The #1 New York Times bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark wrote forty suspense novels, four collections of short stories, a historical novel, a memoir, and two children's books. With bestselling author Alafair Burke she wrote the Under Suspicion series including The Cinderella Murder, All Dressed in White, The Sleeping Beauty Killer, Every Breath You Take, You Don't Own Me, and Piece of My Heart. With her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, she coauthored five suspense novels. More than one hundred million copies of her books are in print in the United States alone. Her books are international bestsellers.
With a sharp eye for detail, keen intelligence to understanding reality, and her inquisitive nature to create stories, best-selling author Clark meditates on the hardships of growing up during the Depression in Bronx, NY. Though not dismal about experiences with family and friends, Clark recounts many characteristics of Irish American culture that had a strong hold on her life. Her voice is soothing, giving the impression that a senior adult member is explaining her life. When her father died, Clark's mother opened their home to boarders with the sign, "Furnished Rooms, Kitchen Privileges." Similarly, following the untimely death of her beloved husband, Warren, Clark pursued a career writing stories to support her five children and was propelled into scriptwriting for a radio show. She reminisces about the wonders of youth, taking the listener down a lane full of cultural and historical lessons. Highly recommended for public, academic, and school libraries.-Bernadette Lopez-Fitzsimmons, Manhattan Coll. Libs., Riverdale, NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Clark, author of 27 bestselling novels, has shifted gears and written a memoir that speaks directly to readers. The touching collection of anecdotes begins with a Depression-era childhood in the Bronx lacking in money but rich with love. The author's mother, who told everyone, "Mary is very gifted... [she's] going to be a successful writer," supplemented her income by renting out rooms with "kitchen privileges," and raised her children with selfless heroism, proving a shining example when Clark became a young widow, left to bring up five children on her own. The book proves particularly engaging when Clark tells of her writing group and the professor, William Byron Mowery, who taught her to think "what if" and "suppose" as a way of devising interesting plots. She conveys her courtship with her first husband sensitively and humorously, and writes of his death in honest, understated prose. Clark charts her literary road frankly, pointing out the numerous rejection slips and the failure of her first book, Aspire to the Heavens-the love story of George and Martha Washington-due to a misleading, uncommercial title. It's typical of her optimism that she considered it a triumph ("I knew... I had what it took to actually write a book"). Ranging from stories of illness and struggle to her happy 1996 marriage to Merrill Lynch CEO John Conheeney, this memoir shows what can be done when someone pursues her dreams, remains action-oriented and fights to overcome enormous obstacles. Photos. Agents, Eugene Winick, Sam Pinkus. (Nov. 19) Forecast: Clark's many fans will be clamoring for this, and although it's not a self-help volume, it offers concise, valuable tips for aspiring authors, which could open it up to an even wider audience. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
