Nectar

Rating:
Summary: wolf moon
Review: By Laurie Meunier Graves

In today's hectic world, there is often a yearning to return to the rural past. Somehow, life seemed less complicated when men worked in the fields and women worked in the kitchen. Because of this, the feeling goes, there was less confusion, and there was more contentment. People may have been poor, but they were happy.

In Nectar, which is set in rural Maine, David C. Fickett dispels this notion in the first chapter. As soon as Regina Merritt Gilley, in a fit of anger, forces her son Caleb to empty his insect collection into his oatmeal and then threatens to make him eat it, we know we are not in the land of the Waltons. Instead, we are in Carolyn Chute territory, where the poor have become hard in their struggles with the land and with each other.

Nectar is a lurid, melodramatic novel, unleavened by either humor or ideas, and the lives of the characters lurch from incident to incident. There are rape, incest, sexual obsession, betrayal, and even murder. It has the feel of a miniseries, yet it is not without merit. Robertson Davies wrote that melodrama "is not a form of drama that appeals only to simple people." The same is true of melodramatic fiction. At its best, it is vivid and full of emotion and draws the reader into the story. On this level, Nectar is a complete success. In addition, Mr. Fickett does a skillful job of portraying the various characters, and the reader really does come to care about them, despite all the nasty things they have done.

At the center of the book is Regina Gilley, who is beautiful and quick-tempered. All the action and all the men swirl around her like, yes, bees to honey. Each chapter starts with a quotation concerning bees, and Regina keeps bees on her farm. The bee metaphors, while hardly subtle, work moderately well to reinforce the dronish characters of the men and the imperiousness of Regina.

Regina's kingdom is a hardscrabble farm in Down East Maine. From the time she is a child, in the early 1900s, Regina has a fierce love of the land, the bees, and the animals, and it's not long before she's plotting to take the farm away from her abusive father. With little money and few prospects, Regina does what women have done for centuries to get ahead-she finds a wealthy man. When college educated, refined Henry Gilley wanders into her orbit, she snaps him up, thinking his money will make the farm a success. In doing so, she rejects the true love of her life, Duffy Pendleton. And because Regina has married the wrong man, Duffy has no choice but to marry the wrong woman.

Regina's scheming initially pays off, and her father more or less leaves the farm to her. (Actually, he leaves it to her first son who turns out to be a daughter, but never mind.) Regina gets both less and more than she expects from her husband Henry, and the same can be said for all the other characters and their relationships with each other. Mr. Fickett does an excellent job of showing how people are blinded by their needs and desires. They see what they want in other people, not what's really there. Then, when the truth slowly becomes apparent, there is disillusionment or worse.

Mr. Fickett also does a good job of presenting Regina's difficult character in a way that is completely believable. Regina is a blend of extremes-hateful and loving, self-centered yet concerned about her children, angry but empathetic. As he charts her troubled relationships with her husband, her children, and with Duffy, there is never a false moment. By the end, we understand who Regina is. Although we certainly don't approve of all she has done, we don't judge her too harshly because we find, much to our surprise, that we actually like her.

Rating:
Summary: Caroline rocks my world!
Review: Caroline Fickett, daughter of this author, is totally cool. Her name is even in this book, once. This book is awesome. I really really like the cover. I, however, do not really like bees. Therefore, the quotes at the beginning of the chapter, are wasted on me. Roommate of Caroline Elizabeth Fickett. Thank you.

PS. Our lesbian says hello.

Rating:
Summary: An intense and beautiful story of love and survival
Review: David Fickett's debut novel was hard to put down. His protrayal of Ginny's drive to control her own life and of those around her was riviting. Ginny does whatever it takes to survive in the rural Maine of the mid 20th century, and sometimes it takes a lot. She fiercely loves her children and even though we don't always respect how she loves them, we have to respect her determination. This is a great read and I hope to see more of David Fickett.

Rating:
Summary: A Poetic and Unforgettable Read!!!
Review: From the moment you enter this author's world, he weaves you into the tapestry of his characters and doesn't let you go until the very last sentence. The players in this intense story are so strong and vivid, I guarantee they will stay with you long after you finish. Fickett pulls you in with words that are poetic, vibrant and well chosen. An incredibly strong first novel, Nectar is, in my opinion, a classic. I didn't want the book to end . . . wanting to know the characters even more. As bleak as their world is, I found myself not wanting to leave.
I can't wait to find out what next this fresh and talented new author has up his sleeve! Definitely a "must-read"!

Rating:
Summary: rocky mountain news
Review: Nectar is wrapped in the metaphor of the honey bee, the Queen, and all who wait upon her. The story is comprised of flashbacks as the tragedy of Ginny's life in the early 1900s in the backwoods of Maine is recounted.

Ginny is cold, calculating and driven to bring the world around her into submission. Her youngest child, Caleb, returns home to bury his surrogate father and, due to his mother's complicated relationships with three men, tries to determine his own paternity and sort out the truth of his family.

Sample of prose: "I ain't one who's big on sentimental stuff. The belongins of those who've passed on are only things that get in the way and surprise you with thoughts about the past. I never had the time to sit around and mope about the dead. After Mama died I packed up most of her things and give them to the church in town. I just couldn't see holdin onto things I'd never use. Like her weddin dress. It was just a plain gray dress with a lace collar that her mama made. I knew I'd never wear it and it was just collectin dust and feedin the moths."

Author reminds me of: Jane Hamilton in Map of the World, for its depiction of a rural life that may seem simple on its face, but bubbles under the surface with drama as thick as honey.

Best reason to read: A well told story, with all of the elements of love, hate, tragedy, suspense and raw human experience. - Justin Matott

Rating:
Summary: booksense
Review: NECTAR, by David Fickett "This novel traces a New England farm family through several generations, uncovering unsettling family secrets. Closer to Carolyn Chute than Richard Russo, I found Nectar almost addictive in the way it held my interest. Fickett truly captures the time, place, and people."--Rita Moran, Apple Valley Books, Winthrop, ME

Rating:
Summary: booksense
Review: NECTAR, by David Fickett "This novel traces a New England farm family through several generations, uncovering unsettling family secrets. Closer to Carolyn Chute than Richard Russo, I found Nectar almost addictive in the way it held my interest. Fickett truly captures the time, place, and people."--Rita Moran, Apple Valley Books, Winthrop, ME

Rating:
Summary: A story that will remain with you for a long, long time
Review: Reading David Fickett's moving first novel, I immediately felt a kinship with Ginny; not that I ever had to go through all the trials that she did, but that so often she had to reinvent herself in order to survive -- a trait many women can identify with. So often circumstances dicate the direction one's life can and will take, but Ginny takes what life throws at her and finds someway to make it work for her and for those she loves. Invest the time to read this book, you will not be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: an impressive first novel from beginning to end
Review: What a great read! In no time, I was completely sucked into the story, and Fickett kept my attention to the very end. The characters were vividly sketched with spare detail. The plot was well-paced. A refreshing change from the many novels that spin out fifty pages before the end, or resort to a rushed, trite resolution. This book is fabulous. I can't wait to see what Fickett gives us next.