Showing results by author "Edna Ferber" in All Categories

The basis for the classic film starring James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, and Rock Hudson, Giant is Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edna Ferber's sweeping generational tale of power, love, cattle barons, and oil tycoons, set in Texas during the first half of the twentieth century. When...

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.

Selina sees beauty everywhere, including in the fields of cabbages. She has a natural curiosity about farming and oversteps the woman's traditional role by having the audacity to ask the men questions. She soon marries Pervus DeJong, a farmer. Selina eagerly offers suggestions for operational improvements, but Pervus ignores her, preferring to use the unprofitable farming methods employed by his father.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize "A masterpiece." — Literary Review "A novel to read and to remember." —New York Times Widely regarded as the masterwork of celebrated author and Algonquin Round Table mainstay Edna Ferber—who also penned other classics including Show Boat, Giant, Ice Palace...

The basis for the classic film starring Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman, Saratoga Trunk is Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edna Ferber's enthralling saga of love, greed, and power set in New Orleans and Saratoga during the late nineteenth century. Saratoga Trunk unfolds the story of Clio Dulaine...

After losing her father and her husband, Selina Peake is left to raise her only son on the farm that was left to her. Dirk Peake, a tenacious boy who grows up to be a successful bond salesman, must come to terms with his own regrets later in life after he decides not to pursue architecture, a passion that both he and his mother shared.

In this continuation of Pulitzer Prize-winner Edna Ferber's series set at the turn of the 20th century, the magnetic divorcée Emma McChesney faces a new set of challenges. In partnership with T.A. Buck Jr., Emma struggles to keep the T.A. Buck Featherloom Petticoat Company relevant, while her charismatic 21-year-old son takes the NY advertising world by storm. Jock's insistence that his business-savvy mother's methods are outdated leads to a crisis of confidence for Emma. But Jock's charm and ability to "sell ice to an Eskimo" land him in trouble.

In this early novel by Edna Ferber, a successful, charming businesswoman watches and encourages her handsome son as he faces the challenges and pressures of the advertising world.

The Girls is the story of three spinsters living in Chicago—an aunt, her niece, and her niece’s niece. The aunt has memories of the Civil War, and all three women have adjusted to the outbreak of the First World War. Generational changes, particularly in regard to romantic attachments, are a central feature of the book, which is also a fascinating portrait of the Chicago lifestyle of the time. The emerging political and social power of women is also a significant feature of the story.

One of Edna Ferber’s most important early novels. Meet Fanny Brandeis—sturdy, alert, and endlessly determined. Edna Ferber’s Fanny Herself (1917) follows a Jewish-American woman in a small Wisconsin town who dares to dream beyond her circumstances. With wit, grit, and piercing brown eyes that see the world too clearly, Fanny struggles to balance duty, ambition, and her own individuality in a society that resists women’s independence.

First published in 1926, Show Boat weaves the rich tapestry of the Hawks-Ravenal family across three generations and the enchanting Cotton Blossom Floating Palace Theatre as it journeys along the Mississippi River and beyond. Spanning the Reconstruction Era of the 1880s to the vibrant Gilded Age and Roaring Twenties, this timeless tale has captivated audiences through its adaptation into a Broadway musical in 1927 and various film versions, including both a silent film and a partial talkie in 1929. Please note, the narrative contains themes of race, particularly anti-Black stereotypes and ...

Pulitzer Prize-winner Edna Ferber created three wildly successful books featuring the business adventures of a dynamic, divorced single mother at the turn of the century. The first book in this classic series introduces listeners to the engaging, beautiful, and quick-talking Emma McChesney, traveling saleswoman for the T.A. Buck Featherloom Petticoat Company. Emma's 10 years on the road have taught her that living the Philosophy of Roast Beef, Medium allows her to avoid "moral pepsin" while meeting the challenges required to win in a man's world.

A beautifully crafted collection of eight short stories by Edna Ferber: In Gigolo, Edna Ferber delves into the minds of eight diverse characters from all walks and stages of life.

There is invariably something to laugh or cry about and a lot to think about in these short stories by Edna Ferber.

The story revolves around Fanny Brandeis, starting with her childhood in Winnebago, WI, where her parents run a shop. After Fanny's father dies, her mother Molly must make extremely difficult choices about Fanny's and her brother Theodore's educations. These choices set the course for the entire family throughout their lives. Rather than rely on dialogue to advance the plot, noted American author Edna Ferber is an exceptional storyteller who delights the listener with narrative. Fanny must decide whether to pursue wealth or follow her creative dreams.

So Big is author Edna Ferber's breakout, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of life on an American farm, which features the hardscrabble schoolteacher-turned-truck-farmer Selina Peake DeJong, one of the most iconic characters in 20th century fiction.

Presented here is Volume III of our Feminist Literary Classics series, featuring three of the most important feminist novels ever written: Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf, O Pioneers! by Willa Cather and So Big by Edna Ferber. The first book in this collection is Orlando: A Biography, a groundbreaking English novel by Virginia Woolf that explores English history, gender roles and sexual politics in a way few books have before or since.

Dive into the poignant story of Selina DeJong and her son, affectionately known as So Big. Following the tragic loss of her husband, Selina bravely takes on the challenge of raising So Big alone while also managing the family farm in rural Illinois. As So Big matures, he ventures into the bustling streets of 1920s Chicago, enticed by the allure of the high-stakes stock-broker lifestyle. Torn between his desire for wealth and the traditional values instilled by his mother—and the expectations of his love interest, an aspiring artist—So Big grapples with the conflict between ambition and ...

"One Basket" is a collection of numerous short stories by author Edna Ferber, published in 1947. All of them share the author's wonderful way with prose and tone, and most of them are about very ordinary men and women, living their daily lives... Especially the women, their hopes, fears, strength and weakness are brought to loving life by the author!

Although the story is over 100 years old, it offers an important truth that is still relevant to the modern listener. Rather than rely on dialogue to advance the plot, noted American Edna Ferber is an exceptional storyteller who delights and entertains the listener with narrative. Her stories featuring strong heroines are as fresh and original today as when they were written.