So Big - by Edna Ferber (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

So Big by Edna Ferber is a powerful and deeply human novel about ambition, sacrifice, motherhood, and the meaning of a life well lived. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, this classic American story follows Selina Peake DeJong, a spirited young woman whose dreams are tested by hardship, work, love, and disappointment.

Raised with imagination and curiosity, Selina enters adulthood believing in beauty, courage, and the possibilities of the world. But life soon carries her far from comfort and into the demanding realities of farm life, marriage, loss, and motherhood. Through it all, she pours her strength into raising her son, Dirk, hoping he will grow into a life larger and freer than her own.

Yet So Big is not simply a story of struggle. It is a rich and moving portrait of what people choose, what they give up, and what they mistake for success. Ferber contrasts material ambition with artistic vision, social status with inner richness, and outward achievement with the quieter triumphs of character, resilience, and love.

Written with warmth, intelligence, and emotional force, So Big remains one of Edna Ferber's most enduring works. Its questions still feel immediate: What makes a life meaningful? What do parents pass on to their children? And how much of ourselves do we lose when we chase the wrong kind of success?

This edition is prepared for clear, comfortable reading while preserving the vitality, insight, and emotional depth of Ferber's original prose. For readers of classic American fiction, family stories, women's literature, and novels of ambition and self-discovery, So Big is a rewarding and memorable portrait of courage, sacrifice, and the search for a truly abundant life.