Signed 1st edition/1st printing. Very good+ hardcover in very good+ dust jacket. Signed by author on half-title page (no inscription, just autograph). Book and dust jacket in all-around near fine/very good+ condition. Ships from Dinkytown in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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Bibliographic Details

Title

Rebecca Wentworth's Distraction (Hardscrabble Books-Fiction of New England)

Publisher

UPNE

Publication Date

2003

Language

English

ISBN 10

1584652845

ISBN 13

9781584652847

Binding

Hardcover

Edition

First Edition.

Condition

Very Good+

Dust Jacket Condition

Very Good+ Dust Jacket

Weight

17 ounces

Signed

Signed by Author

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Literature

About this title

Synopsis

Hailed by Annie Proulx in the New York Times as a gifted writer with an extraordinary feeling for the past, Robert J. Begiebing now completes his trilogy of American historical novels that also includes The Strange Death of Mistress Coffin and The Adventures of Allegra Fullerton.

Daniel Sanborn, trained in the academies of London, arrives in colonial Portsmouth, New Hampshire to establish himself as a portraitist. His very first commission, however--to paint the adopted daughter of a prominent local family--will challenge his most cherished beliefs about art and life. Mysterious and solemn, twelve-year-old Rebecca Wentworth reveals herself to be an artistic prodigy of incandescent genius, and the victim of bizarre, disturbing visions. Her family, confused and frightened by the girl's uncanny talent and strange paintings, has decided to send her away for her own protection. Sanborn, however, becomes fascinated by Rebecca and her gifts.

Confident, accomplished, and reassuringly conventional, Sanborn succeeds over time in establishing himself as painter to Portsmouth's elite. But even as he cultivates his position as artistic entrepreneur--investing in land, furthering his business connections--he also conspires with Rebecca's former governess to learn where the girl has been sent. Gradually yielding to his growing obsession, Sanborn tracks Rebecca to a frontier village in the interior of New Hampshire. His interference precipitates a family crisis concerning her ultimate fate, and Sanborn is made the agent for presenting Rebecca, now seventeen, with a stark and unappealing choice.

The liberating potential of artistic expression clashes cruelly with social convention in a tale that masterfully evokes colonial New England.

About the Author

ROBERT J. BEGIEBING is Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing at Southern New Hampshire University. He is the author of six books, including The Adventures of Allegra Fullerton and The Strange Death of Mistress Coffin.

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Located near the East Bank of the University of Minnesota, we've been providing quality used books to the Twin Cities area for over 40 years. With over 30,000 books in the store and over 30,000 in our warehouse, there's plenty to look at both in store and online.

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Book House of Dinkytown, Inc.
1316 4th Street SE, Suite 201, Minneapolis, MN, 55414, U.S.A.

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