Roses is an old-fashioned family saga covering more than a century in the lives of the Toliver, Wawruck, and DuMont familes of Howbutker, Texas. The younger sons of these three wealthy and prominent eastern families make their way west to seek their fortunes during the 1800's, eventually deciding to settle on an area of land that came to be know as Howbutker, a variation of "how about here?" All decide to continue in the tradition of their families back home, establishing successful businesses in Howbutker: the Tolivers in cotton, the Wawrucks in lumber, and the DuMonts in retail. By the early 20th century the familes are firmly established as leaders of commerce and society in Texas. The focus of this saga is on Mary Toliver, the love of her life, Percy Wawruck, and sweet, patient Ollie DuMont, who also loves Mary. As in every family saga worth its salt, bad choices are made, love goes awry, tragedies strike, and history repeats itself over and over again.
Although I enjoyed Roses, I did not find it to be a satisfying read. How can a love be true when it is so carelessly thrown aside for a greater love, the land? I guess in some respects you could compare Meacham's saga to Edna Ferber's Giant or Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind, but Mary is much more capable and independent than Scarlett and should have know better, been able to foresee the consequences of her actions. They do share the ability to use men to further their own ambitions and I guess this trait is what turned me off to the novel as a whole. I would say go ahead and read it if you like family sagas. This one has all of the elements necessary to a good saga. I just couldn't get over the poor decisions, but without them I guess there would not have been a story!
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