Maggie Again: A Novel

John D. Husband
Talywain Press (2007)
ISBN 9780974194264
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (9/07)

John D. Husband’s “Maggie, Again” is a sweet time-travel story, set partially in Cobblers Eddy, Indiana in 1926 and partially in New York City in 1984. Based on the author’s own childhood, spent on a farm, and parts of his later life, spent in a brownstone in on the Upper East Side of NYC, the book takes us for an enchanting ride from the simplicity of the countryside in 1926 to the hustling and bustling New York City in the years before the big crash in 1929, then skims through the next few decades and deals with the same, but greatly changed NYC in 1984.

The teen-age Maggie and her three friends, Alfie, Tom and Gordie, are ordinary country kids; doing their chores, having fun and being mischievous, but never bad. Nothing much ever changes in Cobblers Eddy, until Maggie’s father decides to follow his dream and move to New York City. As much as Maggie does not want to leave the farm, she really does not have a choice, since the move is imminent. Once they arrive to the city, she actually finds it engaging and interesting, but she’s still wishing that her friends would be there with her to share the excitement.

The boys hop on the train, hide in a boxcar – and vanish into thin air. Maggie grows up, still thinking of them. Then one day many years later, the boys arrive to NYC – they are still teenagers, but Maggie is in her seventies. The reunion is bittersweet – as happy as they are to have found each other again, there is the horrible gap in the history… Maggie tries to explain this greatly changed world to them and those are actually some of my favorite pages in the book – the ones where the great big city of New York is seen through the eyes of three boys from 1920’s Indiana. After a while the four of them decide to go back to Cobblers Eddy – and actually land back in 1926, where they try to manipulate the events, only to discover that time has its own quirks.

I found “Maggie Again” a thought-provoking and inspiring read. The story had enough interesting twists to keep me guessing; I liked the characters and loved the sketches of country life in 1920’s. I would have liked more time devoted to Maggie’s life between the time of crash in 1929 and 1984, but I’d gladly settle for a sequel some time soon. With some expert proofreading and some minor editing, I believe this book is a winner, which I would highly recommend to any lover of nostalgic reads, regardless of their age.

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