Ellen Gilchrist

The winner of the National Book Award returns with a moving story of a family of women drawn together by the trials of the times. The women in the Hand family are no strangers to either controversy or sadness. Those traits seem, in fact, to be a part of their family's heritage, one that stretches back through several generations and many wars. A Dangerous Age is a celebration of the strength of these women and of the bonds of blood and shared...

Born into slavery, but taken on as an apprentice to the gentle genius Philokrates as a child, Auria has only known a life of wonder and kindness. A fount of knowledge and philosophy, Philokrates has spent the last few years teaching Auria all that he can about healing, nature, politics, geography and human nature. If only he had more time. When Philokrates succumbs to old age and passes away, Auria's devastation is all-encompassing. Alone in the world,...

To Anna Hand, death happens when you allow it to. An accomplished author with a string of devoted lovers, Anna Hand savors life in all of its bittersweet, fleeting moments. So when she gets a letter from the illegitimate child of her brother, she sees a major part of life that has passed her by, a child to love. Desperate to unite this young girl with her father, Anna moves back to Charlotte, North Carolina, to rediscover her family and convince...

Originally published in 1984, this collection of 14 short stories set in Arkansas and Mississippi went on to win that year's National Book Award for fiction, confirming Ellen Gilchrist's place as one of the preeminent literary talents of her generation. Victory Over Japan takes us into the lives of an unforgettable group of Southern women - beautiful, complicated, enchanting, and sometimes dangerous - in and out of bars, marriages, divorces, lovers'...

At the heart of Ellen Gilchrist's novel is the incorrigible Amanda McCamey. Leaving a troubled past behind, she marries into New Orleans' high society but finds the privileged world stifling and unsatisfying. Seeking a quieter, more meaningful life, she divorces and moves to the Ozarks where she translates poetry and surrounds herself with artists and intellectuals. Her friend Katie, a brilliant sculptor, brings out the wild child in Amanda, but it...

From National Book Award Winner Ellen Gilchrist comes a poignant novel about contemporary living and the sacrifices we make through the various stages of our life. Sarah Conley is a successful journalist and writer, having pursued her career path with tenacious passion. When her best friend Eugenie falls deathly ill, Sarah flies to Nashville for a final visit. While there, Sarah's love for Jack, Eugenie's husband, is rekindled, and it's apparent he...

After her first year in college, Olivia de Havilland Hand returns home to Tahlequah, Oklahoma amidst tornadoes and the chance for rekindled love. Meanwhile, her half-sister Jessie tries to keep her new marriage to immature King afloat, as well as plan for the arrival of their first child. The sisters' lives intertwine with others as their father fears losing his two daughters, and Olivia's anthropology professor has a tumultuous affair with a fellow...

Masterful storyteller Ellen Gilchrist once again delights with this collection of thirteen short stories filled to the brim with unforgettable characters. From joyous moments to near-insurmountable grief, Gilchrist gives readers a vignette revealing the lives of some of her most memorable characters. In "Traceleen at Dawn," we see the wealthy Miss Crystal finally give up drinking after a fire consumes her home. In "1941," readers meet Rhoda Manning,...

In three stunning intertwining novellas, Ellen Gilchrist explores the tumultuous nature of family and the ties that bond even beyond death. Journeying through the lives of different members of the Hand family, Gilchrist masterfully weaves together the tumultuous relationships that are bound by blood. A harrowing custody battle leads Anna Hand to Istanbul and back to ensure once and for all that, her niece is safe from her conniving mother's ploys. Jessie,...