Even Now [Hardcover]

Susan S. Kelly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 30, 2001

Hannah Marsh has it all. But no matter how good things are, she cant shake a nagging feeling that all is not right. And then comes the call from her sister Ceel. At Ceels instigation, Hannahs husband accepts a teaching position at a private school in Asheville. It is a move that reintroduces Hannah to Daintry OConner, her best friend from childhood, her nemesis as an adult. Seeing Daintry reopens old wounds, forcing Hannah to revisit the past and try to make sense of what went wrong with their friendship.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Skillfully pinpointing the circumstances that tempt Hannah Marsh into an affair with her childhood friend's husband, Kelly (How Close We Come) showcases her perceptive understanding of the delicate fabric of human relationships. Hannah and her husband, Hal, have recently moved to the small town of Rural Ridge, N. C., to give their two children a taste of country life. Hal has taken a teaching position at a private school and Hannah is looking forward to concentrating on her gardening; their marriage is settled and comfortable. Imagine Hannah's surprise when she meets Peter Whicker, an attractive man who turns out not only to be the town's newest member of the clergy, but also the spouse of her childhood best friend and current nemesis, Daintry O'Connor. As Hannah looks into her past, reflecting on her friendship with Daintry, Kelly adroitly moves the narrative forward, sizing each woman up against her younger self. The fascinating transformation of Daintry from a youthful, bold instigator and confidant to a sophisticated charmer with scathing wit and a sarcastic bent underscores the complexity of their friendship. As the attraction between Peter and Hannah blossoms, it becomes plain that the enviable qualities of a long-standing marriage reliability, comfort, mutual understanding and trust may undermine it as well. In determining the course of her future, Hannah is forced to examine her past with Daintry and the impact their long and complicated relationship continues to have on her life. By examining the push/pull of friendship and the intricacies of family, this rather simple tale acquires additional layers of meaning and relevance.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Kelly's wistful tale revolves around the fact that friendships formed in childhood, that impressionable time, although not destined to last a lifetime, remain among the most influential of our lives. They have the power to shape our self-perception, and they become the bellwether for all future relationships. As children, Hannah and Daintry pledged to be "BFF," "Best Friends Forever," yet they drift apart as young adults. Years later, their reunion is less joyful than Hannah would have predicted, and she is dismayed to discover that the girl who was once her closest companion has become a woman who no longer shares her idealistic view of their youth. As each woman recalls significant past events from diametrically opposed perspectives, Hannah's fragile self-esteem erodes, threatening to jeopardize her family. Hurt and confused, she finds solace in a surprising new friendship with Peter, the parish minister, who also happens to be Daintry's husband. Although Hannah's motives may be ulterior, and Peter's secular, their affinity helps Hannah redefine her illusory childhood friendship and reexamine present relationships. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books; 1ST edition (July 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446527629
• ISBN-13: 978-0446527620
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,442,597 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan Stafford Kelly was raised in Rutherfordton, North Carolina. She attended St. Catherine's School, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and earned her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Warren Wilson College. She has been a fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and taught Creative Writing for the North Carolina Writers Network, at UNC-Greensboro, Salem College, and the summer program at Woodberry Forest School. Susan's novel HOW CLOSE WE COME won the Carolina Novel Award in 1997 and was reissued nationally in 1998 by Warner Books. German and Russian rights were sold and the book was an Alternate Selection in the Book-of-the-Month Club. Her second novel, EVEN NOW, followed in July of 2001. THE LAST OF SOMETHING was published by Pegasus Books in 2006, followed by NOW YOU KNOW in 2008. Her newest and 5th novel, BY ACCIDENT is forthcoming from Pegasus Books in April 2010. Susan is a member of the North Carolina Writers Conference. She and her husband Sterling live in Greensboro, NC and have three children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Credible Intriguing Characters, September 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Even Now (Hardcover)

The women in Kelly's Even Now are compelling in their complexity. The forgiving and virtuous Hannah who nontheless falls in love with her old friend's husband. The haughty self-possessed Daintry who, in the end, has the most to lose. I found these women believable, the prose precise and beautifully rendered, and the book an overall joy to read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book!, September 5, 2001

By 

A Colorado reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Even Now (Hardcover)

With astute attention to the details of character, setting and daily life, Susan Kelly illuminates the ordinary. Pondering love, memory, faith,and responsiblity, Kelly transforms the everyday into the quintessential. This is a beautifully rendered story.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars intriguing look at the memories of a childhood friendship, July 8, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Even Now (Hardcover)

When he accepted the teaching position at a private school, former businessman Hal Marsh and his wife Hannah sell their Durham home. They relocate with their two children to Rural Ridge, North Carolina so he can work in nearby Asheville. At a neighborhood gathering, Hannah meets her childhood friend and heroine Daintry O'Connor, a banker married to an Episcopalian priest. Years ago, Daintry and Hannah had a falling out that destroyed their forever friendship. Daintry cops a rude cold attitude while Hannah at first is a bit more enthusiastic about seeing her old buddy.

Still, in spite of Daintry's nasty aloofness, the move seems perfect for the seventeen years married couple and their son and daughter. Everything changes when Hannah meets Daintry's husband, Peter Whicker. Hannah and Peter are attracted to one another and plan on having an affair. However, Hannah has doubts, not because of the moral issue of spousal fidelity, but because of the memory of what she once had with Daintry.

EVEN NOW is an juxtaposed against adult realities. The story line moves with purpose slowly forward allowing the audience the opportunity to see into the souls of the key characters with an emphasis on the confused Hannah. Readers who enjoy a pleasant look at two women sharing a past, a present, and a questionable future will find Susan S. Kelly's tale a warm reading experience.