By Susan Kelly
Special to The Dagger
In the spring I plan to visit the grave of Martha Jane Cairnes at the Bethel Church near Jarrettsville. She and the man buried close to her, Nicholas McComas, are the main characters in the novel “Jarrettsville” by Cornelia Nixon. I am most intrigued by her tombstone which reads, “At Rest”.
Martha is described as a head-strong, generous woman who exhibited mixed emotions concerning love, sex, race, and religion. She is eventually destroyed by societal small-mindedness and the poisonous spirit that envelops her surroundings.
Harford County, the setting of this novel, serves as a microcosm of the divided country after the Civil War. Individuals and families are trying desperately to save vestiges of their prior lives while illness, financial hardships, and vengeance are running rampant throughout the county. Forgiveness is still far away in the minds of Yankees and Rebels alike.
Nick McComas and Martha Jane Cairnes fall in love. They are related, but that is not an issue during this time period and in this county. The problem is that Martha’s family has rebel sympathies and Nick’s father is a famous abolitionist. Nick, who is older and has war experience, understands too well the minds of individuals who had tried to destroy one another as recently as a year past. He says of the war, “I like to think it was all high motives but of course it never is.”
It is indeed low motives, racism, sexism, and rigid religious beliefs that lead to actions of gossip, beatings, burnings, and murders. The society that these two are loyal to—each in his own way—is what eventually destroys the marriage plans of the young lovers. They never fall out of love, but they do mistrust one another to the point that they can no longer be a couple. In the beginning of their relationship Nick had mused “…we could float high above….alone in peace and rest.” They never experience the peace because of the violence that invades their lives, and Martha ultimately kills Nick in cold blood for the betrayal of leaving her unmarried with his child.
Martha Jane Cairnes nursed the sick, buried the dead, mourned the death of many friends and family and worked day and night with little help, but it was the stigma of an illegitimate child that caused her to shoot Nicholas McComas to death. The murder trial was an epilogue, as she was already disgraced in the minds of citizens, family, and herself.
Recognizing landmarks and familiar names in this novel makes it an enjoyable read, but make no mistake, this story is tragic and it is to Nixon’s credit that she can take this unpleasantness and not make it maudlin. I thought she told a wonderful story based on true events and I only questioned her handling of the love scenes that seemed to veer to the brink of “Harlequin Romance” fare. But, she deftly navigated away and once again I was caught up in the lives and times of these characters. Even the minor characters had strong distinct voices and some scenes from the story are stored in my memory. I don’t think I will ever drive through Jarrettsville without some incident or detail from this novel coming to mind. Nixon has made the past of this county live for me and I am grateful to her for that.
We as a nation have moved far away from the hatred and extreme codes of societal conduct of the Civil War era. But many of us still live with fear of the future, financial disruption, and the fear of other religions or cultures, now globally, threatening “our way of life.” The threat we feel is palpable in our civil and uncivil discourse, much like the citizens of over a century ago. Martha Jane Cairnes of Harford County is “At Rest.” After many years, many wars and many social changes, are we?
Please join in the discussion of this novel. All comments are encouraged and welcome.
Points to ponder:
–Do we still have polarizing factions in Harford County today?
–Martha Cairnes had no “second act” in her life. Bu today we do—think Michael Vick. Is it because we are more tolerant or have we lowered our standards as to what is acceptable behavior?
–Does this novel read as well if you are not familiar with Harford County?
In approximately two weeks time, after this discussion, I will review Bill Bryson’s non-fiction book “At Home.”
I saw this book at Greetings & Readings in Hunt Valley while I was Christmas shopping. It looks like an interesting read.
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The book was spellbinding. Having lived in Jarrettsville for 25 years I was fascinated by the names and places I was familiar with. There is still a tension between the “old families” and the new, not because of the war, but because of shared expeiences and trust. I recommend the book.
I absolutely enjoyed the book and think of it everytime I pass through Jarrettsville. I try to envision the old hotel at the crossroads and wonder where the Cairns and McComas homesteads were- or still are- located. The author visited the Jarrettsville branch of the HCPL awhile back and she noted that while much of the book is based on fact, it is a fiction.
I found the reports of the trial from the Aegis and the many local names fascinating. The story gave a sense and flavor of Harford County society shortly after the civil war and, I think, provides some accurate background for our current local culture.
I read the book Jarrettsville almost as soon as it was published just because its setting is Harford County and it is “based on a true story.”
I think the fact that I was familiar with many of the places and family names in the story gave it an interesting twist but I don’t think my familiarity had much impact on the understanding of the story. It’s been about a year since I read the book and I have yet to visit the church that’s less than two miles from my house to read the grave markers.
The writing style was more interesting to me than the close proximity of the setting. Even though I am reasonably familiar with the history, having both sides of the conflict presented as it was gave the story interesting twists. Obviously the differences between those who went home to New England or the Deep South faced a different situation than that faced by Harford County residents who in some instances had to return to homes that were literally on the same road as former enemies. That had to have made getting past the war pretty difficult for many. I hadn’t given much thought to that idea prior to reading this book.
