the lush 1950's color film based on this book, starring Gary Cooper and Dorothy McGuire as the parents, and a teenaged Anthony Perkins as son Josh. The film’s screenplay weaves most of the book’s stories into a logical sequence of events. At first the events are funny and wry. But the Civil War threatens to destroy the peace and bring ruin. Even worse, son Josh must make a choice whether to fight or stay true to his pacifist upbringing. His part in a skirmish brings home the fright and cost of war, both in the novel and the film.
This book is in the adult fiction section, but older teens will enjoy it too. I especially like how it stresses that God has a plan for each of us. It expresses this through the characters’ awareness of God’s guidance, and their appreciation for their farm, their work, and their family. The book’s motto might be, “Look at the blessings God has given us – let’s live life to the fullest!”

To fully enjoy a book like The Friendly Persuasion, you must appreciate stories that delve deeply into characters' thoughts and motivations. West's book is, like early Quakers, quiet and contemplative, examining a close-knit family of Friends around the time of American Civil War. But, don't look for much action here. Instead, come ready to think about honest living, individual peculiarities and death both anticipated and unexpected.

45 years ago I read this novel as a young teenager. Though I knew nothing of fine literature and good writing at that time, the story of Cress, her journey from age 12 to 16, sparkling with odd-ball precociousness and emotion, struck an unexpected deep chord in me which remained tucked away in me for many years. Now to read it so many years later, I'm thrilled by West's writing style and and depth of description feeling of all her characters. Lovely and cohesive. Read this.

Watch the movie.