Widmer, Mary Lou's Books

The View from Rampart Street

By: Mary Lou Widmer

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In sultry, tempestuous New Orleans of the 1840s, the frontier port was bustling, the theater was all the rage, and a system called placage ruled the lives of beautiful young Quadroons. These lovely girls were the daughters of wealthy white Creoles and their mulatto mistresses, trained all their lives to be placees, mistresses of white Creole gentlemen. In return for their favors, the placees were each given a house on Rampart Street, furnishings, and a life of luxury. Forced into this decadent but respected system, Mariette Delon, a beautiful Quadroon with skin like a magnolia petal, rebels against it, wishing only to pursue a career in the theater and lead a moral life. Against her will, she attends the Quadroon Ball, where such alliances are arranged and contracts signed. Here she meets handsome young Philippe Grillet, a wealthy aristocrat who tells her she should not be a placee but the wife of a Creole, reinforcing her innermost desires. But her father has his own plans for her, and it is up to Philippe to save her, first by accepting a life-threatening challenge, and finally by pursuing her across the continent to claim her for his own. Only then is he rewarded with a gift more precious than gold.

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497

Publisher

Strategic Book Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1612049095

ISBN 13

9781612049090

New Orleans in the Twenties

By: Widmer, Mary Lou

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New Orleans in the Twenties

By: Widmer, Mary Lou

It was a decade of flappers, Prohibition, and unprecedented prosperity that abruptly ended with the crash of '29. In New Orleans, steamships lined the wharves, vaudeville gave way to "talkies," and William Faulkner's Sherwood Anderson and Other Famous Creoles was the first book produced by a new publisher called Pelican Publishing Company. Mary Lou Widmer's fourth retrospect of the city reminisces about how New Orleans welcomed the economic growth of the postwar twenties in its own special way. The Crescent City celebrated this prosperity, giving birth to jazz halls in the Vieux Carrand launching the careers of musicians like Louis Armstrong. It was the most progressive era in the city's history since before the Civil War. From politics to homelife there is hardly an aspect of life in the twenties Widmer does not touch upon. A full chapter is devoted to how the city known for Bourbon Street and Mardi Gras reacted to Prohibition. Indoor plumbing and electric lights became the standard in homes throughout the city. Transportation opened up new neighborhoods as cars became status symbols and the streetcar system took riders to every neighborhood in the city. Mary Lou Widmer, a native of New Orleans, is former president of the South Louisiana Chapter of Romance Writers of America. She has written several novels set in New Orleans. A certified descendant of settlers in the area prior to the Louisiana Purchase, she is a member of the Louisiana Colonials and the Daughters of 1812. She is also the author of New Orleans in the Thirties, New Orleans in the Forties, and New Orleans in the Fifties, all published by Pelican.

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Page Count

216

Publisher

Pelican Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1455609544

ISBN 13

9781455609543

Margaret

Friend of Orphans

By: Mary Lou Widmer

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Margaret

Friend of Orphans

By: Mary Lou Widmer

A biography of Margaret Haughery, the beloved woman who went from a life of poverty to one of philanthropy and became known as the “Angel” of New Orleans. Margaret Haughery gave everything she ever had to the orphans and the poor. Despite being unable either to read or write, she possessed an incredible business acumen, which allowed her to donate—including what she bequeathed in her will—more than $500,000 throughout her life. What is perhaps even more astounding is that Margaret lost everyone she ever loved, yet she was still able to give so much love. As a child in the Maryland area, this Irish immigrant lost her parents and her baby sister when they died in a fever epidemic. She was separated from her brother in the aftermath, and he very well may have perished in the epidemic as well. Then, when she was a young wife and mother in New Orleans, her husband died of consumption. Soon afterward, her newborn daughter died in her sleep. Determined to not succumb to self-pity and depression, Margaret, strengthened by her Roman Catholic faith, dedicated the rest of her life to helping the orphans and the poor. Helping to support an orphanage, she first started a dairy to provide milk for the children. Then she went on to earn a small fortune from running a local bakery. This financial success allowed her to donate enormous monetary sums to charity. Still, her fiscal generosity was eclipsed by her spiritual gifts. This docunovel has dialogue added to enliven the text.

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184

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Pelican Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1455608432

ISBN 13

9781455608430

Meditations on the Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary

By: Mary Lou Widmer

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Meditations on the Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary

By: Mary Lou Widmer

To meditate on the Mysteries of the Rosary, we want to be there with Jesus and Mary. We want to see them and hear their voices. We want to be on the scene in the stable where Jesus was born, in the Temple as Mary enters proudly carrying her baby, at the foot of the cross when Jesus dies. Set the stage in your own mind for these episodes, one at a time, in the lives of Jesus and Mary. Consider their immediate surroundings, their robes and veils and the sandals on their feet. Try to conjure up a room where Mary sleeps, a simple bed, a chair her father made, and a rag rug her mother wove.

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Xlibris Corporation

Published Date

ISBN 10

1493156527

ISBN 13

9781493156528

New Orleans in the Forties

By: Mary Lou Widmer

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New Orleans in the Forties

By: Mary Lou Widmer

New Orleans in the Forties delightfully documents a time when, though the war raged in Europe, high school girls could still flirt on the streetcar with high school boys, and one made a trip to the movies to see Mary Martin, Lana Turner, or William Holden. The author recalls such youthful, frivolous events as slurping sodas and wolfing down cake at Woolworth's on Canal Street, spending Friday nights at O'Shaugnessy's Bowling Alley on Airline Highway, or frolicking at Pontchartrain Beach Amusement Park. This volume in the series explores the many changes that New Orleanians and their city went through before, during, and after the trying times of World War II. Mrs. Widmer fondly remembers the forties as she examines the city socially, politically, and architecturally, and includes a look at popular fads, sports, and other entertainment that boomed during this period in history. She takes a look at the expanding suburbs of New Orleans, and the effects that the end of the war had on growth and development in areas such as Gentilly Woods and the lakefront. The book also surveys the fashions of the day, and discusses developments in science and technology, with particular attention given to television and its effect upon society.

