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An Our Town for our times, The Mammoth Cheese is beautifully crafted and driven by warm, vibrant characters as it follows the residents of rural Three Chimneys, Virginia, on their journey to re-create the original Thomas Jefferson-era, 1,235-pound "Mammoth Cheese." As the audiobook opens, the town is joyously celebrating the birth of the Frank Eleven: eleven babies simultaneously born to Manda and James Frank after fertility treatments. But as autumn progresses and the babies weaken, the community seeks to redeem itself through the making and transporting of a symbolic Mammoth Cheese to Washington, as a gift for the newly elected President Brooke. The cheese is the brainchild of August Vaughn, a farmhand by day and a President Jefferson impersonator by night, and the creation of Margaret Prickett, a single mother and cheese maker trying to save her century-old family farm. Sheri Holman seamlessly weaves together the lives of Three Chimneys, delving into her characters' inescapable family histories as they grapple with religion, divorce, politics, and unrequited love. The Mammoth Cheese is a triumphant exploration of the burdens and joys of rural America and the debts we owe to history, our parents, and ourselves.… (more)
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In the backdrop of rural Three Chimneys, Virginia, Sheri Holman tackles no
Lots of cows. This is a good thing, actually, as Holman's got a great sense of place and fitting her characters to their place. I definitely felt like I knew intimately the ins and outs of independent dairy farming and small-town pastor brownnosing and-- and more simply summarized the burdens of living in a community where tradition is so fatalistic. Her many characters are excellently drawn individually (and I note a particular skill with developing insidiously repellant villains), though she struggles somewhat when they interact.
As in The Dress Lodger, Holman's most obvious weakness is the jarring tonal clashes that result when her plot threads finally collide. At these moments of conflict, her authorial voice often slips--here, Margaret's ideals of clean living sometimes become tract rather than commentary-- or the drama of the moment overwhelms logical plot progression (especially noticeable away from the Dickensenian sensibility of Dress Lodger). Yet despite these flaws, the ambition of Holman's undertaking is at times breathlessly exciting, and her patience pace yields moments of real dividends. I'll definitely by following what Holman writes next.
Their lives intertwine with others in their small town as everybody in the novel sees what he has given his life to and learns what is ultimately important.
I won't say more because the ending must be experienced, but I will say this..Thomas Jefferson and pastor's wives really know how to save the day.
Sheri Holman is a master at creating memorable characters that will stay with you long after you finish the last page. She portrays even her villains with
This is a departure from her previous two historical fiction novels, but she paints the community of Three Chimneys, Virginia, in as much detail and vividness as her historical settings.