"Without a Map" like my last read was published in 2008. Some portions of this poignant memoir had been published in several magazines. Hall's story is heartbreaking, but also the story of a strong woman who meets life head-on. Meredith was a child of the sixties. With no sexual experience, she became pregnant at age 16. Still a naive child, she faced abandonment from the father of the child and the rejection of her parents, family and friends with incredible bravery. This painfully sad ordeal leaves her scarred and forms the way she deals with the rest of her life.
Meredith's tale begins in Hampton, New Hampshire. Any New Englander who has been to Hampton Beach will recognize the landmarks. Working through a tough relationship and a series of dangerous adventures, she eventually becomes a vagabond and wanderer through the world. She finally finds her center and returns to her family. Hall has an immense capacity for forgiveness and compassion. She manages to finish her education at Bowdoin College, and now teaches at the University of New Hampshire. Beside all this, she has an emotional reunion with her lost child and takes in a dying man, making his last days happy ones.
I found Hall's story brave and affecting. There were parts that brought tears to my eyes. How cold and rigid were the mores of the sixties when compared to the way unwed mothers are accepted today. While I was touched by Hall's story, I did not like the style of her writing with the time frame jumping forward and backward. I recommend this book as a look at a time past and a story of a young girl's struggle to understand herself and the world around her. It is a good choice for a reading group.
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