SPEAK NOW, Newest Novel by Kaylie
Jones, Now Available
Author of A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries and Celeste
Ascending
A literary thriller from the daughter of James Jones
*See below for details on US readings in Fall/Winter 2003*
$22.95, 249 pages, ISBN 1-888451-53-X
PUBLICATION DATE: October 2003
Contact:
Johanna Ingalls
Akashic Books
Tel/Fax: 718-622-6463
Akashic7@aol.com
www.akashicbooks.com
"Kaylie Jones's SPEAK NOW is one of those rare novels that fuses the craft
of
the narrative with the art of characterization: a page-turner cast with
complex characters including the addicted, the haunted, and the doers of
good
deeds. Ms. Jones is to be commended, too, for her vivid portrayals
of the
experiences and memories of Holocaust victims, who contribute touching and
ironic
commentary to this tale of contemporary lives of frequently self-inflicted
pain."
--SIDNEY OFFIT, author of Memoir of the Bookie's Son
"Kaylie Jones, one of America's finest young novelists, has written a tale
that exhibits all her considerable strengths -- a dark and powerful story,
a
compelling hero, and language clear and deep as a New England pond. SPEAK
NOW is
a rich and splendid book."
--ROGER ROSENBLATT
"Although we've gotten used to second-generation actors equaling or
surpassing the accomplishments of their parents, the same hasn't happened
with
second-generation novelists. Nonetheless there are a few . . . and added
to their
small number ought to be Kaylie Jones."
--NEW YORK TIMES
Clara Sverdlow has been stalked by Niko Kamenski, her high-school lover,
for
almost twenty years. A recently sober alcoholic in her mid thirties, she
has
found happiness in a tenuous new marriage to Mark, another recovering
alcoholic. Yet the past lurks over them like a great shadow, always encroaching
on
their happiness.
Clara Sverdlow's father, Viktor, was a Russian political prisoner in
Auschwitz. He was involved in the camp underground, helping to "organize"
much-needed
goods to help the prisoners. But he also worked on the train ramps and helped
to guide thousands of innocent victims to the gas chambers. The guilt and
horror Viktor still carries with him are part of his daughter Clara's natural
composition, something she doesn't understand and yet accepts as one would
a
congenital illness. It shapes her every action, and is at the root of her
every
phobia. Mark has his own demons -- a brother dead from a drug overdose,
and
connections to his hometown heavies, which he can't seem to break free of.
Yet together they have found a tenuous grace. With a miracle baby, they
are
trying to forget the past and learn to live normally in the world. But Clara's
stalker Niko Kamenski secretly insinuates himself upon their life, with
disastrous consequences. Clara and Mark's only hope is to address the past,
and
confront the present situation before it's too late.
KAYLIE JONES was born in Paris. She is the author of five novels, including
A
Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (Akashic, 2003; Bantam, 1990; released as
a
Merchant Ivory film in 1998), Celeste Ascending (Harper-Collins, 2000),
As Soon
As it Rains (Doubleday, 1986) and Quite the Other Way (Doubleday, 1989).
Jones
has been a Writer in Residence in the New York City public schools through
Teachers & Writers Collaborative for many years. In 1997, she became
involved in
the creation of the MFA Program in Writing of Long Island University's
Southampton campus, where she still teaches Literature and Fiction Writing.
Jones's
novels have been translated into many languages including German, French,
Japanese, and Italian. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.
Fall/Winter 2003 Readings:
- Sun., Nov. 9, NEW YORK, NY, KGB Sunday Reading Series, 85 E. 4th St.,
7pm
- Wed., Nov. 12, WILKES-BARRE, PA, Kirby Hall Salon, Wilkes University,
7:30pm
- Sat., Nov. 15, EAST HAMPTON, NY, Book Hampton, 20 Main St., time TBA
- Thurs., Nov. 20, BROOKLYN, NY, Barnes & Noble, 106 Court St., 7pm
- Thurs. Dec. 4., SAVOY, IL, Pages For All Ages, 1201 Savoy Plaza Ln., 7pm
*****************************************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A SOLDIER'S DAUGHTER NEVER CRIES by Kaylie Jones
(author of Celeste Ascending and Speak Now)
The novel that inspired the Merchant Ivory film is back in print!
With a new author's introduction and a previously unpublished chapter.
*See below for details on US readings in Fall/Winter 2003*
$13.95, 200 pages, ISBN 1-888451-46-7
PUBLICATION DATE: October 2003
"The daughter of James Jones here offers a discerning, brightly written
bildungsroman. She writes with sensitivity and compassion. Highly recommended."
--LIBRARY JOURNAL
“Every page is a joy.” --SELF MAGAZINE
"Although we've gotten used to second-generation actors equaling or
surpassing the accomplishments of their parents, the same hasn't happened
with
second-generation novelist. Nonetheless there are a few . . . and added
to their small
number ought to be Kaylie Jones."
--NEW YORK TIMES
The inspiration for the Merchant Ivory film starring Kris Kristofferson
and
Barbara Hershey, A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries is a rich and poignant
family
story from the daughter of novelist James Jones. Back in print, this new
edition includes an author's introduction reflecting on the process of developing
a screenplay from her novel, as well as a previously unpublished chapter,
"Mother's Day," that was left out of the original Bantam edition.
Based on the author's early years in Paris with her famous father, A
Soldier's Daughter Never Cries chronicles the growth of an extraordinary
family.
Previously the adored only child, Channe finds her perfect world disrupted
by the
adoption of a French brother, Benoit, whose origins are mysterious. This
inspired novel explores the complex, volatile relationship between a brother
and
sister who learn to love and respect each other for what they were as children
--
and who they have become as adults.
KAYLIE JONES was born in Paris in 1960. She is the author of five novels,
including Speak Now (Akashic, 2003), Celeste Ascending (HarperCollins, 2000),
As
Soon As it Rains (Doubleday, 1986) and Quite the Other Way (Doubleday, 1989).
Jones has been a Writer in Residence in the New York City public schools
through Teachers & Writers Collaborative for many years. In 1997, she
became
involved in the creation of the MFA Program in Writing of Long Island University’s
Southampton campus, where she still teaches Literature and Fiction Writing.
Jones’s novels have been translated into many languages including German,
French,
Japanese, and Italian. She lives in New York City with her husband and
daughter.
Fall/Winter 2003 Readings for SPEAK NOW by Kaylie Jones:
- Sun., Nov. 9, NEW YORK, NY, KGB Sunday Reading Series, 85 E. 4th St.,
7pm
- Wed., Nov. 12, WILKES-BARRE, PA, Kirby Hall Salon, Wilkes University,
7:30pm
- Sat., Nov. 15, EAST HAMPTON, NY, Book Hampton, 20 Main St, time TBA
- Thurs., Nov. 20, BROOKLYN, NY, Barnes & Noble, 106 Court St., 7pm
- Thurs. Dec. 4., SAVOY, IL, Pages For All Ages, 1201 Savoy Plaza Ln., 7pm