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Leaving Lucy Pear by Anna Solomon
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Leaving Lucy Pear (edition 2016)

by Anna Solomon (Author)

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18913142,784 (3.18)6
Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:“From the first page, I was under Anna Solomon’s spell.” —Sue Monk Kidd

From the author of The Book of V., a novel chosen as a must-read book by TIME Magazine, InStyle, Good Housekeeping, The Millionsthe Minneapolis Star Tribune, and BookPage

Set in 1920s New England, the story of two women who are both mothers to the same unforgettable girl—a big, heartrending novel from award-winning writer Anna Solomon

One night in 1917 Beatrice Haven sneaks out of her uncle's house on Cape Ann, Massachusetts, leaves her newborn baby at the foot of a pear tree, and watches as another woman claims the infant as her own. The unwed daughter of wealthy Jewish industrialists and a gifted pianist bound for Radcliffe, Bea plans to leave her shameful secret behind and make a fresh start. Ten years later, Prohibition is in full swing, post-WWI America is in the grips of rampant xenophobia, and Bea's hopes for her future remain unfulfilled. She returns to her uncle’s house, seeking a refuge from her unhappiness. But she discovers far more when the rum-running manager of the local quarry inadvertently reunites her with Emma Murphy, the headstrong Irish Catholic woman who has been raising Bea's abandoned child—now a bright, bold, cross-dressing girl named Lucy Pear, with secrets of her own.

In mesmerizing prose, award-winning author Anna Solomon weaves together an unforgettable group of characters as their lives collide on the New England coast. Set against one of America's most turbulent decades, Leaving Lucy Pear delves into questions of class, freedom, and the meaning of family, establishing Anna Solomon as one of our most captivating storytellers.

“Anna Solomon writes with a poet’s reverence for language and a novelist's ability to keep us turning the page. A gorgeous and engrossing meditation on motherhood, womanhood, and the sacrifices we make for love.” —J. Courtney Sullivan.
… (more)
Member:mozey
Title:Leaving Lucy Pear
Authors:Anna Solomon (Author)
Info:Viking (2016), Edition: New, 336 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:**
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Leaving Lucy Pear by Anna Solomon

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» See also 6 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 13 (next | show all)
A wonderfully woven tale of 1927 society. Immensely readable.

Thank you to Penguin Random House forthe free advance reading copy. ( )
  fionaanne | Nov 11, 2021 |
In 1917, Bea leaves her newborn baby under a pear tree where she knows a family will find the baby. She assumes they will take her in and raise her, and they do. Ten years later, Lucy’s “adopted” mother Emma starts working for Bea, as a nurse to Bea’s uncle.

This was pretty slow. And vague at times as to what exactly was going on. I don’t think I particularly liked any of the characters – oh, I suppose I kind of liked Uncle Ira. I really didn’t care much about the characters, either, maybe because I didn’t like them very much? Initially, I thought I was enjoying the book, but I’m leaning more toward it being ok. ( )
  LibraryCin | Oct 13, 2021 |
The story takes place in 1920's Prohibition-era Massachusetts. It follows the story of a wealthy Jewish mother, Bea, who leaves her newborn in a pear orchard for an Irish family to find and raise. As the child Lucy Pear grows up, it is apparent to all that she wasn't born into her new family. The plot traces the lives of both mother and daughter, and how they come to meet again.

