Posted on January 23, 2012 - by Kim
The Swan House
Move over Margaret Mitchell. Stand aside Harper Lee. There’s a new kid on the block…relatively speaking. Or at least that’s what I thought when I read The Swan House by Elizabeth Musser.
This fantastic novel, published in 2001 is set in the author’s native Atlanta in 1962, is the coming of age story of one Mary Swan Middleton – a child of privilege from Buckhead. But money and the fine education she is receiving at the elite Wellington School doesn’t save her from the tragedy that leaves not only her family but the entire city grieving.
The story opens with a very grown up Mary Swan finally agreeing to tell her pregnant daughter the story of her sixteen-year-old self and the paintings that hang in Mt. Carmel Church in Grant Park. Thankfully, we get to go along for the ride as she tells of first loves, the slowly evolving racial climate in the city, the pain of secrets kept too long and the struggle to find a faith she didn’t know she was searching for.
From the very first paragraph, Elizabeth Musser draws the reader into the world of the South in 1962. Every word seems to pull you farther into a city still rising from the ashes of the past. Through the eyes of the characters, you feel like you are in Oakland Cemetery or standing on the expanse of lawn at the Swan House. You can feel Mary Swan’s pain as she grieves for her mother and struggles with the secrets uncovered as she tries to solve the infamous Raven Dare. You experience the confusion of being attracted to two possible first love and having to chose between the kind boy who could make her a social outcast and the sweet young man who drives a new convertible and goes to as elite a private school as she does. In short, you will cry her tears and laugh her laughs. And come out a better person for it.
Elizabeth Goldsmith Musser, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, attended the Westminster Schools and then received her B.A. in English and French from Vanderbilt University, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and graduated magna cum laude.
Though passionate about writing since childhood, Elizabeth’s first book was not published until 1996. Two Crosses was the first of a trilogy set during both the Algerian War for independence from France (1957-1962) and the present day civil war in Algeria. Her work has since been translated into Dutch, French, and German.
Since 1989, Elizabeth and her husband, Paul, have lived in Montpellier, France, where Paul serves on the pastoral team of a small Protestant church. The Mussers have two sons, Andrew and Christopher. (Taken from the Barnes and Noble website.)
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January 23, 2012
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Brenda Anderson said:
Kim – I haven’t read The Swan House, but it sounds exactly like what I love reading. I’m going to have to look it up. Thank you for the recommendation.
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January 23, 2012
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Kav said:
Sounds rich, Kim. I love a book that turns you inside out and this one sounds like that kind of a read.
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January 23, 2012
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Shari Barr said:
This sounds like a fascinating book, Kim. I love coming of age stories and I’m definitely going to have to look for this one. Great review!
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January 23, 2012
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Dawn Ford said:
This sounds like something I would like to read. The love triangle sounds intriguing as well as the mystery woven into it. Sounds like it has a little of everything in it.
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January 23, 2012
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Regina Merrick said:
This sounds great, Kim! I just checked my library catalog, and we HAVE had it – and need to replace it, considering it’s been AWOL since 2006! Thanks for the heads up!
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January 23, 2012
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Jackie Smith said:
Oh, you ladies have gotta read it!!! I guess I am prejudiced cause live near Atlanta, but I loved the book! In fact, I loved all her books…..great writer!
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January 23, 2012
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Kari said:
This book sounds absolutely wonderful! I am headed to the library tonight and will definitely be looking for this one.
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January 23, 2012
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Pam K. said:
I read this book for my book club and absolutely loved it. Be sure to read the sequel, “The Dwelling Place,” which tells more of the story.
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January 23, 2012
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Marianne said:
i read Swan House when it first came out. At that time i was working for Living Books, Inc. out of Borden, Sask. Canada, and i read every fiction book coming through their doors. i didn’t realize though that The Dwelling Place was a sequel. Thanks for such a great review on this.