Jane Smiley is een Amerikaanse romanschrijver wiens werken worden gekenmerkt door diepgaand inzicht in de menselijke natuur en sociale relaties. In haar romans verweeft ze meesterlijk beschrijvingen van het plattelandsleven met universele thema's als liefde, verlies en de zoektocht naar betekenis. Haar stijl is precies en suggestief, vaak gericht op familiedynamiek en de innerlijke leefwereld van haar personages. Door haar schrijven verkent ze de complexiteit van het menselijk bestaan en vindt ze schoonheid in alledaagse momenten.
Growing up in St. Louis, Jodie Rattler's life takes a transformative turn after a fateful trip to the racetrack at age six. Her journey from a close-knit family to a successful singing career unfolds across vibrant locations, including New York City and Los Angeles. Amidst the glitz of the music world, she navigates the challenges of fame while seeking fulfillment beyond her professional achievements. Blending themes of chance, romance, and self-discovery, the narrative paints a vivid portrait of a woman's quest for identity in the midst of a tumultuous era.
Exploring a diverse array of literary influences, the essays reveal how Smiley weaves inspiration from notable authors like Dickens, Twain, and Alcott into her own narrative style. By examining the works of figures such as Marguerite de Navarre and Willa Cather, she highlights the enduring impact of literary history on contemporary writing, showcasing the connections between past and present narratives. This collection offers insights into the creative process and the interplay of tradition and innovation in literature.
From the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning and best-selling author of A Thousand Acres: a rollicking murder mystery set in Gold Rush California, as two young prostitutes follow a trail of missing girls. Monterey, 1851. Ever since her husband was killed in a bar fight, Eliza Ripple has been working in a brothel. It seems like a better life, at least at first. The madam, Mrs. Parks, is kind, the men are (relatively) well behaved, and Eliza has attained what few women have: financial security. But when the dead bodies of young women start appearing outside of town, a darkness descends that she can't resist confronting. Side by side with her friend Jean, and inspired by her reading, especially by Edgar Allan Poe’s detective Dupin, Eliza pieces together an array of clues to try to catch the killer, all the while juggling clients who begin to seem more and more suspicious. Eliza and Jean are determined not just to survive, but to find their way in a lawless town on the fringes of the Wild West—a bewitching combination of beauty and danger—as what will become the Civil War looms on the horizon. As Mrs. Parks says, "Everyone knows that this is a dangerous business, but between you and me, being a woman is a dangerous business, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise ..."
Set in 1851 Monterey during the Gold Rush, this murder mystery follows Eliza Ripple, a young widow turned prostitute, as she investigates a series of gruesome murders of women in her town. With the support of her friend Jean and inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's detective stories, Eliza navigates a perilous world filled with suspicious clients and societal dangers. As they confront the darkness surrounding them, the duo strives for survival and agency in a lawless frontier, highlighting the inherent risks of being a woman in that era.
A young rider encounters well-known horses and new friends in the final installment of the Ellen & Ned trilogy by Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley. Ellen's family has moved to a new town...but some things, like her love for horses, remain the same. Ellen is now the proud owner of her own horse, Tater. She's learning new skills and challenging herself as a rider...but she still can't stop thinking about Ned, the feisty former racehorse she sees on the ranch during her lessons. In the meantime, Ellen's making new friends and encountering old ones. Most exciting of all is Da, a boy from a riding family who is possessed of a spirit of mischief and daring and knows his own mind. Ellen still has a lot to learn...about horses, friendship, and herself. And will she ever be able to get Ned off her mind?
Ellen is a spirited - and occasionally misbehaving - young horseback-riding
student. Ellen is only allowed to go to riding lessons when she behaves at
school and at home. Ellen has a knack for speaking out of turn in class, and
with a new sibling on the way, she can't resist taking advantage of her
parents' distraction...
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, this captivating story follows three extraordinary animals and a young boy whose lives intersect in Paris. Paras, a spirited racehorse, escapes her stall and journeys to the City of Light, fascinated by its sights and sounds. There, she meets Frida, an elegant German shorthair pointer, who navigates the city while avoiding the attention of suspicious locals. Together, they explore lush green spaces, relying on Frida's clever trips to the bakery and butchershop, and are joined by two lively ducks and an opinionated raven.
Paras's adventure takes a turn when she encounters a human boy named Etienne, leading her to a secluded ivy-walled house where he lives with his nearly one-hundred-year-old great grandmother. As Christmas approaches, an unlikely friendship blossoms among the animals and humans. However, the question remains: how long can a runaway horse remain unnoticed in Paris, and how long can Etienne keep her hidden? This enchanting novel celebrates curiosity, ingenuity, and the universal desire for friendship, love, and freedom.
A young rider gets to know a new pony, adjust to a new sibling and learns a
lot about secrets in this charming follow-up to Pulitzer Prize winning author
Jane Smiley's Riding Lessons.
Ellen is a spirited - and occasionally misbehaving - young horseback-riding
student. Ellen is only allowed to go to riding lessons when she behaves at
school and at home. Ellen has a knack for speaking out of turn in class, and
with a new sibling on the way, she can't resist taking advantage of her
parents' distraction...
1953. When a funeral brings the Langdon family together once more, they little realize how much, over the coming years, each of their worlds will shift and change. For now Walter and Rosanna's sons and daughters are grown up and have children of their own. Frank, the eldest - restless, unhappy - ignores his troubled wife and instead finds himself distracted by a face from the past. Lillian must watch as her brilliant, eccentric husband Arthur is destroyed by the guilt arising from his secretive government work. Claire, too, finds that marriage is not quite what she expected it to be. In Iowa where the Langdons began, Joe sees that some aspects of life on the farm never change, while others are unrecognizable. And though a few members of the family remain mired in the past, others will attempt to move beyond the lives they have always known; and some will push forward as never before. The dark shadow of the Vietnam War hangs over every one ... In sickness and health, through their best and darkest times, the Langdon family will live and love and suffer against the broad, merciless sweep of American history. Moving from the 1950s to the 1980s, Early Warning is epic storytelling at its most wise and compelling from a writer at the height of her powers.
Abby Lovitt doesn't realize how unprepared she is when she takes her beloved horse, True Blue, to a clinic led by the most famous equestrian anyone knows. The biggest surprise, though, is that Sophia, the girl who never makes a mistake, suddenly makes so many that she stops riding. Who will ride her horse? Abby's dad seems to think it will be Abby. Pie in the Sky is the most expensive horse Abby has ever ridden. But he is proud and irritable, and he takes Abby's attention away from the continuing mystery that is True Blue. And then there's high school—Abby finds new friends, but also new challenges, and a larger world that sometimes seems strange and intimidating. She begins to wonder if there is another way to look at horses, people, and life itself. Accompanied by the beautiful imagery of 1960s Northern California, Abby's charming mix of innocence and wisdom guide us through Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley's latest middle-grade horse novel.
Début du XXe siècle. Dans leur ferme du Missouri, Matthew et Callie Soames élèvent leurs quatre filles, aux personnalités différentes mais au caractère bien trempé : Jessica leur brisera le cœur en s’enfuyant dès sa dix-huitième année, Leonie tombera amoureuse de l’homme dont il ne fallait pas s’amouracher, Mary Jo s’arrachera au cocon familial pour aller faire carrière à New York, et le destin de Mathy, l’enfant sauvage, se conclura par la plus terrible des tragédies. Ces années durant, malgré chagrins et déceptions, les Soames parviendront, malgré tout, à préserver les liens d’amour, qui forment le ciment même de leur famille.
As her husband's obsessions with science take a darker turn on the eve of World War II, Margaret Mayfield is forced to consider the life she has so carefully constructed. By the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres.
Set against the backdrop of turn-of-the-century America, the story follows four unique sisters—Jessica, Leonie, Mathy, and Mary Jo—each navigating their own paths while intertwined by love and hidden family secrets. Over five decades, their journeys reveal the complexities of sisterhood and the impact of their choices, exploring themes of identity, resilience, and the enduring bonds of family.
A Pulitzer Prize winner makes her debut for young readers.Jane Smiley makes her debut for young readers in this stirring novel set on a California horse ranch in the 1960s. Seventh-grader Abby Lovitt has always been more at ease with horses than with people. Her father insists they call all the mares “Jewel” and all the geldings “George” and warns Abby not to get the horses are there to be sold. But with all the stress at school (the Big Four have turned against Abby and her friends) and home (her brother Danny is gone—for good, it seems—and now Daddy won’t speak his name), Abby seeks refuge with the Georges and the Jewels. But there’s one gelding on her family’s farm that gives her no end of the horse who won’t meet her gaze, the horse who bucks her right off every chance he gets, the horse her father makes her ride and train, every day. She calls him the Ornery George.
Joe Stratford makes an honest living helping nice people buy and sell nice houses. Now that his not-very-amicable divorce is over, he is ready for his life to begin again. It's 1982 and Marcus Burns, Joe's new friend from New York, says the old rules are ready to be broken. But are his ideas about how to get rich too big and risky for Joe? And is Felicity - winning, free-spirited (and already married) - really the one he's been waiting for? From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres, Good Faith is a masterly novel about some very American seductions: money, sex and real estate.
Maggie Tulliver rebels against the narrow Victorian morality and strict traditions of her family by eloping with a worthless dandy, in an edition of one of Eliot's finest novels, featuring a new afterword by Jane Smiley. Reissue.
Presents a collection of Viking "sagas" to commemorate the adventures of the people who first settled Iceland, and then explored Greenland and North America.
Set in the world of horse racing, this novel puts us amongst trainers, horse-obsessed girls, billionaire breeders and restless track wives, painting a picture of a world that is passionate, cold-hearted, pure and corrupt.
Plain, independent Lidie Harkness, impatient with the restrictions placed on women in mid-nineteenth century Illinois, jumps at the chance to marry New England abolitionist Thomas Newton and travel with him to the Kansas Territory where they embark on a dangerous quest to stop the spread of slavery.
Truly global in scope, [this book] goes beyond the Western tradition to assemble a richly diverse sampling of literature, historical documents, and fine art that offers significant coverage of Asian, African, and Native American civilizations. Chapter introductions by important scholars ... provide students with the background and enrichment they need.-Back cover.
The hallowed halls of Moo University, a midwestern agricultural institution (aka "cow college"), are rife with devious plots, mischievous intrigue, lusty liaisons, and academic one-upsmanship. In this wonderfully written and masterfully plotted novel, Jane Smiley, the prizewinning author of A Thousand Acres , offers a wickedly funny, darkly poignant comedy. A finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction.
Selected lectures from writers' conferences on the art and craft of finding and using artistic inspiration feature the works of Jane Smiley, Gary Snyder, Miroslav Holub, and Mary Clearman Blew.
While seventy-seven-year-old Ike Robison is on his deathbed, three generations of women--his wife, Anna, three middle-aged daughters, and granddaughter--reconcile their personal and family histories and claim their birthrights.
"This is a book that will last and last." THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER Here is a stunning collection of five stories and a novella, written in Jane Smiley's clear and elegant prose, and filled with the unmistakable sound of real people going about the business--and pleasure--of real life. In the title novella, "THE AGE OF GRIEF," a man meditates on the vagaries of love and family life. Certain that his wife has fallen in love with someone else--and been spurned by him--he tries to recover what he calls "the ironic middle," the good-humored, matter-of-fact heart of the marriage where he can keep her from knowing of his own sorrow.
These two novellas, by the author of The Age of Grief and The Greenlanders reveal the intricate and often heart-breaking inner workings of families. Here a woman recalls the long ago affair that ended her relationship with her husband and changed their lives. And a man discovers that the carefully planned lifestyle he has chosen for his family incorporates unexpected consequences. Nominee for the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author Jane Smiley’s The Greenlanders is an enthralling novel in the epic tradition of the old Norse sagas. Set in the fourteenth century in Europe’s most far-flung outpost, a land of glittering fjords, blasting winds, sun-warmed meadows, and high, dark mountains, The Greenlanders is the story of one family–proud landowner Asgeir Gunnarsson; his daughter Margret, whose willful independence leads her into passionate adultery and exile; and his son Gunnar, whose quest for knowledge is at the compelling center of this unforgettable book. Jane Smiley takes us into this world of farmers, priests, and lawspeakers, of hunts and feasts and long-standing feuds, and by an act of literary magic, makes a remote time, place, and people not only real but dear to us.
When two men are murdered in her friend Susan's apartment, Alice becomes obsessed with the murders and concerned that the killer will strike again. Reprint.
