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Published Jan 2013
384 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
In The History of Us, the newest novel by the celebrated author of The Myth of You and Me, three grown siblings return to their childhood home and face a family secret that forces them to reexamine their relationships to each other - and to the aunt who took them in as children.
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. She moves back into her mother's ancient house and, after her mother leaves, pours her own money into its upkeep.
Nearly two decades later, Eloise is still in that house, still thinking about what she eft 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.
A "perceptive writer with a keen grasp of contemporary culture and domestic life" (Booklist), Leah Stewart creates a deeply moving story of love, loss, sibling relationships, and the paths not taken.
BookBrowse Review
"This novel had some interesting moments but it was a bit chick-lit-y and light for my tastes. Most of the time, I wanted to tell these characters to smarten the [bleep] up. they all seem stunted and not a lot of growth happened during the arc of the story. There were some great moments of humor and Stewart nailed some great commentary on human nature, but overall it wasn't enough to make this a better read for me. I think this is one that falls into the 'missed potential' file, which is too bad. 2.5-3-stars (out of 5)." - Jennifer Dawson Oakes
Other Reviews
"Stewart's novel is an intimate exploration of a family in crisis and the different ways in which people cope with grief." - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. With a playwright's precise, sometimes excoriating dialogue and an insightful novelist's judicious use of interior monologue, Stewart crafts a tearful yet unsentimental family coming-of-age story." - Kirkus Reviews
"Domestic fiction fans favoring strong, intelligent characters will be intrigued by Stewart's introspective examination of a family." - Library Journal
"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
"Tender and compelling, The History of Us explores how we define our family and who, ultimately, we are both with and without them. These characters and their stories stuck with me long after the final page, and Leah Stewart proves once again that she is a master of understanding the complexity of human nature." - Allison Winn Scotch, author of The Song Remains the Same and Time of My Life
This information about The History of Us was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Leah Stewart is the author of the novels Husband and Wife, The Myth of You and Me, and Body of a Girl. The recipient of an NEA Literature Fellowship, she teaches in the creative writing program at the University of Cincinnati and lives in Cincinnati with her husband and two children.
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