The Mistress's Daughter

A few days ago I finished reading "Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good" and was looking for a short read before I was scheduled to receive a book order from Ebay.  I went to my bookshelf -- the one that is completely organized with a good number of unread books and I searched for something that looked like a quick yet interesting read.

My eyes fell on "The Mistress's Daughter" by A.M. Homes.  It is not a long book and I figured that I could knock it out pretty quickly which I did.  I figured it was a novel about, well, a mistress's daughter.  I was wrong.  At the first page I realized that I was reading an autobiography.  A really sad autobiography.  I will admit it was pretty depressing in the beginning and then we hear about Ms. Homes learning that her biological mother was looking for her.  We are introduced to the biological mother only to realize that she isn't a stable person.  We meet the father and learn that he isn't a great guy and never was.  During all of this we don't hear a whole lot about the adoptive parents -- it is a story of her struggle to deal with her past.  As the book progresses, however, and Ms. Homes learns more and more of her heritage we learn of her desire to join the DAR and her struggled with that.  As I read along the book that started out a personal and painful journey turned into a genealogical study which fascinated me.  Toward the end we learn about her adoptive family and the grandmother that Ms. Homes adores -- and the table.  The table is fascinating. 

All in all, I really enjoyed this book.  It was different than I imagined, it was sad, it was emotional but, in the end, it was joyful.  For a quick read to sandwich between more important books, it was a great choice but  it was too good to be a "sandwich" so if you want to read it, give it the time it deserves.  As I looked at the picture of that beautiful child on the cover I felt that I had even let her down, sandwiching her story between other stories and that was not right.  It is well worth reading and it deserves the time and attention of any other work that might be in your queue.

I definitely recommend to anybody who does genealogy, anybody adopted who doesn't know their whole story or anybody who is just interested in a completely different, compelling read.

"Another question raised by YA author A.S. King‘s blog post last week which touched on censorship—especially as it pertains to young adult books.
She writes:

If there really is [an ideal] town like this in America, I am happy about that. Really truly happy. But are your teenagers going to stay in that town forever? Don’t you want them to go to college? Or go out in the world and do stuff? And don’t you want them to be prepared for all of these real things that happen all the time in real life? Don’t you want them to know that they will make mistakes? Don’t you want them to learn how to make smarter mistakes?
Fiction can help. I write my books for one reason, whether they are for adults or teens. I write to make readers think. I write to widen perspective. I write to make readers ask questions and then answer the questions or start conversations. And I write sometimes to give voice to the throwaways, of which our society has many, but we usually hide them because we are still uncomfortable with what we see as our own mistakes. Make sure you say that in a whisper. Throwaways.

And so … this, right here, pretty much explains exactly WHY I like reading so much. Yes, it’s fun and entertaining and diverting, and all that, but ultimately, it TEACHES me things. It broadens my horizons and makes me look at ideas and people and life in general in new and interesting ways. Isn’t that what reading and art in general is SUPPOSED to do? How do you feel about this? Do you agree? Disagree? Discuss!"


I believe that reading is a venue for learning as well as a pleasurable activity for relaxation and diversion.  As my neighbor told my bride-to-be daughter "if you can read, you can cook". 

I was an avid reader as a child -- it was my activity of choice since I wasn't particularly athletic and I was an only child so I spent lots of time on my own.  I loved the books by Kate Seredy -- "The Good Master" and "The Singing Tree"  which took me into a culture and an era that was not my own.  I was entranced. I always enjoyed historical fiction because I was curious about how the generations before me lived.

I am still the same way as an adult -- I love reading for pleasure but I also read for knowledge.  I read lots of magazines -- Smithsonian being one of my favorites-- and I am an avid blog reader.  I quilt, cross stitch and embroider and I enjoy reading about what other crafters are doing and learning new techniques.

I do genealogy so I am fascinated with reading old documents and records as well as tips on how to find more information.  When I began doing family history, the first official document to find it's way into my hands was my great-grandmother's death certificate.  I was in awe that I had a piece of paper in my hand that would help me to know the woman who mothered my grandfather -- the woman I never knew but was always curious about.  Reading that document gave me insight about the woman but also about her life.  Nothing can compare to that and yes, it was a learning opportunity.

I love reading books/magazines/blogs that take me places that I will never go but would love to.  Pictures make me happy! I also learn a lot about the children of today by studying current kid-lit fare.  Can't say I am thrilled with that in some cases but it is a window into the child world today.

So, yes, I would say that reading is as much a learning opportunity as it is a pleasurable activity.

I am opposed to censorship because it is subjective.  Who is doing the censoring?  Who has the right to determine what I read or don't read?  When my children were young I was aware of what they read but I never censored what they read.  I was much more concerned about tv programs and movies.  I find it very disturbing to think that somebody could control what I read/watch/think/say.  The only person that has the right to do that is me.

Gone but Not Forgotten -- My Genealogical Search


Aside from my family and my faith, I have four interests in my life -- quilting, cross stitch/embroidery, reading, and genealogy. I wouldn't call them passions, I am passionate about my family and faith but I would say that I am drawn to these activities from somewhere deep inside. They are activities that have rooted themselves in me, planted and encouraged by others and I find no better way to spend my "alone" time .

The two activities that have the deepest meaning to me are genealogy and quilting and they are linked. My interest in quilting began with my great-grandmother, Maggie. One evening in her home, watching her and my grandmother hand piece quilts was the most fascinating thing I had ever seen. They even let me join in and the fire was fueled forevermore.

This same great-grandmother was the basis for the love of genealogy. My father's family had always held family history in geat esteem and had kept the family story alive. I grew up hearing historical accounts of my family's migration from Tennessee to Texas in covered wagons. I learned about our family's place in the founding of this country and this government. It was pretty awesome as a child and the interest never left me. In fact, it just expanded to include my maternal family and my husband's family, as well.

I have decided that this blog is a good venue for collecting and sharing these stories, maybe some photos, for family members that might be interested either now or in the future.

A few of the names that I research are Boyett (and all variations of the spelling), Cocke, Watkins, Conn, Davies/Davis, Webb, Palmer, Brinkley, Rantz. This isn't a complete list but the most immediate list. The areas that I research are Texas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, England, Wales.

So, if you are interested, come back and join me on my travels through my family search.