An American Family: Discussing the Booths with Karen Joy Fowler

Dear friends and fellow readers,

I’m excited to announce the next To the Lighthouse author event:

AN AMERICAN FAMILY

A conversation and book signing with the award-winning and bestselling author

Karen Joy Fowler

Sunday, May 28, 5:00 PT / 8:00 ET

The BookWorks bookstore, 667 Lighthouse Ave in Pacific Grove, and on Zoom

Fowler’s novel centers on a fascinating early American family, that of John Wilkes Booth. Starting with his parents’ settling in rural Maryland, the novel follows his father’s fame on the stage, his mother’s restricted choices, and the fascinating lives or early deaths of he and his nine siblings. Brilliantly, Booth puts the focus on the family, with its complicated dynamics, poignant losses, nail-biting travel adventures, and cycles of wealth and poverty. By the time John is even born, we feel like we’re part of Booth family, invested in their struggles and rooting for the happiness of every one of their wildly diverse clan. It’s storytelling genius, breathing life and pathos and originality into a foundational American tale. You think you know this story, and yet, you’ll think of it differently after reading Booth.

I am thrilled to be in conversation with Fowler to discuss her newest novel. It was nominated for the Mann Booker Prize and selected as a Best Book of the Year by Real Simple, AARP, USA Today, NPR, and Virginia Living. It’s her tenth (!) work of fiction, and her accolades include two Booker nominations, the PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction, and thirteen weeks on the NYT bestseller list, among many others. Read more about her work.

The event is free, but we’d love to know that you’re coming, so please register. Virtual registrants will be sent a Zoom link.

I hope to see you there!

Yours in all things literary,

Jennifer