In this Book
- Spoonwood
- Book
- 2014
- Published by: Dartmouth College Press
summary
Ernest Hebert’s series of novels set in Darby, New Hampshire, has been hailed by the Boston Globe as “one of the most interesting accomplishments of contemporary American fiction . . . [a series] into which the texture of class is as skillfully woven as it is in Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha County.” After almost fifteen years, Hebert has returned to this rich literary landscape for a new novel of the changing economic and social character of New England.
Hebert’s previous Darby novel, Live Free or Die, recounted the ill-fated love between Freddie Elman, son of the town trash collector, and Lilith Salmon, child of Upper Darby gentility. At its conclusion, Lilith died giving birth to their son. As Spoonwood opens, Freddie, consumed by grief and anger and struggling with alcoholism, is not prepared to be a father to Birch. But as both his family and Lilith’s begin to maneuver for custody of the child, Freddie embarks on a course of action that satisfies none of them.
Once again, Hebert masterfully conveys the natural and social landscape of contemporary rural New England. Grounded in complex, fully realized characters, Spoonwood offers Hebert’s most optimistic vision yet of acceptance and accommodation across class lines.
Hebert’s previous Darby novel, Live Free or Die, recounted the ill-fated love between Freddie Elman, son of the town trash collector, and Lilith Salmon, child of Upper Darby gentility. At its conclusion, Lilith died giving birth to their son. As Spoonwood opens, Freddie, consumed by grief and anger and struggling with alcoholism, is not prepared to be a father to Birch. But as both his family and Lilith’s begin to maneuver for custody of the child, Freddie embarks on a course of action that satisfies none of them.
Once again, Hebert masterfully conveys the natural and social landscape of contemporary rural New England. Grounded in complex, fully realized characters, Spoonwood offers Hebert’s most optimistic vision yet of acceptance and accommodation across class lines.
Table of Contents
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- Part 1: The Storm
- 1 | Up From Down
- pp. 5-15
- 2 | Frederick Elman
- pp. 16-31
- 3 | House of Correction
- pp. 32-47
- 4 | Baby in a Dumpster
- pp. 48-61
- 5 | Forgot Farm
- pp. 62-71
- 6 | Experiments in Living
- pp. 72-81
- 7 | Visions in Fire
- pp. 82-95
- 8 | The Old Rule
- pp. 96-102
- 9 | Apple Wood
- pp. 103-116
- 10 | Grace Pond
- pp. 117-121
- 11 | New York
- pp. 122-135
- 12 | Bloom
- pp. 136-142
- 13 | Spoonwood Documentation
- pp. 143-161
- 14 | In the Yellow Submarine
- pp. 162-185
- 15 | Cataclysm Class
- pp. 186-190
- 16 | My Mysterious Brother
- pp. 191-197
- 17 | The Wolf Pine
- pp. 198-202
- 18 | Stranger in the Birch Mill
- pp. 203-207
- 19 | Missy
- pp. 208-213
- 20 | Poachers on the Trust
- pp. 214-222
- 21 | House in the Trees
- pp. 223-229
- 22 | The Forbidden
- pp. 230-235
- 23 | Figures in the Whiteout
- pp. 236-244
- Part 2: The Calm
- 1 | In the Wigwam
- pp. 247-256
- 2 | Paying Debts
- pp. 257-263
- 3 | Christmas at the Elmans’
- pp. 264-281
- 4 | A Surprise for Latour
- pp. 282-284
- 5 | The Trust
- pp. 285-292
Additional Information
ISBN
9781611686302
Related ISBN(s)
9781584654902
MARC Record
OCLC
607581925
Pages
320
Launched on MUSE
2015-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No