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Behind you is the sea : a novel / by Darraj, Susan Muaddi,author.;
An exciting debut novel that gives voice to the diverse residents of a Palestinian American community in Baltimore-from young activists in conflict with their traditional parents to the poor who clean for the rich-lives which intersect across divides of class, generation, and religion. Funny and touching, Behind You Is the Sea brings us into the homes and lives of three main families-the Baladis, the Salamehs, and the Ammars-Palestinian immigrants who've all found a different welcome in America.Their various fates and struggles cause their community dynamic to sizzle and sometimes explode: The wealthy Ammar family employs young Maysoon Baladi, whose family struggles financially, to clean up after their spoiled teenagers. Meanwhile, Marcus Salameh, whose aunt married into the wealthy Ammar family, confronts his father in an effort to protect his younger sister for "dishonoring" the family. Only a trip to Palestine, where Marcus experiences an unexpected and dramatic transformation, can bridge this seemingly unbridgeable divide between the two generations. Behind You Is the Sea faces stereotypes about Palestinian culture head-on and, shifting perspectives to weave a complex social fabric replete with weddings, funerals, broken hearts, and devastating secrets.
Subjects: Bildungsromans.; Psychological fiction.; Novels.; Muslims; Palestinian Americans; Parent and child; Poverty; Social classes;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Mrs. Everything : a novel / by Weiner, Jennifer,author.;
"A smart, thoughtful, and timely exploration of two sisters' lives from the 1950s to the present as they struggle to find their places--and be true to themselves--in a rapidly evolving world. Mrs. Everything is an ambitious, richly textured journey through history--and herstory--as these two sisters navigate a changing America over the course of their lives"--
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Sisters; Families;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 2
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Mutual interest : a novel / by Wolfgang-Smith, Olivia,author.;
"From Glassworks author Olivia Wolfgang-Smith, a decadent, dishy novel set in the early-1900s about a business empire built by three queer people fighting to live life on their own terms. Vivian Lesperance moves to New York City at the turn of the 20th century with one goal in mind: she will not let her life be dictated by her small-minded family in Utica. Instead, she will set a new and independent course for herself among the rich and nouveau rich, and in the apartments of the women she loves. Oscar Schmidt chooses the soap industry-and a move from Ohio to New York-in a doomed attempt to run away from his own attraction to men. But while working as a straight-laced middle manager by day and cruising the waterfront and gay clubs at night, Oscar faces dual threats to his new life. No one is fooled by his guise of easy bachelorhood, and his business is threatened by Squire Clancey, the socially awkward scion of a wealthy New York family, whose passion for candle making and unlimited resources lead to shortages of the very ingredient Oscar needs to manufacture his goods. Vivian knows she'll never get what she wants in life without effort, so she convinces Oscar to marry her, and then persuades Oscar and Squire to go into business together rather than fight for resources. Clancey & Schmidt Co is born, and with it, a new love affair begins: between Clancey and Schmidt themselves. Meanwhile, Vivian reaches the pinnacle of her power running the business behind a Tiffany's desk-and behind the image of both men. But the threat of exposure-and of an arranged marriage for Squire-looms, and together, the trio must work to maintain the life they've dreamed up, and made real, for themselves. Written in the style of classic authors like EM Forster, but with a modern sensibility and wry sense of humor, Personal Care is a fresh and beguiling story of patriarchy, privilege, and power for readers of Trust by Hernan Diaz and The Magician by Colm Toibin"--
Subjects: Queer fiction.; Novels.; Ambition; Marriage; Secrecy;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The float test : a novel / by Strong, Lynn Steger,1983-author.;
"The Kenner siblings are at odds. Jenn is a harried mom struggling under the weight of family obligations. Fred is a novelist who can't write, maybe because she's lost faith in storytelling itself. Jude is a recovering corporate lawyer with her own story to tell, and a grudge against her former favorite sister, Fred. George, the baby, is estranged from his wife and harboring both a secret about his former employer and an ill-advised crush on one of his sisters' friends. Gathered after a major loss, each sibling needs the others more than ever-if only they could trust each other. A family story is, of course, only as honest as the person telling it. This family story in particular is fraught with secrets about kids and sex and jobs and why the Kenner matriarch had a gun in her underwear drawer. The biggest secret of all though is the secret of what happened between Jude and Fred to create such a rift between the two once-close middle sisters. Over the course of a sweltering Florida summer, the Kenner siblings will revisit what it means to be a family and, if they are smart and kind and lucky, come out on the other side better for having each other. A rich exploration of family, ambition, secrets, and love, The Float Test is an elegant and gripping testament to the power that family has to both nurture and destroy us from a critically acclaimed writer working at the top of her craft"--
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Novels.; Conflict of generations; Families; Siblings;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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Gilt : a novel / by Brenner, Jamie,1971-author.;
