Queen of the Mist [Hardcover]

Joan Murray (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1999

The Forgotten Heroine of Niagara

This novel-in-verse tells the fascinating story of Annie Taylor, who, in 1901, became the first person to plunge over the brink of Niagara Falls in a barrel. But as Joan Murray reveals, America didn't know what to do with a mature and self-possessed heroine: Annie Taylor, as an "older woman," was rejected and exploited and finally eclipsed by the man who repeated her stunt ten years later.

"A portrait of a woman so achingly intimate it will linger long in your memory."
-Joyce Carol Oates

Editorial Reviews

Review

A portrait of a woman so achingly intimate it will linger long in your memory. —Joyce Carol Oates

"[A] superb book-length poem, Queen of the Mist tells a story about the quest for fame, the cruelties of discrimination and the vagaries of the American dream. . . . [A]n eminently readable, rhythmic narrative that crackles with candor and wry sagacity. I read this in one sitting." —Jan Worth, Detroit Free Press

"Joan Murray's engrossing account of Annie Taylor—the teacher who in 1901, at the age of 63, was the first person to shoot the falls—is just as imaginative as the quest narratives of poetic tradition." —Robert Taylor, The Boston Globe

"Testament to the surprise and beauty that poetry can still be. . . . Murray [has] an admirable dedication to the epic drama, the rhythms, the sounds of poetry. . . . [B]ut what is truly striking is the way she has transformed the forgotten figure of Annie Taylor into an augur of the age to come." —Justin Coffin, Philadelphia Inquirer

"Establish[es] Murray as a major feminist voice working in a dramatic mode. . . . Taylor's preparations, her inner motivations and the plunge itself are all movingly rendered." —Publishers Weekly

"[A] quintessentially American epic. . . . In form, structure, language, narrative, it is wonderful." —Gerald Stern, National Book Award winner --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Joan Murray is a National Poetry Series Winner, Poet-in-Residence at the New York State Writers Institute at the University at Albany, author of three prize-winning books of poetry: Queen of the Mist, Looking for the Parade, and The Same Water, editor of Poems to Live By in Uncertain Times, and general editor of the forthcoming Best of Pushcart Poetry.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press; 1st ed edition (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807068527
• ISBN-13: 978-0807068526
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,193,168 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading, December 6, 1999

By 

kazim ali (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Queen of the Mist (Hardcover)

Joan Murray deconstructs the boundary between poetry and science, biography, tourism, history, womens' studies. I am a college instructor and plan on using Murray's book of poems in an essay-writing course next year. She has written a stunning, subtle, believable book and has created a new genre.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars compelling! murray choreographs language exquisitely!, July 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Queen of the Mist (Hardcover)

i read murray's poetic and lively journey of annie taylor in one sitting. it was breathtaking, honest and all too real. Taylor was centuries ahead of her time. Her major flaw was that she believed that her feat would transcend gender. Murray's book should be taught in every grammar school so that children of all genders can exerience the world of realizing one's imaginative and so daringly creative forces. RUN OUT AND GET THIS BOOK! I GUARANTEE YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN UNTIL THE LAST GASPING PAGE!

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing journey., October 30, 2011

By 

Bill Crouch (New York City) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Queen of the Mist (Hardcover)

One of the most brilliant and precise works of art I've ever read. If you love the history of NIagara Falls, or have a penchant for women's struggles at the turn of the century then this is the epic poem for you.