Book Review: Eva Moves The Furniture

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Eva Moves The Furniture     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Margot Livesey
Class/Genre:   Fiction
Holt, Sep 2001, $23.00, 272 pp.

In 1920 Troon, Scotland, Eva McEwan is born under a dark cloud. What should have been a happy event for her parents turns ugly when magpies are seen flocking to a tree just outside the family home. Everyone knows that omen always forecasts something bad and that evening, Eva's mother passes away. Her father and her aunt raise Eva in a very isolated environment.

When she turns six, a woman accompanied by a young girl visits Eva, but no one else sees the two females. Over the years, the duo provides positive and negative influence on Eva by providing her a friendship and helping with her chores, but also causes her to lose her first job. During World War II, Eva, now a nurse, falls in love with Doctor Samuel Rosenblum, but marries someone else who she likes and admires but does not love. Did the two companions end her chances with Samuel or did Eva do what she felt is the right thing for her beloved?

EVA MOVES THE FURNITURE is a strong psychological tale that centers on individuals who must contend with their ghosts (metaphysical yet real) to live life to the fullest. People are responsible for their actions whether the ghosts exist or are imaginative. Fans of a deep character driven tale that pares the soul so that observers can see raw emotions will enjoy Margot Livesey's novel. The book will be considered a classic in a decade or so. The author will receive current kudos deserving of a superstar who has an uncanny knack of telling a story with quite a wallop.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner