Second Heaven
by Judith Guest
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The lives of three people become entwined in another compelling story by the author of Ordinary People. A 16-year old runaway is forced to confront his past ... an abusive religious fanatic father and an unseeing mother ... and in so doing comes to grips with his life.Tags
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The second novel by the author of "Ordinary People", in which Judith Guest falls prey to sophomore slump. Mind, this is a fine novel well told; it just suffers by comparison with her first novel. The story of a lawyer who attempts to come to the legal and emotional rescue of a runaway taken in by his girlfriend, it suffers a bit from a pat and simplistic resolution. But just a bit.
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Author Information
8+ Works 3,087 Members
Judith Guest was born in Detroit in 1936. She earned a degree in Education from the University of Michigan. She has been a schoolteacher in Detroit. With no formal training in fiction writing, novelist Judith Guest began to write fiction and poetry when her youngest son started school. Her highly acclaimed first novel, Ordinary People, was show more published in 1976 and has since been published in 13 languages. It was made into a film, directed by Robert Redford, which received the Academy Award for best picture in 1980. Guest's subsequent works include Second Heaven (1982), Killing Time in St. Cloud (1988), Errands (1997) and The Tarnished Eye (2004). (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Awards and Honors
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Second Heaven
- Original publication date
- 1982
- People/Characters
- Michael Atwood; Cat Holzman; Gale Murray
- Epigraph
- The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood.
-----Old Testament, Joel 2:31
It seemed to be heaven, for there was afterwards a heavenly brightness. I can indeed have my thoughts about this but as yet I dare no be too confident because it concerns something that is to happen
----Swedenborg's Jo... (show all)urnal of Dreams - Dedication
- for Judith Goren,
who was there
at the beginning,
and for my parents,
who are always there
I wish to thank my editor,
Pat Irving Frederick, for
her help and her friendship,
and for all that she has... (show all)
taught me about letting go - First words
- It was after five o'clock when he left the courthouse.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Rising, she picked up her coffee cup to go outside and warm herself in the heat of the day.
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- Members
- 162
- Popularity
- 201,484
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.76)
- Languages
- English, Spanish, Swedish
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 12
- ASINs
- 1
