Miss Ophelia: A Novel - Softcover

Mary Burnett Smith

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0688163572 ISBN 13: 9780688163570

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks, 2015

Synopsis

Part coming-of-age story and part slice of life, this remarkable novel explores the issues of abortion, illegitimacy, adultery, and skin color.

Rural Virginia, 1948. Belly Anderson is now in the autumn of her life. She cannot help but reminisce about the last summer of her childhood and the events that transpired which irrevocably changed her.

A strong-willed and free-spirited eleven-year-old, Belly reluctantly leaves her home in rural Pharaoh and goes to Jamison to help her mean Aunt Rachel recover from surgery. Belly has two reasons for deciding to go to Jamison: She's left alone when her only friend becomes pregnant and is sent away, and she hopes that she'll be allowed to take piano lessons from Miss Ophelia—her mother's childhood friend.

While taking lessons from Miss Ophelia, Belly soon grows very fond of her teacher and forms a deep bond with her. Then, she learns a terrible secret about Miss Ophelia—a secret that forces Belly to grow up and learn what it really means to be an adult.

Compelling, moving, and deeply absorbing, Miss Ophelia is an unforgettable, timely story that will resonate with readers long after the final page is turned.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Part coming-of-age story and part slice of life, this is a literary novel about African-Americans in the rural South.

Set in rural Virginia during 1948, Miss Ophelia is a remarkable debut novel that explores the issues of abortion, illegitimacy, adultery, and skin color. Belly Anderson now in the autumn of her life, reminisces about the last summer of her childhood. A strong-willed and free-spirited eleven-year-old, she reluctantly leaves her home in rural Pharaoh and goes to Jamison to help her mean Aunt Rachel recover from surgery. Belly has two reasons for deciding to go to Jamison: She's left alone when her only friend becomes pregnant and is sent away, and she hopes that she'll be allowed to take piano lessons from her mother's childhood friend. While taking lessons from Miss Ophelia, she learns a terrible secret about her beloved teacher--a secret that forces Belly to grow up and learn what it really means to be an adult.

About the Author:

Mary Burnett Smith has a master's degree in education from Temple University. Before her retirement in 1992, she taught inner-city junior and senior high school students in Philadelphia. She now lives outside the city with her husband.

About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0688163572
• ISBN 13: 9780688163570
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288