Dreamers of the Day
By Mary Doria Russell
Completed December 28, 2007

Historians will tell you that to understand the present you must comprehend the past. I believe that is what Mary Doria Russell is trying to show us in her latest book, Dreamers of the Day.

At initial glance, Dreamers of the Day is a coming-of-age novel about late bloomer, Agnes Shanklin, who becomes an heiress after the death of her relatives from the influenza epidemic in 1918. Agnes is unconfident and has an inferiority complex that has hindered her since childhood. Suddenly free of family and societal ties, Agnes decides to leave Ohio and voyage to Egypt to see the sites described in her deceased sister’s letters. Accompanied by her dachshund, Rosie, Agnes embarks on a journey that shapes her life.

While in Cairo though, she witnesses a moment of great historical significance: the Cairo Conference, when Winston Churchill, Lady Gertrude Bell and T.E. Lawrence decided the fate of the Middle East after World War I. This simple story of a woman’s self-discovery transforms into a social commentary – in a graceful style that only Mary Doria Russell can write.

Mary Doria Russell could lecture on character development. She is the master of it. And that is true for her characters in Dreamers of the Day. My favorite character is Rosie, the loyal but fiery dachshund who adds such a realistic dimension to this story. Rosie poops in Winston Churchill’s car. She dives into the Nile after a fish. She has a crooked tail and likes to eat sausage at the table. Through Russell’s writing, you can see Rosie, walking down the streets of Cairo on her short legs with her ears perked up at the new sounds. To be honest, I loved Rosie’s character so much that I wished I owned a dachshund too.

Despite the superb character development, I believe that Dreamers of the Day has some flaws. First, you must suspend a level of disbelief before reading this story. The likelihood that this prestigious international assembly would welcome an American spinster is slim to none. Agnes reminds me of Forrest Gump, showing up at the right place at the right time, while major historical events unfold. Second, the ending seemed superfluous. To be certain, Dreamers of the Day is social commentary about the mess in the Middle East and the U.S. involvement in this region. I got that. I didn’t need to last chapter to be so aggressive in advancing this message.

While I would contend that Dreamers of the Day is not one of Russell’s best, I still feel that it is a good, important book to read and would recommend it to MDR fans and lovers of historical fiction. I bet we will see Dreamers of the Day on notable lists and perhaps as a Pulitzer finalist in 2008 – the message is that important and one I doubt critics will ignore. If you decide to read this book, be prepared to learn a lot, let the story take its course – and bring some sausage bites for Rosie. She’ll love you for it. ( )

Note: Dreamers of the Day will be released in March 2008.