The Bobtails and the Cousins: a slice-of-life from the late 1800s

cover of The Bobtails and the Cousins by Arthur Yeomans. review by Markus McDowell

Arthur Yeomans. The Bobtails and the Cousins (Bobtails Adventures, Book 2). Wise Path Books, 2023. 332pp.

This was an interesting read, primarily because it is a well-researched story about the details of like in the late 1800s northeast United States. It is categorized as a children’s book, but I would think 12 and older might be about right. This is the second in a series, but I had no trouble following along, although I might have had an easier time with the numerous characters if I had read the first. (The first book is The Bobtails Meet the Preacher’s Kid.)

The book is less like a novel and more like reading a daily diary. Every day is included, even when nothing much happens. In a couple of places, the author writes something like “for the purposes of this story,” — a clue that we are not reading a regular novel where we suspend belief—the author is talking to us! (Or, perhaps, it is one of the characters, but that seems unlikely due to the wording and location of the phrase. There is no overarching plot, other than perhaps the underlying narrative of deceased parents and the surviving children who are adopted by an aunt (who then marries her neighbor). However, this plot, and the minor, short-lived plots, are not fully developed. Indeed, this is a slice-of-life narrative about related families in the later 1800s—how they lived, thought, interacted, ate, worked, and visited their extended families.

Now that the adoption is final, and the addition complete, the Bobtails are settling into their new house and family. But Aunt Grace writes to her brothers and says they need to come for a visit. Not all the cousins are thrilled to come and spend time on a dairy farm, however. And they certainly get more than they expected! (Amazon’s description)

The Bobtails series is set in 1889 Vermont and revolves around a set of orphans, adopted by their widowed aunt, coming to terms with their father’s death, adjusting to life in their new family, learning new responsibilities, and making new friends. In this installment, their cousins visit, and everyone learns a lot about farming, horse breeding, sermonizing, and living together. The Bobtails series teaches lessons about responsibility, duty, difficult obedience, and, above all, trusting God through difficult circumstances.
From Amazon’s Description

Although it appears the “bobtails” (a nickname for family) are the primary group in the series, the novel actually revolves around the cousins who come to visit. The main character seems to be one of the young boys. Halfway through, the perspective changes, and it is another set of cousins coming to visit, and the protagonist switches around between a couple of the young girls.

The author has done an excellent research on many aspects of life in late-1800s Vermont. Food preparation, clothing, farm life, breeding horses and cows, travel by train, language of the time, interactions between people in that era, expectations of work, life, marriage, and religion. These fine details lend a wonderful air of authenticity to the story.

The characters are full and believable. Most of the protagonists (and there are more than one) are children, and the mindset, worries, interests, are also well-fleshed out and believable.

Being more of a diary (or the author telling us about this family’s life?), there are some unusual literary choices. For example, there are occasionally long excerpts (pages!) of readings from books, passages of Scripture, and even parts of two sermons! These often seem unnecessary, and yet they are written in a style that appears genuine for the period, and is more detail of the loves of those who lived then. One scene depicts the families sitting in the parlor reading to each other portions of a book they are all reading at the time. Portions of the books are included (some of which are actual books). Song lyrics are also sometimes recited as well.

Occasionally, the details are too much (at least for this reader). In Chapter 17, In chapter 17, some boys are reciting memorized texts to each other, and the recitations are included: the Declaration of Independence, the Star-Spangled Banner, and much of Psalm 119. After this, they attend to church, and the lengthy sermon itself is included as block quotes, punctuated by thoughts from one of the characters (agreeing or disagreeing with the pastor). There are numerous passages about cooking in excruciating details, especially where one of the girls is teaching another how to prepare dishes.

There are some technical issues as well. Throughout, the book uses straight quotes instead of proper quotes. I am not sure why the publisher would not correct this—it is quite distracting.

Occasionally, there are quotes from some famous book or person. This is fine, but usually such quotes are at the beginning of chapters, right after the title. Some of these do, but others appear at the beginning of a section, or even at the end. For example, there is a quote from Khaled Hosseini With attribution, but I could discern no reason why it was there—it seems to have no connection to the preceding section. Another quote in the same chapter comes from G.K. Chesterton, but again, I do not see the reason for it.

The book also includes several pencil drawings. They are all rough drawings, mostly of farm or kitchen implements, occasionally stick figures. They do relate to the text, but are not professional drawings. Some look like art by a nonprofessional with a bit of talent, others look like they were drawn by a young child. It seemed strange to have drawings of different styles, but perhaps this is just more of the slice-of-live narrative.

Once finished reading, I was not sure what to make of it all. The technical issues are problematic (there were also a number of typographic errors). Being a literary analyst, I asked myself “what discernible purpose, goal, or reason does this book exist.” I did not have any answer, except to provide a glimpse of life in Vermont in the late 1800s. And for that, it is quite well done! The author certainly did proper research and has a good understanding of that period.

If you prefer plot, tension, denouement, hero’s journeys, and other standard literary characteristics, you will be disappointed. But if you enjoyed books (and tv series) like Little House on the Prairie and other depictions of an older time in America, you will probably enjoy this well-researched novel.