Twilight Child [Hardcover]

Warren Adler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2001

When Charlie and Molly's son dies in an accident, their daughter-in-law remarries quickly and is vaulted into a new world of money and privilege. She is now determined to lead a new life and to keep her son free from the blue-collar influences of his gran

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This contemporary examination of the rights of grandparents to visit their grandchildren is somewhat melodramatic, but engrossing. Veteran novelist Adler deliberately blurs the issue by making the people involved very human, but not necessarily likable. Young Frances Waters is freed from an unhappy marriage by the accidental death of her roving husband. When she remarries six months later, Charlie, her dead spouse's father, is livid. To remove what she perceives as an unhealthy influence over her young son, Francis forbids Charlie to see him. The grandparents sue for visitation rights. It's hard to empathize with Charlie's macho behavior and Frances's syrupy sweetness; however, public libraries serving older populations will want this book. Barbara Parker, U.S. Naval Academy Lib., Annapolis, Md.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Warren Adler's twenty-five published novels have won popular and critical success all over the world, and they have been translated into more than twenty-five languages. Two of his books were made into major motion pictures, the classic The War of the Roses with Michael Douglas and Random Hearts with Harrison Ford. Three of his short stories were adapted as a three-hour trilogy on PBS titled The Sunset Gang. The Lifetime Network is currently producing a pilot for a one-hour television series based on the heroine detective character of his six mystery books, Fiona FitzGerald. The series will be titled Fiona. Kensington Press recently published his latest novel, Mourning Glory.

Mr. Adler's themes deal primarily with intimate human relationships – the mysterious nature of love and attraction, the fragile relationships between husbands and wives and parents and children, and the corrupting power of money. Readers and reviewers have cited his books for their insight and wisdom in presenting and deciphering the complexities of contemporary life.

His website has been called the best author website in the world and is linked to many interesting places in the literary and bookseller universe. Through Stonehouse Press, Mr. Adler has re-acquired the English language and foreign rights to his entire backlist of 25 novels and has made them available in all e-book formats and Print-on-Demand formats in trade and hardcover.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Stonehouse Press; First edition (May 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590060121
• ISBN-13: 978-1590060124
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,456,248 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Warren Adler is a world-renowned novelist, short story writer and playwright. His 32 novels and story collections have been translated into more than 25 languages and two of his novels, The War of the Roses and Random Hearts, have been made into enormously popular movies, shown continually throughout the world.

Three short stories from his acclaimed collection, The Sunset Gang, have been adapted as a trilogy and shown repeatedly on the Public Television network.

Mr. Adler's blogs appear regularly in the Huffington Post and other sites throughout the world and his short stories appear in numerous anthologies.

Mr. Adler is a pioneer in electronic publishing. He was one of the first authors to acquire his complete backlist and to convert his entire library to digital publishing formats.

A product of the New York public school system, Mr. Adler graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School and New York University, where he majored in English literature. In 2009, he was honored by being chosen "Alumni of the Year" at NYU's School of Arts and Science. He has taught novel writing at honors seminars at NYU.

After graduating from New York University with a degree in English literature, Mr. Adler worked for the New York Daily News before becoming Editor of the Queens Post, a prize winning weekly newspaper on Long Island. His column, "Pepper on the Side," became a staple of a number of newspapers in the country.

During the Korean War, after basic training, he was recruited by Armed Forces Press Service to serve in the Pentagon as the only Washington Correspondent for the service. His Washington by-line went all over the world and was published in every publication put out by the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Novel probes into family court and grandparents vs. parents..., November 21, 2005

By 

Peter LaPrade (worcester ma) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Twilight Child (Paperback)

Warren Adler's "Twilight Child" is a heartfelt novel. It could break your heart, but yet some parts feel really contrived, and almost all the main characters do something boneheaded. In this novel, a woman with some self-esteem issues finds love with her boss after she is widowed. She eventually finds enough strength in herself to move on and remarry, but she also takes her son out of the lives of her dead husband's parents. A couple years pass, and the grandparents decided to sue to try to get visitation, and the courtroom drama starts as the judge has to weigh the law against human emotion, and find a solution that is fair.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do Grandparents Have Rights?, October 17, 2001

By 

[e-mail] (Kew Gardens, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Twilight Child (Paperback)

The untimely death of her husband, Chuck Waters, in an oil-drilling rig accident should have filled his widow, Frances, with despair. Or so thought his grieving parents, Charlie and Molly Waters. But Frances, abandoned by her husband for months at a time and left to raise their child Tray on her own, feels relieved and free. Newly married to engineer Peter Graham, Frances wants to put her bad memories of her first marriage behind her and go on with life in her new family. But where does that leave Tray?

Frances insists that all contact be temporarily severed between Tray and his Waters grandparents. Peter is adopting him and his parents will become Tray's paternal grandparents. It's only temporarily, she assures Charlie and Molly, until Tray has adjusted to his new situation. But Charlie and Molly, distraught at the death of their only child, long for visits with their only living blood descendant.

Desperate for visitation rights with Tray, Charlie and Molly go to court. They have a chance, says their lawyer. They live in a state which allows visits by grandparents if the court rules that they are "in the best interests of the child." But Peter has legally adopted Tray, and Charlie and Molly didn't contest the adoption. Legally, Charlie and Molly are no longer Tray's grandparents.

Troubled that the judge might rule that allowing Charlie and Molly to visit is in Tray's best interests, and pregnant again with Peter's child, Frances is upset at the prospect of a prolonged court battle. But she will not change her mind. Tray is her child and she resents interference from others over how she will raise him.

How will the judge rule?

The reader's heart nearly breaks during the sections about Charlie's retirement, and his and Molly's feeling disconnected from their power sense of family. But the lonely Frances, abandoned by her irresponsible first husband and his wanderlust, who has now found happiness and security in her new marriage, arouses compassion and empathy as well. Above all, the reader wants to know how Tray is doing with all the fighting in the background of his life. So does the judge, which brings about the resolution of the story. It's a powerful portrayal of four adults who can't stop loving the child that links them all.