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Mary
Turner
fiction
writer
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Three
Sons
by
Mary Turner
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Three
Sons
Synopsis
Mary Turner's 'Three
Sons' vividly tells the story of a
Scottish mining family and the hard times
of the lead character Mary Fairly. The
readers will follow the main events of her
life from the birth of her illegitimate
son at 16, marriage to the violent Patrick
Sweeny, the hardships raising her family,
her husbands imprisonment, and her
marriage to the policeman who put him
there.
Told with humour as well as pain,'Three
Sons' is a close look at everyday life in
a working class mining town,where getting
a job, caring for the bairns, and
suffering in an abusive marriage is part
of ones lot in life. The author provides
graphic details of everyday life, from
description of food to the managing a
household, and the working conditions of
the poor. Friends and good neighbours are
part of survival in this town, helping
each other through tragedies and
heartbreak.
The characters change during the decades
and the author provides many examples of
their weaknesses as well as their
strengths as they grow older. There are
surprising coincidences in the small
town,as a long dead brother turns out to
be alive, the illegitimate son
Frank-fights with a father he did not know
he had, and Mary's second son-Allan falls
in love with the daughter of the seducer
who made his Mother pregnant.
The conclusion is a triumph of sorts, as
Mary, still bonnie in middle age, sees her
children set that will make them happy,
and sees her own life turn for the better
as she marries Walter, a husband who
admires both her integrity and her
beauty.
This story is full of clearly drawn
characters, from Mary's parents-- the
sympathetic Charlie and the dominating
Lizzie--to her three sons as they grow
up,her tough coal-mining husband Patrick,
and the unexpected return of her original
seducer Ali, who is the father of the
daughter her second son wants to marry.
The author captures the patterns of the
Scottish speech, and the description of
the daily life are genuine.
'Three Sons' is a not only the chronicle
of a woman's triumph over disgrace, but
also a look into the lives and loves of a
working class family.
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