Synopses & Reviews
< div=""> < div=""> < div=""> & #8220; Betsey Osborne . . . has pulled off an astonishing feat. She& #8217; s written a compelling, elegant tale of nuance and loss with the confidence of a fiction veteran.& #8221; < br=""> ---< i=""> The Philadelphia Inquirer<> < iv=""> < iv=""> < div=""> & nbsp; < iv=""> < div=""> & #8220; Osborne writes effortlessly and wisely, plumbing the troubled depths of the seemingly unruffled surface of & #8216; ordinary& #8217; life. . . . This is an auspicious debut by a new and very promising writer.& #8221; < br=""> ---< i=""> The Providence Journal<> < br=""> & nbsp; < br=""> & #8220; A] graceful minuet of a novel . . . Osborne& #8217; s concerns are gratifyingly complex, the predicaments she orchestrates unusual and suspenseful, her humor lithe, and her insights & nbsp; are keen and provocative.< br=""> ---< i=""> Booklist<> < br=""> & nbsp; < br=""> & #8220; Writing with the precise and haunting tones of Virginia Woolf, Betsey Osborne creates a compelling a world . . . Uncas Metcalfe is a character for the ages.& #8221; < br=""> ---Stephen J. Dubner, author of the < i=""> New York Times<> bestseller < i=""> Freakonomics<> & nbsp; < i=""> <> < br=""> & nbsp; < br=""> Uncas Metcalfe is a sixty-five-year-old botany professor& nbsp; from a once prosperous central New York town, whose habitat is changing much too quickly: his wife is ill, his daughter has returned home, and memories of an almost forgotten infidelity have resurfaced. Uncas is rooted in a life of plants and manners. When his routine is upended by the menacing demands of a formerstudent, Uncas finds his comfortably obstinate nature at odds with his family& #8217; s growing impatience and a newfound, terrifying uncertainty.< br=""> < i=""> & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; The Natural History of Uncas Metcalfe<> follows an unforgettable hero as& nbsp; he struggles to right himself and adapt to changing expectations, even as he approaches the end of his life. Beautifully wrought and wonderfully imagined, the Metcalfe family will linger in your imagination long after the last page.< br=""> & nbsp; < br=""> < br=""> & nbsp; < br=""> < iv=""> < iv="">
Review
"Betsey Osborne . . . has pulled off an astonishing feat. She's written a compelling, elegant tale of nuance and loss with the confidence of a fiction veteran."
---The Philadelphia Inquirer "Osborne writes effortlessly and wisely, plumbing the troubled depths of the seemingly unruffled surface of 'ordinary' life. . . . This is an auspicious debut by a new and very promising writer."
---The Providence Journal
"[A] graceful minuet of a novel . . . Osborne's concerns are gratifyingly complex, the predicaments she orchestrates unusual and suspenseful, her humor lithe, and her insights are keen and provocative."
---Booklist
"Writing with the precise and haunting tones of Virginia Woolf, Betsey Osborne creates a compelling a world . . . Uncas Metcalfe is a character for the ages."
---Stephen J. Dubner, author of the New York Times bestseller Freakonomics
Synopsis
"Betsey Osborne . . . has pulled off an astonishing feat. She's written a compelling, elegant tale of nuance and loss with the confidence of a fiction veteran."
---The Philadelphia Inquirer "Osborne writes effortlessly and wisely, plumbing the troubled depths of the seemingly unruffled surface of 'ordinary' life. . . . This is an auspicious debut by a new and very promising writer."
---The Providence Journal
"[A] graceful minuet of a novel . . . Osborne's concerns are gratifyingly complex, the predicaments she orchestrates unusual and suspenseful, her humor lithe, and her insights are keen and provocative."
---Booklist
"Writing with the precise and haunting tones of Virginia Woolf, Betsey Osborne creates a compelling a world . . . Uncas Metcalfe is a character for the ages."
---Stephen J. Dubner, author of the New York Times bestseller Freakonomics
Uncas Metcalfe is a sixty-five-year-old botany professor from a once prosperous central New York town, whose habitat is changing much too quickly: his wife is ill, his daughter has returned home, and memories of an almost forgotten infidelity have resurfaced. Uncas is rooted in a life of plants and manners. When his routine is upended by the menacing demands of a former student, Uncas finds his comfortably obstinate nature at odds with his family's growing impatience and a newfound, terrifying uncertainty.
The Natural History of Uncas Metcalfe follows an unforgettable hero as he struggles to right himself and adapt to changing expectations, even as he approaches the end of his life. Beautifully wrought and wonderfully imagined, the Metcalfe family will linger in your imagination long after the last page.
