by Lyn Cote
Awed by these words, Carly felt her whole being filled with pride, a glowing, expanding warmth. This is my grandmother. Then Bette was called forward and the Medal of Freedom was presented to her. The president shook her hand and then motioned her to the microphone.
Near tears, Bette thought of those events of all those years ago and also of Ted, her intelligence partner and later husband. Bette pulled herself together and looked out at the audience and cleared her throat. She had something important to say, and she’d been given a golden opportunity to say it.
“Mr. President, honored guests, I never imagined that I would receive this honor from the country I love. I was privileged to work against Hitler and later against Stalin, both cruel dictators. Due to wartime necessity, I served in the FBI unofficially thirty years before women were allowed to enter the FBI. The work I did was exciting and at times dangerous. But I was able to meet the demands because of who I am, because of those whose love made me the woman I was, and because of what they’d taught me about courage. I am a woman of Ivy Manor, my family’s ancestral home in Maryland. But I’m not the first strong woman to come from Ivy Manor.
“First of all, I’d like to thank my mother for her example of courage. In the midst of the Great Depression and in spite of the anti-Semitism of her neighbors, my mother took in a young Jewish immigrant girl in the 1930s. Mother, will you and Gretel join me up here?”
Chloe looked reluctant, but a beaming Gretel took her arm and marched her up to the microphone.
“Next, my mother and, I hope in some small way, I influenced my daughter Leigh. As part of her iconoclastic generation, Leigh took part in the women’s movement of the 1970s. And even before that, passionate in her support of equal rights as a high-school girl, attended Dr. King’s march here in Washington in 1963. Come up, Leigh.”
Looking surprised, Leigh joined her great-grandmother at the front near Bette.
“Now, I commend to you my granddaughter, Carly, who has continued the tradition of service to her country. She has just served in the Gulf War and was recently presented the Purple Heart. Come up, Carly.”
Applause surrounded Carly as she walked with her cane to stand beside her mother.
“Also, I’d like Minnie Dawson and her great-granddaughter, also a Gulf War veteran, to come forward.”
Looking puzzled, Minnie and Lorelle joined the others grouped around Bette.
“Minnie and my mother ran away together in 1917 to New York City. Minnie Dawson nee Carlyle became Mimi Carlyle, who appeared on Broadway and later in supporting roles in several of Dorothy Dandridge’s films in the 1950s.”
Minnie lifted one eyebrow as if to ask, What are you leading up to?
Bette winked at Minnie. Then she faced the audience, pride pulsing in her heart. “All these women had a part in my life and more importantly, in the greater life of this nation in the twentieth century.
“When I look at them, I see how the role of women in America and in the world has changed over this century.” Bette paused to compose herself to voice the tribute she’d planned. “It makes me proud of them and proud to be a part of them. This medal not only honors me, but it honors all these women. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the women of Ivy Manor.”
HISTORICAL NOTE
Once again, Carly (as the previous book in the series, Leigh) involved researching more current history. My memories of the First Gulf War are vivid but civilian. Fortunately, I was able to tap into the military memories of women who’d served in the First Gulf War or soon after. But I found a couple of pitfalls in writing current history.
First, people were likely to contradict me if their individual experiences didn’t match those of my characters. Second, it is difficult to get eyewitness reports. Many people don’t like to share their memories for various reasons, so it’s difficult to find written sources on this war. Most of the sources were written for children and teenagers, not adults. It’s as if the accepted historical perspective on the event hasn’t been settled yet.
Since I have no firsthand military recollections, I have based all the events depicted in Carly on personal experiences of former soldiers, male and female. If you’re a veteran and your experiences in the military and in the First Gulf War don’t jibe with Carly’s, please don’t discount what I have written. When I tailored those recollections of other soldiers and portrayed them in Carly’s life, I hope I did so both accurately and vividly.
Finally, Carly—unlike the first three books of the series—covers only one very eventful year in my heroine’s life. Carly is just seventeen throughout the book. Therefore, she has time only to experience her first bittersweet love. I’d already begun imagining Carly’s future, but I ran out of pages!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this series, The Women of Ivy Manor, as much as I have enjoyed researching and writing it. Please let me hear from you at: [email protected] or P.O. Box 864, Woodruff, WI 54568. Drop by my Web site: www.BooksbyLynCote.com.
Postscript
Just a correction for those who read Bette: On the dedication page, my father-in-law’s name was misspelled. He was Orville “Jum” [sic] Cote, not “Jim.” “Jum” was short for “Jumbo,” his childhood nickname.
Sorry, Jum.
READING GROUP GUIDE
The effect of truth versus secrets is a forceful theme in Carly. Should Leigh have told her daughter the unvarnished truth about her biological father? If so, how and when?
My generation, the baby boomers, has also often been called the “sandwich generation.” Why do you think this situation has evolved? (A hint: think life expectancy.) Was this true for Leigh—was she “sandwiched”?
Have you ever been in a situation like Carly’s in boot camp? Did anyone ever make you the target of bullying or gossip? How did you handle it—or wish you’d handled it?
If you’ve read all four books, compare and contrast how each generation, starting with Lily Leigh and Chloe, clashed with the next. What caused problems between mothers and daughters? What created harmony?
Every action brings consequences. What consequences did Carly experience from her kidnapping? How did she try to deal with those consequences?
Why do you think Carly enlisted? Explain your reasons.
In my humble opinion, the way to true peace is to be honest with yourself, genuine with others, and open and humble with God. Consider each of the Women of Ivy Manor: what resulted when each lived up to this—or didn’t?
How did Lorelle’s life differ from her father Frank’s and her great-grandmother Minnie’s?
Besides the heroine, which of the characters in this book did you enjoy most? Discuss the same for each previous book.
Are there any characters in the previous books that you wished you’d read more about? Why?
The Women of Ivy Manor
Meet the women of Ivy Manor—four strong and independent ladies who live and love throughout the decades of the twentieth century. Each has experiences unique to herself; each must learn to grow and succeed on her own terms.
Chloe
Born in the early days of the new century, she gives up her old life for a new one—before realizing that perhaps what she’s always wanted was right in front of her.
Bette
Coming into her own during World War II, Bette learns that dreams and expectations often change, hopefully for the better. Can she give up her childish hopes and embrace real life?
Leigh
A child of the civil rights movement, Leigh lives and breathes the exploration of new ideas and thoughts. But independence isn’t always easy, and mistakes are made. Can she learn to accept who she is before it’s too late?
Carly
Carly longs for independence, and finds it in the military. But when all that is stripped away, will she realize that her sense of identity comes from within, not from anything or anyone else?
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