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Diana K. Perkins grew up in eastern Connecticut in a small town near the once thriving economic center of Willimantic. She remembers its mills, built in the 1800s and operating until the mid 1980s. Her many ties to those mills and mill towns make it natural that her novels are set there.
This is the first of her Shetucket River Mill Town series. The second, Jenny’s Way is due to come out in 2012.
Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite
The setting for parts of "Singing Her Alive" by Diana K. Perkins is Willimantic, Connecticut, during the late 1800s and the early 1900s. Our tale spans three generations. Sarah returned from Boston to Willimantic to bury her grandmother and assist her mother in cleaning out the house for placing it on the market. While packing the contents of a room Sarah discovered the journals of her grandmother, Rebecca, and her friend Doris. Unable to resist temptation and curiosity, Sarah began to read their deepest thoughts. Her grandmother had a secret that she took to the grave. From the moment Sarah saw the old home she was drawn to the place and made the decision to stay. She stayed for several reasons including sentiments, employment, and possibly romance.
Diana K. Perkins offers readers a look at the life of women in the late 1800s. The culture, especially for women, was quite different in that era. Mark Twain referred to the era as the Gilded Age. I am not sure most women would agree with that description. Women had few rights at that time. For the most part they were considered owned property. Females were considered weak and frail. The word gay meant happy or festive. However, Rebecca marched to her own drummer and refused to be kept in a velvet lined box. "Singing Her Alive" has a unique plot that fits well in historical culture, women’s fiction or chic literature. Perkins includes a thread on lesbianism in this tale. She does that in a very tasteful manner. It was interesting to watch the relationship between Rebecca and Doris develop. This tale moves in a slow and easy manner. "Singing Her Alive" is an easy read. I suggest curling up with this book on a cold winter day.
