A young girl in a hurry to grow up. A college student who tests the bonds of friendship. A man shackled by a problem he cannot face. An immigrant desperate to secure the American Dream. A woman whose jealousy prompts a shocking act of cruelty. These are some of the characters that populate Mary Langtons first collection of fiction. Readers of Langtons essays are already familiar with her wit and insight. The stories in Dividing Line once again display those qualities, along with an uncommon understanding of the complexities of the human heart.
Praise for Mary Langtons writing from The Times Herald-Record: witty essays short, mostly humorous essaysthe kind of reading that can be done in spurts, when you need a break or a laugh. an acerbic sense of humorallow[s] readers to look at their Hudson Valley town or the worlds problems and not take them as seriously.
In this uproarious new collection of essays, Mary Langton once again provides her unique take on American life. Tackling everything from holidays to health care, from the political scene to the bittersweetness of growing up, these essays are sure to tickle the funny bone and touch the heart. Filled with the wit and insight that Langtons readers have come to expect, American Idylls is the work of a humorist at the top of her game.
In her latest collection of newspaper columns, Mary Langton once again displays the wit and wisdom her readers have come to expect. By turns humorous and touching, "Since Last We Spoke" is Langton's long overdue new book.
In this latest collection of her newspaper columns, Mary Langton once again turns her sharp eye and keen wit on everything from popular culture to sports to the mysteries of the universe.
In the follow-up to Sense and Nonsense, Mary Langton returns with a new book of humorous essays. In this wide-ranging collection, Langton mines mirth from popular culture and politics, education and health care. She also takes some detours into the past in essays that are alternately poignant and hilarious. In Th e Bright Processional, Langtons keen observational humor and quick wit are once again on full display.
In this delightful collection of newspaper columns and other writings, Mary Langton turns her sharp eye and keen wit on the absurdities of American culture. With its take on the foibles of our politicians, the baffling practices of our educational system, the inadequacies of modern entertainment and more, Sense and Nonsense is a hilarious and thought-provoking look at the early years of the new millennium.
Two wary souls find a second chance at love while rock climbing in the English countryside in this novel from the New York Times–bestselling author. On vacation in the North Devon countryside, Neil Langton looks back on the wreckage of his past. The wounds from his former marriage are still raw; his wife cheated on him and his young daughter died. The teacher and rock climber believes hope to be behind him until he comes across Ellen, a young woman staying at the same guesthouse as he, and whom he saves from a mountainside accident. Struggling to deal with her feelings for a pilot step-cousin who died in service, Ellen has her own romantic scars. If their connection is to endure, Neil and Ellen must carefully confront their painful pasts. Filled with a memorable cast of secondary characters in austerity Britain, North Face is a love story rich in atmosphere and tension, from a master of the novelist’s craft.
This selection of writings by twenty-nine women, known and unknown, professional and amateur, presents a unique portrait of Canada through time and space, from the seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries, from the Maritimes to British Columbia and the Far North. There is a range of voices from high-born wives of governors general, to an Icelandic immigrant and a fisherman’s wife in Labrador. A Loyalist wife and mother describes the first hard weather in New Brunswick, a seasick nun tells of a dangerous voyage out from France, a famous children’s writer writes home about the fun of canoeing, and a German general’s wife describes habitant customs. All demonstrate how women’s experiences not only shared, but helped shape this new country.
It was a beautiful May day, bright with fresh spring loveliness. The leaves were springing fresh and green from the trees; the hedges were all abloom with pink hawthorn; the chestnut trees were all in flower; the gold of the laburnum, the purple of the lilac, the white of the fair acacia trees, and the delicate green of the stately elms and limes gave a beautiful variety of color. The grass was dotted with a hundred wild-flowers; great clusters of yellow buttercups looked in the distance like the upspreading of a sea of gold; the violets perfumed the air, the bluebells stirred in the sweet spring breeze, and the birds sang out loudly and jubilantly. If one spot looked more lovely than another on this bright May day, it was Darrell Court, for it stood where the sun shone brightest, in one of the most romantic and picturesque nooks of EnglandÑthe part of Woodshire bordering on the sea. The mansion and estates stood on gently rising ground; a chain of purple hills stretched away into the far distance; then came the pretty town of Audleigh Royal, the Audleigh Woods, and the broad, deep river Darte. The bank of the river formed the boundary of the Darrell estates, a rich and magnificent heritage, wherein every beauty of meadow and wood seemed to meet. The park was rich in its stately trees and herds of deer; and not far from the house was a fir-woodÑan aromatic, odorous fir-wood, which led to the very shores of the smiling southern sea. By night and by day the grand music of nature was heard in perfection at Darrell Court. Sometimes it was the roll of the wind across the hills, or the beat of angry waves on the shore, or the wild melody of the storm among the pine trees, or the full chorus of a thousand feathered songsters. The court itself was one of the most picturesque of mansions. It did not belong to any one order or style of architectureÑthere was nothing stiff or formal about itÑbut it looked in that bright May sunshine a noble edifice, with its square towers covered with clinging ivy, gray turrets, and large arched windows. Did the sun ever shine upon such a combination of colors? The spray of the fountains glittered in the air, the numerous balconies were filled with flowers; wherever it was possible for a flower to take root, one had been placed to growÑpurple wistarias, sad, solemn passion-flowers, roses of every hue. The star-like jessamine and scarlet creepers gave to the walls of the old mansion a vivid glow of color; gold and purple enriched the gardens, heavy white lilies breathed faintest perfume. The spot looked a very Eden. The grand front entrance consisted of a large gothic porch, which was reached by a broad flight of steps, adorned with white marble vases filled with flowers; the first terrace was immediately below, and terrace led from terrace down to the grand old gardens, where sweetest blossoms grew.
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