View from Chickweed's Window, The-Jack Vance mystery novel, book review

View from Chickweed's Window, The-Jack Vance mystery novel

The View from Chickweed's Window, probably written in 1959, is a 177 page “mystery” novel written by Jack Vance that was first published in 1979.  It was subsequently released as part of the Vance Integral Edition in 2002 and as an eBook in 2012.  Hardcopies have been out of print and very difficult to find so this new (released 2/3/18) high quality Spatterlight paperback is most welcome. 

Our story begins in Shanghai in 1907 when a widower, Harry Botham, returns home to find some thieves ransacking the house.  After a scuffle in which Botham and his sword prevail, one of the thieves throws himself at Botham's feet and pleads for mercy.  He says that the police will torture him and his son but that if Botham promises to let them go he will return with a priceless vase from the Sung Dynasty.  Botham agrees to the proposal and is given a precious 700 year old vase. 

Botham, who already has one daughter named Flora, remarries soon after this incident and has another daughter named Ruth.  Ruth and her husband, Kenneth, eventually receive the rare vase from Botham as a wedding gift.  When Ruth and Kenneth die while living Japan their eight year old daughter, Luellen or Lulu Enright, is sent from Japan to live with her Aunt Flora and her family in San Francisco.

The young Lulu Enright arrives in San Francisco and is met by Aunt Flora and her husband, Maurice.  Included in Lulu's baggage is the rare Sung Dynasty vase which Flora has always coveted.  Aunt Flora takes possession of the vase, saying that Lulu's father promised this vase to her.  Lulu, of course, is at her mercy and must do everything she can adjust to living with her new family.  As her aunt informs her, "You're living with us know, and we're very particular as to how we look and how we behave."  Lulu must also live in the same house with her difficult two male cousins, Oliver age 13 and Kendall age 16.  In addition, she has to cope with inappropriate attention, kissing and touching by her Uncle Maurice. 

A young sickly boy that Lulu's cousins nicknamed Professor Chickweed lives nextdoor with their yards separated by a fence.  Lulu's two cousins dislike the boy and call him Old Professor Chickweed and Chickweed the freak.  When her two cousins later attempt to shoot Chickweed's cat with a .22 rifle, Lulu wrestles the gun away from them.  Her uncle intervenes when he sees Lulu with the rifle and decides to punish her by pulling down her underpants to spank her.  Lulu struggles free and grabs the rifle that then discharges possibly hitting her uncle.  Lulu flees to a park but is eventually returned home by an observant police officer.  When they arrive at her home she and the officer are informed by Aunt Flora that Uncle Maurice was shot and killed by Lulu.  Lulu is taken to Juvenile Hall.  After three and a half months she is sent to a State Home for Girls near Santa Rosa where she ends up living there for the next nine years.

When Lulu is 17 she is able to leave the State Home to attend UC Berkeley on a scholarship.  While there she meets Robert Malley another student who is a senior.  They become good friends.  Lulu maintains contact with Robert, and she graduates four years later.  Just after graduating she turns 21 and receives a mysterious letter from a Japanese law firm.  Enclosed with the attorney's cover letter is a letter that had been written by Lulu's father 13 years previously just before he died.  Her father had arranged that it be sent to Lulu when she turned 21.  Receiving this letter results in a major turning point in Lulu's life as she learns some startling new revelations.  While investigating the information contained in the letter, with assistance from Robert, she also discovers a dark, long hidden, family secret that had completely altered the course of her life.

Initially Lulu tries to use reason and appeals to fairness to obtain justice from her aunt and two cousins.  This fails so she consults an attorney.  When this does not work either she decides to do whatever it takes, including using manipulation and deception.  This leads to some complex, sometimes humorous, but carefully calculated adventures that involve Lulu's two cousins and aunt, the valuable antique vase, and what Chickweed might have observed one day from his window.  It is a detailed, intricately woven story that I found fascinating and entertaining despite a few events that seemed rather improbable. 

The View from Chickweed's Window is one of Vance's more interesting mystery novels although much of the mystery involves finding out secrets and plotting how to obtain justice.  This is also one of the few Vance novels that has a woman (beginning as an 8 year old girl) who is the main character.  He portrays her as being assertive, intelligent, capable of being kind and able to seek justice while resisting unfair vengeance.  Even though her behavior is deceptive, Lulu feels completely justified in her efforts.  She also remains fair minded and does not harbor the angry emotions one associates with revenge.

The View from Chickweed's Window is recommended to all Vance fans and to other readers who enjoy an interesting, detailed, well written, easy to read, fast paced, unusual novel.  I have read it three times and rated it a 4 “Really liked it.”