Emily of Deep Valley - by Maud Hart Lovelace (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

"I never grow tired of cheering for Emily, and neither will a new generation of readers."--Mitali Perkins, author of You Bring the Distant Near, finalist for the National Book Award

This standalone novel by the author of the beloved Betsy-Tacy series, Emily of Deep Valley is set in Betsy Ray's Deep Valley and tells the story of a young woman who longs to go off to college following her high school graduation, but whose family commitments demand she stay close to home. Resigning herself to a "lost winter," Emily nonetheless throws herself into a new program of study and a growing interest in the local Syrian immigrant community, and when she meets a handsome new teacher at the high school, gains more than she ever dreamed possible. Maud Hart Lovelace's only young adult standalone novel, Emily of Deep Valley is considered to be one of the author's finest works.

This edition includes a foreword by acclaimed young adult author Mitali Perkins, compelling historical material about the real people who inspired Lovelace's beloved characters and a biography of illustrator Vera Neville, whose original cover illustration is featured on the cover.

"I re-read these books every year." --Laura Lippman

"There are three authors whose body of work I have reread more than once over my adult life: Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and Maud Hart Lovelace." --Anna Quindlen

From the Back Cover

Emily Webster, an orphan living with her grandfather, is not like the other girls her age in Deep Valley, Minnesota. After graduation, she longs to join the Crowd and go off to college--but she can't leave her grandfather alone at home. Resigning herself to a "lost winter," Emily nonetheless throws herself into a new program of study and a growing interest in the local Syrian community, and when she meets a handsome new teacher at the high school, Emily gains more than she ever dreamed possible.

Maud Hart Lovelace's only young adult stand-alone novel, Emily of Deep Valley is considered by fans of her beloved Betsy-Tacy series to be one of the author's finest works.

Review Quotes

"Slipping into a Betsy book is like slipping into a favorite pair of well-worn slippers: It's always a pleasure to live in Betsy's world for a little while, to experience her simple joys, but also her (thankfully short-lived) sorrows." - -Meg Cabot

"There are three authors whose body of work I have reread more than once over my adult life: Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, and Maud Hart Lovelace." - Anna Quindlen, New York Times Bestselling Author

"I re-read these books every year, marveling at how a world so quaint--shirtwaists! Pompadours! Merry Widow hats!--can feature a heroine who is undeniably modern." - Laura Lippman, New York Times Bestselling Author

"I read every one of these Betsy-Tacy-Tib books twice. I loved them as a child, as a young adult, and now, reading them with my daughter, as a mother. What a wonderful world it was!" - Bette Midler, actor and singer

"Some characters become your friends for life. That's how it was for me with Betsy-Tacy." - Judy Blume, bestselling beloved YA author

"The Betsy-Tacy books were among my favorites when I was growing up." - - Nora Ephron, Academy Award-nominated director

"At school visits, when kids ask what books I read as a child, I have only one answer: Betsy Tacy--the entire series....Truthfully, I think those were the only books I read as a child. But they were enough to make me know that characters in books had true and honest feelings and that made all the difference." - Maryann Weidt, children's book author and MN Book Award-winning picture book, Daddy Played Music for the Cows

Maud Hart Lovelace and her "Betsy-Tacy" series influenced me very much when I was a girl; I identified with Betsy, who wanted to be a writer, as well as the friends' girl-power. - Lorna Landvik, New York Times Bestselling Author

"Heavens to Betsy! It was pure bliss to slip away and into the world of these turn-of-the-century Minnesota girls, their families, their friends, their loves. It had been many, many years since I'd spent time with the enchanting Betsy Ray, but after reacquainting myself with these classics, I now realize that one of the reasons I believed I could someday become a writer was because of Betsy's own infallible confidence that she would be a writer. Hurrah to Harper Perennial for giving us the gift of three new gorgeously packaged omnibus re-issues of the Betsy-Tacy-Tib high school books. Don't worry if you don't have a young person to buy these delicious books for--be selfish and give 'em to yourself." - Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author

"I am fairly certain that my independent, high-spirited grandmother must have had a childhood similar to Betsy Ray's...As I read..., I felt that I was having an unexpected and welcome peek into Granny's childhood-a gift to me from Maud Hart Lovelace." - Ann M. Martin, creator/author of The Baby-sitter's Club

"Family loyalty and the devotion of friends to one another, which for me are the defining characteristics of the Betsy-Tacy stories." - Esther Hautzig, Award-winning author, former Director of Children's Book Promotion for Thomas Y. Crowell Co., and former publicist for Betsy's Wedding in 1955

"I truly consider BETSY AND TACY GO DOWNTOWN to be the finest novel in the English language! I will never love any other books as much as I love the Betsy-Tacy books." - Claudia Mills, children's book author, winner of National Book Award and Golden Kite Award

"Pure bliss.... I now realize that one of the reasons I believed I could someday become a writer was because of Betsy's own infallible confidence that she would be a writer." - Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author

"Some characters become your friends for life. That's how it was for me with Betsy-Tacy." - Johanna Hurwitz, award-winning author of more than sixty popular books for young readers

"I grew up 30 miles north of Mankato, and trips to town were filled with mystery and magic, because I was walking the same streets that Betsy and Tacy once walked. The Betsy-Tacy books...., more than any other books, fed my dream of becoming a writer one day." - Jill Kalz, 2008 MN Book Awards Readers' Choice Award winner