Author Description

Selina Peake De Jong is a memorable literary heroine...strong, proud, devoted equally to her son Dirk and what she sees as "the pursuit of beauty." When fortune casts her as the wife of a young farmer in the vast midwestern plains, she tackles the role with customary zest. The plot turns on her relationship with Dirk and his failure to fulfill his early promise. In Selina, Edna Ferber catches the hope and attention all parents lavish on their children and helps us understand why those we love are truly "hostages to fortune." SO BIG won the Pulitzer Prize and launched Edna Ferber on her career.