Synopses & Reviews
An enthralling novel of three generations of African-American women struggling against all odds to express what lies deepest in their hearts,
Third Girl from the Left is a deeply moving and ambitious story of one quintessentially American family.
The Edwards women have always had one thing in common: each has looked to the movies as a way to escape the constraints of her own life. But for Mildred, a straight-laced survivor of the 1921 Tulsa race riots, her daughter Angelas turn as a blaxploitation actress is unforgivable, and the distance between them grows into a silence that lasts for years. It is only when Angelas daughter, Tamara, a filmmaker, sets out to close the rift between them that the women are forced to confront all that has been silenced and left unspoken in their lives.
A bold, beautifully written, and deeply involving novel, Third Girl from the Left deftly examines the bonds of family the ones were born into and the ones we make for ourselves the pull of the movies, and the power of desire to transcend and transform our lives.
Review
"A compelling saga of love, film and family secrets...the three plotlines [Southgate] deftly weaves into a richly textured whole." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Southgate makes these women imperfect enough to be interesting, but gives them enough heart so they're sympathetic despite their flaws. Delicious details abound." New York Times Book Review
Review
"I loved Martha Southgate's last novel, The Fall of Rome, and am happy to say that her new one is just as gutsy and riveting. Third Girl From The Left will be justifiably praised as a fine, pull-no-punches portrait of growing up black and female in 'modern' America, but what amazes me almost more than Southgate's daring is her versatility: she can write fast and hot, then lush and tender, then just plain truthful and burning with heart. This book is the best kind of page-turner, layered with so much authentic detail about family, culture, and history that it feels both intimate and epic. What a wonderful story." Julia Glass, author of Three Junes, winner of the National Book Award
Review
"Third Girl From The Left tells the other side of Hollywood in the Seventies of what it means to be black, sexy, smart and full of dreams in a land where 'blaxploitation' is as literal as it sounds. As intense and serious as it is fun and fabulous, Southgate's eye for detail and matchless sense of scope once again penetrates a hidden world with devastating accuracy." ZZ Packer, author of Drinking Coffee Elsewhere
Synopsis
At the center of this dazzling novel is Angela, a twenty-year-old beauty who leaves the stifling conformity of Oklahoma to search for fame during the rise of blaxploitation cinema in Los Angeles. But for her mother, Mildred, a strait-laced survivor of the 1921 Tulsa race riots, Angela's acting career is unforgivable, and the distance between them grows into a silence that lasts for years. It is only when Angela's daughter, Tamara, a filmmaker, sets out to close the rift between them that the women are forced to confront all that has been left unspoken in their lives.
Bold and beautifully written, Third Girl from the Left deftly explores the bonds of family and the inextricable pull of the movies.
Synopsis
At the center of this dazzling novel is Angela, a twenty-year-old beauty who leaves the stifling conformity of Oklahoma to search for fame during the rise of blaxploitation cinema in Los Angeles. But for her mother, Mildred, a strait-laced survivor of the 1921 Tulsa race riots, Angela's acting career is unforgivable, and the distance between them grows into a silence that lasts for years. It is only when Angela's daughter, Tamara, a filmmaker, sets out to close the rift between them that the women are forced to confront all that has been left unspoken in their lives.
Bold and beautifully written, Third Girl from the Left deftly explores the bonds of family and the inextricable pull of the movies.
About the Author
MARTHA SOUTHGATE was born and raised in Cleveland. She received her B.A. from Smith College and an M.F.A. from Goddard College. She has been an editor at Essence, a reporter for Premiere and the New York Daily News, and a contributor to the New York Times. She is the author of the critically acclaimed novel The Fall of Rome. Southgate lives in Brooklyn, New York.