Betsey Osborne graduated from Harvard, attended the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, and has a master of fine arts from Columbia. She has worked at Grand Street, The New Yorker, and Vanity Fair. She lives in Cranston, Rhode Island. You may visit the author's Web site at www.betseyosborne.com and contact her at [email protected].
Synopsis
Betsey Osborne . . . has pulled off an astonishing feat. She's written a compelling, elegant tale of nuance and loss with the confidence of a fiction veteran.
---The Philadelphia Inquirer
Osborne writes effortlessly and wisely, plumbing the troubled depths of the seemingly unruffled surface of 'ordinary' life. . . . This is an auspicious debut by a new and very promising writer.
---The Providence Journal
A] graceful minuet of a novel . . . Osborne's concerns are gratifyingly complex, the predicaments she orchestrates unusual and suspenseful, her humor lithe, and her insights are keen and provocative.
---Booklist
Writing with the precise and haunting tones of Virginia Woolf, Betsey Osborne creates a compelling a world . . . Uncas Metcalfe is a character for the ages.
---Stephen J. Dubner, author of the New York Times bestseller Freakonomics
Uncas Metcalfe is a sixty-five-year-old botany professor from a once prosperous central New York town, whose habitat is changing much too quickly: his wife is ill, his daughter has returned home, and memories of an almost forgotten infidelity have resurfaced. Uncas is rooted in a life of plants and manners. When his routine is upended by the menacing demands of a former student, Uncas finds his comfortably obstinate nature at odds with his family's growing impatience and a newfound, terrifying uncertainty.
The Natural History of Uncas Metcalfe follows an unforgettable hero as he struggles to right himself and adapt to changing expectations, even as he approaches the end of his life. Beautifully wrought and wonderfully imagined, the Metcalfe family will linger in your imagination long after the last page.
Synopsis
"Betsey Osborne . . . has pulled off an astonishing feat. She's written a compelling, elegant tale of nuance and loss with the confidence of a fiction veteran."
---The Philadelphia Inquirer "Osborne writes effortlessly and wisely, plumbing the troubled depths of the seemingly unruffled surface of 'ordinary' life. . . . This is an auspicious debut by a new and very promising writer."
---The Providence Journal
"[A] graceful minuet of a novel . . . Osborne's concerns are gratifyingly complex, the predicaments she orchestrates unusual and suspenseful, her humor lithe, and her insights are keen and provocative."
---Booklist
"Writing with the precise and haunting tones of Virginia Woolf, Betsey Osborne creates a compelling a world . . . Uncas Metcalfe is a character for the ages."
---Stephen J. Dubner, author of the New York Times bestseller Freakonomics
Uncas Metcalfe is a sixty-five-year-old botany professor from a once prosperous central New York town, whose habitat is changing much too quickly: his wife is ill, his daughter has returned home, and memories of an almost forgotten infidelity have resurfaced. Uncas is rooted in a life of plants and manners. When his routine is upended by the menacing demands of a former student, Uncas finds his comfortably obstinate nature at odds with his family's growing impatience and a newfound, terrifying uncertainty.
The Natural History of Uncas Metcalfe follows an unforgettable hero as he struggles to right himself and adapt to changing expectations, even as he approaches the end of his life. Beautifully wrought and wonderfully imagined, the Metcalfe family will linger in your imagination long after the last page.
About the Author
Betsey Osborne graduated from Harvard, attended the Bread Loaf Writers Conference, and has a master of fine arts from Columbia. She has worked at Grand Street, The New Yorker, and Vanity Fair. She lives in Cranston, Rhode Island.
Reading Group Guide
1. Is Uncas a sympathetic character (do you like him)? Do your feelings toward him change over the course of the book?
2. What characteristics do Uncas and Carl share? How does this make the tension between them more interesting?
3. What does the title mean? What does it mean to tell a persons “natural history”?
4. Why do you think Fauna and Uncas have such a complicated and, at times, antagonistic relationship? How does this play a role in the novel?
5. What part does the town of Sparta play in Uncass story? Would the story be the same transplanted to a larger city? How is the idea of rootedness addressed in the novel?
6. Uncas and Alex become confidants and friends, even though they are different in many ways. What are some of their differences? How do these differences help or stand in the way of Uncas and Alex communicating with each other?
7. Is Uncas, “Lord Reticent Taciturn,” typical of men of his generation?
8. What about Margaret? Is she typical of women of her generation? Why or why not?
9. In the final moment of the book Uncas says that he wishes he had asked his wife to dance. What does this moment mean?
10. Does the book have a happy or a sad ending? What does it leave us feeling about the future of the characters?
Contact the author, Betsey Osborne, at [email protected]