The Keepers of the House

By: Shirley Ann Grau

Narrated by: Anna Fields

Abigail was the last keeper of the house, the last to know the Howland family's secrets. Now, in the name of all her brothers and sisters, she must take her bitter revenge on the small-minded Southern town that shamed them, persecuted them, but could never destroy them.

Shirley Ann Grau is a major American author whose works are often set in New Orleans and Louisiana's Creole region. She often reflects the isolated bayous and their French-speaking residents, but her fiction is equally at home with the fiercely independent people of small Southern towns or the sophisticated life of the New Orleans' upper class. The Keepers of the House won her the Pulitzer Prize in 1965.

©1964 Shirley Ann Grau (P)1996 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

• Pulitzer Prize Winner, Fiction, 1965

"Shirley Ann Grau is one of those rare writers who create a world, draw the reader into it, and make him somehow happy there, no matter what goes on....One comes to the novel's end with a sense of loss, and leaves that world with reluctance." (Newsweek)

very enjoyable

It started slow but I truly enjoyed this book. The narrator is also very good. Highly recommended.

Lengthy Descriptions of Scenery

Once at the end, the entire story made sense and turned out to be very good. The description of the scenery is so long that the effect on the character is lost and become very boring, especially on Margaret. After Margaret, the rest was interesting that I had wished the author had written a bit more of Margaret instead of ending her the first night she come to live with William Howland. There were certain instance where I did not understand Abigail's point of view. The explanations were brief and vague. I gave the book a five star because I thought the narrator had the perfect voice for this story.

Disappointed in the ending

The ending left me flat. I had hoped for a conclusion but was left hanging. The story was wonderful and I loved the range of time it covered.
The narrator could have used a little more personality she seemed almost monotone at times.

Adding to My FAVORITES!

I ABSOLUTELY loved everything about this book.
I found the Storyline captivating; Setting, Characters, and Narration.
The Narrator did a phenomenal job❣️ Her voice inflections were well done and really brought the Characters to life for me.
This is one I’ll definitely want to revisit!

I kept waiting for it to get better....

I stuck it out and listened to the end, all the while thinking, “it’s got to get better”. The story itself was okay, although I felt that the ending was too abrupt. Something had FINALLY started happening, then it just ends.
The performance was monotone. I actually dozed off a few times while listening! I will not be listening to another book read by this narrator. I felt like the whole thing was a waste of time.