About this item
Scrappy fifteen-year-old Vera Johnson - illegitimate daughter of Rose, the notorious proprietor of San Francisco's ritziest bordello and ally to the city's corrupt politicians - narrowly survives the devastating 1906 earthquake. Relying on her wit and determination, Vera and her unlikely new family of survivors navigate a world reborn in the wake of disaster. In Vera, Carol Edgarian creates a panoramic and deeply compassionate world where notions of honor, survival, and love are tested, and grace is hard-won. Vera celebrates the bold resilience its heroine bears in the face of a disregarding mother and a colorful cohort of liars, thieves, and con artists who would manipulate the teenage girl while her righteous neighbors judge her for her low birth. A ravishing, heartbreaking, and profound affirmation of youth and a testament to a city eternally reimagining itself, Vera's story brings to life legendary characters - tenor Enrico Caruso, indicted Mayor Eugene Schmitz and boss Abe Ruef, tabloid celebrity and fabled doyenne Alma Spreckels, as well as an unforgettable cast that includes Vera's young lover, Bobby, protector of the city's tribe of orphans, and three generations of a Chinese family competing and conspiring with Vera.
About the Author
Carol Edgarian's novels include the forthcoming VERA (March 2021) , the New York Times bestseller THREE STAGES OF AMAZEMENT and the international bestseller RISE THE EUPHRATES, winner of the ANC Freedom Prize and hailed by the Washington Post as "a book whose generosity of spirit, intelligence, humanity, and finally ambition are what literature ought to be and rarely is today."Her articles and essays have appeared in many national magazines, and she co-edited the popular collection drawn from writers' diaries, The Writer's Life: Intimate Thoughts on Work, Love, Inspiration, and Fame.Carol is co-founder of the non-profit Narrative (www.NarrativeMagazine.com) , a leading digital publisher of fiction, poetry, and art, and of Narrative in the Schools, programs that support teachers and students in communities around the world by providing free access to reading, video tutorials, and other resources.Carol is the proud mother of three daughters. She lives in California with her family. Join Carol's mailing list at www.caroledgarian.com or follow Carol on Instagram @cedgarian, twitter @caroledgarian, or Facebook.
