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Author biography courtesy of Henry Holt and Company.
"My worst job was a very brief stint at a Hare Krishna factory in Toronto, packing incense. The combination of compulsory prayers and of having my friends get out their handkerchiefs whenever I entered a room soon made me give notice. My favorite job was working as a cleaner at the Institute of Contemporary Art in London. We managed to do the work in half the time we were paid for and I loved pushing my broom around the galleries, getting to look at the art day after day."
"The first Americans I ever met were a family who came to teach for a year at the boys' school where my father taught. They invited us over for New Year's Eve and instead of the usual festivities spent the evening showing us slides of their very extensive holidays in Yosemite. Ever since I've had a mild aversion to slide shows and I still haven't been to Yosemite."
The real difference though was not their reticence — most grownups were not forthcoming — but their invisibility. In my mind there was already such confusion between two categories commonly held to be opposites: the living and the dead. As for a third category, the ghosts in my storybooks were filmy, insubstantial beings who did not graze their knees or chase hens. The companions did not seem to fit into that group either; they existed in their own peculiar dimension.
separates our world from the next." (Alice Hoffman)Discussion Questions:
1. Is this novel a ghost story? If so, how does it compare with other ghost stories you may have read?
2. Early in the story, Eva, our narrator and protagonist, makes the claim: "Some parts of this story are true in one way, some in another." What does she mean by this remark? How does it apply throughout the novel?
3. Author Margot Livesey, in an interview about this book, admitted: "It took me a long time to realize that just because I didn't remember my mother, didn't mean she hadn't been important in my life. I think it was learning how to understand that feeling which enabled me to write the novel." How are these comments echoed in the pages of Eva Moves the Furniture -- and especially in the relationship between Eva and Barbara?
4. In the wake of her mother's death, Eva effectively acquires two different sets of surrogate parents: Lily and David (gentle country folk from the Scottish village of Troon) and the woman and the child (mysterious yet friendly visitors from another realm of existence). Discuss the larger purpose that each couple serves in Eva's life. When and why does each couple help Eva, and when and why-if at all-do they hinder her?
5. Describe the omens that occur on the day Eva is born, then discuss how, over the course of the novel, these omens turn out to be true or false. Also, talk about the presence and function of fate in this novel. How is the idea of fate or destiny represented by the two characters known as the companions?
6. Barbara, Lily, and Eva are all women who need to earn their own living. What does the novel suggest about the roles and possibilities for women in the first half of the twentieth century?
7. Describe the character of Samuel, and his attitude towards his patients and towards reconstructive surgery. Why does Eva liken her experiences with the companions to Samuel's being Jewish? And why, in turn, does she refuse to marry him?
8. What sort of picture does Eva Moves the Furniture give to life and work during wartime? Discuss the ways in which the depiction of the infirmary enhanced or changed your understanding of the Second World War.
9. This is a story in four parts, each with its own title. What do the four titles, and their progression, show us about Eva? Were you surprised by the title of Part IV: You? Can (and if so, does) this "you" interact with the companions in the same manner as Eva?
10. In her efforts to come to terms with her situation, Eva explores what might be termed various aspects of the supernatural: local legends, Judaism, lives of saints, and legends from other cultures. Do you believe in the supernatural? Have you ever had experiences that you regard as supernatural? How have you dealt with them and explained them to other people?
About the Author:
Margot Livesey is the award-winning author of the story collection Learning by Heart and the novels Homework, Criminals, and The Missing World. Born in Scotland, she now lives in the Boston area, where she is a writer-in-residence at Emerson College.
Anonymous
Posted March 14, 2003
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. If you watch John Edwards' Crossing Over, this puts a whole new twist on death. It comforted me and I wholeheartedly recommend it. I even shed a few tears at the end.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.In 1920 Troon, Scotland, Eva McEwan is born under a dark cloud. What should have been a happy event for her parents turns ugly when magpies are seen flocking to a tree just outside the family home. Everyone knows that omen always forecasts something bad and that evening, Eva¿s mother passes away. Her father and her aunt raise Eva in a very isolated environment.
When she turns six, a woman accompanied by a young girl visits Eva, but no one else sees the two females. Over the years, the duo provides positive and negative influence on Eva by providing her a friendship and helping with her chores, but also causes her to lose her first job. During World War II, Eva, now a nurse, falls in love with Doctor Samuel Rosenblum, but marries someone else who she likes and admires but does not love. Did the two companions end her chances with Samuel or did Eva do what she felt is the right thing for her beloved?
EVA MOVES THE FURNITURE is a strong psychological tale that centers on individuals who must contend with their ghosts (metaphysical yet real) to live life to the fullest. People are responsible for their actions whether the ghosts exist or are imaginative. Fans of a deep character driven tale that pares the soul so that observers can see raw emotions will enjoy Margot Livesey¿s novel. The book will be considered a classic in a decade or so. The author will receive current kudos deserving of a superstar who has an uncanny knack of telling a story with quite a wallop.
Harriet Klausner
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 24, 2002
Unfortunately this book did not turn out to be what I thought it would. I gave it a good effort, reading about 120 pages and then gave up. It is well written, but the story itself just couldn't hook me. It moved fairly slowly and predictably for my tastes. I am sure there are many readers who would enjoy it. I prefer something that draws me in so that I can hardly wait to pick the book back up. There was nothing about the lead character that enabled me to relate to her or sympathize with her.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 22, 2008
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted January 27, 2009
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Overview
From a highly acclaimed author-the enchanting, bittersweet story of a motherless young woman torn between real life and the otherwordly campanions only she can see
On the morning of Eva McEwen's birth, six magpies congregate in the apple tree outside the window-a bad omen, according to Scottish legend. That night Eva's mother dies, leaving her to be raised by her aunt and heartsick father in the small town of Troon, Scotland.
As a child, Eva is often visited by two companions: a ...