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Book Cover for: Carriage House, Louisa Hall

Carriage House

Louisa Hall

A "splendid" (The Boston Globe) debut novel about the complex bonds of three sisters and their Philadelphia family's legacy, by the author of Reproduction.

For more than thirty years, William Adair's faith in life was based on two indisputable principles: the exceptional good looks and athletic talents of his three daughters and the historical status of his family in their Philadelphia suburb. After suffering a stroke, William wakes up in his hospital bed to realize that his world has collapsed: his children are less extraordinary than he had remembered and his family's notable history has been forgotten.

Having lost their father's pride, the three sisters struggle to define themselves. Their mother, whose memory has started to fade, is unable to help them recall the talented girls they used to be.

For three generations, a carriage house has stood on the Adair property. Built by William's grandfather, it was William's childhood refuge and a sign of the family's prominence. Now held captive by a neighbor due to a zoning error, the house has decayed beyond recognition. Rallying to save their father, Diana, Elizabeth, and Isabelle take on the battle for the carriage house that once stood as a symbol of his place in the world. Overcoming misunderstandings and betrayals both deep in the past and painfully new, each of the Adairs ultimately finds a place of forgiveness. The Carriage House is a moving, beautifully wrought debut.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Scribner Book Company
  • Publish Date: Jun 3rd, 2014
  • Pages: 304
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.14in - 5.32in - 0.67in - 0.53lb
  • EAN: 9781451688641
  • Categories: SportsFamily Life - GeneralLiterary

About the Author

Hall, Louisa: - Louisa Hall is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Iowa and the author of the critically acclaimed novels Reproduction, Trinity, Speak. Her poems have been published in The New Republic, Southwest Review, and other journals, and she is the recipient of grants from Yaddo, Macdowell, and The T.S. Eliot Foundation. She lives in Iowa City with her family.

Praise for this book

"A marvelously mature debut...Hall displays a Whartonian malice and seamlessly transitions among the many individual points of view...The novel's technical proficiency and its gratifyingly nuanced ending make it easy to recommend." --Sam Sacks, The Wall Street Journal
"Graceful prose... The themes of memory and nostalgia threading through the novel are especially resonant." --The New York Times Book Review
"Ambitious...Intricate...A splendid, carefully-plotted, open-hearted novel." --James Zug, The Boston Globe
"Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion, this debut novel follows three daughters who work together to restore their father's health and save their Main Line, Philadelphia home and all it represents." --O, the Oprah Magazine
"Louisa Hall deftly explores the notions of romantic and familial regret in her debut novel...The Carriage House is full of compelling personal portraits--characters who'll stay with you long after you put the book down." --Charles Ealy, Austin American-Statesman
"Hall's decision to shift the perspective to include multiple voices deepends the reader's empathy for characters who were more minor (and noxious) in Persuasion." --Kimberly Jones, Austin Chronicle
"The Carriage House is a twisted family saga lodged in John Cheever and Wes Anderson." --Rebecca Bengal, Vogue
"Hall provides keen insight...A thoughtful, character-driven novel." --Christine Perkins, Library Journal