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Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000010106614 | PS3620.U3 O52 2006 | Open Access Book | Creative Book | Searching... |
On Order
Summary
Summary
From Lisa Tucker, the critically acclaimed author ofThe Song Reader, comes a wise, humorous, and deeply compassionate novel about the risks and rewards of loving when a single day can change our lives. Nineteen years ago, a famous man disappeared from Los Angeles, taking his two children, Dorothea and Jimmy, to a rocky, desolate corner of New Mexico where he raised them in complete isolation in a utopian "Sanctuary." The children grew up with books and encyclopedias, records and a grand piano, but no television, computer, radio, or even a newspaper. Now Dorothea, at twenty-three, is leaving this place in search of her missing brother -- and venturing into the wide world for the first time. Dorothea's search will turn into an odyssey of discovery, leading to the truth of her family's past and the terrifying day that changed her father forever. But Dorothea's journey will also introduce her to an unusual cast of characters, including a homeless girl from Missouri who becomes a jazz singer and a social worker whose mistake in judgment changes her best friend's life. And she will meet Stephen, a doctor turned cabdriver who, after suffering his own losses, has lost his ability to believe in a meaningful world. Together, they have a chance to make a discovery of a different kind: that though a 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. Beautifully written, with a spellbinding story,Once Upon a Dayis "a lyrically poignant reminder of the necessity of hope" (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
Author Notes
Lisa Tucker's novels include The Song Reader, Shout Down the Moon, Once Upon a Day, The Cure for Modern Life, The Promised World, and The Winters in Bloom. Her books have been published in twelve countries and selected for People magazine Critic's Choice, Amazon Book of the Year, the American Library Association Popular Paperbacks, and the Book Sense list.
Tucker graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. She received graduate degrees in English and mathematics and was awarded fellowships in both fields. She taught creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania, the Taos Writers' Conference and UCLA.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews 3
Publisher's Weekly Review
Tucker's complexly structured novel could be a tight wire act for a reader because the story has multiple narrators and follows two compelling story lines separated by almost two decades. Fortunately, Bean is a dexterous performer who is more than up to the challenge. She does an admirable job, not only reading chapters in alternating character voices but also enlivening dialogue within those chapters with subtle, compelling and entertaining voices for each character. She adapts a higher, airy lightness to portray Dorothea, who is thrust out into the modern world to discover family secrets after having been sheltered from the outside world for decades by her overprotective father. Bean portrays Dorothea's emotionally damaged brother, Jimmy, with a scratchy, raw rasp and her cab-driving protector, Stephen, with the laid-back ease of a lower register. (The only voice that seems off is Dorothea's father, who sounds like a robotic Hannibal Lechter.) Tucker's tale is a twisty one filled with surprising revelations and multiple emotional payoffs, and Bean maneuvers the terrain with ease. Simultaneous release with the Atria hardcover (Reviews, Nov. 28). (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
In what may well be her breakout book, after Shout Down the Moon (2004), the gifted Tucker tells a compelling love story with uncommon empathy and grace. Stephen Spaulding loses his family in a freak accident and with them any hope that his actions can make a difference. He gives up his medical practice and begins driving a cab. That's how he meets 23-year-old Dorothea, who seems to be dressed like a throwback to the 1950s, complete with saddle shoes. She's looking for her brother, who has run away from their New Mexico ranch. Stephen helps Dorothea track down the brother and, at the same time, learn why her father fled Hollywood, changing his children's names and keeping them completely isolated from the outside world. The plotline of the Hollywood story is, appropriately enough, over the top, but that detracts from the genuinely moving love story that develops between the wounded Stephen and the heartbreakingly naive Dorothea. Here's hoping the talented Tucker will rein in the melodrama the next time out. --Joanne Wilkinson Copyright 2006 Booklist
Library Journal Review
A sheltered, innocent young woman, a kind cab driver, and a former film star are the narrators of Tucker's (The Song Reader) ambitious third novel. The plot involves one Charles O'Brien, a single parent who has raised his children in the "Sanctuary," a desolate New Mexico location devoid of television, computer, radio, or newspapers. When Charles becomes seriously ill, his 23-year-old daughter, Dorothea, must travel to St. Louis to locate her missing older brother and, she hopes, convince him to return home. Her brother, meanwhile, plagued by lifelong violent nightmares, feels compelled to locate their mother's family. Dorothea's odyssey is at the heart of this challenging, compelling, and poignant novel, which is grounded by popular culture details from the Seventies and present day. Readers will find this captivating, fish-out-of-water fairy tale and mystery-suspense-romance difficult to put down. Intriguing themes, including fate and coincidence, love and loss, and tragedy and forgiveness, combine with an unusual, compassionate cast of characters to make this is a good choice for public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 1/06.]-Andrea Tarr, Corona P.L., CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
