Set in the conformist 1950s and reaching back to span two world wars, Ellen Baker’s superb novel is the story of a newlywed who falls in love with a grand abandoned house and begins to unravel dark secrets woven through the generations of a family. Like Whitney Otto’s How to Make an American Quilt in its intimate portrayal of women’s lives, and reminiscent of novels by Elizabeth Berg and Anne Tyler, Keeping the House is a rich tapestry of a novel that introduces a wonderful new fiction writer.
Keeping the House by Ellen Baker is a richly detailed historical fiction novel that intertwines the lives of two women across different time periods, focusing on themes of family, marriage, secrets, and societal expectations. The novel is set in the 1950s and centers on Dolly Magnuson, a young housewife who moves to the small town of Pine Rapids, Wisconsin, with her husband. Desperate to fit in and feeling isolated, Dolly becomes fascinated with the empty, dilapidated Mickelson house, which has a storied history and was once the home of one of the town’s most prominent families.
As Dolly delves into the history of the house and the Mickelson family, the narrative shifts to the early 20th century, following the lives of the Mickelsons, particularly Wilma Mickelson. Through these two women’s stories, Baker explores the expectations placed on women in different eras, the sacrifices they make for their families, and their desires for something more.
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Categories: Fiction Historical