The Birth of a Grandfather: A Novel (Norton Paperback) [Paperback]

May Sarton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 17, 1989 | Series: Norton Paperback

Grandfathers are generally produced by the birth of grandchildren. But Sprig Wyeth needed more than the arrival of his first grandchild to welcome that role.

This is the story of the Wyeth family, set in Cambridge, Massachusetts (and in the summer, Maine): the very old, who are looking back; Sprig and his wife Frances, who are finding their way in the midst of youthful hopes that refuse to fade away; and the young, embarking on adulthood, sometimes with anger. As Sprig struggles to reach past his reserve so that he can be there for his wife and children, and for a friend who needs him, the other characters likewise find their way to what self-fulfillment means.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A serious novel of family relationships, particularly about the shifts and changes that occur in families in the middle years. . . . All of the Wyeths and their friends move and talk in that atmosphere of breadth and clarity which Sarton has made her own. (San Francisco Chronicle )

Shrewd and compassionate assessments. . . . Very good indeed. (Christian Science Monitor )

About the Author

May Sarton (1912-1995) was an acclaimed poet, novelist, and memoirist.

Product Details

• Paperback: 277 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (June 17, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393305910
• ISBN-13: 978-0393305913
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,414,530 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

May Sarton is the pen name of Eleanore Marie Sarton (May 3, 1912 - July 16, 1995), an American poet, novelist, and memoirist. Her parents were science historian George Sarton and his wife, the English artist Mabel Eleanor Elwes. In 1915, her family moved to Boston, Massachusetts. She went to school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and started theatre lessons in her late teens. In 1945 she met her partner for the next thirteen years, Judy Matlack, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They separated in 1956, when Sarton's father died and Sarton moved to Nelson, New Hampshire. Honey in the Hive (1988) is about their relationship. Sarton later moved to York, Maine. She died of breast cancer on July 16, 1995. She is buried in Nelson, New Hampshire.