Now You Know: A Novel [Hardcover]

Susan Kelly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2007

"Susan Kelly has a quiet dignity and honesty."-Atlanta Journal-Constitution

College roommates in 1947, Frances and Libba forge an unlikely friendship that only ends with Frances' lingering death. As secrets and betrayals begin to emerge, Frances' three children strive to resolve their resentment toward their mother's best friend.

A poignant, stylish novel about the darker side of Southern mores, by the acclaimed Susan Kelly.

Susan Kelly is the author of the novels The Last of Something; Even Now, and How Close We Come, winner of the Carolina Novel Award and an alternate selection of the Book of the Month Club. She lives in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Susan Kelly has a quiet dignity and honesty. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Susan Kelly graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds an MFA from Warren Wilson College. She is the author of the novels The Last of Something, Even Now, and How Close We Come, winner of the Carolina Novel Award and an alternate selection of Book-of-the-Month Club. Susan lives in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Pegasus Books (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933648619
• ISBN-13: 978-1933648613
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,128,852 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 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Treasure of a Read, February 7, 2008

By 

Joan L. Cannon "JLC" (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Now You Know: A Novel (Hardcover)

This story left me both exhilarated and downcast. The first from the incredible storytelling and the characters, the second because I realize how little I know. No one I've read has managed to see feminine relationships with the kind of penetrating sympathy that Susan Kelly does. Nevertheless, they engaged me instantly. I had to know how Frances and Libba could possibly become friends. The dialogue is beyond expert because it is so consistently touching.

For the suburban settings I had to use my imagination along with what I've seen since we've lived here in a small southern city. In the Creek Cabin settings, I could see every detail and savor every scent. What was better than all that was the intricate rhythms of the relationships. Not to belabor the point--I loved the book. Of Kelly's three novels,I now place this first in my affections.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enduring Friendship, June 1, 2010

By 

M. N. Taylor - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Now You Know (Paperback)

It is unusual for a friendship to last a life time on a close basis. Susan Kelly

is really descriptive of not only people, but of locations. It was a very readable

book, that I didn't want to put down.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book!, April 2, 2009

By 

Susan Bischer (Kernersville, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Now You Know (Paperback)

I just finished this book and can't say enough good things about it. Susan Kelly is an awesome writer, and this story has so many interesting characters and such a great plot that I really couldn't put it down once I started it. I plan to get copies for my two sisters. I can't wait to start The Last of Something.