FAMILYFANS Books & Comics

DREAMERS OF THE DAY: A Novel

by Mary Doria Russell

(Random House)

Reader Appeal: Mature teens and adults

Genre: Historical Fiction

Mary Doria Russell is an amazing writer who does immense amounts of research for her books and turns that research into imaginative stories that keep readers spellbound. As evidenced in her books The Sparrow and A Thread of Grace, she can draw her reader into a complex web of a story and leave you literally crying at the events that her characters go through. These are some of the best books ever written! But with Dreamers of the Day, it’s hard to feel any compassion for the main characters, and it makes what could have been a compelling story fall flat.

This story follows the 40^th year of an Ohio schoolteacher who has survived both World War I and the Great Influenza of 1919, although none of her family does. Agnes Shanklin is left with no relatives or friends, but with enough money to set off on an adventure to Egypt and the Holy Land. Here she meets Thomas Edward Lawrence (who was more commonly known as Lawrence of Arabia), who introduces her to Winston Churchill, Lady Gertrude Bell, and a host of other historic figures who were in the process of inventing the nations of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan. Agnes also engages in a relationship with a German spy, explores her beliefs about Christ, and eventually dies (she is telling this story from the beyond). It’s certainly a story with incredible possibilities, and for a while it’s truly engaging! There’s humor, romance, and adventure. But, in the end, the whole story turns in to a contrived opportunity for the author to wax philosophical on the tragedy of the current situation in the Middle East.

Russell goes to great lengths to portray the humanity of historic figures who are often idolized today. She includes portions of real letters, writings, and recorded conversations, and weaves enough fact into the story to make it difficult to know when the facts leave off and the fiction begins. Bringing Agnes into the days surrounding the 1921 Cairo Convention brings a touch of reality to our perceptions of life in that time. She is able to place her readers in the time and places where Agnes travels with ease, and makes readers feel as if they’ve met characters from history themselves.

However, after the main portion of Agnes’ story wraps up, the rest of her life becomes a rush and she moves into an absurd Purgatory-like afterlife that makes the rest of the book feel like it’s been a set-up for Russell to pontificate about her opinions of war and the politics of the Middle East. It feels kind of like a cheat to the reader who, up to this point, was invested in Agnes and her story.

Dreamers of the Day is certainly an interesting read for those drawn to inthe history of the Middle East, and brings up questions of faith that many Christians consider. But if you’re looking for a story to touch your heart, this probably isn’t the best that an otherwise superb author like Mary Doria Russell has to offer.

FAMILYFANS RATING: B-

AFTER THE STORY (optional)

If your family members are interested in this book, then encourage discussion about it afterward. You can use these questions to get started:

• The Sparrow. This book follows a Jesuit journey to another planet (sounds far-fetched here, but it really does make sense in the book!) that alters the lives of a priest and his friends forever.

• A Thread of Grace. Russell tells the stories of Jews hiding in the countryside of Italy during WWII. Risks are taken for love, identities are hidden, unlikely friendships are formed, faith is questioned, and cruelty abounds—and with all of these Russell weaves one of the best stories ever written. Highly recommended.

--AN

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