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Aug
23
Just Read It: THE IMPROPER LIFE OF BEZELLIA GROVE by Susan Gregg Gilmore
2010 at 5am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Published August 17, 2010 by Crown
I won’t be writing a review of The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove because of a conflict of interest—I’m fortunate to call Susan Gregg Gilmore a friend, and I’ll be interviewing her at Fountain Bookstore tonight, and I don’t review books by authors with whom I have personal relationships—but I wanted to share the book with you anyway because I’ve spent a few lovely afternoons enjoying it.
The synopsis:
Nobody in Nashville has a bigger name to live up to than Bezellia Grove. As a Grove, she belongs to one of city’s most prominent families and is expected to embrace her position in high society. That means speaking fluent French, dancing at cotillions with boys from other important families, and mastering the art of the perfect smile.
Also looming large is her given name Bezellia, which has been passed down for generations to the first daughter born to the eldest Grove. The others in the long line of Bezellias shortened the ancestral name to Bee, Zee or Zell. But Bezellia refuses all nicknames and dreams that one day she, too, will be remembered for her original namesake’s courage and passion.
Though she leads a life of privilege, being a Grove is far from easy. Her mother hides her drinking but her alcoholism is hardly a secret. Her father, who spends long hours at work, is distant and inaccessible. For as long as she can remember, she’s been raised by Maizelle, the nanny, and Nathaniel, the handyman. To Bezellia, Maizelle and Nathaniel are cherished family members. To her parents, they will never be more than servants.
Relationships are complicated in 1960s Nashville, where society remains neatly ordered by class, status and skin color. Black servants aren’t supposed to eat at the same table as their white employers. Black boys aren’t supposed to make conversation with white girls. And they certainly aren’t supposed to fall in love. When Bezellia has a clandestine affair with Nathaniel’s son, Samuel, their romance is met with anger and fear from both families. In a time and place where rebelling against the rules carries a steep price, Bezellia Grove must decide which of her names will be the one that defines her.
The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove is one of those books that is difficult to classify in the very best way. It could rightly be called Southern fiction, women’s fiction, commercial fiction, and, depending on who you are, possibly even YA. The story deals with issues of race, class, and color, but it never takes itself too seriously, and Gilmore knows how to lighten things up when it’s necessary.
Bezellia’s life in Nashville brings her face to face with the budding civil rights movement and, eventually, with feminism (you know that made me smile), and her struggle to live her own life and escape the shadow of her family’s name and reputation will ring true for anyone who’s ever lived in a small town or felt like they did. Both sides of Bezellia’s family tree are loaded with people who attempt to instill in her a belief that what other people think matters more than almost anything else.
But when you’re a wealthy white girl who’s in love with a poor black boy, and there’s a war in between you, you can’t be too concerned about that.
The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove is immensely discussable, and most readers will see something of themselves in this coming-of-age and coming-into-self story.
And the ending? Well, it’s not what you’re expecting.
Learn more at Susan Gregg Gilmore’s website, and follow her Southern book tour on her blog.
No related posts.
I wholeheartedly agree! I’m still fumbling with my review, several days after I finished reading it. Phenomenal book.
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I’m glad to see this book is discussable. I won a set of book club books in the Nashville auction and have put together an impromptu book club to read and discuss the book with the author when she’s in my neck of the woods.
Yes, I think this is one of those books where you DO say “just read it”. Sometimes no other words will work. For me, knowing Gilmore wrote it, and that it is Southern fiction, I’m going to have to get my hands on it.
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Amy MacKinnon, Rebecca Schinsky, Rebecca Schinsky, Rebecca Schinsky, Gale Laure, Author and others. Gale Laure, Author said: RT @bookladysblog: So much to love in THE IMPROPER LIFE OF BEZELLIA GROVE: http://bit.ly/dBD5Mh [...]
I can understand why you don’t do reviews for friends. Not matter that you liked the book or not. Something dreadful could happen to your friendship. That was a smart move. Anyway, I am reading it now. I am 3/4 done. I am a southerner from SC so I have a connection. It is a interesting read for what is going on. I grew up in the 60s and 70s so it hit home. Especially the civil rights movement and feminism.
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Oh, I don’t review books written by friends because I don’t want to cross that murky ethical boundary that might call into question whether I was saying I liked a book because it was good or just because the author is a friend. Just a general policy. Glad you’re enjoying the read so far!
I’ve been looking forward to more by Gilmore ever since reading “Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen.” This is sounding like a great read. I’m sorry not to get a review of it from you, but that’s totally understandable given the circumstances. Can’t wait to read it!
[...] I couldn’t miss Monday night’s launch of the Fountain Bookstore-Book Lady’s Blog Q&A with the author. I must admit that I’m not sprinting to my bookstore to pick up more novels about relations between white employers and black employees in the 1960s South, but this novel hooked me with the importance a name has for shaping our identity. The heroine Bezellia Grove is the fifth generation saddled with the unusual moniker, and she’s the only one who proudly goes by the name of her loyal and courageous frontierswoman ancestor. Her surname signifies her birth into Nashville blue bloods, a status made clear by the first page, which features a newspaper social column announcing the celebration of Bezellia’s birth. Will Bezellia fight like her namesake or will she demurely slip into the role prepared for her as a Grove? Read The Book Lady’s introduction to the book here. [...]
[...] the blog this week, I discussed Susan Gregg Gilmore’s new novel The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove, and I had the pleasure of hosting a Q & A with her at Fountain on Monday night. The event was [...]