The Swan House (The Swan House Series #1) [Paperback]

Elizabeth Musser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2001

Mary Swan Middleton has always taken for granted the advantages of her family's wealth. But a tragedy that touches all
of Atlanta sends her reeling in grief. When the family maid challenges her to reach out to the less fortunate as a way to ease her own pain, Mary Swan meets Carl--and everything changes. For although Carl is her opposite in nearly every way, he has something her privileged life could not give her. And when she seeks his help to uncover a mystery, she learns far more than she ever could have imagined.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This beautiful story of a young girl coming of age in the midst of racial turmoil and personal tragedy in 1960s Atlanta convincingly describes how religious faith satisfies the girl's deepest longings. Sixteen-year-old Mary Swan Middleton is white, wealthy and privileged "We are, of course, another fine Atlanta family," she says sarcastically. As the novel opens, her artistic and depressed mother has just been killed in an air crash in Paris, leaving a slew of secrets behind. As Mary Swan unlocks the past, she wrestles with her grief over her mother's death and the direction of her own life. But "the Lawd don't neva' waste our pain," says her wise African-American maid, Ella Mae. When Mary Swan begins volunteering with the poor, she falls in love with a handsome black teen, Carl. As she works through her confusion about her feelings for him and her despair over her mother, she finds her true calling as a painter and reformulates her preconceived ideas about race and faith. This creative novel is highly descriptive but not overdone, brimming with touches of humor, factual Atlanta settings, historical incidents and well-developed characters. Some tightening of overlong passages would have accelerated the pace, and the novel would stand on its own more effectively without the introduction and the epilogue, which mostly function as advertisements for a sequel. But these are minor glitches in a book that stands out in recent Christian fiction for its excellent writing and overall quality.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-A complex coming-of-age novel set in Atlanta in 1962. Daughter of a wealthy stockbroker, Mary Swan Middleton finds that her easy life is turned upside down by her mother's death. So that she can do something constructive in her grief, her African-American maid gets her to help at her church providing meals for the poor. Making new friends there, she resents racial prejudices and stereotypes that she sees in her old "friends." Mary Swan finds more meaning and truly accepts Christ at this new church. Before her mother's death she had also accepted a traditional challenge posed by seniors in her private school that involved delving into the woman's past. The author ties the plot strands together and builds to a moving climax and a rosy future. The use of the first person immediately draws readers into the life of the 16-year-old. This is an excellent look at the racial conditions of the time and includes realistic dialect. The novel might be used to motivate students to volunteer as it shows how the influence of just one person can spread.
Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers; Reprinted edition (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764225081
• ISBN-13: 978-0764225086
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.1 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elizabeth Musser, a native of Atlanta, Georgia now living in France, is a novelist who writes what she calls 'entertainment with a soul.' Elizabeth attended The Westminster Schools in Atlanta and Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee where she majored in French and English literature, graduated magna cum laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa honor society.

Her novels have been acclaimed in the United States and in Europe. The Swan House (Bethany House, c2001), set in Atlanta in the early sixties, was named as one of Amazon's Top Christian Books of the Year (2001), was an ABA and SEBA bestseller and was recently named one of Georgia's Top Ten Novels of the past 100 years, right behind Gone with the Wind (from Georgia Backroads, Autumn, 2009). The Secrets of the Cross trilogy (David C Cook, 2012), which takes place during Algeria's War for Independence from France and also in present day Algeria and France, (Two Crosses, Two Testaments, Two Destinies) has been a bestseller in Europe. Two Destinies was recently nominated for the Christy Award, for excellence in Christian fiction. Elizabeth's other novels The Dwelling Place, (Bethany House, c2005), Searching for Eternity (Bethany House, c2007), Words Unspoken (Bethany House, c2009), and The Sweetest Thing (Bethany House, 2011) all set in the South in the 1930s-1980s, continue to examine themes of brokenness and healing, faith and forgiveness, surrender and sacrifice.

Elizabeth's books have been translated into German, French, Dutch and Norwegian.

From an interview with Publisher's Weekly, "Elizabeth Musser likes to say she has two part-time jobs. Not only is she an award-winning novelist, but she and her husband serve as missionaries at a small Protestant church in Lyon, France. In both lines of work, she avoids preaching and simplistic answers, choosing instead to portray a God who cares in the midst of life's complexity..."

Elizabeth adds, "My desire is to offer the best literature I can write, drawing the reader into a story that is compelling, believable and sprinkled with historical detail. I seek to give a realistic picture of what faith lived out in this world looks like, and, as always, I hope that my stories can be appreciated by all audiences, not just those readers who hold my same religious beliefs. It is a delight to receive confirmation of this through reader letters."

For over 25 years, Elizabeth and her husband, Paul, have been involved in mission work with International Teams. They presently live in Lyon, France. The Mussers have two sons, a daughter-in-law, and the cutest grandson in the world, of course.

To learn more about Elizabeth and her books, please visit her website at www.elizabethmusser.com and her Facebook Fan Page

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Swan House--WONDERFUL BOOK!!!! September 19, 2001

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Elizabeth Musser captures the spirit of Atlanta in the 1960s in an incredible manner, from the traditional language of the Varsity (one of our best-known fast food resturants) to the Georgia Tech vs. University of Georgia football game. The characters were believable, with believable faults and talents. Everybody in the book was startlingly real. The plot was well developed, and it kept me guessing until the last few pages. I was caught up into the story very quickly. Musser's writing style is exceptional. The story flows well and is an easy read. Musser talks about buildings and places in Atlanta and the surrounding areas that still exist, making the story even more real. The main character is a 16-year-old girl, who is dealing with the loss of a parent, racism against her friends, and a kind lady named Miss Alice who has something special in her heart. I think this book is absolutely wonderful and should be read by anyone who has even heard about Atlanta. I wish Amazon.com gave me the option for more stars! "The Swan House" deserves many more than 5!

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars great read! April 21, 2002

By C.B.

Format:Paperback

This was a great read! I grew up in Atlanta during the '60's in the same area of Atlanta as the character in the book, as well as the area the author lived.(I attended the "other" private school just down the road she mentions in the story!)Elizabeth writes from a point of view one could only do having been there or knowing someone who had. I kept feeling I was experiencing "deja vu" with every page I turned.When I read about Mary Swan going to the High Museum and seeing the J.J.Haverty Collection it was too much! I too went as a young girl and viewed the same collection with my mother, who was also an artist--"Mr. J.J." was my great grandfather!If anyone wants to know what Atlanta was like back then, this is a great and very enjoyable resource of historical fiction. An interesting side note - The author writes that she is married to a protestant minister and has two sons named Andrew and Christopher. Same here!"Deja vu" again!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Atlanta of the 1960's revisited August 6, 2001

By jere goldsmith

Format:Paperback

For native Atlantans,The Swan House brings back many memories both tragic and nostalgic.But this excellent historical fiction novel will capture the imagination of readers from all over the globe!It is a story that starts with a tragic plane crash in Paris in 1962,how a 16 year girl deals with loosing a parent and her coming of age and becoming aware of the great differences between rich and poor and black and white in this era of segregation in the South.A powerful story!