Joyce Maynard is an accomplished author of fiction and nonfiction whose work delves into themes of loss, family, and finding one's place in the world. She is celebrated for her candid and introspective writing style, which invites readers into the profound depths of human experience. Her narratives are cherished for their emotional resonance and accessible exploration of life's complexities. Maynard's thoughtful prose consistently engages and moves her audience.
Explore the enchanting realm of La Llorona through the lens of Joyce Maynard, a New York Times bestselling author. The narrative weaves together elements of folklore and personal discovery, inviting readers to delve into the haunting tales and rich cultural heritage surrounding this legendary figure. Maynard's storytelling captures the emotional depth and complexities of the characters, making it a captivating journey that intertwines magic and reality.
"In her most ambitious novel to date, New York Times bestselling author Joyce Maynard takes on the topography of the heart - a landscape of grief, reconciliation, forgiveness, and the way the mistakes of parents are passed down through generations, to fester, or to be healed"--
From New York Times bestselling author Joyce Maynard comes the eagerly anticipated follow-up to her beloved novel Count the Ways--a complex story of three generations of a family and its remarkable, resilient, indomitable matriarch, Eleanor. Following the death of her former husband, Cam, fifty-four-year-old Eleanor has moved back to the New Hampshire farm where they raised three children to care for their brain-injured son, Toby, now an adult. Toby's older brother, Al, is married and living in Seattle with his wife; their sister, Ursula, lives in Vermont with her husband and two children. Although all appears stable, old resentments, anger, and bitterness simmer just beneath the surface. How the Light Gets In follows Eleanor and her family through fifteen years (2010 to 2024) as their story plays out against a uniquely American backdrop and the events that transform their world (climate change, the January 6th insurrection, school violence) and shape their lives (later-life love, parental alienation, steadfast friendship). With her trademark sensitivity and insight, Joyce Maynard paints an indelible portrait of characters both familiar and new making their way over rough, messy, and treacherous terrain to find their way to what is, for each, a place to call "home."
Exploring the complexities of friendship, the narrative delves into the emotional depths and sacrifices involved in meaningful relationships. The author, known for crafting compelling stories, weaves a poignant tale that examines the true cost of loyalty and connection, inviting readers to reflect on their own bonds. With a blend of heartfelt moments and thought-provoking themes, this book promises to resonate with anyone who values the intricacies of human connections.
"New York Times" bestselling author of "Labor Day "With a New Preface When it was first published in 1998, "At Home in the World "set off a furor in the literary world and beyond. Joyce Maynard's memoir broke a silence concerning her relationship--at age eighteen--with J.D. Salinger, the famously reclusive author of "The Catcher in the Rye, " then age fifty-three, who had read a story she wrote for "The New York Times" in her freshman year of college and sent her a letter that changed her life. Reviewers called her book "shameless" and "powerful" and its author was simultaneously reviled and cheered. With what some have viewed as shocking honesty, Maynard explores her coming of age in an alcoholic family, her mother's dream to mold her into a writer, her self-imposed exile from the world of her peers when she left Yale to live with Salinger, and her struggle to reclaim her sense of self in the crushing aftermath of his dismissal of her not long after her nineteenth birthday. A quarter of a century later--having become a writer, survived the end of her marriage and the deaths of her parents, and with an eighteen-year-old daughter of her own--Maynard pays a visit to the man who broke her heart. The story she tells--of the girl she was and the woman she became--is at once devastating, inspiring, and triumphant.
Helen's life takes a turn when she meets the charismatic Swift and Ava Havilland at an art gallery. Struggling with the fallout from a DUI that cost her custody of her son, Oliver, and trapped in a dead-end job, she finds solace in AA meetings. The Havillands introduce her to new possibilities, challenging her to confront her past and seek a brighter future. Their influence may be the catalyst she needs to rebuild her life and reconnect with her son.
Set against the backdrop of a fading summer in Holton Mills, New Hampshire, the story follows thirteen-year-old Henry, who grapples with loneliness and the complexities of adolescence. Struggling to connect with his peers and navigate his feelings for girls, he finds solace in daydreams and family dynamics. His relationship with his mother, Adele, a former dancer with her own emotional burdens, adds depth to his journey. Together, they confront the challenges of isolation and the longing for connection as Henry seeks to understand both his mother and himself.
Exploring themes of friendship and fate, this captivating novel delves into the unpredictable nature of life and the connections that shape our journeys. The story weaves together the lives of its characters, revealing how unexpected twists can alter their paths and deepen their bonds. With a focus on the intricacies of human relationships, the narrative invites readers to reflect on the serendipity that often accompanies life's challenges.
And Other Writings on Complex Mother-Daughter Relationships
322 pages
12 hours of reading
A collection of writings by women on the tangled bonds they share with their(often) less-than-perfect mothers. Every woman has something to say on the subject of her mother. In fact, many of us spend our lives trying to figure out just how we are like-or unlike-them. And yet, as intricate as the ties that bind mothers and daughters can be, most women never let go of the desire to really know their mothers. In How I Learned to Cook and Other Writings on Complex Mother-Daughter Relationships, women authors explore what is perhaps the most complicated of family relationships. In this elegant collection of writings, daughters describe their relationships with mothers whose own lives sometimes stood in the way of their ability to fill society's ideal of what a good mother should be. With critically acclaimed authors-including Jamaica Kincaid, Paula Fox, and Alice Walker-sharing the page with emerging writers, How I Learned to Cook proves that every daughter has much to discover and understand about her mother.
When her husband is shot dead by her teenage boyfriend, would-be television journalist Suzanne Maretto steps into the role of grieving widow with a brilliant performance. But few suspect her dark side. This chilling novel of ambition and sexual obsession goes behind the mask of an apple-pie beauty to probe the sinister manipulations of a mesmerizing femme fatale.
