Synopses & Reviews
Lizzie Hayes, a member of the San Francisco elite, is a seemingly docile, middle-aged spinster praised for her volunteer work with the Ladies Relief and Protection Society Home, or "The Brown Ark". All she needs is the spark that will liberate her from the ruling conventions. When the wealthy and well-connected, but ill-reputed Mary Ellen Pleasant shows up at the Brown Ark, Lizzie is drawn to her. It is the beautiful, but mysterious Mary Ellen, an outcast among the women of the elite because of her notorious past and her involvement in voodoo, who will eventually hold the key to unlocking Lizzie's rebellious nature.
Loosely based in historical fact, Sister Noon is a wryly funny, playfully mysterious, and totally subversive novel from this "fine writer" whose "language dazzles" (San Francisco Chronicle).
Review
"A playful, mysterious, highly imaginative narrative set in the San Francisco of the 1890's....Robust, sly, witty, elegant, unexpected and never, ever, boring." Margot Livesey, The New York Times Book Review
Review
"[I]ntriguing....Every character's tale is complicated, unpredictable and often engrossing....Fowler moves her principals through time and space seamlessly and gracefully, and exquisitely renders San Francisco as it grows from outpost to city." Publishers Weekly
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"Sister Noon is funny, lyrical, spooky, inspired....A work of enchanting rumination and one of the year's best reads." The Seattle Times
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"[H]istorical fiction filled with quirky characters brought together in a mysterious situation is Fowler's forte....The story is a blend of history, suspense, and commentary on societal norms and social pretensions that both guide and confine." Eileen Hardy, Booklist
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"An inventive, elegantly constructed, ably written peek into the secret lives of women from a historical perspective." Kirkus Reviews
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"This witty novel is a deft blend of historical fact, urban myth, social satire, and romance. Fans of E.L. Doctorow and Fowler's previous fiction will enjoy." Library Journal
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"Fowler's prose is full of shimmering melancholy, and a ruminative irony that brings her characters and their world alive in the most unexpected ways....[A] dazzling book." Jonathan Lethem, author of Motherless Brooklyn
Review
"I loved Sister Noon...it's just so much fun! Fowler's prose is delightful, surprising it has a lean modern grace." Michael Chabon, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Synopsis
Lizzie Hayes, a member of the San Francisco elite, is a seemingly docile, middle-aged spinster praised for her volunteer work with the Ladies Relief and Protection Society Home, or "The Brown Ark." All she needs is the spark that will liberate her from the ruling conventions. When the wealthy and well-connected, but ill-reputed Mary Ellen Pleasant shows up at the Brown Ark, Lizzie is drawn to her. It is the beautiful, but mysterious Mary Ellen, an outcast among the women of the elite because of her notorious past and her involvement in voodoo, who will eventually hold the key to unlocking Lizzie's rebellious nature.
Loosely based in historical fact, Sister Noon is a wryly funny, playfully mysterious, and totally subversive novel from this "fine writer" whose "language dazzles" (San Francisco Chronicle).
Synopsis
Loosely based in historical fact, Sister Noon is a wryly funny, playfully mysterious, and totally subversive novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Jane Austen Book Club. Lizzie Hayes, a member of the San Francisco elite, is a seemingly docile, middle-aged spinster praised for her volunteer work with the Ladies Relief and Protection Society Home, or "The Brown Ark." All she needs is the spark that will liberate her from the ruling conventions.
When the wealthy and well-connected, but ill-reputed Mary Ellen Pleasant shows up at the Brown Ark, Lizzie is drawn to her. It is the beautiful, but mysterious Mary Ellen, an outcast among the women of the elite because of her notorious past and her involvement in voodoo, who will eventually hold the key to unlocking Lizzie's rebellious nature.
About the Author
Karen Joy Fowler is the author of two other novels, Sarah Canary and The Sweetheart Season, as well as the recent story collection Black Glass. She lives in Davis, California.