So Big: A Novel (Perennial Classics) - Softcover

Ferber, Edna

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0061859982 ISBN 13: 9780061859984

Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2010

Synopsis

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize

"A masterpiece." — Literary Review • "A novel to read and to remember." —New York Times

Widely regarded as the masterwork of celebrated author and Algonquin Round Table mainstay Edna Ferber—who also penned other classics including Show Boat, Giant, Ice Palace, Saratoga Trunk, and Cimarron—So Big is a powerful and stirring portrait of one of the most memorable women in American literature, and still resonates today with its unflinching views of poverty, sexism, and the drive for success.

Set in Chicago at the turn of the twentieth century, So Big tells the story of Selina Peake, orphaned at nineteen after her father is shot and killed in a gambling house. Alone and resolved to make something of her life, Selina gets a job as a schoolteacher in a farming community outside Chicago and falls in love with a kind but struggling farmer. She soon leaves the schoolhouse for long grueling days in the fields and gives birth to a son, Dirk, nicknamed “So Big.” When she finds herself unexpectedly widowed, she takes the reins of the farm, defying convention and all those around her, determined to give Dirk every opportunity to follow his dreams.

So Big is a must-read for fans of contemporary novelists such Willa Cather (O Pioneers!), Pearl S. Buck (The Good Earth), and Marjorie Rawlings (The Yearling).

About this title

About the Author

Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Edna Ferber (1885-1968) was a novelist, short-story writer, and playwright whose work served as the inspiration for numerous Broadway plays and Hollywood films, including Show Boat, Cimarron, Giant, Saratoga Trunk, and Ice Palace. She co-wrote the plays The Royal Family, Dinner at Eight, and Stage Door with George S. Kaufman and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her novel So Big.

From the Back Cover

The Pulitzer Prize–winning masterwork from one of the twentieth century’s most accomplished and admired writers, Edna Ferber’s So Big is the unforgettable story of one woman’s struggle to stay afloat and maintain her dignity in the face of monumental challenges.

Set in Chicago at the turn of the twentieth century, So Big tells the story of Selina Peake, orphaned at nineteen after her father is shot and killed in a gambling house. Alone and resolved to make something of her life, Selina gets a job as a schoolteacher in a farming community outside Chicago and falls in love with a kind but struggling farmer. She soon leaves the schoolhouse for long grueling days in the fields and gives birth to a son, Dirk, nicknamed “So Big.” When she finds herself unexpectedly widowed, she takes the reins of the farm, defying convention and all those around her, determined to give Dirk every opportunity to follow his dreams.

A powerful story and stirring portrait of one of the most memorable women in American literature, So Big still resonates today with its unflinching views of poverty, sexism, and the drive for success.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0061859982
• ISBN 13: 9780061859984
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288