Once Upon a Day - by Lisa Tucker (Paperback)

About the Book

From the internationally acclaimed, bestselling author of "Shout Down the Moon" and "The Song Readers" comes a wise, humorous, and deeply compassionate story about the risks and rewards of loving when a single day can change one's life.

Book Synopsis

Nineteen years ago, a famous filmmaker disappeared from Los Angeles, taking his two children, Dorothea and Jimmy, to a desolate corner of New Mexico. There he raised them in complete isolation without television, computer, radio -- not even a newspaper. Now, at twenty-three, Dorothea leaves in search of her missing brother -- and ventures into the outside world for the first time. Her search becomes an odyssey of discovery when Dorothea meets Stephen Spaulding, a cab driver dealing with his own mysterious history. With him as her guide, Dorothea uncovers the truth of her family's past and the terrifying day that changed her father forever. Together, they have a chance to discover that although a heart can be broken by the tragic events of a day, a day can also bring a new chance at love and a deeper understanding of life's infinite possibilities.

Review Quotes

"A lyrically poignant reminder of the necessity of hope."
-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Deftly written and emotionally convincing."
-- Marie Claire

"Tucker's graceful prose and well-crafted characters create a compelling odyssey of transfiguration."
-- People (Critic's Choice)

"Tucker's most ambitious novel yet. It's a tragedy, a mystery, a romance, a twisted family story about loss, violence, obsession, and forgiveness."
-- The Boston Globe

"Tucker's new fable is self-consciously the stuff of fairy tales.... The book is charged with the sense that life is charmed, that chance encounters can change fates and remake them for the better."
-- San Francisco Chronicle