Once Upon a Day - Softcover

Tucker, Lisa

Softcover

ISBN 10: 141652620X ISBN 13: 9781416526209

Publisher: Simon + Schuster Uk, 2007

Synopsis

Nineteen years before, a famous man disappeared from L.A., taking his two children to a rocky, desolate corner of New Mexico. Raising them in complete isolation, this utopian "Sanctuary" is one man's stand against the decadence of America. Dorothea, his daughter, now twenty three, is leaving this place for the first time, in search of her missing brother. A brilliant painter who fled the Sanctuary two years before, he has become lost in the dark underbelly of St. Lois and the even darker memories of a violent incident when he was a young child. Dorothea's search for her brother turns into an odyssey of discovery, leading to the shocking truth about her family's past and the terrifying events of the day that drove her father to flee California in a desperate attempt to protect his children from a dangerous world. But Dorothea's journey will also introduce her to another man who has suffered his own losses. Together they have a chance to make a discovery of a different kind: that though the heart can be broken by the tragic events of a day, a day can also bring a new chance at love and a deeper understanding of life's infinite possibilities.

About this title

Review

"Deftly written and emotionally convincing."

-- "Marie Claire"

""Once Upon a Day" is a smart, compelling story about the ungainliness of familial and romantic love. Tucker's quietly and yet wildly ambitious novel is a subtle, witty deconstruction of fairy tales and a graceful tour de force of storytelling." -- Mark Winegardner, author, "Crooked River Burning" and "The Godfather Returns"

"The spirit of "Jane Eyre" looms over "Once Upon a Day". Lisa Tucker keeps the plot of this gothic novel bubbling with tons of juicy family secrets." -- Stewart O'Nan

"Lisa Tucker gives me what I want most from fiction: compassion and provocation. "Once Upon a Day" is her most impressive novel to date." -- John Dufresne, author, "Louisiana Power & Light" and "Love Warps the Mind a Little"

"Tucker's outstanding novel is as structurally dextrous as it is emotionally satisfying, boasting a chorus of extraordinary voices. An exceptionally empathetic storyteller, Tucker has created a haunting, gripping novel that brims with graceful writing and fragile characters. Devour it as a page-turner about parenting and family or discuss its subtle meditations on fate and coincidence, wealth and poverty, fairy tales and American dreams." -- "Publishers Weekly" (starred review)

"Deftly written and emotionally convincing."
-- "Marie Claire"

"A lyrically poignant reminder of the necessity of hope."
-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Tucker's graceful prose and well-crafted characters create a compelling odyssey of transfiguration."
-- People (Critic's Choice)

"Tucker's most ambitious novel yet. It's a tragedy, a mystery, a romance, a twisted family story about loss, violence, obsession, and forgiveness."
-- The Boston Globe

"Tucker's new fable is self-consciously the stuff of fairy tales.... The book is charged with the sense that life is charmed, that chance encounters can change fates and remake them for the better."
-- San Francisco Chronicle

About the Author

Lisa Tucker, author of THE SONG READER, has toured America with a jazz band, worked as a waitress, and been a teacher. Her writing has appeared in various newspapers, including The Philadelphia Inquirer.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon + Schuster Uk
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 141652620X
• ISBN 13: 9781416526209
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352