Thanks to Tabitha Bailey of Critter Caretaker, I am giving away one print copy of ‘Don’t Say a Word ‘by Elizabeth Roper Marcus.
Description Don’t Say a Word by Elizabeth Roper Marcus
Edna and Leo, a perpetually warring, tyrannical pair in their 80s, begin wintering In Mexico, where they abandon their usual prudence to embrace adventure and a bevy of sketchy new friends. Soon, Edna adopts a pair of shyster builders whom she trusts over her own architect-daughter Elizabeth, and a farcical house result.
Blithely indifferent to the calamities that result, the pair refuse all help from their too-compliant only child. Later, following her mother’s sudden death, Elizabeth’s wise, principled father attempts to fill his late wife’s shoes with a string of loopy, live-in housekeepers―with privileges, he hopes. Before it is over the Mexican escapade will bring down the kind of disasters commonly found in pulp fiction. Why can’t Elizabeth stop any of this from happening? No matter the madness, she cannot confront her parents any more than she ever could. In the end, the surprising way in which they come undone reveals just what they spent their lives trying to hide, thereby setting her free.
Though unique in its loony details, Don’t Say A Word! will resonate with beleaguered adult-children everywhere who will recognize the special misery of watching, helpless, as stubborn, diminished parents careen precariously toward the end of life.
Praise Don’t Say a Word by Elizabeth Roper Marcus
“Self-aware in handling her parents’ declining circumstances, Don’t Say a Word is a lively, honest, and wickedly humorous memoir about the minefields of parent-child relationships.” – Foreword Clarion Reviews
“What an achievement! Don’t Say a Word! is evocative, smart, AND funny, with fresh insights about families on virtually every page. Marcus’s drive to comprehend her past will inspire readers who felt silenced in childhood or whose talents and achievements went unappreciated. With this book, she breaks her silence, revealing hard-won realizations and a remarkable ability to laugh through the tears.”―Barbara Schildkraut, MD, author of Unmasking Psychological Symptoms and Masquerading Symptoms
“How well do we know our parents? Elizabeth Marcus confronts this question in her vibrant memoir, which follows the final decade of her parents’ lives as they seem to age into inversions of their former controlled and controlling selves. Reflecting on their absurd new friendships and terrible real estate deals, which she describes in hilarious detail, Marcus arrives at a dramatically new view of her difficult parents and their relationship with her. Funny, compassionate, and beautifully written, Don’t Say a Word is a moving account of a daughter finding her own story.”―Gail Pool, author of Lost Among the Baining: Adventure, Marriage, and Other Fieldwork
About Elizabeth Roper Marcus
Elizabeth Marcus grew up in Manhattan, the only child of a dentist and a Macy’s dress buyer, the Zeus and Hera of Apartment 2B. After escaping to Boston, she ran a small architectural office for 20 years, when she wasn’t traveling to far-flung places with her psychiatrist husband and rambunctious children. Eventually, she decided to concentrate on writing, which allows her to pursue the many, quirky questions that fascinate her: Why are butterflies called ‘butterflies?’ Why can’t she recall the taste of wines? Why are first-love memories so potent? Her essays have appeared in The New York Times and Boston Globe, on online sites like Cognoscenti, and in essay anthologies like Travelers’ Tales. “Don’t Say A Word!”: A Daughter’s Two Cents, in 90,571 words, is her first book. She posts essays related to the book at www.eLizWrites.com; she posts essays about everything else at www.archive.eLizWrites
Twitter: https://twitter.com/eLizMarcus
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Giveaway Don’t Say a Word by Elizabeth Roper Marcus
This giveaway is open the U.S. only and ends on May 28, 2021 midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.
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