The Moonflower Vine
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1962.
First Edition. Hardcover.
First Edition, First Printing. Author's first and only novel which debuted to rave reviews in December 1962. It spent 4 months on the New York Times bestseller list beside "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters" by J. D. Salinger and "The Centaur" by John Updike - and fell, too soon, into relative obscurity.
Jane Smiley has been among the book's stalwart champions and included it in her survey of 100 notable novels in"13 Ways of Looking at the Novel" (along with other less obscure works like "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Moby Dick"). The Moonflower Vine was revived by Harper Perennial with a forward by Smiley in 2009 and continues to build a loyal following.
Set in rural Missouri in the early 1900s, The Moonflower Vine is the tale of Matthew and Callie Soames and their four daughters, all of whom have left home in different ways, with different struggles, and different levels of success. Their collective story is told in the voice of each family member in turn – and though their story is one of heartbreak, betrayal, weakness, and deception, it is also one of love and forgiveness.
Item #9011885-3/4 x 8-1/2", quarter green cloth, yellow top-edge, green paper over boards, 352pp.
Bumping to corners of boards, general toning to leaves, very good in price-clipped dust wrapper.
Price: $100.00