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The Life of an Ordinary Woman
Author. Mariner Books: 1999 (paperback). ISBN: 0395957834. 301 pages.
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About the Author
A page of detailed biographical information on Anne Ellis, including excerpts from interviews in which Ellis interprets her own work.
If you thought the life of an ordinary woman, the life Anne Ellis portrays in this memoir, was full of hard work, devastating disappointment, you’ll be interested to learn about more of the same that we can tell you about in this section. But we think you’ll be pleased to see that she kept her astonishing sense of humor in life as well as in her writing.
All in the Family
A synopsis of the literary traditions and genres with which Life of an Ordinary Woman-is affiliated and a brief explanation of these connections, giving your book group the opportunity to understand Ellis’s memoir in a larger literary perspective.
Turn to this section and you may be in for quite a big surprise. Most of us tend to think of men when we think of stories about the American West, the Old West. Take a guess at how many women of the 19th century wrote successful, inspiring stories about their experience, stories that survive in print today. Nope, more than that, a lot more!
Character Tree
A list of major characters and their dominant characteristics and values, showing characters’ relationships to each other.
Even in memoir, we have characters, that is, representational characters based on memories of real people. This dynamic, in itself, is one of the most interesting things to talk about when you’re discussing memoir—how does the author choose to portray a certain person from her past? What does she emphasize, what does she appear to skim over? Check this section for a look at some of the many colorful characters of Ellis’s history.
Streams of Themes
A breakdown of potential major discussion themes in Life of an Ordinary Woman, including ways these themes are interconnected.
One things for sure—people who sought their fortunes in the West during this period of American History must have learned pretty quickly not to take anything for granted. The story of Ellis’s life is one long bumpy wagon ride of tall grass and deep ditches. Look at the themes section for help in discovering some of the patterns to this elliptical account of Ellis’s incredible highs and terrible lows.
Talk Back to the Critics
Excerpts of some major critical reviews of Ellis’s work from authoritative journals, newspapers, and magazines. We encourage your book group to enjoy the opportunity to argue with expert opinion.
You’d have to look long and hard to find a critic who finds major flaws in this memoir—it’s just too gritty and honest to pick on too much. But as you’ll learn when you read this section, critics and readers do express a variety of different opinions about how this grit and honesty affect the reader of this harrowing story.
Doorways to Discussion
A chronologically and thematically organized list of discussion questions, which function to explore, in a logical and thoughtful manner, the questions and possibilities that Life of an Ordinary Woman evokes.
Consider Ellis’s epigraph to chapter three: “if it were not for poor people writers would lack a lot of material.” How would you describe the relationship between poverty and literature in this novel? This is a tough question, but it comes towards the end of this section. By the time you’ve reached it, you’ll be well warmed up by the first twenty-five smaller and more specific points to ponder.
Taste Test
A selection of other books on subjects similar to those in The Life of an Ordinary Woman to consider for future book group meetings or for private reading.
As we said above, if you’re interested in reading more about the American West, or women in the American West, there is plenty of wonderful writing to choose from. We’ll tell you about some of the best of this writing in this section.
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