We Were the Mulvaneys
Published on 4. February 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
480 pages
978-0-00-726839-9 (ISBN)
Description
The unforgettable story of the rise, fall and ultimate redemption of an American family. The Mulvaneys are seemingly blessed by everything that makes life sweet. They live together in the picture-perfect High Point Farm, just outside the community of Mt Ephraim, New York, where they are respected and liked by everybody. Yet something happens on Valentine's Day 1976. An incident involving Marianne Mulvaney, the pretty sixteen-year-old daughter, is hushed up in the town and never discussed within the family. The impact of this event reverberates throughout the lives of the characters. As told by Judd, years later, in an attempt to make sense of his own past reveals the unspoken truths of that night that rends the fabric of the family life with tragic consequences. In 'We Were the Mulvaneys', Joyce Carol Oates, the highly acclaimed author of 'Blonde', masterfully weaves an unforgettable story of the rise, fall and ultimate redemption of an American family.
Reviews / Votes
'I read this book over a year ago, but this family still haunts me.' Oprah Winfrey '"We Were the Mulvaneys" works not simply because of its meticulous details and gestures!What keeps us coming back to Oates Country is something stronger and spookier: her uncanny gift of making the page a window, with something on the other side that we'd swear was life itself.' David Gates, The New York Times Book Review 'It is a book that will break your heart, heal it, then break it again every time you think about it.' Los Angeles Times 'A brilliantly detailed and varied picture of family life and a succession of dramatic set pieces!These are people we recognise, and she makes us care deeply about them.' Kirkus Praise for 'Blonde': 'Novelists such as John Updike, Philip Roth, Tom Wolfe and Norman Mailer slug it out for the title of the Great American Novelist. But maybe they're wrong. Maybe, just maybe, the Great American Novelist is a woman.' The Herald 'A torrentially imaginative, compulsively readable tour de force.' Sunday Telegraph 'A mighty -- and a mesmerising -- book.' Elaine Showalter, Literary Review 'If you haven't read Joyce Carol Oates before, start here, and now.' Julie Myerson, IndependentMore details
Series
Edition
(Reissue)
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 197 mm
Width: 130 mm
Weight
300 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-00-726839-9 (9780007268399)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions
Additional editions
Person
Joyce Carol Oates, a recipient of the National Book Award, is one of the most highly respected novelists, critic, playwright, poet and author of short stories. 'We Were the Mulvaneys' was first published in 1996. She is the Roger S. Berlind Distinguished Professor of Humanities at Princeton University. Her highly acclaimed previous novel, 'Blonde' (2000), was short-listed for the National Book Award.