Plain Seeing

Plain Seeing  by Sandra Scofield

1998

Weight: 6 oz

Method of Disposal: Donating or giving to the first person who asks for it

I chose this book from a shelf of books I have never read, but I have owned for some time.  I had no idea what it was about when I started reading it.  Strangely, I started reading it right after the credits rolled for Grapes of Wrath.  This book tells multiple stories.   The first one talking about a family making ends meet during the Depression.  Women, throughout the generations, are the focus of this book.  We hear a lot from daughters about their mothers, and mothers about their daughters.  The book can be confusing at times, as it skips around from character to character and from one time period to another.  At the start of the book, I was convinced it was bad and was tempted not to read it through.  I am glad I stuck with it.

The characters were often self-absorbed and yet likeable.  I could see people I knew in them and was frightened to see myself sometimes.  I really liked to see the different vectors each characters’ lives took.  You could follow people who came from the same circumstance and watch them grow up.  The reader is there for the big decisions that lead the character from their dreams to their disappointing reality.  Like watching someone you love making a mistake, you have to stand on the sidelines, be supportive and worry, but ultimately let it unfold before your eyes.  The book felt genuine.  It felt like growing older and losing sight of oneself.  It felt like that moment when you realize that there are mistakes you make that you can never fix, things you will never be able to change or get back.  

If you are looking for an uplifting read this is not it, but if you want to get very close to some interesting and strong women who just cannot seem to live to their full potential then this is the book for you.  I was pleasantly surprised by how it lingered with me in the day after I finished it.