The Bookmaker's Daughter: A Memory Unbound

Synopsis

Shirley Abbott's deeply felt memoir of her Arkansas childhood in the 1940s and 1950s examines her difficult relationship with the most important man in her young life--her daddy. Alfred Bemont ("Hat") Abbott did not craft fine volumes, though he allowed Shirley's mother to believe as much during their courtship. His craft was taking bets on horses and paying off the winnings. But this gentleman bandit also loved to read and bequeathed to his only daughter the world of language and books, where she learned her first lessons in what it is to be a woman. At Hat's urging to study hard, to grow strong and independent, Shirley blossomed into valedictorian of her high school class, and unlike her peers--all on the way to marriage and motherhood--went fearlessly on to college. But when at last she wished to test her wings, to leave Hot Springs for New York City, Hat refused to let her go. Richly detailed with family anecdote, feminist insight, history, sociology, and Southern mythology, The Bookmaker's Daughter strikes familiar and resonant chords. Shirley Abbott has courageously probed the past to emerge with this narrative of a relationship that was complex and volatile but ultimately liberating. Born and brought up in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Shirley Abbott now lives in Port Washington, New York. She works in Manhattan as a writer for a health newsletter and has also written a previous book, Womenfolks: Growing Up Down South. She has two daughters, Katharine and Elizabeth Tomkievicz.

Copyright:

1991

Book Details

Book Quality:

Excellent

Book Size:

290 Pages

ISBN-13:

9780899195186

Publisher:

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Date of Addition:

09/04/19

Copyrighted By:

Shirley Abbott

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Literature and Fiction, Language Arts

Submitted By:

Terry Gorman

Proofread By:

Terry Gorman

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.