Items related to The Wonder Book of Air: A novel
Synopsis
The fractured lives of three generations of a Southern family unfold in this lyrical and piercing debut novel. As a young man, Harrison Durrance comes into his own during World War II, but when the war ends, he loses his bearings. His notions of the world begins to fail him and he, in turn, begins to fail himself and the people he claims to love.
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About the Author
Cynthia Shearer works for the University of Mississippi as the curator of Rowan Oak, the home of William Faulkner.
From Publishers Weekly
This promising first novel by the curator of William Faulkner's home seems to pick up where the Nobel winner left off-by spanning three generations of a Southern family, from 1931 to the present. We are introduced to young Harrison Dorrance as he makes his way through the confusion of adolescence with the help of his eccentric uncle, who advises him above all to be flexible, because "the earth curves." Though accurate, this maxim is of little help when WWII begins and the once-charming boy grows into an embittered man. As the years pass, other narrative voices replace Harrison's, and a darker side of the protagonist is revealed through the words of the wife he abuses; later, he is seen through the eyes of his mistress, his son and, ultimately, his granddaughter. Shearer continually and gracefully manages to juxtapose the mundane, the lethal and the lyrical; the title comes from an encyclopedia that Harrison buys for his son, to help him "dream his boy's dream of dirigibles and zeppelins." By such contrasts, the fresh and engagingly poetic story takes shape as a complex web of contradictions that is a pleasure to unravel. 17,500 first printing; author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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- PublisherPantheon
- Publication date1996
- ISBN 10 067943982X
- ISBN 13 9780679439820
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages305
- Rating
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The Wonder Book of Air: A novel
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ISBN 10: 067943982X
ISBN 13: 9780679439820
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Wonder Book of the Air
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The Wonder Book of The Air
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Hardcover--quarter cloth. Condition: Fine / Fine. First Edition, First Printing. Octavo, 9 1/2" tall, 305 pages, blue quarter cloth with gilt title on spine. A fine, clean, sturdy hard cover first edition with light shelf wear; hinges and binding tight (unread), paper white. In a fine dust jacket. Publisher's review slip laid in. Seller Inventory # 13845
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The Wonder Book of the Air
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The Wonder Book of the Air
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