Book Journey

In the village of Cape Cod, the Gilly’s are known for their salt farm.  The sisters grew up working the farm and knowing the hard work of mining salt under the watchful eye and guidance of their mother.  Jo, the older of the two, embarrassed what the salt brought to her community and to her life, Claire however felt differently, being pretty and popular she could not get wait to get away from the burden that to her was all the salt offered… and she would find a way out no matter what….

even if it meant marrying the son of the family who caused the Gilly’s the most grief… wealthy Whit Turner.  When a fire destroys the relationship between the sisters, and Claire’s high school sweetheart turns his heart to other things, Claire escapes into her life with Whit.

Of course, as Claire soon learns, money and prestige are not everything. 

Then the tides turn again and Claire finds herself brought full circle, back to the past she had escaped, and along with her the pregnant mistress of her husbands.  Jo and Claire together work to make things right in Cape Cod, learning to accept each other and seeing that sometimes all you need is a little pinch of salt.

I have had my eye on this book since I first seen the cover.  The title is catching and the cover drew me in.  Thankfully, this book was not just a surface love, within its pages (or in this case, within the audio)I found a tale that was both interesting and delightful all rolled into one.  Author Tiffany Baker (who is also the author of The Little Giant of Aberdeen County) has a fun wit about her and there are so many great quotes in this book…

“There was no etiquette guide in the universe that told you how to handle waking up in a house you’d fled from as a teenager with your estranged sister in one room across the hall and your husband’s pregnant teenage mistress in the other.”

It was really interesting learning about the salt, and I liked the almost “magical” aspect they gave it… not knowing what the salt would do and believing that ones fate could be tied to the salt.  There is also the strong differences between the sisters that you can appreciate, Jo always loyal to a fault, and Claire strong and independent to the point of her own almost destruction… together they level each other out. 

Narrator Angela Brazil had a nearly flawless performance as she seamlessly made her way through the cast of interesting characters without pause.  This was one of those books you could not wait to know how it is all going to end, and at the same time you dread knowing how it is all going to end because that is of course… the end.  And honestly, I did not want it to end. 

I highly recommend picking up a copy of this amazing read.  While I listened to it on audio, I suspect it is just as wonderful and engaging in book format. Keep your eye on Tiffany Baker, with writing like this I cant wait to see what she comes up with next.

For a fun little extra, Esme at Chocolate and Croissants recently wrote an interesting post about salt along with incredible pictures.  Its worth taking a look at and I think it gives you a real feel for what working the salt as in this book, would be like.

On June 27th, 1977, an intruder broke into the Glensheen Mansion located on Lake Superior in Duluth Minnesota.  The only occupants in the large home at the time were the lone heir to the million+ dollar estate, Elisabeth Congdon (83) and her nurse Velma Pietila.  The intruder would leave with a basket of jewelry and a few other small items, but not before they murdered the nurse beating her to death with a candlestick, and smothering Elisabeth with a satin pillow.

The investigation quickly led in the direction of Elisabeth’s adopted daughter Marjorie and her husband Roger.  According to Elisabeth’s will, upon her death Marjorie would receive 8 million dollars.  Three days prior to the murders, Marjorie had authorized a paper stating that once her inheritance came to be, her husband would receive 2.5 million of the given amount.  When police investigators turned up where Marjorie and her husband were staying, missing items from the house were found in their possession; which Marjorie claimed were copies of the real jewelry made and given to her perviously by her adopted mother, Elisabeth. 

50 years earlier Elisabeth Congdon in her early 30’s having never married,  adopted two daughters, Marjorie and Jennifer.  Marjorie had always been one looking for the quick fix, expecting everything to be handed to her even long after she had married and moved away.  She continuously asked Elisabeth for money for one idea or another, even stooping as low to forge a doctor’s letter saying her husband had a serious illness.

As the case went on, Roger and Marjorie were both tried for the crimes, Roger was convicted, and a year later Marjorie was acquitted.  What follows in the book is a continued investigation into Marjorie’s life, her growing up as a Congdon and her continued self-destructive lifestyle that led to even more deaths… none of which she was ever arrested for.

The Congdon story is one that is quite close to me literally.  The mansion itself is located in Duluth Minnesota, 2 1/2 hours from my home in Brainerd Minnesota.  The trial was moved to Brainerd and in July of 1978 the jury found Roger Caldwell (Marjorie’s husband) to be guilty of the crimes. 

At the time all of this was taking place I was 10 years old.  It would be 12 years before I would hear about the murders and with my husband’s property in Finland Minnesota, find that I drive by the Glensheen Mansion every time I go through Duluth to the cabin. After the first time I toured the mansion with my sons and husband, I wanted to know more about the family and what had happened.

There are many books out there about the Glensheen Mansion, the Congdons, and the murders.  I have read quite a few but find this one to be the most detailed account of the property, the background, the trial, and the continuing craziness of all the surrounds Marjorie to this very day.  There is even later DNA testing that was not available at the time but was found to link both Roger and Marjorie to the crimes and calls into question her acquittal.

Yes, this book is true crime but it is much more than that.  It is the story of a home that took many years to build, its the story of a family, and of an adoption.  It is a piece of Minnesota History.

I have probably toured the Mansion 10 times now, mostly because I have friends who want to stop and do the tour that have not been there before.  It is always well taken care of, like stepping back into time, the original fixtures remain, pictures on the wall, furnishings…  Originally they had the third floor not available for tour (this was the floor that contained Elisabeth’s bedroom) but in the last few years they have expanded the tour to include the third floor as well as the attic which contains large rolls of curtains that the family would use to change out the drapes seasonally as well as all their Christmas decorations.

This is a book I keep at the cabin as it is a part of Minnesota history, well written, and educational.

Last weekend as I was driving home from the cabin, I took a couple “drive by” pictures of the mansion, knowing I would be writing this review.  Somewhere I have better pictures of the gardens and the buildings from when I was doing the tours.  I know at some point I will probably be touring Glensheen again.

Paul Vitagliano knows first hand what it is like to grow up gay.  Even in today’s day and age it is still hard to find acceptance without judgement so in 2011 Paul started the blog site “Born This Way” which is a place to share stories and support for the LGBTQ community.  The blog exploded with responses, so much so… Paul wrote this book, Born This Way, filling it with pictures of boys and girls at young ages and their stories about when they knew and what it was like when (and if) they came out and told their families and friends.

The short stories share what growing up was like.  In some cases there was name calling and bullying which led to many of these children keeping to themselves and doing anything they could to avoid conflict.

The book is a quick read, the stories are short and sometimes funny, and sometimes heart breaking.  In many cases, by the time they told family and friends, they had known and were just waiting for them to tell them.  In other more heartbreaking (and thankfully rare) circumstances, families turned their backs… not understanding.  Yet story after story no matter what the outcome, each person said life was so much better once they said it out loud and were their true selves.

This book is a short read but a powerful one.  I smiled at the stories, occasionally laughed, and yes, at times my heart broke a little too.  Everyone deserves to be accepted and Paul Vitagliano has taken great steps towards doing just that. 

**I first read a review of this book in October when I seen the book at Kathy’s Bermuda Onion blog.  And I knew then I wanted to read it, I bought it that day and finally had the privilege of reading it this past weekend.