Summitt Avenue - Softcover

Sharratt, Mary

3.73

257 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1566890977 ISBN 13: 9781566890977

Publisher: Coffee House Press, 2000

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

Set in Minneapolis and Saint Paul during the years 1911 - 1918, Mary Sharratt's debut novel is the story of a young German immigrant who translates fairy tales for an enigmatic older woman. The heroine is drawn into a mysterious new world as the tales assume a reality of their own, mirroring her personal awakening in a time of alienation and war.
When her mother dies, Kathrin's intense natural curiosity and passion for life convince her to immigrate to America. There she meets Violet Waverly, who offers her a job translating a book, inviting Kathrin to live with her in her mansion on Summit Avenue, the richest and most elite neighborhood in Saint Paul. Although Violet can offer Kathrin love, compassion, and a glimpse of the dizzying heights of upper-class grandeur, she cannot fully disguise the painful secrets hiding behind the glitter.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

From the Author:

My book received a starred review in Publisher's Weekly.
Publisher’s Weekly, Starred Review, March 20, 2000

"In this remarkable debut, Minnesota native Sharratt—coordinator of the Munich Writers Workshop—weaves dark, evocative fairy tales and passionate longings into an incandescent coming of age story. Orphaned by the age of 16, German native Kathrin Albrecht is sent to America in 1912, where she barely ekes out a living sewing flour bags at the Pillsbury Mill in Minneapolis. Finding sanctuary in an old bookstore, she befriends the owner, Jan Jelinek, and his nephew, John, who, as immigrants, face similar struggles. While John troubles Kathrin by reminding her of her outsider status, he also introduces the young woman to one of his wealthy American customers, Violet Waverly. A professor’s widow, Violet hires Kathrin to assist her with one of her husband’s unfinished projects—translating foreign fairy tales—offering her salary, room and board in the Waverly home on Summit Avenue, an upper-class enclave in St. Paul, and irrevocably transforming Kathrin’s world. The two lonley women forge an unusual connection that grows into a symbiotic companionship, fulfilling needs that neither individual fully discloses until Violet crosses a line that abruptly forces Kathrin into a relationship with John. As Kathrin’s emotional word crumbles around her, she finds an inner strength and discovers the answer to her yearning for a genuine loving relationship. Sharratt infuses Kathrin’s story with sensuality, insight and poetic observation: "Flat-bottomed, curly-topped prairie clouds were sailing like steamships across the deep blue sky." These and other haunting images, as well as her inspired use of folklore and mythology, add depth to this potent tale."

About the Author:

Mary Sharratt teaches creative writing and coordinates the Munich Writers Workshop.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.