About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherTouchstone

ISBN-100743247078

ISBN-139780743247078

eBay Product ID (ePID)30277523

Product Key Features

Book TitleSecret Word : a Novel

Number of Pages224 Pages

LanguageEnglish

TopicGeneral, Literary

Publication Year2004

GenreFiction

AuthorJennifer Paddock

FormatTrade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height0.5 in

Item Weight7.4 Oz

Item Length8 in

Item Width5 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2003-057343

TitleLeadingA

Dewey Edition22

ReviewsMelinda Haynesauthor ofWillem's FieldA Secret Wordis a rare gem of a book, distilled and heartbreaking, yet full of quiet grace that illuminates the page in extraordinary ways. There is something about Paddock's writing that defies conventional description. The closest word I can summon is 'magic.', Michael Knightauthor of Goodnight, NobodyJennifer Paddock writes like Raymond Carver with a bigger heart...a perfect novel-in-stories., Jay McInerney,author ofBright Lights, Big CityA Secret Wordcaptures the dreamy rhythms of adolescence between staccato moments of crisis, as three perfectly ordinary and utterly memorable young southern women find themselves transported inexorably into the cosmopolitan landscape of womanhood. While many first novelists wave their arms and stamp their feet to get our attention, Jennifer Paddock seduces the reader with the narrative equivalent of a raised eyebrow or the almost imperceptible nod of the head. At the end the reader is inclined to ask of the writer as well as her characters -- what's next?, Michael Knightauthor ofGoodnight, NobodyJennifer Paddock writes like Raymond Carver with a bigger heart...a perfect novel-in-stories., Michael Knightauthor of Goodnight, Nobody Jennifer Paddock writes like Raymond Carver with a bigger heart...a perfect novel-in-stories., Melinda Haynesauthor of Willem's FieldA Secret Word is a rare gem of a book, distilled and heartbreaking, yet full of quiet grace that illuminates the page in extraordinary ways. There is something about Paddock's writing that defies conventional description. The closest word I can summon is 'magic.', Jay McInerney, author of Bright Lights, Big City A Secret Word captures the dreamy rhythms of adolescence between staccato moments of crisis, as three perfectly ordinary and utterly memorable young southern women find themselves transported inexorably into the cosmopolitan landscape of womanhood. While many first novelists wave their arms and stamp their feet to get our attention, Jennifer Paddock seduces the reader with the narrative equivalent of a raised eyebrow or the almost imperceptible nod of the head. At the end the reader is inclined to ask of the writer as well as her characters -- what's next?, Melinda Haynesauthor of Willem's Field A Secret Word is a rare gem of a book, distilled and heartbreaking, yet full of quiet grace that illuminates the page in extraordinary ways. There is something about Paddock's writing that defies conventional description. The closest word I can summon is 'magic.', Melinda Haynes author of Willem's Field A Secret Word is a rare gem of a book, distilled and heartbreaking, yet full of quiet grace that illuminates the page in extraordinary ways. There is something about Paddock's writing that defies conventional description. The closest word I can summon is 'magic.', Michael Knight author of Goodnight, Nobody Jennifer Paddock writes like Raymond Carver with a bigger heart...a perfect novel-in-stories., Jay McInerney,author of Bright Lights, Big City A Secret Word captures the dreamy rhythms of adolescence between staccato moments of crisis, as three perfectly ordinary and utterly memorable young southern women find themselves transported inexorably into the cosmopolitan landscape of womanhood. While many first novelists wave their arms and stamp their feet to get our attention, Jennifer Paddock seduces the reader with the narrative equivalent of a raised eyebrow or the almost imperceptible nod of the head. At the end the reader is inclined to ask of the writer as well as her characters -- what's next?

Dewey Decimal813/.6

Table Of ContentContents November 1986 The Ones Who Are Holding Things Up June 1990 Talk Like Friends October 1991 Rhythm March 1993 Souvenir July 1993 A Matter of Someone Leaving February 1996 A Winter's Daughter March 1996 Sarah Plus One April 1996 And When I Should Feel Something May 1996 Floating June 1996 Florence in a Room February 1998 Intimate and Dark April 1999 Late Fragment November 1999 The Kind of Girl He Plays Guitar For June 2000 The Space Between Us August 2000 A Secret Word December 2001 A Not Yet Shattered Bliss

SynopsisJennifer Paddock's incandescent debut novel spans fifteen years in the lives of friends Leigh, Sarah, and Chandler, beginning one fateful day in high school that forever connects them. While Leigh remains stuck in dead-end jobs in their Arkansas hometown, the more privileged Sarah and Chandler move to Manhattan, where Sarah seeks acting fame and Chandler struggles to make sense of her failed relationships, only to be sent reeling by an unexpected tragedy. Sweeping from the Deep South to New York and interweaving each girl's distinctive voice into a seamless narrative, A Secret Word is a luminous story of friendship and family, sex and secrets, growing up and growing apart. It is about how well you can ever really know another person and the secrets we keep from our friends, our families, and, most important, ourselves., Jennifer Paddock's incandescent debut novel spans fifteen years in the lives of friends Leigh, Sarah, and Chandler, beginning one fateful day in high school that forever connects them. While Leigh remains stuck in dead-end jobs in their Arkansas hometown, the more privileged Sarah and Chandler move to Manhattan, where Sarah seeks acting fame and Chandler struggles to make sense of her failed relationships, only to be sent reeling by an unexpected tragedy.Sweeping from the Deep South to New York and interweaving each girl's distinctive voice into a seamless narrative,A Secret Wordis a luminous story of friendship and family, sex and secrets, growing up and growing apart. It is about how well you can ever really know another person and the secrets we keep from our friends, our families, and, most important, ourselves.

LC Classification NumberPS3616.A3355S43 2004