Synopses & Reviews
Fiction
Set in the early 1970s, this magical first novel by National Book Award finalist Martha McPhee marks not only the introduction of the Furey-Cooper family of Gorgeous Lies, but also the auspicious debut of a stunning literary talent. Meet eight-year-old Kate and her sisters as they take to a life on the road when their divorced mother falls in love with someone new. This strange freedom introduces the girls to a way of life that is vastly different from the one they knew with their geologist father. But, far from him, adult distraction and carelessness finally threaten to explode and ruin Kate's life. Rich in character, imagery, and humor, Bright Angel Time is a brilliant and moving novel from an authentic, critically acclaimed new voice.
"To get a sense of what Martha McPhee's affecting first novel is like, imagine Rabbit Run or Revolutionary Road written from the point of view of an 8-year-old child."-Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
"McPhee writes such lovely sentences that you want to do more than just underline them: you want to cut them out."-Newsweek
Martha McPhee is the author of two novels and has received fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. She teaches at Hofstra University and lives in New York City with her daughter and her husband, the poet and writer Mark Svenvold.
Cover photograph by Raymond Meeks
Cover design by Claudine Guerguerian
Author photo by Jerry Bauer
A HARVEST BOOK / HARCOURT, INC.
15 East 26th Street, New York, NY 10010
525 B Street, San Diego, CA 92101
www.HarcourtBooks.com 1003
$14.00/Higher in Canada
Review
"McPhee writes such lovely sentences that you want to do more than just underline them: you want to cut them out." Newsweek
Review
"McPhee writes skillfully about love, loyalty, hope, disillusionment, and survival, while relentlessly...holding the tension of conflicting emotions." Booklist
Review
"Blessed with a poet's ear for language and a reporter's eye for detail, she proves with this volume that she is also a...writer with the ability to surprise and move us." New York Times
Synopsis
Set in the early 1970s, this magical first novel by National Book Award finalist Martha McPhee marked not only the introduction of the Furey-Cooper family of Gorgeous Lies, but also the auspicious debut of a stunning literary talent.
Meet eight-year-old Kate and her sisters as they take to a life on the road when their divorced mother falls in love with someone new. This strange freedom introduces the girls to a way of life that is vastly different from the one they knew with their geologist father. But, far from him, adult distraction and carelessness finally threaten to explode and ruin Kate's life. Rich in character, imagery, and humor, Bright Angel Time is a brilliant and moving novel from an authentic, critically acclaimed new voice.
About the Author
Set in the early 1970s, this magical first novel by National Book Award finalist Martha McPhee marked not only the introduction of the Furey-Cooper family of Gorgeous Lies, but also the auspicious debut of a stunning literary talent.
Meet eight-year-old Kate and her sisters as they take to a life on the road when their divorced mother falls in love with someone new. This strange freedom introduces the girls to a way of life that is vastly different from the one they knew with their geologist father. But, far from him, adult distraction and carelessness finally threaten to explode and ruin Kate's life. Rich in character, imagery, and humor, Bright Angel Time is a brilliant and moving novel from an authentic, critically acclaimed new voice.
PRAISE FOR BRIGHT ANGEL TIME
"To get a sense of what Martha McPhee's affecting first novel is like, imagine Rabbit Run or Revolutionary Road written from the point of view of an 8-year-old child." - -Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
"Gorgeous . . . In this well-rendered tale of misplaced dreams and forgotten realities, McPhee's prose is as delicate and lovely as an angel's wing."-US
"Sometimes funny, sometimes harrowing… [it] quietly and gracefully finds a resting place in the readers heart.""Martha McPhee writes with the shimmering solidity of rock. [A] strikingly effective and richly textured debut volume.""Told with great verve and poetic sweep, a wise, pointed, utterly absorbing childhood narrative--honest, and above all, original.""Full of beautiful writing and dead-on observations about the era that spawned broken families and broken hearts.""If youre looking for a fresh voice, try Martha McPhees first novel . . . Whip-smart.""An original, peculiarly American story. McPhee writes with assurance. Her story flows smoothly, and she dissects her characters kindly.""Funny and acerbic. Melds The Bobbsey Twins with On the Road.""In this well-rendered tale of misplaced dreams and forgotten realities, McPhees prose is delicate and lovely as an angels wing."Martha McPhee is the author of Gorgeous Lies, a finalist for the National Book Award, and coauthor with Jenny and Laura McPhee of Girls. She teaches at Hofstra University and lives in New York City.