Sister Noon
by Karen Joy Fowler
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Description
San Francisco in the 1890s is a town of contradictions, home to a respectable middle class, but with the Wild West lingering in the imagination, and even the behaviour, of some residents. Lizzie Hayes, a seemingly docile, middle-aged spinster, is praised for her volunteer work with the Ladies' Relief and Protection Society Home, or the Brown Ark. She doesn't know it, but she's waiting for the spark that will liberate her from convention. When the wealthy and well-connected but ill-reputed show more Mary Ellen Pleasant shows up at the Brown Ark with an orphan in tow, Lizzie is drawn to them both. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
Random library selection. Beautiful, lyrical storytelling and I loved the three main characters, especially Lizzie, but the narrative is rather meandering for such a short book. Really enjoyed the San Francisco setting, however!
This book was an interesting historical fiction set in late 19th century San Francisco. Appearances, both real and imagined, are important as well as maintaining one's reputation. I liked how Lizzie gradually broke away from convention to find her own path without relying on the opinions of others.
An enjoyable light and easy read,although I must admit I wasn't quite sure what was going on all the time, or the basis of the actual plot. Nevertheless, it was beautifully written and was still greatly enjoyable.
I bought this because I loved "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves". I enjoyed this story, but didn't love it.
San Francisco at around the turn of the century. Interesting characters and their histories.
Erica Kline
Erica Kline
Ingen stjerner til den bog...
Jul 26, 2016Danish
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178 works; 9 members
Author Information
62+ Works 15,161 Members
Karen Joy Fowler is the author of several novels and short story collections. Her works include Sarah Canary, The Sweetheart Season, Sister Noon, and The Jane Austen Book Club. She has received numerous awards including the World Fantasy Award in 1999 for Black Glass, the World Fantasy Award in 2011 for What I Didn't See, and the 2014 PEN/Faulkner show more Award for Fiction for We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. This same title was nominated for The Man Booker Prize for Best Novel in 2014. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Awards
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2001
- People/Characters
- Lizzie Hayes; Mary E. Pleasant
- Important places
- San Francisco, California, USA
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 306
- Popularity
- 104,382
- Reviews
- 7
- Rating
- (3.49)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 17
- ASINs
- 3
