While the Music Lasts [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Suzanne Goodwin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1994

Sent out into the world during the Roaring Twenties to find husbands, the Bryant sisters--Viv, Claire, Julie, and Isobel--instead find out about themselves as they develop into complicated and strong women.

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

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In her latest novel, the irrepressible Goodwin guides four English sisters through the flaming '20s and sober '30s, from wealth to poverty, as they struggle with dreams both denied and fulfilled. Viv, the gentle and dignified eldest, deals as well as possible with her never-quite-broken Spanish marriage and her baby son. Shy Isobel paints nonstop and tries to understand the meaningless, prodigal lifestyle of gorgeous Julie. Self-centered, acquisitive Claire marries well and hangs on to her money, but thoughtlessly emasculates her husband and almost loses him after a foolish affair. Each woman finds her love but risks him (for reasons of varying importance), and each seems to get what she deserves in the end. Using their loss of money as a means of character development, Goodwin creates people who behave in keeping with the personalities she has given them in a story much stronger than her recent The Rising Storm . Sweet and touching without being cloying, her tale is enhanced by a breezy narrative style and--wonder of wonders--a believable plot.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Vivien, Claire, Julia, and Isobelle are four sisters coming into womanhood in the 1920s and 1930s of Brighton and London. They support one another during their parents' divorce, a strict upbringing, and their mother's sudden death. Each sister has her own distinct personality, which is brought into relief through trials such as an unexpected inheritance and then the financial difficulties of the early Thirties. Interwoven throughout the story are the marriages of Viv and Claire and the affairs of Julia and Isobelle. There are no artificial happy endings here, but the sisters all achieve some stability, strength, and satisfaction in their varied lives. Goodwin ( The Rising Storm , LJ 8/93; A Change of Season , LJ 2/1/92) details vividly the society of the times. This book will appeal to readers of historical fiction. Recommended for larger collections.
- Betsy Larson, Brennemann Lib., Chicago
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 752 pages
• Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print Books; Lrg edition (February 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0708930247
• ISBN-13: 978-0708930243
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,096,236 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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