Ahab s wife using a stray reference in moby dick, a novelist creates the story of ahab s wife. I know its unfair but her name pisses me off has created an entire book about the wife of captain ahab. Her mother taught music and her father, who died when she was 15, was a doctor. Ahab s wife was a main selection of the book of the month club, chosen by time magazine as one of the top five novels of 1999, selected by book sense as one of the top five books of the year, chosen by the new york. A magnificent, vast, and enthralling saga, sena jeter naslunds ahabs wife is a remarkable epic spanning a rich, eventful, and dramatic life. Inspired by a masterpiece, it is a masterwork in its own right. Dont just read ahabs wife and think that you have somehow gotten close to that other tale. Inspired by a brief passage in moby dick, sena jeter naslund has created an entirely new universe an epicscale, enthralling, and compelling saga, spanning a full, rich, eventful, and dramatic life. In the last third of the book, readers may become weary of unas spiritual reflections and the minutiae of her. Ahabs wife using a stray reference in moby dick, a novelist creates the story of ahabs wife. Some elements of the novel jar, especially naslunds tendency to pay rhapsodic tributes to unas questing spirit. Ahab s wife by sena jeter maslund is the story of a woman named una whose life was dominated by the sea from an early age. Sena jeter naslunds most popular book is ahab sena jeter naslund has 12 books on goodreads with 99296 ratings.
However, once una becomes aware of ahab s fate, naslund seems to take way to long to close out the various threads of the story. Buy a cheap copy of ahabs wife, or, the stargazer book by sena jeter naslund. Find ahab s wife, or, the stargazer by naslund, sena jeter at biblio. In ahab s wife, author sena jeter naslund takes a barelymentioned, never seen character and gives us her whole life. In ahabs wife, author sena jeter naslund takes a barelymentioned, never seen character and gives us her whole life. Dont just read ahabs wife and think that you have somehow gotten close to. Nothing in naslund s previous fiction the disobedience of water, p. In ahab s wife, sena jeter naslund has taken less than a paragraph s worth of references to the captain s young wife from herman melville s mobydick and fashioned from this slender rib not only a woman but an entire world. She disguises herself as a boy and runs away to sea to work as a cabin boy and has many adventures. Her 1999 novel, ahab s wife, and her 2003 novel, four spirits, were each named a new york times notable book. What is the effect of drawing on all these other books. Ahabs wife or the star gazer sena jeter naslund, 1999 harpercollins 668 pp. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 704 pages and is available in paperback format. Ahab s wife brings sena jeter naslund epic success sena jeter naslund is enjoying overwhelming success as her book ahab s wife and story collection the disobedience of.
Suppose you were drowning in a vast shoreless ocean. In high school she played cello with the alabama pops orchestra. Throughout ahab s wife, una makes reference to the works of great writers such as william shakespeare, john keats, and homer. Ahab s wife is a softer version, one probably more suited by a pacifist, beginning a new story where melville left off. A novel by sena jeter naslund and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Adam and eve, a novel by sena jeter naslund audacious might well serve as a descriptive word for sena jeter naslund s latest novel, adam and eve. Ahab s wife is a novel on a grand scale that can legitimately be called a masterpiece. If you meet a woman of whatever complexion who sails her life with strength and grace and assurance, talk to her. Sena jeter naslund books list of books by author sena. From ahabs wife to the french revolution artists of utahs 15 bytes the utah museum of fine arts and the umfa book club, in partnership with the utah humanities council, will host new york times bestselling author sena jeter naslund at 7 pm on thursday, september 26, as part of the utah humanities book festival.
How does una reconcile the inevitable animal within p. Sena jeter naslund is enjoying overwhelming success as her book ahabs wife and story collection the disobedience of water are soaring in. See all books authored by sena jeter naslund, including ahab s wife, or, the stargazer, and abundance. At almost 700 pages and spanning roughly the first half of the 19th century, the novel follows the life of a rather atypical woman named una, whose curiosity and native intelligence push her beyond the bounds of. Immediately immersed in this world, the reader experiences a brilliantly written, vibrant, uplifting novela bright book of life. A winner of the harper lee award and the southeastern library association fiction award, she is the author of eight previous works of fiction, including ahab s wife, a finalist for the orange prize. Inspired by a brief passage in moby dick, it is the story of una, exiled as a child to live in a lighthouse, removed from the physical and emotional abuse of a religionmad father. Author of 1999s celebrated ahab s wife, naslund goes far afield in this effort, setting it in the near future, a time of conflict between followers of science and believers in biblical inerrancy. How does it enhance, deepen, and expand ahab s wife.
