
So Big
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Narrated by:
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Gabrielle de Cuir
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By:
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Edna Ferber
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and widely considered to be Edna Ferber’s greatest achievement, So Big is a classic novel of turn-of-the-century Chicago.
Hailed as a novel “to read and remember” (New York Times), So Big is the unforgettable story of the indomitable Selina Peake DeJong and her struggles to stay afloat and maintain her dignity in the face of a challenging marriage, widowhood, and single parenthood.
Left an orphan at 19 years old in the late 1880s, Selina Peake needs to support herself. She becomes a teacher in the farming community of High Prairie, Illinois, and soon marries Pervus DeJong, a farmer. After Pervus’ death, Selina takes over their struggling farm and raises their son, Dirk. Despite their hardships, she retains a deep appreciation for art and beauty and does her best to instill these values in Dirk, but will he recognize his mother’s wisdom before he loses a chance at love?
First published in 1924, So Big is a brilliant literary masterwork from one of the 20th century’s most accomplished and admired writers and still resonates today with its unflinching views of poverty, sexism, and the drive for success.
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but for love of people and life not content to be held in one image.
I first knew her as the author of Showboat in a school play .She plays with words and I am entranced with her overall stories lightly presented but very strong messages. The Narrator is Fabulous! Its a two in one value..delightful
Edna Gerber goes head to head with Charles Dickens
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Unfinished
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An Unexpected Treat
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The Novel: Although I had read various Ferber novels I had not read SO BIG. Time to rectify the omission. Interestingly, when she submitted the novel to her publishers, Doubleday, she said: “Who would be interested in a novel about a middle-aged woman in a calico dress with wispy hair and bad teeth, grubbing on a little truck farm south of Chicago?” Fortunately the editors at Doubleday loved it and it was the most successful novel of 1924, selling hundreds of thousands of copies, and, as indicated, won the Pulitzer.Prize.
Selina Peake is a school teacher in a Dutch farming community in Illinois. She marries Pervus, a Dutch farmer and they have a son, Dirk. Pervus dies and despite resistance, she pushes on to make a success of her new life. Dirk graduates as an architect, but then, ignoring his mother’s urging, turns to banking, where the money is, which provides a central theme of the novel: there are more things to life than money.
I loved it, the depiction of the rigid, stoic Dutch farmers. Selina’s determination to push on and meet the challenges from those who know farming and marketing is “man’s work”. Ferber’s depiction of the time, place and people is both rewarding and satisfying.
The Narrator: Gabrielle de Cuir does an absolutely masterful job here and honours both Ferber and the characters. She moves seamlessly between Selina, the prose and capturing the accents of these rural Dutch farmers and other more sophisticated characters.
This is one of the three best books I have listened to read by female narrators, the other two being TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD read by Sissy Spacek and REBECCA by Anna Massey, which equates to great, and a yardstick by which the reading of rich, rewarding novels peopled with diverse and fully developed characters should be measured. Bravo!
A most satisfying story and Narration.
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Great Classic!
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Easy going
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