Great Book Club title, so much to talk about. ( )
  JoanDudzinski | Aug 2, 2018 |
This novel, set in 1920s New England, opens with a scene in which a teenage girl named Beatrice leaves her baby in a pear orchard. The novel traces the fates of the characters touched by this decision, from Beatrice and her parents to the baby and the family that adopts her. Through the stories of all these characters, Solomon explores themes of assimilation, Jewish identity, class, family, and, perhaps most centrally, motherhood.
  HandelmanLibraryTINR | Apr 16, 2018 |
The writing is achingly beautiful. It is not so much the story but about how well this story is told. ( )
  kimkimkim | Aug 21, 2017 |
Showing 1-5 of 13 (next | show all)
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Epigraph
The Last Word of a Blue Bird
As I went out a Crow
In a low voice said, "Oh,
I was looking for you.  
How do you do?
I just came to tell you
To tell Lesley (will you?)
That her little Bluebird
Wanted me to bring word
That the north wind last night
That made the stars bright
And made ice on the trough
Almost made him cough
His tail feathers off.
He just had to fly!
But he sent her Good-by,
And said to be good,
And wear her red hood,
And look for skunk tracks
In the snow with an ax---
And do everything!
And perhaps in the spring
He would come back and sing."
ROBERT FROST
Dedication
To Mike
First words
If they were coming, this was the night.
Quotations
She wasn't old enough yet to know that having choices could be as hard as not having them.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:“From the first page, I was under Anna Solomon’s spell.” —Sue Monk Kidd

From the author of The Book of V., a novel chosen as a must-read book by TIME Magazine, InStyle, Good Housekeeping, The Millionsthe Minneapolis Star Tribune, and BookPage

Set in 1920s New England, the story of two women who are both mothers to the same unforgettable girl—a big, heartrending novel from award-winning writer Anna Solomon

One night in 1917 Beatrice Haven sneaks out of her uncle's house on Cape Ann, Massachusetts, leaves her newborn baby at the foot of a pear tree, and watches as another woman claims the infant as her own. The unwed daughter of wealthy Jewish industrialists and a gifted pianist bound for Radcliffe, Bea plans to leave her shameful secret behind and make a fresh start. Ten years later, Prohibition is in full swing, post-WWI America is in the grips of rampant xenophobia, and Bea's hopes for her future remain unfulfilled. She returns to her uncle’s house, seeking a refuge from her unhappiness. But she discovers far more when the rum-running manager of the local quarry inadvertently reunites her with Emma Murphy, the headstrong Irish Catholic woman who has been raising Bea's abandoned child—now a bright, bold, cross-dressing girl named Lucy Pear, with secrets of her own.

In mesmerizing prose, award-winning author Anna Solomon weaves together an unforgettable group of characters as their lives collide on the New England coast. Set against one of America's most turbulent decades, Leaving Lucy Pear delves into questions of class, freedom, and the meaning of family, establishing Anna Solomon as one of our most captivating storytellers.

“Anna Solomon writes with a poet’s reverence for language and a novelist's ability to keep us turning the page. A gorgeous and engrossing meditation on motherhood, womanhood, and the sacrifices we make for love.” —J. Courtney Sullivan.

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A big, heartrending novel about the entangled lives of two women in 1920s New England, both mothers to the same unforgettable girl.

One night in 1917 Beatrice Haven sneaks out of her uncle's house on Cape Ann, Massachusetts, leaves her newborn baby at the foot of a pear tree, and watches as another woman claims the infant as her own. The unwed daughter of wealthy Jewish industrialists and a gifted pianist bound for Radcliffe, Bea plans to leave her shameful secret behind and make a fresh start. Ten years later, Prohibition is in full swing, post-WWI America is in the grips of rampant xenophobia, and Bea's hopes for her future remain unfulfilled. She returns to her uncle’s house, seeking a refuge from her unhappiness. But she discovers far more when the rum-running manager of the local quarry inadvertently reunites her with Emma Murphy, the headstrong Irish Catholic woman who has been raising Bea's abandoned child—now a bright, bold, cross-dressing girl named Lucy Pear, with secrets of her own.

In mesmerizing prose, award-winning author Anna Solomon weaves together an unforgettable group of characters as their lives collide on the New England coast. Set against one of America's most turbulent decades, Leaving Lucy Pear delves into questions of class, freedom, and the meaning of family, establishing Anna Solomon as one of our most captivating storytellers.
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