Golden Country - by Jennifer Gilmore (Paperback)

About the Book

Gilmore reinvents the classic Jewish American novel in her ambitious and extraordinary debut that follows the intertwining lives of three immigrant families from the 1920s to 1960s.

Book Synopsis

**DEBUT FICTION**

Golden Country vividly brings to life the intertwining stories of three immigrants seeking their fortunes: the handsome and ambitious Seymour, a salesman turned gangster turned Broadway producer; the gentle and pragmatic Joseph, a door-to-door salesman who is driven to invent a cleanser effective enough to wipe away the shame of his brother's mob connections; and the irresistible Frances Gold, who grows up in Brooklyn, stars in Seymour's first show, and marries the man who invents television. Their three families, though inextricably connected for years, are brought together for the first time by the engagement of Seymour's son and Joseph's daughter. David and Miriam's marriage must endure the inheritance of not only their parents' wealth but also the burdens of their pasts.

Spanning the first half of the twentieth century, Golden Country captures the exuberance of the American dream while exposing its underbelly--disillusionment, greed, and the disaffection bred by success.

From the Back Cover

A LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE FINALIST
A NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD FINALIST
Golden Country vividly brings to life the intertwining stories of three immigrants seeking their fortunes: the handsome and ambitious Seymour, a salesman turned gangster turned Broadway producer; the gentle and pragmatic Joseph, a door-to-door salesman who is driven to invent a cleanser effective enough to wipe away the shame of his brother s mob connections; and the irresistible Frances Gold, who grows up in Brooklyn, stars in Seymour s first show, and marries the man who invents television.
"Gilmore's lively prose captures both the exuberance and the disillusionment of the immigrant experience."--Entertainment Weekly
"With a voice at turns wise and barbed with sharp humor, Gilmore warns: be careful what you wish for, the American Dream can sometimes be a nightmare."--Vanity Fair
"Jennifer Gilmore might just be the Jewish answer to Jhumpa Lahiri. Her absorbing novel captures the sadness and wonder of the immigrant experience."--W Magazine
"This novel is extremely engaging . . . well researched and charmingly recalled." The Washington Post Book World
JENNIFER GILMORE s work has appeared in magazines, journals, and anthologies, including the New York Times Magazine, Allure, Nerve, and Salon. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. Visit www.JenniferGilmore.net."

Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR GOLDEN COUNTRY

"The novel's heart beats with the pulse of human intersections and the missed connections of its well-drawn characters."--People

"A sumptuous valentine to the twentieth-century Jewish-American experience . . . Like E. L. Doctorow's Ragtime, Golden Country is a paean to the recent past, but Gilmore's novel concerns itself less with the making of America than with the making of Americans."--BookForum --