The Eulogist

October 15, 2018
Gamble’s third novel (after Good Family) concerns the lives of the Givens siblings, Irish immigrants who start over in 1819 Cincinnati. Olivia, the book’s strong-willed narrator, takes a shine to like-minded doctor Silas Orpheus, who admires her distaste for religion and allows her to surreptitiously dissect corpses with him. Olivia’s older brother, James, a successful candle maker who married rich, is initially reluctant to give his blessing for their marriage, as Silas’s disreputable brother, Eugene, sends a slave, Tilly, in lieu of a proper dowry. Olivia and Tilly become friendly, and Tilly helps her set up her own business doing hair. Olivia’s ambivalence toward slavery dissipates when Silas dies and she meets Eugene’s family on their Kentucky property. When Olivia enlists the help of her younger brother, Erasmus, now a Methodist preacher living on a river encampment, to help lead one of the slaves to freedom, Eugene retaliates by demanding that Tilly be returned. Since Ohio is a free state, an ill-fated trial ensues. Olivia and her family are thereafter pulled into the movement to smuggle slaves to freedom. Gamble adeptly chronicles Olivia’s transformation from a free-thinking but unaffected young woman into a determined widow who wants to indirectly avenge Tilly. This is a standout depiction of family dynamics, and will appeal to fans of fiction set in pre–Civil War America.

November 1, 2018

Following their mother's death on the way over from Ireland and their subsequent abandonment by their father, the Givens children must fend for themselves in 1819 Cincinnati. Older brother James aspires to become a responsible businessman, wild younger brother Erasmus unexpectedly finds religion and separates himself from society, and freethinking sister Olivia struggles to find fulfillment in a community with very restrictive ideas about women. Though there's some pleasure in her marriage to an eccentric local doctor, the true test of Olivia's character comes when she meets the people enslaved by her in-laws in Kentucky and must decide how far she will go to help them fight for their freedom. Gamble's third novel (Good Family; The Water Dancers) paints an absorbing portrait of life in Cincinnati in the decades leading up to the Civil War and convincingly depicts how one woman's attitudes toward slavery might change from vague disapproval to passionate opposition during the time. The large cast crucially includes well-developed African American characters who are never portrayed as passive victims regardless of their circumstance. VERDICT Recommended for historical fiction fans interested in the time period and in strong-willed heroines forging their own path. [See Prepub Alert, 7/30/18.]--Mara Bandy Fass, Champaign P.L., IL

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2018
One woman lays bare her family's secrets--for better or worse.Set in the decades before the Civil War, Gamble's (Good Family, 2009, etc.) novel centers around the Givens family, which has emigrated from Ireland to America, settling in Cincinnati. After their mother dies in childbirth and their father abandons them though they're still teenagers, the three Givens children--Olivia, who becomes a transgressive schoolteacher; James, a hustling businessman; and Erasmus, an itinerant preacher with a penchant for alcohol--must find a way to survive and thrive in a strange land. Told from Olivia's perspective, the novel touches on abolition, immigration, religion (or lack thereof), courtship, and illness through the lens of one family's history. As a character, Olivia feels true to the 19th century while defying and questioning societal norms as often as she can--for example, she reads, writes, and wears men's clothing. When she meets Silas Orpheus, a doctor, her life changes in ways she could never have anticipated. Silas introduces her to Tilly, a talented slave owned by his brother. When her attempt to help Tilly goes horribly awry, all three Givens children become involved in the abolition movement to varying degrees. Gamble's writing is delicate when she's describing the natural world: "even at this hour, the air was as thick as cream," and "soon the bats came out, dodging and darting, winging along the water's edge where the insects were thick." The plot can feel uneven at times, lingering too long on certain scenes and glossing over others too quickly. However, as the narrative structure becomes clearer, the novel's proclivity for detail feels purposeful rather than tedious. It's a book that would benefit from a reread--if only to catch all the hints along the way.A sprawling yet richly drawn family saga.

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December 15, 2018
Shortly after emigrating from Ireland, James, Erasmus, and Olivia's mother dies, and their father abandons them. With little to live on, each of the three siblings gets by the best they can in 1820s Cincinnati. James, hired as an apprentice, fulfills the American dream and becomes a successful businessman. Erasmus, after hearing a preacher, is moved to embark on a life of preaching himself. Olivia, miserable tutoring children, has her life changed by Doctor Silas Orpheus. They begin an odd courtship in which trips to the opera are replaced by dissections in his basement. Silas also introduces Olivia to Tilly, his brother's slave, on loan to him. Olivia, even though she holds radical views, never thought about slavery. Her time with Tilly changes Olivia and the rest of her family as they risk their lives to smuggle slaves out of the South. Gamble has crafted an epic tale of antebellum America as seen through the eyes of immigrants. While some plot contrivances mar the otherwise excellent story, readers will enjoy this unconventional family. For all historical fiction collections.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)