Tiverton Tales

The yards of a New England village hold the small dramas in Alice Brown's collection of short stories. Washing, butter making, spring cleaning and garden work establish Tiverton's daily rhythms, while familiar patches of ground preserve family histories. In the opening story, Della Smith longs for a little play amid farm work. After discovering croquet at a picnic, she makes her own wickets and improvises balls from apples, carving out a private pleasure within a demanding household.

Brown pays close attention to what neighbors see and what an individual feels beneath that public view. A later passage follows Dilly as she reconsiders love, loyalty and the connections between lives, finding meaning in remembered evenings and the touch of a pet. Domestic objects and ordinary gestures carry much of the emotional weight. Readers interested in village customs and the inner lives of rural women will find stories that combine local speech, gentle humor and thoughtful sympathy.