"A luxurious and richly compelling new novel from the acclaimed author of Blush, about a famous family jewelry dynasty and the hidden past that could topple it all. The Pavlin family built an empire on love. As the first jewelers to sell diamond rings exclusively for proposals, they started a tradition that has defined engagements ever since. But when an ill-fated publicity stunt pits the three Pavlin sisters against one another for a famous family jewel, their bond is broken. No ordinary diamond ring, the Electric Rose splinters the sisters, leaving one unlucky in love, one escaping to the shores of Cape Cod, and the other, ultimately, dead. Now, over a decade later, Gemma Maybrook is still reconciling the reality of her mother's death. Left orphaned and cast out by her family after the tragic accident, Gemma is ready to reclaim what should have been hers: the Electric Rose. And, as a budding jewelry designer in her own right, Gemma isn't just planning on recovering her mother's lost memento, she's coming back for everything."--
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Novels.; Families; Family-owned business enterprises; Jewelers; Secrecy;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 2
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The loneliness of Sonia and Sunny : a novel / by Desai, Kiran,1971-author.;
"When Sonia and Sunny first glimpse each other on an overnight train, they are immediately captivated, yet also embarrassed by the fact that their grandparents had once tried to matchmake them, a clumsy meddling that only served to drive Sonia and Sunny apart. Sonia, an aspiring novelist who recently completed her studies in the snowy mountains of Vermont, has returned to her family in India, fearing she is haunted by a dark spell cast by an artist to whom she had once turned for intimacy and inspiration. Sunny, a struggling journalist resettled in New York City, is attempting to flee his imperious mother and the violence of his warring clan. Uncertain of their future, Sonia and Sunny embark on a search for happiness together as they confront the many alienations of our modern world. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is the sweeping tale of two young people navigating the many forces that shape their lives: country, class, race, history, and the complicated bonds that link one generation to the next. A love story, a family saga, and a rich novel of ideas, it is the most ambitious and accomplished work yet by one of our greatest novelists"--
Subjects: Bildungsromans.; Novels.; East Indian Americans; Families; Loneliness; Man-woman relationships;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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The wicked widow / by Williams, Beatriz,author.;
"While digging up dirt on a Presidential candidate at the behest of her 90-something society queen aunt, pregnant Ella Dommerich, with the help of her mysterious connection to a certain redheaded flapper, stands between a ruthless family and the prize it's sought for generations"--
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Man-woman relationships; Married women; Murder; Nineteen twenties; Rich people; Secrecy; Socialites;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The life cycle of the common octopus / by Knight, Emma(Emma L.),author.;
"A witty, atmospheric, and brilliantly told novel that offers compelling portraits of womanhood, motherhood and female friendship, along with the irresistible intrigue surrounding an extraordinary British family. Arriving at the University of Edinburgh for her first term, Pen knows her divorced parents back in Canada are hiding something from her. She believes she'll find the answer here in Scotland, where an old friend of her father's -- now a famous writer known as Lord Lennox -- lives. When she is invited to spend the weekend at Lord Lennox's centuries-old estate with his enveloping, fascinating family, Pen begins to unravel her parents' secret, just as she's falling in love for the first time ... As Pen experiences the sharp shock of adulthood, she comes to rely on herself for the first time in her life. A rich and rewarding novel of campus life, of sexual awakening, and ultimately, of the many ways women can become mothers in this world, The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus asks to what extent we need to look back in order to move forward"--
Subjects: Bildungsromans.; Novels.; University of Edinburgh; Best friends; College students; Families; Family secrets; Friendship; Secrecy;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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The economy of sparrows / by Herriot, Trevor,author.;
This debut novel by Trevor Herriot, one of Canada's foremost writer-naturalists, is the richly observed story of Nell Rowan, who has inherited her family's prairie farmstead and returned there to live after many decades away. Nell is increasingly obsessed by a 19th-century bird collector while haunted by memories of her mother's disappearance. Herriot lives in Regina, SK.
Subjects: Psychological fiction.; Novels.; Bird watching; Country life; Environmental responsibility; Inheritance and succession; Nature; Teenage girls; Women;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Summers at the Saint / by Andrews, Mary Kay,1954-author.;
"Welcome to the St. Cecelia, a landmark hotel on the coast of Georgia, where traditions run deep and scandals run even deeper ... Everyone refers to the St. Cecelia as "the Saint." If you grew up coming here, you were "a Saint." If you came from the wrong side of the river, you were "an Ain't." Traci Eddings was one of those outsiders whose family wasn't rich enough or connected enough to vacation here. But she could work here. One fateful summer she did, and married the boss's son. Now, she's the widowed owner of the hotel, determined to see it return to its glory days, even as staff shortages and financial troubles threaten to ruin it. Plus, her greedy and unscrupulous brother-in-law wants to make sure she fails. Enlisting a motley crew of recently hired summer help-including the daughter of her estranged best friend-Traci has one summer season to turn it around. But new information about a long-ago drowning at the hotel threatens to come to light, and the tragic death of one of their own brings Traci to the brink of despair. Traci Eddings has her back against the pink-painted wall of this beloved institution. And it will take all the wits and guts she has to see wrongs put to right, to see guilty parties put in their place, and maybe even to find a new romance along the way."--
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Novels.; Conduct of life; Hotels; Inheritance and succession; Interpersonal relations; Man-woman relationships; Self-realization in women; Social classes; Summer; Vacations; Women;
Available copies: 3 / Total copies: 3
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