[.ca] Member Of The Wedding (ISBN 0811200930)

From Amazon.com:
Twelve-year-old Frankie Adams, longing at once for escape and belonging, takes her role as "member of the wedding" to mean that when her older brother marries she will join the happy couple in their new life together. But Frankie is unlucky in love; her mother is dead, and Frankie narrowly escapes being raped by a drunken soldier during a farewell tour of the town. Worst of all, "member of the wedding" doesn't mean what she thinks. A gorgeous, brief coming-of-age novel.

bittersweet coming-of-age:
I understand the cultural setting of this novel doesn't translate well into the 21st century, but it seems that perhaps many of the "reviewers" do not grasp the significance of the historical setting of the story. A young girl growing up, motherless, and only with her father and housekeeper, in the mid-20th century south. Larger, close-knit families were the staple of this time frame, and not being part of one may have contributed to her being outcast and socially inept. Frankie had obviously grown too quickly from grade-school tomboy to awkward adolescent and had no close peers to learn from. Anyone who can recall being 12 -- at least in a less jaded time -- will understand the feeling of being "special and different." Frankie knew something had to change, but was uncertain where to start. With Jarvis, her adored (and absentee) older brother, she found an icon to follow. It made perfect sense to her, that - now that she was turning the corner to adulthood, and he was returning from the service, she could renew her family bond with him. Berenice tried to communicate the folly of this thinking to Frankie, but as with any rebellious youth, her advice was ignored. Frankie's father was very much a man of the times...preoccupied with his business and secure in the belief that Berenice would take care of his daughter. The classical part of the story is the painful revelation of the truth which finally tames Frankie. The sad loss of her small cousin, John Henry, is obviously a metaphor for the loss of her own childhood - followed by the bittersweet acceptance of friends her own age, who Frankie finally "sees" with new eyes.

a membership of one:
My husband read _The Member of the Wedding_ in school but it was never part of any of my Lit classes; I only read it now for the first time. As I began to know unlikeable, lonely, awkward, and aggressive Frankie I was struck by the intensity of McCullers' writing and could see that she was/is a great author; however I was unable to understand why the book has become such a classic and that feeling lasted until the final page. We all know someone a little like Frankie or have been somewhat like her ourselves, but she is such an extreme character that I found it hard to sympathize with her even as I recognized her fears and loneliness. After her brother brings his fiancee home and announces their impending marriage, Frankie decides that she is to be part of their lives after the wedding. Fully believing this imagined change in her circumstances, she dresses up and walks around town, reveling in her story and making serious errors in judgement which put her in danger. At this juncture I was still following along, waiting for the epiphany or turning point, but even after Frankie bravely extricates herself from a very bad situation (which could lead her to believe that she is an okay person on her own) none is forthcoming. The wedding is very anticlimactic; we learn about it in the words of one of Frankie's only friends, the housekeeper Berniece, and one short paragraph in Frankie's distanced perception. Frankie really seems to be emotionally ill and the reader gets the feeling that nothing will truly help her; especially at the end when it seems that, in my analysis, Frankie is about to repeat her mistakes, having learned nothing.

DARK AND MELANCHOLIC COMING OF AGE STORY...:
This is a book about Frankie Adams, a twelve year old girl coming of age in the South during World War II. We see her world through her eyes, so that the reader gets a skewed version of the world around Frankie. Clearly all is not right with her, as her brother is getting married and Frankie thinks that she will be going off with her brother and his bride. Frankie spins a total fantasy around this concept. She does not think that two is company and three is a crowd. Why does she do this? There are many reasons. Some of them are rather dark. Frankie's mother died giving birth to her. Her father has remained a widower, letting Frankie sleep in the same bed with him until she was about twelve, when he finally gave her the boot. Her best friend is her six year old first cousin, John Henry. He likes to sleep over, and when he does, he sleeps in the bed with Frankie. She caresses him when he sleeps, and even takes to licking him behind his ear while he slumbers. She also has apparently had a sexual encounter of some kind with a neighborhood boy, an incident about which she will not speak. The author weaves these details into the story, glossing over them, leaving the reader feeling shocked. This feeling is exacerbated by the almost casual interjection of these details. There is so much emotional trauma in Frankie's life that it is amazing she can function at all. Also distressing to Frankie is the fact that she is isolated from children her own age. The neighborhood girls, who are just a little older than her and whom Frankie envies, shun her. Her father pretty much ignores her, leaving her upbringing to the housekeeper, Bernice. When it comes time to buy her a dress for her brother's wedding, she is sent off to buy the dress by herself. It is little wonder that the dress she ends up purchasing is totally unsuitable. Her feeling of isolation is palpable to the reader. Although Frankie is somewhat of a tomboy, she likes getting dressed up, slathering on lipstick, and taking a walk through the town, calling herself F. Jasmine, looking older than her years. In this guise, she meets a soldier, who takes her for being much older. It comes as no surprise when it all goes horribly wrong. Yet, Frankie is evidently a survivor and manages to fend for herself. The moment of truth for Frankie arrives when her brother's wedding finally takes place, but by then that event is almost anti-climactic, as events continue to buffet Frankie, leaving her more isolated that ever before. Still, she continues on, not seeming to have learned anything all from her experiences, an emotionally troubled child suffering a severe disconnection from the world. This is a thematically complex story told through the jagged fragments of the life of a young girl, one who views the world in a disjointed, unrealistic way, her world view clouded by inner demons that are never given a voice. It is a story that is dark and melancholic, leaving the reader to ponder upon a life so young, yet so despairing.

Beautiful Coming-of-Age Story:
Twelve-year-old Frankie is fed up with her small town life where the only things that change are for the worse. Then one day, her brother announces he is getting married and the next two weeks take Frankie on a whirlwind as she becomes obsessed with the wedding and the new life she could have if her brother and his wife would only take her with them. This coming of age story was beautifully written. I was drawn into McCuller's world, smelling the smells and feeling the heat. Even though this is such a short book, it was a slow, leisurely read. I found myself stopping and savouring the scenes before I could start to read again. This book leaves me with a wistful, melancholy feeling. This is my second McCuller's book and I rather enjoy her not-so-happy endings. Recommended

A Novel That Reads Like a Play:
I have read some of the other critiques of this novel, and it seems like people do not take into account the fact that this story takes place during WWII in a very small town and involves people of scant financial means and only basic education. With that in mind, it is not unlikely that a character like Frankie would develop and suffer the anguish of growing up. This complex novel would be better left to adults and not forced upon children in high school, for I can see how they would be frustrated in trying to read it. Anyway, this novel was apparently made into a play, and the book reads like one, with the three central characters taking center stage. McCullers' genius shines through this novel as well as The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. I highly recommend it.