Time of Our Singing

English

ISBN: 0374277826

EAN: 9780374277826

Category: Fiction / Sagas/Fiction / Jewish/Fiction / African American / General/

Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Release Date: 01/01/2003

Synopsis: A magnificent, multifaceted novel about a supremely gifted -- and divided -- family, set against the backdrop of postwar America On Easter day, 1939, at Marian Andersons epochal concert on the Washington Mall, David Strom, a German Jewish ?migr? scientist, meets Delia Daley, a young Philadelphia Negro studying to be a singer. Their mutual love of music draws them together, and--against all odds and better judgment--they marry. They vow to raise their children beyond time, beyond identity, steeped in song. But their three children must survive Americas brutal here and now. Jonah, Joseph, and Ruth grow up during the Civil Rights era, come of age in the violent 1960s, and live out adulthood in the racially retrenched late century. Jonah, the eldest, whose voice could make heads of state repent, follows a life in his parents beloved classical music. Ruth, the youngest, chooses a militant activism and repudiates the white culture her brother represents. Joseph, the middle child and the narrator of this generational tale, struggles to remain connected to them both. The Time of Our Singingis a story of self-invention, allegiance, race, cultural ownership, the compromised power of music, and the tangled loops of time that rewrite all belonging. Richard Powers numerous honors include a MacArthur Fellowship, a Lannan Literary Award, the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Historical Fiction, and, from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award and the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Award. Powers has been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award three times, and a finalist for the National Book Award. ANew York TimesNotable Book AChicago TribuneBest Book ASan Francisco ChronicleBest Book On Easter Day, 1939, at Marian Andersons epochal concert on the Washington Mall, David Strom, a German Jewish ?migr? scientist, meets Delia Daley, a young Philadelphia Negro studying to be a concert singer. Their mutual love of music draws them together, andagainst all odds, advice, and better judgmentthey marry. They vow to raise their offspring beyond time, beyond race, beyond belonging, steeped in song. But their three children, the unwitting subjects of this experiment, must survive Americas brutal here and now. Jonah, Joseph, and Ruth grow up during the early Civil Rights era, come of age in the riot-torn 1960s, and live out their adulthoods through the racially retrenched late century. Jonah, the eldest, whose voice could make heads of state repent, pursues a life devoted to his parents beloved classical music. Ruth, the youngest, chooses a path of militant activism and repudiates the white culture her brother represents. Joseph, the middle child and the narrator of this far-ranging, multigenerational tale, struggles to remain loyal to both siblings. As a polarized America threatens to tear the family apart, only their deep, shared love of song stands any hope of preserving them. Set against the sweeping backdrop of contemporary American history,The Time of Our Singingis nevertheless deeply personal and intimate. In telling the story of his quintessentially American family, Joseph Strom spins a heartrending tale of self-invention, allegiance, race, hope, the power of music, and the tangled loops of time that rewrite all identity. Over the course of seven previous novels, Richard Powers has earned a reputation for being the most prodigiously gifted writer of his generation, andThe Time of Our Singingis surely his masterpiece. Powers offers breathtaking descriptions of the harmonies of music, the difficult intimacies of love, and the abiding matrix of family.Joseph Dewey,Review of Contemporary Fiction Powers is one of our

Awards: Ambassador Book Awards – null  Ambassador Book Awards – null  Ambassador Book Awards – null 

Excerpt: Unknown Property Excerpt

Time of Our Singing

Illustrated: No

Format: Hardcover

Height: 1.88 inches

Width: 6.5 inches

Length: 9.5 inches

Weight: 36.86 oz

Pages: 640