Daughters Of The House

MARY PRINCESS JOY SM. MARISCOTES BOOK REPORT #1

GRADE IV- THRIFT

I. TITLE OF THE BOOK : Daughters of the House

II. TITLE OF THE STORY : Daughters of the House

III. AUTHOR OF THE BOOK : Michele B. Roberts

IV. CHARACTERS : Therese is the primary daughter of the house before her mother, Antoinette, passes away.

Antoinette and Madeleine, Leonie's mother, are sisters.

V. SETTING :

The Martin Manor

The ancestral farmhouse and estate belonging to Antoinette and Madeleine. Leonie and her mother spend their summers here, near the village of Blémont-la-Fontaine. The house harbors secrets from the time of the Nazi occupation during the Second World War.

The shrine

The original shrine to a Saint, possibly the Virgin Mary, was taken down during the years of the war. The shrine is in a clearing in the woods behind the Martin estate. The shrine stood on an outcropping of rocks near a small stream.

The clearing

The shrine is located in a clearing in the woods behind the Martin estate. This is the site of the villagers' harvest festival rituals with dancing and music. This is also where Leonie and Baptiste make love.

VI. SUMMARY OF THE STORY :

Now middle-aged, two cousins reunite at their ancestral country house in the small town of Blemont in Normandy, France. The house itself contains brutal secrets from the time of the Second World War, when Therese's and Leonie's mothers were young women. Therese, who has been living a sheltered life as a nun, returns to the Martin estate, where Leonie waits for her. Leonie, having chosen a life with Baptiste, the son of a local farming family, has been living in the Martin house and raising a family. Leonie is full of intense anticipation and anger as she waits for Therese to arrive. As young girls, the two women shared the role of "daughter of the house" when Leonie and her mother came to spend summers in France. The two cousins have a relationship full of shared memories.

VII. THEME : Siblinghood and Rivalry

As the title suggests, one of the main themes in the novel examines sibling relationships between two female characters, particularly Therese and Leonie. The novel charts how tensions develop and refuse to be resolved in the relationship.

At the core of the rivalry is the girls' need for attention and acceptance from the adults around them. For Therese, this means being Louis' favorite and being seen as a "good girl," innocent and chaste. Therese plays up her own strengths and begins to play up Leonie's faults as her sense of confidence diminishes. Therese paints Leonie as her opposite, criticizing both Leonie and her mother Madeleine for being unchaste. Therese also emphasizes her own cultural identity, finding fault with Leonie for being half-English.

MARY PRINCESS JOY SM. MARISCOTES BOOK REPORT #1

GRADE IV- THRIFT

I. TITLE OF THE BOOK : Daughters of the House

II. TITLE OF THE STORY : Daughters of the House

III. AUTHOR OF THE BOOK : Michele B. Roberts

IV. CHARACTERS : Therese is the primary daughter of the house before her mother, Antoinette, passes away.

Antoinette and Madeleine, Leonie's mother, are sisters.

V. SETTING :

The Martin Manor

The ancestral farmhouse and estate belonging to Antoinette and Madeleine. Leonie and her mother spend their summers here, near the village of Blémont-la-Fontaine. The house harbors secrets from the time of the Nazi occupation during the Second World War.

The shrine

The original shrine to a Saint, possibly the Virgin Mary, was taken down during the years of the war. The shrine is in a clearing in the woods behind the Martin estate. The shrine stood on an outcropping of rocks near a small stream.

The clearing

The shrine is located in a clearing in the woods behind the Martin estate. This is the site of the villagers' harvest festival rituals with dancing and music. This is also where Leonie and Baptiste make love.

VI. SUMMARY OF THE STORY :

Now middle-aged, two cousins reunite at their ancestral country house in the small town of Blemont in Normandy, France. The house itself contains brutal secrets from the time of the Second World War, when Therese's and Leonie's mothers were young women. Therese, who has been living a sheltered life as a nun, returns to the Martin estate, where Leonie waits for her. Leonie, having chosen a life with Baptiste, the son of a local farming family, has been living in the Martin house and raising a family. Leonie is full of intense anticipation and anger as she waits for Therese to arrive. As young girls, the two women shared the role of "daughter of the house" when Leonie and her mother came to spend summers in France. The two cousins have a relationship full of shared memories.

VII. THEME : Siblinghood and Rivalry

As the title suggests, one of the main themes in the novel examines sibling relationships between two female characters, particularly Therese and Leonie. The novel charts how tensions develop and refuse to be resolved in the relationship.

At the core of the rivalry is the girls' need for attention and acceptance from the adults around them. For Therese, this means being Louis' favorite and being seen as a "good girl," innocent and chaste. Therese plays up her own strengths and begins to play up Leonie's faults as her sense of confidence diminishes. Therese paints Leonie as her opposite, criticizing both Leonie and her mother Madeleine for being unchaste. Therese also emphasizes her own cultural identity, finding fault with Leonie for being half-English.

MARY PRINCESS JOY SM. MARISCOTES BOOK REPORT #1

GRADE

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