Family & Friendship - Fiction, Love & Relationships - Fiction, Historical Fiction

1919: A Kansas Tale

Name: 1919: A Kansas Tale
Author: Hourihan, Dorothy Dierks
ISBN: 9780533163113

by Hourihan, Dorothy Dierks

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Overview

In Dorothy Dierks Hourihan's 1919—A Kansas Tale, the reader is presented with a convincing picture of life in a small town in Kansas in the years following World War I. The main character, Nan Heath, starts the story by watching the bodies of her parents and sister being removed from their burnt-out home. Nan's progress from these bitter depths is the main current of the book. Her relationship with Ned and their eventual marriage is a classic love story full of awakening and triumphs.

Synopsis

In Dorothy Dierks Hourihan's1919--A Kansas Tale, the reader is presented with a convincing picture of life in a small town in Kansas in the years following World War I. The main character, Nan Heath, starts the story by watching the bodies of her parents and sister being removed from their burnt-out home. Nan's progress from these bitter depths is the main current of the book. Her relationship with Ned and their eventual marriage is a classic love story full of awakening and triumphs.

About the Author, Hourihan, Dorothy Dierks

Dorothy Dierks Hourihan was born in Georgia. She received her B.F.A from the University of Colorado, and her M.A. and Doctor of Education degree at Columbia. She is a former Dean of Arts and Science, professor of fine arts, and a painter with eight solo exhibitions. When not pursuing her twin interests in writing and painting, the author, who lives in New Jersey, enjoys playing golf and travelling.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

A family endures and flourishes in Hourihan's poignant, if all too brief, fictional portrait of Flat Rock Kansas, circa 1919. When teenager Nan Heath is out with boyfriend Ned Cane, her entire family (mother Bess, father and Mormon preacher Tom, and little sister Katie) dies in a house fire. Maiden aunt Ella Quinn refuses to take Nan in, but pays for the funerals and eventually establishes a closer bond with her orphaned niece. Ella also pays for Nan's wedding dress when she marries faithful Ned. The young couple embark on a life together, replete with challenges and rewards, and eventually Ella surprises them with the revelation of a family secret and a bequest. Hourihan tells Nan's story with insightful period observations and flashbacks about Nan's grandparents and Ned's parents. Like a sepia-toned photograph of a long-lost family member, Hourihan's sweet testament to family is a treasure.