Marshfield Dreams: When I Was a Kid (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Marshfield Dreams: When I Was a Kid Karen Coats Fletcher, Ralph Marshfield Dreams: When I Was a Kid. Holt, 2005 [192p] illus. with photographs ISBN 0-8050-7242-X$16.95 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 5-7 Growing up the eldest of nine children will provide a writer with a wealth of material for future stories; here, established author and poet Fletcher tells of his childhood until his early teens in the town of Marshfield, Massachusetts. Fletcher creates a sentimentalized portrait of his idyllic life in an ever-expanding family, with notice of impending family additions always coming belatedly for Fletcher through a school friend who is more up on the scuttlebutt than he. He suffers little if any conflict or trauma, just busy days full of small, outdoor adventures and explorations in the local woods and at school. The narrator repeatedly shares episodes that highlight his open admiration for his brother, Jimmy, whose practical know-how far exceeds his school smarts; he also describes neighborhood games, first kisses, and the series of unfortunate events that befall an ill-considered purchase of some cute little chicks who grow into noisy and bothersome roosters. The short, episodic chapters—really [End Page 229] more a sequence of vignettes—don't ask for any significant overlays of emotion or interpretation, so reluctant readers may appreciate the well-told but unobtrusive presentations of ordinary events. Copyright © 2006 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois