Realities

by Marian D. Schwartz

Overview

"The book is by turns humorous, witty, moving, upbeat. Jenny is a warm, sensitive heroine. It's a pleasure to watch her and a privilege to eavesdrop on her thoughts. Highly recommended…"  LIBRARY JOURNAL

 

"The author endows Jenny and her circle with attributes that make them linger in one's memory."- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

 

Jenny is smart and funny and so lonely it hurts.

 

Jenny and Richard Weaver were going to live happily ever after. Then Richard took his life.

 

A year after his death Jenny impulsively moves from the Northeast to California with their two young children, hoping for a fresh start. The children adjust to the move, but she can't seem to find her way. And the children keep asking, "How-and-why did Daddy die?" She doesn't know what to say to them.

 

In a moment of deep frustration and loneliness, she begins writing to Richard, telling him about her daily life. She holds nothing back, even telling him when she begins a new romance.

 

Jenny also writes about the past. She vividly recalls their marriage and family life and begins to see how it went wrong. As she gets closer to the truth and the past becomes threatening, she decides not to write to him anymore. But she finds it impossible to stop.

 

The answer to their children's questions is in the past. Can she find a path to healing?

 

"The end of this novel is deeply moving. It is a journey of healing that's beautifully written. Don't miss it!"  A. Hayes

 

In this intimate, compelling novel, a young widow discovers her own strength and identity after the devastating loss of her husband. Realities was a selection of the Swedish Book-of-the-Month Club.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940149483754
Publisher:	Gristmill Publishing, L.L.C.
Publication date:	07/17/2013
Series:	Giffort Street Stories
Sold by:	Draft2Digital
Format:	eBook
File size:	694 KB

About the Author

I was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. Reading was my escape from the legendary Buffalo winters and probably contributed to my becoming a writer.

I began writing poetry while I was in graduate school, some of which was published in small literary magazines. The first sentence in REALITIES—My children are gambling— was the first line of a poem that grew into a novel. It was gratifying to see REALITIES published, not only in the United States but in England and Sweden, where it was a selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club.

The idea for a novel can come from anywhere. THE LAST SEASON, THE STORY OF A MARRIAGE started with an image of three middle-aged adults sitting at a dinner table, a married couple and an unmarried man. When the husband asked the man what his intentions were, the fellow replied, "I intend to marry your wife." The image was a gift, and I had to run with it.

Fiction can take you places and introduce you to subjects you might want to know more about. I wrote THE WRITERS' CONFERENCE to open the world of publishing to readers and aspiring writers, a world most people will never see.

In HARRY DANCED DIVINELY, I returned to the 1950s. To my surprise, the stories, which are all fictional, didn't have the "Leave It to Beaver" innocence that I believed growing up in a house like the homes I created on Giffort Street.

Years ago, I climbed the Great Wall of China. When I reached the top, I saw men standing with their shoulders back and their chests held high to have their pictures taken next to a red rectangular sign that had Chinese writing on it. I didn't have a clue as to what the writing said. Later in the day I asked my Chinese guide about the sign. He laughed. "It says "You are a man when you have climbed the Great Wall of China.'"

I think fiction should be as surprising as that sign.

Editorial Reviews

"The book is by turns humorous, witty, moving, upbeat. Jenny is a warm, sensitive heroine. It's a pleasure to watch her and a privilege to eavesdrop on her thoughts. Highly recommended..." Marilyn Lockhart, LIBRARY JOURNAL

"The author endows Jenny and her circle with attributes that make them linger in one's memory." PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"Realities is an intricate and satisfying novel." Alannah Hopkin, TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

From the Publisher