Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk

I have been looking for ways to get out of the house every so often.  Being a stay at home mom to a four-month-old during cold and flu season is the worst.  I've been living like a hermit since she was born in an attempt to avoid the flu.  I have the WORST case of cabin fever right now.  I discovered that my local library has a book club and I decided to take a look at the books they had read in the past to get an idea of whether I'd like to join.  Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney was their read from last month.

The book follows Lillian Boxfish, an 85-year-old ex ad woman, as she walks around New York city on New Years Eve 1984.  The book alternates between the "present day" 1984 and the past as Lillian walks around New York reminiscing about her rise as a female ad writer in the 1930's.  Lillian ultimately becomes the most famous female ad writer and we see how that affects her and her family as the book goes along.  She is certainly not your average 1930's woman.

The writing in this book is very elegant, it was a pleasure to read.  I enjoyed following Lillian around New York City, reading the memories that are jogged with each new landmark.  I found many of her insights to ring true.  There's a point near the beginning where she stops in a local bar for a drink and discusses the television behind the bar with the bartender.  Lillian sees the television as a distraction which allows for less human interaction since everyone is too focused on it to bother talking to each other.  This is certainly a problem that has become more prevalent since there are televisions in most bars and if people aren't watching them they're playing with their cell phones.  I, like Lillian, miss human interaction.

I found myself worrying about Lillian more and more as it got later and later and she continued to walk around New York by herself.  She often refers to the crime and how she thinks the city is safe underneath it all but there's something vulnerable about an older woman walking around a big city at night even if she's as friendly and strong as Lillian.  It seems wherever she goes she manages to make a friend, which had me wondering what she was doing alone on New Years Eve to begin with.

I enjoyed traveling New York with this formidable woman.  Her memories were windows on a time where it was uncommon for a woman to be a breadwinner and to find success in her career.  It was interesting to see her find success in her career during a time when women were usually expected to find themselves a husband and stay home and what it cost her to do so.  I highly recommend this book.  I plan to check out Rooney's other novel O, Democracy! Once I've finished with some of the books I'm currently reading (I'm never reading just one!).