Aquamarine

by Carol Anshaw

Overview

Olympic swimmer Jesse Austin is seduced and consequently edged out for a gold medal by her Australian rival. From there, Anshaw intricately traces three possible paths for Jesse, spinning exhilarating variations on the themes of lost love and parallel lives unlived. Dorothy Allison, author of Bastard Out of Carolina, writes, "I found myself wishing I could buy a dozen copies and start a discussion group, just so I'd be able to debate all the questions this astonishing novel provokes." A Reader's Guide is available.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780395877555
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/14/1997
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	502,064
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Carol Anshaw is the author of Aquamarine and Seven Moves, both Lambda Award finalists. She has won the Carl Sandburg Award, the Society of Midland Authors Award, and a creative writing fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. A recipient of the National Book Critics Circle Citation for Excellence in Reviewing, she reviews books for major newspapers nationwide.

What People are Saying About This

Shirley Hazzard

"This is a swift, tender, highly intelligent book -- an original theme, a strong voice...figures and humane."

Dorothy Allison

"On first read, 'Aquamarine' so captured my imagination that I found myself wishing I could buy a dozen copies and start a discussion group, just so I'd be able to debate all the questions this astonishing novel provokes about the nature of the individual and her power to determine the course of her life."

Rita Mae Brown

"'Aquamarine' is as dazzling as the gemstone, as cool as the water. Kero Ann Shaw has both flash and substance.

Editorial Reviews

"Inventive . . . and as all-american as Jell-o" The Washington Post —

From the Publisher

When she was 17, Jesse Austin lost an Olympic gold medal in the 1968 100-meter women's freestyle swimming event by a hair to contender Marty Finch. Twenty-two years later, Jesse is still haunted by this loss and by her love affair with Marty. Her present life is shown in three possible versions: as a small-town wife; a New York City cosmopolitan woman involved in a lesbian relationship; and as a divorcee with two children. Anshaw's interesting format works well, providing excellent characterizations and three gripping plot lines. She employs wry humor and a deft style to explore the choices we make and why we make them, with cogent insights into sexuality and parenthood. The portraits of Jesse's independent-minded grandmother and her retarded brother, Willie, are very well done. Highly recommended.-- Harriet Gottfried, NYPL

Library Journal