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| Plot Summary of Family Pictures |
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""Family Pictures" follows the lives of the Eberhardt family from the early 1950s until 1979, giving us a picture of different family members at significant points in their lives. Chapters switch from character to character and from year to year, although most of the focus is given to mother Lainie and daughter Nina. The book is not heavily plotted; instead it is an intense character study.
Father David is an even-tempered psychiatrist and his wife Lainie is an emotional, stay-at-home mom. When the story begins, Lainie and David are happy with their small family: son Mack and daughter Liddie. Then Lainie gives birth to Randall, a beautiful son who is later found to be autistic. Attitudes during the 1950s were harsh and unforgiving toward autism, and the blame for such a handicap was almost always pinned on the mother. Lainie, desperate to prove that she can raise normal children, retaliates by giving birth to three more daughters: Nina, Mary, and Sarah. David copes with his family difficulties by having affairs and by moving out and moving back in with the family, leaving the children both bewildered and bitter. Lainie struggles with her three youngest daughters, insisting that they be happy, well-adjusted, and "normal". In later years, Nina runs away from home, Mack drops out of college and goes to Vietnam, and David and Lainie divorce.
"Family Pictures" explores how one child can have dramatic effects on family members long into adulthood.
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E. J. McDonald, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Family Pictures |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- depressed
Time/era of story
- 1960's-1970's
Family, struggle with
Yes
Struggle with:
- Daughter
Family, caring for ill
Yes
Who is sick?
- Son
because he/she is
- mentally ill
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- homemaker
Age:
- 20's-30's
Eccentric/Mental
Yes
Eccentric:
- eccentric
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- a kid
Eccentric/Smart/Dumb:
Yes
Eccentric:
- mentally ill
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Intelligence
- Retarded
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 5 (an average amount)
United States
Yes
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
Unusual Style:
- No single main character?
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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