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196

Publisher

Pelican Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

145560951X

ISBN 13

9781455609512

Beautiful Crescent

A History of New Orleans

By: Joan Garvey,Mary Lou Widmer

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Beautiful Crescent

A History of New Orleans

By: Joan Garvey,Mary Lou Widmer

A brief history for New Orleans' greatest admirers. This concise history of the Crescent City contains chapters covering the Mississippi River, the city's founding, European rule, and more, updated with expanded jazz and African American sections. It is a must for every library and home, and for those who love New Orleans and its rich history.

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Page Count

324

Publisher

Pelican Publishing Company, Inc.

Published Date

ISBN 10

1455617423

ISBN 13

9781455617425

New Orleans in the Thirties

By: Mary Lou Widmer

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New Orleans in the Thirties

By: Mary Lou Widmer

New Orleans in the Thirties offers a nostalgic view of life in New Orleans half a century ago through photographs and reminiscences. It was a time when Robert Maestri was mayor, the St. Charles streetcar made a complete loop, and the Pelicans won the Dixie Series in baseball. Moreover, it was a time when doctors made house calls and women donned gloves to go shopping. Fascinating period photographs accompany intimate and loving descriptions of the Crescent City of the thirties, capturing the mood and magic of that decade. This volume brings to life the New Orleans of the past and allows the reader to discover-or rediscover-the character of that time and place. The author's recollections will appeal to non-New Orleanians, that is, to anyone who grew up in America during the depression era. She recalls, for example, the leisurely pace of pre-television society in which radio held a powerfully unique role, as well as the headline fashions of the day and the cultural mores that now may seem quaint to many. Mary Lou Widmer, a native New Orleanian, is president of the South Louisiana Chapter of Romance Writers of America. She has written several articles for New Orleans publications, and is the author of Night Jasmine, Beautiful Crescent, and Lace Curtain . Widmer is also the author of New Orleans in the Twenties, New Orleans in the Forties, and New Orleans in the Fifties, all published by Pelican.

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184

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Pelican Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1455609536

ISBN 13

9781455609536

New Orleans, 1900 to 1920

By: Mary Lou Widmer

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New Orleans, 1900 to 1920

By: Mary Lou Widmer

The ways in which city leaders of early 1900s New Orleans tamed nature are described in a richly illustrated history that also recounts what the city's inhabitants were wearing and driving, where they were living, and how they whiled away idle time.

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162

Publisher

Pelican Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1589804015

ISBN 13

9781589804012

New Orleans in the Fifties

By: Mary Lou Widmer

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New Orleans in the Fifties

By: Mary Lou Widmer

Photos and reminiscences of life the 1950s, part of the decade-by-decade series that vividly documents the Crescent City’s history. Remember when Mardi Gras was cancelled in 1951 in tribute to the men fighting the Korean War? Surely you were there for Elvis Presley’s visit to the Municipal Auditorium in 1956, and you must recall the first time you crossed the brand-new Greater New Orleans Bridge. How about the milk bottle on top of the Cloverland Dairy? For those who were there and those who wish they were, Mary Lou Widmer recalls these and many other images and events that define the decade. Packed with photographs, her remembrances will delight and entertain all who lived through this unique decade in New Orleans and fascinate anyone intrigued by the city’s past—from the tumult of integration to the worries about communism to the rapid growth of Gentilly, Metairie, and other suburbs.

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180

Publisher

Pelican Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1455609501

ISBN 13

9781455609505

New Orleans in the Sixties

By: Mary Lou Widmer

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New Orleans in the Sixties

By: Mary Lou Widmer

In this, her fifth book in the series describing past decades in New Orleans' history, local author and historian Mary Lou Widmer offers readers unique glimpses into the turbulent and triumphal 1960s. The decade of the sixties was one that confounded America like no period before. It ushered in a time of social change and tension. In New Orleans, this period was visible in the city's skyline as the face of New Orleans began to change. Tourism became a major concern, construction on the Superdome began, some of the biggest buildings were built, and the Saints came marching in. Packed with photographs and reminiscences of an important decade in the evolution of this American metropolis, New Orleans in the Sixties is a unique accomplishment that will interest both residents and lovers of the Crescent City.

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164

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Pelican Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1455609528

ISBN 13

9781455609529

Night Jasmine

By: Mary Lou Widmer

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Night Jasmine

By: Mary Lou Widmer

TWO MEN...ONE LOVE... Brutally exposed to the naked facts of life, Katie Raspanti fled the dingy hovels of the slums to become a kitchen maid in New Orleans's most elegant household. She was no more than a child, but all too soon she became the tantalizing beauty who commanded the hearts of two brothers, both willing to abandon family and fortune to be at her side. Never, ever, did Katie dream that she would be the one to ignite the passions that would divide the legendary Eagan family, that would drive the Eagan boys to greatness, that would propel her to the top of New Orleans society and beyond... NIGHT JASMINE

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