Even if you don't know her personally, you'll probably recognize the name Betsey Osborne. Yes, she is related to the man, Thomas Mott Osborne, whose statue stands proudly in front of the police station on North Street.
Osborne grew up in Auburn, and her father ran The Citizen newspaper. One day his bicycle was stolen, but the thief abandoned the bike when he realized he couldn't reach the pedals, set to Osborne's tall stature. A newspaper cartoon about this incident hung on the Osborne refrigerator for years. This cartoon inspired Betsey to write her first novel, “The Natural History of Uncas Metcalfe.”
Uncas is a resident of Sparta, a town that greatly resembles a smaller version of Auburn. Readers will enjoy picking out local landmarks spread throughout the book. (Even the Osborne statue makes an appearance.) He is a 65-year-old professor of botany at the local college and a perfect example of the absent-minded professor. He enjoys his work, loves his wife, Margaret, and is a good citizen in his community.
But Uncas is a bit of an “odd duck.” He keeps his feelings to himself; so much so that his family refers to him as “Lord Reticent Taciturn.” Uncas is more comfortable with his plants than with other people. His wife, Margaret, is an outgoing, popular woman in the community, but at times she can be very cold to her husband and children.
Things start to go awry for Uncas when his Margaret suffers an accident that keeps her bedridden. Uncas suddenly loses his buffer between himself and everyone else and is forced to interact with people. On top of this, his daughter, Fauna, her husband, Doug, and their three young children (with another on the way) move back to Sparta.
Uncas hires two young women, Hannah and Alex, whom he met at the local bagel shop, to help him care for his wife.
He grows particularly close to Alex, and she gets him to open up to her about an incident that occurred between him and Margaret when they were first married.
At the same time, someone steals Uncas' bicycle. The bike is spotted tied to the top of a swing set at Lincoln playground. When Uncas and Alex retrieve the bike, a note from the thief falls to the ground.
The note is hostile, calling Uncas some nasty names and accusing him of not listening to people. Uncas is totally bewildered as to who may have done this, but in his typical reticent manner, he tells no one.
His safe, predictable life has been thrown into an uproar. Margaret insists on throwing their annual Christmas party, which means with his wife bedridden, Uncas must take a more active role in the planning.
A confrontation with the bicycle thief leaves him even more confused and a little frightened.
His relationship with his daughter is strained and the long-forgotten incident with his wife from 30 years ago has come back to haunt him.
The Christmas party is the climax of the book. Uncas is a man from another era, which is personified by the music he requests for the Christmas party. He asks the band to play songs from the 1940s and 1950s. He is not a fan of modern music. When they play an original, modern tune, he finds that he rather enjoys it. A revelation about Alex and Hannah at the party startles Uncas and Margaret, but Uncas surprisingly seems less rattled than his wife by it. Maybe Uncas is finally ready to join the modern world.
Osborne's character, Uncas Metcalfe, is unique and one that is truly unforgettable. The relationship with his wife, Margaret, is very Nick-and-Nora-Charles, expressed with cute, clever expressions, as when Uncas tells her upon leaving the house, “I'm off like the bride's pajamas.”
Yet, underlying their relationship is a lack of honesty. If only Uncas were less taciturn, he might have saved himself 30 years of hidden hostility.
Osborne has done a marvelous job speaking in the voice of a 65-year-old man. Her insights into how men and women relate in a marriage and how parents and children understand (or misunderstand) each other are right on target. Other people have compared Osborne's work to Anne Tyler and I agree; fans of Anne Tyler's work will enjoy this novel. I greatly enjoyed it and give it four stars.
Auburn native Diane La Rue's
lifelong goal is to read a book a week. If you have suggestions, e-mail her at laruediane2000@yahoo.com
Uncas is a resident of Sparta, a town that greatly resembles a smaller version of Auburn. Readers will enjoy picking out local landmarks spread throughout the book. (Even the Osborne statue makes an appearance.) He is a 65-year-old professor of botany at the local college and a perfect example of the absent-minded professor. He enjoys his work, loves his wife, Margaret, and is a good citizen in his community.
But Uncas is a bit of an “odd duck.” He keeps his feelings to himself; so much so that his family refers to him as “Lord Reticent Taciturn.” Uncas is more comfortable with his plants than with other people. His wife, Margaret, is an outgoing, popular woman in the community, but at times she can be very cold to her husband and children.
Things start to go awry for Uncas when his Margaret suffers an accident that keeps her bedridden. Uncas suddenly loses his buffer between himself and everyone else and is forced to interact with people. On top of this, his daughter, Fauna, her husband, Doug, and their three young children (with another on the way) move back to Sparta.
Uncas hires two young women, Hannah and Alex, whom he met at the local bagel shop, to help him care for his wife.
He grows particularly close to Alex, and she gets him to open up to her about an incident that occurred between him and Margaret when they were first married.
At the same time, someone steals Uncas' bicycle. The bike is spotted tied to the top of a swing set at Lincoln playground. When Uncas and Alex retrieve the bike, a note from the thief falls to the ground.
The note is hostile, calling Uncas some nasty names and accusing him of not listening to people. Uncas is totally bewildered as to who may have done this, but in his typical reticent manner, he tells no one.
His safe, predictable life has been thrown into an uproar. Margaret insists on throwing their annual Christmas party, which means with his wife bedridden, Uncas must take a more active role in the planning.
A confrontation with the bicycle thief leaves him even more confused and a little frightened.
His relationship with his daughter is strained and the long-forgotten incident with his wife from 30 years ago has come back to haunt him.
The Christmas party is the climax of the book. Uncas is a man from another era, which is personified by the music he requests for the Christmas party. He asks the band to play songs from the 1940s and 1950s. He is not a fan of modern music. When they play an original, modern tune, he finds that he rather enjoys it. A revelation about Alex and Hannah at the party startles Uncas and Margaret, but Uncas surprisingly seems less rattled than his wife by it. Maybe Uncas is finally ready to join the modern world.
Osborne's character, Uncas Metcalfe, is unique and one that is truly unforgettable. The relationship with his wife, Margaret, is very Nick-and-Nora-Charles, expressed with cute, clever expressions, as when Uncas tells her upon leaving the house, “I'm off like the bride's pajamas.”
Yet, underlying their relationship is a lack of honesty. If only Uncas were less taciturn, he might have saved himself 30 years of hidden hostility.
Osborne has done a marvelous job speaking in the voice of a 65-year-old man. Her insights into how men and women relate in a marriage and how parents and children understand (or misunderstand) each other are right on target. Other people have compared Osborne's work to Anne Tyler and I agree; fans of Anne Tyler's work will enjoy this novel. I greatly enjoyed it and give it four stars.
Auburn native Diane La Rue's
lifelong goal is to read a book a week. If you have suggestions, e-mail her at laruediane2000@yahoo.com
Citizen
Hot Jobs
New! Off the Menu
The Citizens' Say
Post your comment - click hereThere are 2 comment(s)
Steve Mac... wrote on May 13, 2006 2:16 AM:
Robert Hole wrote on May 7, 2006 2:56 PM: