The Language of Light: A Novel [Hardcover]

Meg Waite Clayton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2003

FINALIST FOR THE BELLWETHER PRIZE

Nelly Grace is starting over. With her two young sons, Nelly has fled to the simple stone house built by her great-grandfather in the moneyed horse country of Maryland in order to escape the grief of her husband’s death—and perhaps find a way back to her first love: photography. Easing her transition into this strange, mannered world is Emma Crofton, the grand matriarch of the foxhunting community, and Emma’s son, Dac, a handsome yet distant horse trainer. As Nelly slowly makes her way back to the camera, she must come to terms with her troubled relationship with her father, a photojournalist who chose fame over family. But when she finally sees him again, Nelly’s fragile new beginning is threatened by revelations of a secret past, and the fears that kept it hidden.

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--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An engaging and compassionate portrait of an artist learning to embrace the full potential of her power. Meg Waite Clayton writes with a photographer's precision, clarity and care."
- A. Manette Ansay, the author of Midnight Champagne and Limbo

About the Author

Meg Waite Clayton lived for several years on a horse farm in northern Maryland. She now lives in Palo Alto and Santa Barbara with her husband and two young sons. She is a University of Michigan Law School graduate, and her stories have appeared in The Virginia Quarterly Review, The Literary Review, and elsewhere. The Language of Light, a finalist for the 2002 Bellwether Prize, is her first novel.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312318014
• ISBN-13: 978-0312318017
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #860,823 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Meg Waite Clayton is the nationally bestselling author of THE FOUR MS. BRADWELLS, THE WEDNESDAY SISTERS, and THE LANGUAGE OF LIGHT, which was a Bellwether Prize finalist. She hosts the blog, 1st Books: Stories of How Writers Get Started, which features award-winning and bestselling authors sharing stories about their paths to writing and publishing, and also blogs on the Huffington Post. Her short stories and essays have been read on public radio and have appeared in commercial and literary print and online magazines. She's a graduate of the University of Michigan and Michigan Law School, and lives with her family in Palo Alto, California. Visit her on the web at www.megwaiteclayton.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As subtle as its title, November 7, 2003

By 

Deborah Grabien (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Language of Light: A Novel (Hardcover)

I went into this one thinking I would like it, and came out the other end in a state that closely resembled purring. It has a light, lovely feel to it, with a sense of things that matter, delicately drawn.

Written with a sure hand, both language and milieu.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling, comfortable, mastery of writing, April 21, 2008

By 

Bay area (Milpitas, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Language of Light (Hardcover)

I read this book when it first came out, and recently found myself picking it up again. I can not say enough wonderful comments about this reading experience. The writing style has you believeing you are sitting there, experiencing life as in the writing, experiencing the rain drops on the windshield, compelling and really did not want the story to end. This is a MUST read.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Woman's Journey to Artistic Expression, November 30, 2003

By 

Leslie Lytle (Winchester, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Language of Light: A Novel (Hardcover)

The Language of Light takes us into the world of a widowed mother and aspiring photojournalist in her struggle to answer the disparate callings of parenthood, love, and devotion to her art. Nelly Grace's relationship with her deceased husband haunts her. She loved him deeply, but he seemed to dismiss her photography as merely a hobby. Nelly wrestles with guilt over her passion to pursue her creative impetus. Her children need her. If she follows the calling of the photographer's voice within her, will she follow in the footsteps of her too often absent father? What would allowing herself to become involved with the charming and enigmatic Dac Crofton mean to her art and her life? The Language of Light frames the universal question of self-expression in a tender and compelling narrative about one woman's journey. Finally, it is to herself-a self she is only beginning to know-that Nelly is true.