Ellen Gilchrist Books

With the publication of 1983's The Annunciation, Ellen Gilchrist established herself as a teller of charming, bittersweet tales of the modern South.

IN THE LAND OF DREAMY DREAMS, Ellen Gilchrist's first book, is a collection of 14 short stories. She wrote them after being selected for a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Clearly she put her time to good use.

Home for the summer in Alabama, Rhoda Manning seems her daddy is very rich, she is newly slim, and all of her friends adore her. But the passionate, independent Rhoda begins to realize that life is more than her comfortable, secure existence would suggest. As Rhoda strains against the confinements of home and family, she becomes reckless, flinging herself on a rebellious course toward destruction.

This collection of 14 short stories won the American Book Award for fiction when it was published and confirmed the author's reputation as one of the preeminent literary talents of her generation. She enjoys both critical acclaim and great popularity with readers. "The stories are wonderful to tell aloud...Gilchrist once again demonstrates not only her willingness to take risks, but her generosity as a writer as well." (The New York Times) "To say that Ellen Gilchrist can write is to say that Placido Domingo can sing. All you need to do is listen....No kidding! VICTORY OVER JAPAN is an absolute knockout!" (Washington Post)

Described by "Publishers Weekly" as "easily Gilchrist's best book in years, " this collection of stories gives readers a taste of her gifted sense of the language and the humor of human foibles.

With tender humor and brilliant insight, National Book Award-winner Ellen Gilchrist returns to the Hand family, delving into the complexities of simmering emotions and enduring drama. As tornadoes ravage America's heartland and the Soviet Union collapses on screen, Olivia de Havilland Hand completes her first year of college and returns to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, to uncover her identity and Cherokee heritage. Amidst a landscape rich with memories, Olivia finds herself entangled in the lives of her family: her strong-willed yet fragile sister Jessie grapples with motherhood in New Orleans; her anthropology professor navigates a tumultuous affair; her aunt discovers romance with a poet in Boston; her father fears losing his daughters; and Olivia rekindles a romance with her old boyfriend, Bobby Tree. This intricate web of relationships spans the country, intertwining past and present as each character seeks peace and love. The narrative unfolds as a masterful work of storytelling, blending elements of contemporary romantic comedy with a poignant meditation on love, revealing the challenges of misunderstood connections, overprotective parents, and the quest for understanding amidst life's chaos.

A New York City magazine editor and novelist returns home to the South when her closest childhood friend falls ill--and finds herself forced to choose between pursuing her career and rekindling her relationship with the man she has long considered the love of her life. NPR sponsorship.

This is the story of Anna Hand, a character first introduced in Drunk with Love, successful author, three-time divorcee, lover of life, who commits suicide when she discovers that she has cancer. Her sister is named co-executor and is at first aghast, then made exultant by her sister's legacy.