The magic kingdom / Russell Banks.
Material type:
TextPublisher: New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2022Edition: First editionDescription: 331 pages ; 25 cmContent type: - text
- unmediated
- volume
- 9780593535158
- 0593535154
| Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Book
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Dr. James Carlson Library | Fiction | BANKS, RUSSELL | Available | 33111011016918 | ||||
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Adult Book
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Main Library | Fiction | BANKS, RUSSELL | Available | 33111010917686 | ||||
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Adult Book
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Northport Library | Fiction | BANKS, RUSSELL | Available | 33111009453156 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
From one of America's most beloved storytellers: a dazzling tapestry of love and faith, memory and imagination that questions what it means to look back and accept one's place in history. In 1971, Harley Mann revisits his childhood, recounting his family's move to Florida's swamplands--mere miles away from what would become Disney World--to join a community of Shakers.
"Eerily timely. Can what's gone wrong in the past offer keys to the future? The Magic Kingdom confronts our longings for Paradise; also the inner serpents that are to be found in all such enchanted gardens." --Margaret Atwood, author of The Testaments , via Twitter
Property speculator Harley Mann begins recording his life story onto a reel-to-reel machine, reflecting on his youth in the early twentieth century. He recounts that after his father's sudden death, his family migrated down to Florida to join a Shaker colony. Led by Elder John, a generous man with a mysterious past, the colony devoted itself to labor, faith, and charity, rejecting all temptations that lay beyond the property. Though this way of life initially saved Harley and his family from complete ruin, when Harley began falling in love with Sadie Pratt, a consumptive patient living on the grounds, his loyalty to the Shakers and their conservative worldview grew strained and, ultimately, broke.
As Harley dictates his story across more than half a century--meditating on youth, Florida's everchanging landscape, and the search for an American utopia--the truth about Sadie, Elder John, and the Shakers comes to light, clarifying the past and present alike. With an expert eye and stunning vision, Russell Banks delivers a wholly captivating portrait of a man navigating Americana and the passage of time.
"In 1971, a property speculator named Harley Mann begins recording his life story onto a reel-to-reel machine. Reflecting on his childhood in the early 20th century, Harley recounts that after his father's sudden death, his family migrated down to Florida-mere miles away from what would become Disney World-to join a community of Shakers. Led by Elder John, a generous man with a mysterious past, the colony devoted itself to labor, faith, and charity, rejecting all temptations that lay beyond the property. Though this initially saved Harley and his family from complete ruin, when Harley began falling in love with Sadie Pratt, a consumptive patient who lived on the grounds, his loyalty to the Shakers and their conservative worldview grew strained and, ultimately, broke. As Harley dictates his story across more than half-a-century, the truth about Sadie, Elder John, and the Shakers comes to light, clarifying the past into a world we recognize today"-- Provided by publisher.