The Shrouding Woman

By Loretta Ellsworth

Book Overview

The moving story of a young girl's struggle to face her mother's death. "She traveled to our small white house near the Iowa border on a buckboard, her green bag caked with the dusty road . . . I knew that she was called "the Shrouding Woman" because I'd heard Papa use those words to describe her. I didn't know what it meant but I knew it had something to do with death." It was once common practice for small towns to have a shrouding woman to help put their dead to rest. Still, when eleven-year-old Evie's Aunt Flo-herself a shrouding woman-comes to town, Evie knows little of a shrouding woman's ways and wants nothing to do with this aunt of hers, especially after her own mother's recent death. But as this mysterious woman slowly makes her way into Evie's life, her strong and sensitive presence brings far more than signs of death to a grieving girl's home.Set in the mid-1800s, this beautifully written story, centered on the little-known practice of shrouding, touches on death and healing with sensitivity and quiet dignity.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805066519
• ISBN13: 9780805066517
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
• Length: 151 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.8" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 9 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 9

Customer Reviews

Emily Dickinson suggested that "the sweeping up the heart" was a calling . . .

. . . and this first novel by Loretta Ellsworth elaborates on this theme. It is an unusual novel to discover among books for juveniles but valuable. Life on the prairies in post-Civil War Minnesota comes alive with the everyday-ness of hard times offset by pleasures such as rural celebrations, and growing flowers. Evie is eleven when her mother dies and Flo, her father's sister, comes to help. While caring for Mae and Evie, Aunt Flo continues to follow her 'calling' as a shrouding woman, one who prepares the dead for burial. Evie, still overwhelmed by mourning for her mother, is somewhat 'put off' by this mysterious practice. The book's theme is presented skillfully and the young girls are shown realistically as often willful and mischievous. One dictionary definition of "shroud" is to "screen from view" but thankfully this author opens our eyes instead to a part of the lives of early settlers most readers have not known about. Emily Dickinson's words used as preface capture perfectly the poignancy of loss. And her words define shrouding as "the solemnest of industries." The cover art is outstanding as are the chapter drawings, also by Gabi Swiatkowska. (Thank you!) Smile with reviewer mcHaiku at the notation citing the choice of "The Shrouding Woman" as an ALA Amelia Bloomer Feminist Book for Youth! This also points to the fact that books need to be more widely shared through LINKAGE - to other readership: Juv, YA, and Adult. Post Script: Readers will find a very different pleasure in Loretta Ellsworth's second novel "Search for Mockingbird" - that propels the reader forward a century plus. These are stories from different eras yet each making a significant impact . . . mcHAIKU hopes you read both.

Death-not so scary

This book deals with death on many levels. First, the main character of the story loses her mother which results in her aunt(The Shrouding Woman) to come and live with the family. Real struggles faced by people surface through the lives of these characters. Not having known what shrouding was, I learned quite a bit about the ancestors of today's funeral home staff. These ladies would prepare the dead for a proper burial. The book is tasteful in how they depict death. This book is neither scary, nor gross. The respect for human life is obvious. The book is a great peice of historical fiction that sheds light on lesser spoken of aspects of our history.

Shrouding Woman

It was great. I loved this book and I think everyone should read it.

Strong characters, good read

The Shrouding Woman does a beautiful job of depicting a child's internal conflict when an unwanted strong adult turns up in her life. Evie resists her Aunt Flo at every turn, but Flo, the shrouding woman, is consistent, fair and solid. Ellsworth gets to the heart of a kid's struggle to reach out and accept what is good in her life--even if it isn't what she originally wanted. This is a good read, with a backdrop of lovely detail about life on the prairie, and some great interesting stuff about "laying out the dead."

A great book for those of us who love Laura Wilder books.

This book takes place in the same time frame as the Little House Books...but delves into a topic never touched before...well written, this book will be enjoyed by readers of all ages. Touching our heart with a young girls' attempt to deal with the death of her mother this book is a very timely piece...I found both girls and boys enjoyed this book and gave them the opportunity to address this difficult subject. This book will be a classic in years to come.