While the main characters did not face a “second act,” the things that caused the polarizing effects certainly continued for everyone else in the story. I don’t think we currently have anything in our community that equals the situation they faced. The only thing that might compare is the ridiculous behavior displayed by some residents of the county who feel they are, based on the region in the county in which they live, somehow superior to others with a “less desirable” zip code. That bigotry, while all too common, is usually rather low profile. But my, can it rear its ugly head! Consider the attitudes that come to fore when discussing school redistricting.
But to mention school redistricting while discussing the book Jarrettsville is almost as big a stretch as incorporating Michael Vick into the conversation.
If and when you do visit the graves at Bethel, be sure to check out the inside of the church. The beautiful stained glass window could almost tell the story of “Jarrettsville”
Reading this review, I am really intrigued about the history and culture right next door…having lived in Ha.County for many years now, I am looking forward to finding some time to pick up “Jarrettsville”- a book I would have never been interested in reading before seeing this review! Thanks!
after reading this review i plan on reading this book. i’ve lived in harford county for decades and have always been interested in local history. i’m certain i wouldn’t have heard about the jarrettsville book without this review. thank you for your insight. keep up the good work.
i truly enjoyed your review of the jarrettsville book and look forward to your thoughts on your next selection. do you plan on reviewing various genres or concentrating on local writers/themes?
What a spot-on review! A well-written book and equally well-written review. Heading to Barnes & Noble tomorrow for your next pick. I’m a fan of your “points to ponder”. Unlike one of the previous posts, I quite enjoyed your Michael Vick reference.
In reference to the “second act” question I believe that F. Scott Fitgerald’s remark that in America there are no second acts is becoming less and less valid. Or rather, second acts can happen, but they need a large stage. Media stars of all stripes usually have this second stage available to them; they can be hyped into forgivenss. Figures in small, rural towns don’t have the power to generate forgiveness as celebrities do. I believe therein lies the difference.
I have looked at this book on the shelf many times, but did not pick it up as I am not a Harford County native and was misled by the cover into believing it was more of a historical account of the area. After reading this review, however, I can’t wait to read it. I am wondering if Nick is related to the McComas family of McComas Funeral Homes, also a well-established Harford County family.
response to Stevie: I have not done enough research to answer your question definitively, however from what I have been told there were two prominent McComas families, one owning the funeral home,and Nick related to one of the families. If anyone knows this answer please respond. According to an earlier response there is an essay that can be read at the HCPL that explains what is fact and fiction in the novel. It might also explain the historical significance of these family names. Thanks for your interest.
Having majored in history, I’ve always enjoyed visiting historical sites and learning about how people lived in the past. It’s great that this book was based on a true story that was part of our local lore. Thanks to the author for a suspenseful drama and to the reviewer for highly recommending it.
Surprisingly, this book reminded me of The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolfe, which discusses historical views of women’s health, beauty and value in our culture. Martha Jane mainly suffered from society’s view of her sex, which at the time saw women as delicate, both physically and mentally, and in need of constant protection. Martha Jane didn’t fit that profile, but it saved her life in the end.
Regarding your question about “second acts”, I wish we could have known more about the second half of her life.
I enjoyed this book for the local references(check out the list of jurors with some well known names) but it also stands alone as a good read.
READERS CURIOUS AS TO THE NOVEL’S HISTORICAL ACCURACY MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THE COMMENTS I WROTE FOR THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S NEWSLETTER:
“In fact, because Nixon renders the details of both the murder and the subsequent trial in so realistic and persuasive a manner, readers tend to forget they are immersed in a novel, not a written history. Her account seems so credible and the characters so true-to-life, her audience has great difficulty distinguishing fact from fiction, and must be careful not to assume that the book interprets events in Jarrettsville and environs in a historically reliable manner.
For readers nationwide this conundrum presents no particular problem. Local residents, on the other hand, are left wondering whether life at home was as dark as Nixon indicates. The overall picture of Harford County that Nixon presents is a rather bleak one. Few people, certainly not African Americans, would want to find themselves living at this time and place in the nation’s history. Hatred runs rampant. Violence is commonplace. Racism continues unabated. The forces that presumably led to the civil war remain intact…..
Ms. Nixon acknowledges that the book was “inspired by true events but it remains imaginary.” In the spirit of [Michael]Shaara and his renowned Pulitzer-winning Killer Angels (1975), she indeed “tells a good story,” but relies on techniques common to historical fiction—invention, exaggeration, misinformation, and misrepresentation
The problem, ultimately, is that Jarrettsville promotes a view of the Reconstruction Era that American historians for forty years have rejected as invalid. Referred to as the Dunning School (for a Columbia University professor), this perspective dominated school books for sixty years, despite being narrow, one-dimensional, and stereotypical. Sadly, generations of American students came to believe that Dunning’s view was THE view.
Ms. Nixon is very good at what she does. In a similar way filmmaker D.W.Griffith was very good in his groundbreaking production The Birth of a Nation. So too, Oliver Stone’s and Spike Lee’s films Platoon, JFK, and X are technically excellent, entertaining, and convincing. Like Griffith, Stone, and Lee, Cornelia Nixon is an artist, not a historian.
Read Jarrettsville. But be a skeptic. Details alone do not an accurate interpretation make.”
Jim C.