"Here, I thought, was one of the most melodramatic and gorgeous bits of Americana that had ever come my way. It was not only the theater -- it was the theater plus the glamour of the wandering drifting life, the drama of the river towns, the mystery and terror of the Mississippi itself... I spent a year hunting down every available scrap of show-boat material; reading, interviewing, taking notes and making outlines." Inspired by an offhand comment made by Winthrop Ames during the opening night of Minick , Edna Ferber ...
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"Here, I thought, was one of the most melodramatic and gorgeous bits of Americana that had ever come my way. It was not only the theater -- it was the theater plus the glamour of the wandering drifting life, the drama of the river towns, the mystery and terror of the Mississippi itself... I spent a year hunting down every available scrap of show-boat material; reading, interviewing, taking notes and making outlines." Inspired by an offhand comment made by Winthrop Ames during the opening night of Minick , Edna Ferber became enamored with the idea of show boats and the magic of the lives of traveling performers. Crafting a story of love and racial prejudice amid the changing times, Ferber's 1926 Pulitzer Prize winning novel Show Boat follows three generations of performers aboard the Cotton Blossom . Set in the aftermath of the American Civil War, Show Boat sees Captain Andy Hawks, his wife Parthy Ann and his daughter, Magnolia, buying the new show boat Cotton Blossom and setting down the Mississippi River with their small cast: Julie, Steve, Ellie and "Schultzy." Despite being married to Steve, Julie is relentlessly pursued by a crewmember named Pete who ends up losing to a fight with Steve who demands he cease his unwanted advances. Threatening to expose a dark secret about their marriage, he sends the Cotton Blossom into a cycle of tragedy that will stick for generations to come. Professionally typeset with a beautifully designed cover, this edition of Show Boat is an award-winning classic reimagined for the modern reader. Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book. With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
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Fine. Sewn binding. Paper over boards. 256 p. Mint Editions (Jewish Writers: Stories, History and Traditions). In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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New. Sewn binding. Paper over boards. 256 p. Mint Editions (Jewish Writers: Stories, History and Traditions). In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine. Sewn binding. Paper over boards. 256 p. Mint Editions (Jewish Writers: Stories, History and Traditions). In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Sewn binding. Paper over boards. 256 p. Mint Editions (Jewish Writers: Stories, History and Traditions). In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Parthy Ann Hawkes should be one of the most beloved characters in all of American literature -- alongside Jay Gatsby, Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Miss Lonelyhearts, and Atticus Finch. She is at once a sartorial Presbyterian wife and mother and a school marm caricature, but that is okay, because she was a school marm and Ferber does not fail to make her eternally endearing as she constantly nags her husband and her daughter. I will return to this book again and again. Ferber successfully creates a setting and mood that feels genuine and plucked right out of history, although it may be slightly romanticized, as a theater troupe sails up and down the Mississippi bringing the best of bad American theater to the American people of the soil.
It reminded me on occasion of Theodore Dreiser's "Sister Carrie," but only because the second half of the book is set in Chicago and it involves a couple's financial struggles: one a gambler, the other an actor. The similarities, pretty much, end there.
It's too bad that the musical version has become more popular, even though it has given American some wonderful music. Two things I wish had been included in the book: 1) more about Jo and Queenie (they disappear halfway through the story), 2) I wish Ferber had actually spent time on Parthy's arrival in Chicago to witness her daughter's situation (she skipped over it and returned to it briefly in one or two paragraphs). Other than that, I throughly enjoyed this book and will certainly return to it again in future.
