Paper Wings [Paperback]

Marly Swick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 21, 1997

Everyone in Suzanne's family acknowledges her mothers instability, yet no one has any idea why she suffers these bouts of depression. They simply accept them as fact and enjoy the moments when she emerges from them, buoyant and energetic. With Kennedy's election, presidency and assassination as background, Suzanne tells the story of the dissolution, and ultimate redemption, of her family. Sure to appeal to readers of Barbara Kingsolver, Alice Hoffman and Mona Simpson, Paper Wings is a subtle and moving novel about a mother and daughter who struggle, hope, and learn from each other how to emerge from shadows of tragedy.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Paper Wings, the first novel by Marly Swick, balances on the fulcrum of one of America's key turning points. The time is the autumn of 1963. Suzanne Keller, a 12-year-old, resides in a brand new suburban tract filled with young families whose lives seem to stretch before them with endless hope and possibility. But all that comes to an end with the crack of Lee Harvey Oswald's rifle--the assassination of J.F.K. changes everything. As the country drifts towards the Vietnam War, Suzanne's parents begin to drift apart, her mother finding refuge behind a pair of dark glasses, while her father seeks solace in an extramarital affair. Swick, the author of three collections of short stories, including the award-winning A Hole in the Language, turns her sharp eye to that moment in history when it seemed that everything changed, forever. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Iowa Prize for short fiction.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (May 21, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060928379
• ISBN-13: 978-0060928377
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,330,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You may have read this sort of thing before, but..., August 10, 2001

By 

Media Vixen "mediavixen" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paper Wings (Paperback)

Paper Wings manages to maintain a unique, sweet, clear voice and vision. Another "fictional memoir" about being a child during the Kennedy assassination? "Oh, spare me!", right? Swick's book has an excellent, easy flow, and, although it's not a "can't put it down" book, you certainly don't want to put it down. Worth ordering though it seems to be currently out of print.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An unforgettably moving book, September 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Paper Wings (Hardcover)

For anyone who grew up with a mentally unstable or an unhappy mother and remembers November 23, 1963, this book is a must. It has been at least ten years since I have read a book from cover to cover in one sitting. The writing is superb with such clear imagery that I often thought, "That's exactly how one feels!" The author is an artist. Her writing flows without pompousness, pretension, or contrivance of plot.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a nice book, June 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Paper Wings (Hardcover)

I liked this book; it's a fairly typical baby boomer coming-of-age book with all the stock middle America characters, but it was well done and had a few interesting twists. The anachronisms got to me, though. (A *used* Mustang in 1963, when the first Mustang didn't come out until 1964?) This felt like a 1990's view of the early 1960's, and for that reason it didn't ring true.