partnership between two of Hollywood's earliest female legends—screenwriter Frances Marion and superstar Mary Pickford, The Swans of Fifth Avenue, about Truman Capote and his society swans, and The Aviator's Wife, a novel about Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Previous historical novels include the national bestseller Alice I Have Been, about Alice Liddell, the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland, and The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb, the story of 32-inch-tall Lavinia Warren Stratton, a star during the Gilded Age.Benjamin's new novel is Mistress of the Ritz.
Recently I asked the author about what she was reading. Her reply:
I just finished Henry, Himself by Stewart O’Nan. This is the third book in a trilogy about a Pittsburgh family; the other two books are Wish You Were Here and emily, Alone. I love these books; they’re quiet, but layered, and each family member is exquisitely drawn;Learn more about the book and author at Melanie Benjamin's website.you get the perspective of all of them, from the youngest grandchild to the matriarch and patriarch – even the family dog! But it’s O’Nan’s compassionate portrayal of aging that makes these books so dear to me; he pulls no punches about the ravages of time on the body and the mind, but he also finds comfort in memories, as we all do. His heroine, Emily Maxwell, is one of the best female characters in all of fiction; she’s dignified, funny, exasperating, loving, and endlessly practical about the time left to her. These three books are very similar to Mrs. Bridge and Mr. Bridge, other favorites of mine; treat yourself to all three books in O’Nan’s trilogy.
--Marshal Zeringue
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