31 Days of Halloween { review } Captivity by Deborah Noyes
Captivity by Deborah Noyes. © 2010 Unbridled Books. ISBN 9781936071630. Hardback. Historical. 341 pages. $25.95 US. Source: review copy from publisher
Review: Captivity is told in two parts. The first centers around the true story of the Fox Sisters, who in 1848 upstate New York, proclaimed they could converse with the dead. Their declaration incidentally gave rise to a religious movement known as Spiritualism, which garnered followers from two continents, including the rich and famous.
The second story revolves around Clara Gill, a self-isolated “woman of a certain age” who seeks the refuge of her drawings rather than that of the outside world after losing the love of her life back in London. Her story interweaves with that of the Fox Sisters when Maggie and Lizzie become servants at the Gill residence. Lizzie fears “Mad Clara” but Maggie longs for her companionship, of someone older (and other than her Ma and aunt) to talk with.
Eventually Clara and Maggie come to find they have a lot in common, despite Clara’s skepticism of the Fox’s “gift” and their age difference, and the two become confidantes. Both coming to realize they are both captives of what society thinks they should be, and the limitations and expectations placed on women in this era.
It took me a bit to get into the book—nearly 100 pages—but once I got into Deborah’s deft and lyrical prose, I found it much easier and absorbing. I think that was mainly due to where my head was around the time I started reading more than Noyes’s expressive style. Plus, I did find the Fox sisters a little stereotypical in their sisterly roles. The eldest was bossy, the middle lost and the youngest a bit of a sheep. Over the course of the book, they did develop a bit more but it was mainly Maggie who blossomed. Clara’s story was much easier to latch onto and love right away.
Overall, Captivity is beautiful and bittersweet, and is a very interesting look at one of the most famous periods in American history.
Rating: 4 séances out of 5.
Shop Indie Bookstores or Order Online from Amazon
