The New Woman: A Staggerford Novel - Hardcover

Hassler, Jon

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 067003455X ISBN 13: 9780670034550

Publisher: The Viking Press, 2005

Synopsis

In 1977, Jon Hassler sparked a decadeslong love affair with the fictional town of Staggerford. Now, in his latest Staggerford novel, The New Woman, Agatha McGee, who in the minds of her former students "occupied a place between Moses and Emily Post," faces the perplexities of old age with characteristic wit, dignity, and a bit of ill temper.
Agatha is eighty-eight years old; living in her house on River Street has become a hazard to her health. Grudgingly, she moves into the Sunset Senior Apartments on Main Street. To her surprise, she is soon caught up in the intrigues of Sunset Senior. A shoe-box filled with residents' valuables is mistakenly buried in a friend's coffin, a kidnapped girl is dropped on her doorstep, and a fellow resident has caught her eye. Coping with the deaths of two close friends and trying to cheer up her depressed nephew Frederick, Agatha inadvertently starts a support group. Within weeks, the group has swelled to include most of Staggerford's citizens, who, along with Agatha, tell their stories and face their demons together.

About this title

About the Author

Joe Hassler is Regent's Professor Emeritus at St. John's University, Minnesota.

Reviews

In the latest installment of Hassler's series set in the bucolic town of Staggerford, he turns his attention to the quirky residents of Sunset Senior Apartments and the tragicomic exploits of retired schoolteacher Agatha McGee. Staid and prim, Agatha is insulted by the idea of a retirement center even at the age of 87, but a severe ice storm shows her how helpless she's become, and she warms to the idea of trading independence for "neighbors in the next apartment who would come to her aid." However, she soon finds that Sunset Senior's wacky inhabitants are going to put an end to her orderly existence. After Agatha's brooch goes missing, her friend Lillian hatches a plan to hide the residents' most prized belongings in a shoebox. But the plan goes awry when Lillian dies and the box, which could contain a winning lottery ticket, is accidentally buried with the casket. The story chronicles a funeral, an exhumation, a lover spurned and a bumbled kidnapping, as Agatha finds that old age doesn't put an end to misadventure. Hassler's storytelling shines when he injects misbehavior, misanthropy and the malcontent with warmth and good-natured humor. His love of this town is palpable, making for an enjoyable read full of sweet characters and moments.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: The Viking Press
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 067003455X
• ISBN 13: 9780670034550
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208