Monday, September 17, 2018

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk: Kathleen Rooney

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 284
Published: 2016
I'm trying a new format today, so bear with me! 

2018 Adventures By The Page Award Winner: Most Likely to Become a Classic



It's New Year's Eve in 1984, and Lillian Boxfish is putting on her mink coat and preparing to head out to dinner. But she has some walking to do first, and more even later. 

As a young adult, Lillian began writing copy for Macy's and worked her way up to become the highest paid copywriter in the country. She became friends with one of the illustrators and eventually married a man who also worked in the store. Years later she would deal with marriage troubles, have a son, get a divorce, and battle depression. Many of these things happened against the backdrop of New York City, so as she goes on her walk, she'll pass all the familiar places and think back to the events that happened there. But this is the 1980s and the city is gritty and scary. However, Lillian never let anything stop her before, and she certainly won't tonight as she looks back on her life. 



I love that each one of us has a story to tell. Each one of us is our own character in our own story. I also enjoy hearing tales from others' pasts, so Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk sounded like a great choice. And I know I think about many things on walks, too.

Likes


I Can Hear Your Voice
The book features Lillian, inspired by the real life figure of Margaret Fishback. Ooh, an elderly narrator. How unusual. When many authors write old ladies, they tend to be either cranky and crotchety or completely kooky. Our girl Lillian is a bit of both and is more realistic that way. She has a tough time understanding that trends in advertising change and refuses to accept them, yet also enjoys a good rap song. Her voice is the strongest point of the novel by far; Rooney does a stellar job of getting into the mind of, and sounding like, someone who is 84. This voice did seep into some of the other characters though. When Lillian meets an 11-year-old girl, Penny, she sounds eleven for the most part. However, some of her sentences sound too much like Lillian's speech. I don't think a preteen would talk that way. Fortunately, the voice is on point for most of the book. I like to "listen to" it, if you will.


Feisty Feminism
But Lillian herself is pretty interesting. She's surprisingly progressive. Can a woman be both successful at her job and happy as a wife? Not in Lillian's case. She was forced to quit her job to have her baby. And then the rest of her life took over. Many people looking for feminist books probably won't consider Lillian Boxfish, but they should!


Historical Value
New York goes through a lot of change in Lillian's time. A particularly interesting aspect was how Rooney addresses the absence of the Twin Towers even though this book takes place in the 80s. Lillian basically addresses how she might feel if they were to disappear. I thought that was clever. Or maybe I just took notice of it because September 11 was the day before I read that particular passage.


Lillian's School of Thought
I won't say I learned nothing (other than the meaning of a lot of new words). Apparently copywriters and individual advertisers could become famous for their craft, and so could modern poets. Lillian is well known for her poetic style and even publishes poems of her own. That includes in magazines. (Magazine poetry should come back!) So writers could get something out of this too, and maybe feel even inspired.



Dislikes



Which is faster: NYC cabs or the plot? 
Plot-wise, there's not a lot happening here other than Lillian's reminiscing about her life. Yes, it's a bit slow. Getting her job, getting married, and getting a divorce are the major events of her past and she spends a lot of time remembering them...and she's certainly not shy about her accomplishments! However, the highlight here isn't the plot. It's the way the story is told, in lyrical wording that may remind you of your own grandmother telling you about times past. And there are lots of times to be had: Lillian experiences new buildings, various Presidents, women's inequality in the workplace, and even electroshock therapy. New York is its own characters, and lovers of the city might enjoy seeing the changes. I did wish that Lillian described the historical events and places a little more so that those of us who hadn't seen them were able to picture them better.

Pardon My French.
Rooney seems to have a love of advanced vocabulary. By this I mean lots and lots of SAT words. Now I'm all for books that make people think, but it's also odd to have to reach for a dictionary this much in a near-contemporary book about an old woman in a city. Lillian also likes to throw around phrases in other languages. The problem is that many readers might not be familiar with them, or at least I wasn't. I'm not talking about common phrases like "au contraire" or "pro bono" or even "excellente!" I was also shocked to see that the author did the same thing in her "Author's Note." I wasn't aware that Lillian ever went to France; so why does she do this? I'm not even sure if all of these phrases were French, but you get the idea.

I don't want to complain about vocabulary that is too large because reading is an educational experience but...well, sometimes this book sounded pretty Victorian, and unnecessarily so. But I still enjoyed Lillian's style as a whole.


So What?
What would have made this a better novel was a bit more action, and more of a message about how the past and future intertwine. The end sort of fizzles and nothing truly significant is said. I would have liked more significance beyond just exploring Lillian as a feminist and writer.



It's a fine book that will make you think about change (though the vocabulary seemed more pretentious than anything), and if you like character development and people's life stories, Lillian Boxfish might hold some interest. The writing style is a good one, and it reminds me of some classic novels. Perhaps this will become one? Still, although Lillian was an interesting character, by the end I was ready to move on to something else.


3 stars

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