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)

Beautifully written, but

The descriptive writing was perfection, but , for me, it was excessive. I felt that the plot was not strong enough to carry the heavy weight of the descriptive writing. The characters and direction of the tale often were lost in the glut of wordiness.

I've read poorly written books that I continued reading because I had developed an attachment to the characters; I wanted to know what would happen to them. With this book, I did not feel a strong attachment to any of the characters. Frankly it was a task for me to finish it . I'm glad I did finish it, though, because the summation in the last few chapters was excellent. It is not that it was one of those happily ever after endings, but rather a realistic, satisfying conclusion.

The Keepers of the House

It started out really slow but the last half was amazing. Interesting story. History exposes such terrible injustice that existed for the people of color. So wrong.

Well done

Very interesting story. First book I have read by this author. Looking for another soon.

Great Read!

I had never heard of this book before,but apparently it had been out for a very long time. I came across it by pure accident, and I'm so glad I did. I would recommend anybody read it especially if you're from the south. The narrator was absolutely wonderful. I began to look up everything she had narrated, She was absolutely wonderful. She took up a lot of time reading this book and the detailing of what she thought the voices sounded like. 5 + ⭐'s

Wow, just wow.

I’m from the Deep South (GA) and she nailed the small town mentality. It was a little confusing in the beginning trying to keep up with all the names and relationships, but I can see how adults take for granted that small children know what’s really going on and I loved the way the author brought that out. Kids don’t really know if they are poor or rich money wise as in this case. I would have liked to have had one more chapter to see more of the conclusion. Loved the narration, it was spot on.

Complex history and character building

Anna Fields is my favorite narrator and she did not disappoint. The story was a bit of a challenge to follow and connect the characters in the beginning, but in the end it came together.

Amazing!

Loved this book. Great story and nuance. Amazing detail. The narrator was very good as well.

Very slow but still engaging story

At first, I was worried that the story wasn't going anywhere. Once I became accustomed to the narration, which is quite good, and the story's pace, I really enjoyed it. I agree, though, that the story ends abruptly.

Excellent story and performance.

I would strongly recommend this audible. The narrator fit the story line beautifully. A must listen to.

Worth it

Started a bit slow for me, lots of story development, but definitely worth it. I would definitely recommend it.