The Moonflower Vine - by Jetta Carleton (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Wit, emotion and undiminished boldness. . . . This is a book which celebrates life and warms the heart." --Tulsa World

A timeless American classic, this beloved family saga of the heartland is "deeply felt . . . dramatic . . . constantly alive" (Harper's Magazine)

On a farm in western Missouri during the first half of the twentieth century, Matthew and Callie Soames create a life for themselves and raise four headstrong daughters. Jessica will break their hearts. Leonie will fall in love with the wrong man. Mary Jo will escape to New York. And wild child Mathy's fate will be the family's greatest tragedy. Over the decades they will love, deceive, comfort, forgive--and, ultimately, they will come to cherish all the more fiercely the bonds of love that hold the family together.

This moving novel brings to life the rhythms and the mood of Midwestern rural life through its endearing characters and their secrets, fears, heartache, and pleasures. Jetta Carleton's only work of fiction remains an utterly compelling story told with perceptive humor and a deep compassion.

From the Back Cover

A timeless American classic rediscovered--an unforgettable saga of a heartland family

On a farm in western Missouri during the first half of the twentieth century, Matthew and Callie Soames create a life for themselves and raise four headstrong daughters. Jessica will break their hearts. Leonie will fall in love with the wrong man. Mary Jo will escape to New York. And wild child Mathy's fate will be the family's greatest tragedy. Over the decades they will love, deceive, comfort, forgive--and, ultimately, they will come to cherish all the more fiercely the bonds of love that hold the family together.

Review Quotes

"It's hard to say which is more surprising: that Jetta Carleton's The Moonflower Vine is her first novel, that it's her only published novel--or that it's essentially been forgotten . . . Among the great pleasures of the novel is watching [its] chaste image unravel; the other is the writing, which captures both the beauty of the natural world and the complexities of human emotion." -- Washington Post

"Once in a great, great while comes a new book that makes you thankful you know how to read. The Moonflower Vine is just such a book...Written with a great feeling for beauty, human emotions and human foibles . . . filled with nostalgia, love, laughter, tears and real people." -- San Francisco News--Call Bulletin

"A poignant . . . novel that has captured the heart of America and become one of the best-loved bestsellers of our day . . . A profoundly satisfying book." -- New York Herald Tribune

"The flavor of The Moonflower Vine is much the same as that of To Kill a Mockingbird. . . . It has the same quiet feel of nostalgia, a breeze scented with bluegrass and wild roses. . . . A delightful book." -- Denver Post

"This novel is that rare find--a book you can truly enjoy and recall, long after reading it, with sharp pleasure." -- Rita Mae Brown

"A distinguished achievement" -- Chicago Tribune

"This is better than good. This is tremendous." -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"A deeply felt American family saga...dramatic...constantly alive." -- Harper's Magazine

"Beauty and sheer joy." -- Boston Herald

"Wit, emotion and undiminished boldness. . . . This is a book which celebrates life and warms the heart." -- Tulsa World

"In its gentle unfolding, The Moonflower Vine is as rare and lush as the flower that names it." -- Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Truly a beautiful book." -- Winston-Salem Journal