She is currently distinguished teaching professor and writer in residence at the university of louisville and program director of the spalding university briefresidency. Uncommonly good collectible and rare books from uncommonly good booksellers. Sep 22, 1999 a magnificent, vast, and enthralling saga, sena jeter naslund s ahab s wife is a remarkable epic spanning a rich, eventful, and dramatic life. From those two lines of text, sena jeter naslund sorry. It is a tall order she sets for herself, and one that she does not fail in filling. Sena jeter naslund took a brief reference in moby dick which you dont need to read first to the wife of captain ahab, and created an entire historical fictional life for that character. Sena jeter naslund has thoroughly imbibed the spirit of herman melville, and that spirit permeates every scene of her novel. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 704 pages and is. Ahab s wife, sena naslund s epic work of historical fiction, honors that. Knowing ahab s fate only adds to the compelling story of una s life. Inspired by a brief passage in mobydick, sena jeter naslund has created an enthralling and compellingly readable saga, spanning a rich, eventful, and dramatic life. Ahab s wife was a main selection of the book of the month club, chosen by time magazine as one of the top five novels of 1999, selected by book sense as one of the top five books of the year, chosen by the new york times as a notable book of 1999, and chosen as a best book by publishers weekly. Nov 03, 2000 ahabs wife brings sena jeter naslund epic success. She watches her husband, captain ahab, go into madness after losing his leg to the whale moby dick.
And una spenser, the transcendent hero at the center of ahab s wife may well become every bit as memorable as ahab. Provocatively, naslund the disobedience of water suggests a new source of ahabs demented rage to kill the whale who has unmasted him. At once a family drama, a romantic adventure, and a portrait of a real and loving marriage, ahab s wife gives new perspective on the american experience. In her new novel, ahabs wife, sena jeter naslund takes perhaps the least eligible bachelor in all of american literature and makes his marriage and pillow talk the very stuff of her book. Ahabs wife is a novel on a grand scale that can legitimately be called a masterpiece. Pdf ahabs wife, or the stargazer book by sena jeter. Ahabs wife, or the stargazer quotes by sena jeter naslund. See the newest novels, discuss with other book lovers, buy romance books online. Her 1999 novel, ahabs wife, and her 2003 novel, four spirits, were each named a new york times notable book of the year.
Ahab s wife joins a distinguished tradition of literary works inspired by mobydick. Una spenser is a little too modern for the era, in my opinion, but that gave the author the opportunity to bring up all the causes and concerns of the day for example, religion quakers, unitarians. A novel i read in high school, the red tent by anita diamant, had the same kind of basis took a minor biblical character and told her life story, and i loved that book wholeheartedly. Ahabs wife by sena jeter naslund harpercollins 704 pp.
Sena jeter naslund has 12 books on goodreads with 99296 ratings. Her 1999 novel, ahabs wife, and her 2003 novel, four spirits, were each named a new york times notable book. Ahabs wife by sena jeter maslund is the story of a woman named una whose life was dominated by the sea from an early age. Ahabs wife audiobook by sena jeter naslund, maryann plunkett. Ahab s wife by sena jeter naslund the author has taken a short reference from herman melville s moby dick which refers to captain ahab s young wife at home, not three voyages wedded, and has spun from this an epic tale of the adventures of one woman in a man s world. The protagonist, and primary narrator, is una spenser whose bookish mother named her after the heroine of the faerie queene, whom we first meet in her. Ahabs wife, or, the stargazer book by sena jeter naslund. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read ahab s wife. Free download or read online ahabs wife, or the stargazer pdf epub book. And what you will find is that there has been a suffering, that at some time she has left herself for hanging dead. Books by sena jeter naslund author of ahabs wife, or the. Ahab s wife by sena jeter naslund harpercollins 704 pp. Oct 06, 2009 inspired by a brief passage in mobydick, sena jeter naslund has created an enthralling and compellingly readable saga, spanning a rich, eventful, and dramatic life.
Sena jeter naslund born june 28, 1942 is an american writer. Sena jeter naslund s homage to melville is steeped in his work and at the same time explores a world that melville left largely uncharted. It has been said that one can see farther only by standing on the shoulders of giants. Sena jeter naslund has created an entirely new universe with a transcendent heroine at its center who will be every bit as memorable as captain ahab. Her 1999 novel, ahab s wife, and her 2003 novel, four spirits, were each named a new york times notable book of the year. A magnificent, vast, and enthralling saga, sena jeter naslund s ahab s wife is a remarkable epic spanning a rich, eventful, and dramatic life. Sena jeter naslund is the new york times bestselling author of five novels, including ahabs wife 1999 and abundance. She is best known for literature that centers on real or fictional characters from the past, bringing to life and exploring the inner lives of individuals living in complex times. Ahab s wife would stand alone as a fine novel even for those who are unfamiliar with moby dick. Ahabs wife by sena jeter naslund, first edition abebooks. Ahabs wife, or, the stargazer by naslund, sena jeter.
She watches her husband, captain ahab, go into madness after losing his leg. Oct 01, 2000 sena jeter naslund has created an entirely new universe with a transcendent heroine at its center who will be every bit as memorable as captain ahab. Sena jeter naslund is an american writer, born in birmingham, alabama. Sena jeter naslund is the new york times bestselling author of five novels, including ahab s wife 1999 and abundance. Sena jeter naslund birmingham native sena jeter naslund 1942 is the author of five novels and two collections of short stories. She has published seven novels and two collections of short fiction. Sena jeter naslund author of ahabs wife, or the stargazer. In ahab s wife, sena jeter naslund has taken less than a paragraphs worth of references to the captains young wife from herman melvilles mobydick and fashioned from this slender rib not only a woman but an entire world. I encourage you to take the adventure offered in naslund s latest novel. A gorgeously written, gritty, sensual novel that captures a new joan of arc. The first edition of the novel was published in september 22nd 1999, and was written by sena jeter naslund.