Broody New Englander contains a novella along with two short stories. These are entitled The Stylite, Mothers' Teat, and Hansom Dove. Together these stories paint a picture of life in rural New England from a time prior to World War II to a time closer to current years. The writing shows careful attention to detail in the development of the setting and the characters as well as with Weene's elegant use of language. The stories delve into the thoughts and emotions of these New Englanders, tying together the beautiful, but often harsh surroundings with emotions ranging from disappointment and betrayal to a schoolgirl crush and adult lust.
Here's a sample of the writing:
That special summer day, when the sun fell in patches on the brown duff. At once there was chill and warmth, light and dark. The shadowed browns of cones tossed haphazardly on the ground and the deep odor of pine, not the stingy smell that came in bottles to disinfect, but real pine, the sent of her home when it had first been built.
And another:
How often Jeannine had laughed to watch the chittering chipmunks dart from tree to tree in acorn time? How often had she held close the fluffed blue flowers that grew against the sunny southern wall? How many times had she touched the twin birch that bent along the water's edge and gently, as if trimming a child's nails, cut away the fringes which seemed by magic to appear in their silver-paper skin.
This is a book to dwell on, to learn from. It is a carefully drawn picture of a place and the people in it, a story of disappointment and rage, but also of love in many forms.
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