Synopses & Reviews
Tumbling backwards in time, from 1987 to 1938, and seen through the eyes of four generations of women,
Souvenir of Cold Springs is the story of one extended family and the secrets from the past that shaped the lives of the generations to come.
The story begins when Margaret Neal, a junior at Harvard, drops out after a disastrous liaison and its unfortunate consequences. Aimless and guilt-ridden, she decides she has to get away from the East Coast. For the money to buy a ticket to California, she appeals to her Aunt Nell Kerwin, a no-nonsense ex-schoolteacher who still lives, with only a cat for company, in the old family home where, each Thanksgiving, the members of the Kerwin clan come together for a raucous family reunion. When Nell replies to Margaret's plea, she encloses a gift an odd but cherished souvenir that weaves in and out of the story as a series of crucial truths about the family's haunted history is revealed.
The interlocking narratives in Souvenir of Cold Springs peel away, bit by bit, layers of a larger story, uncovering the painful events that arose from one impulsive act buried deep in the past, and from the misconceptions, rationalizations, and outright lies that followed. Through this expansive exercise of memory, as the story works its way backward through the 20th century, we come to see not only how the events and values of each era influence individual fates, but how this family, like all families, is a rich accumulation, each generation echoing and deepening the experiences of those who came before them. And in the final epilogue, Aunt Nell herself, ruminating on the past and anticipating the future, brings the story satisfyingly back to the present.
Review
"It would be best if you just went and read the book now. It's a shame to spoil the pleasure Florey offers in her graceful revelations....[T]he novel's structure seems epic without seeming bulky....Florey has a knack for describing women in precarious mental states, women with skewed realities, women who seem capable of making anything possible in their minds, with all the attendant strength and vulnerability such an act entails....[S]he charts the subtle inheritance of events, how a motion made 50 years ago can still be casting ripples in a familiy, through ties that are not necessarily blood but just as binding." Ashley Warlick, The Hartford Courant
Review
"[A] book destined to be one of those special books that is read and then passed on to a dear friend....This is a must have for any bookclub that wants more than an entertaining story." McIntyre's Fine Books
Synopsis
One family's secrets, betrayals, and hopes, are woven together through four generations into a tapestry of memory and love in this humorous novel of power and grace. Tumbling backwards in time, from 1987 to 1938, and seen through the eyes of four generations of women, Souvenir of Cold Springs is the story of one extended family and the secrets from the past that shaped their lives.
The story begins when Margaret Neal, a junior at Harvard, drops out after a disastrous liaison and its unfortunate consequences. Aimless and guilt-ridden, she decides she has to get away from the East Coast altogether. For the money to buy a ticket to California she appeals to her Aunt Nell Kerwin, a no-nonsense ex-schoolteacher who still lives in the old family home where, each Thanksgiving, the members of the Kerwin clan come together for a raucous family reunion. When Nell replies to Margaret's plea, she encloses a gift--an odd but cherished sourvenir that weaves in and out of the story as a series of crucial truths about the family's haunted history is revealed.
About the Author
Kitty Burns Florey was born in Syracuse, New York, and lived for many years in Boston and New Haven. She now lives in Brooklyn with her husband, the painter Ron Savage. The author of eight novels as well as numerous short stories and essays, she is also the recipient of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.