Clattering Sparrows
Also by Marilyn Land
The Dollmaker
Clattering Sparrows
Copyright © 2010 Marilyn Land
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
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ISBN: 978-1-4502-3635-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-4502-3636-2 (cloth)
ISBN: 978-1-4502-3637-9 (ebk)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2010908941
Printed in the United States of America
iUniverse rev. date: 7/9/2010
Clattering Sparrows
is a work of fiction. Any and all references to actual people, events, places, or business establishments are intended solely to give the fiction a sense of authenticity and the reality of the times. All names, characters, and non-historical incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental.
The history of Mah Jongg was compiled from information made available by the Mah Jong Museum, Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia, and a multitude of articles that have appeared in miscellaneous newspapers and magazines.
Point of clarification to the reader:
Throughout
Clattering Sparrows
, when referring to the ancient Chinese game, the Chinese spelling—Mahjong—is used. When referring to the American version of the game, the American spelling—Mah Jongg—is used.
To Myrna—
I promise I won’t forget to bring the set!
A journey of 1,000 miles begins
with a single step!
Chinese Proverb
Clattering Sparrows is dedicated to the players of my
weekly Mah Jongg games from 1957 to the present!
Maryland 1957—Wednesday Night
Bobbie Berger
Shelia Blum
Shirley Chatlin
Myrna Franklin
Maryland 1960—Wednesday Night
Pat Abrams
Mollie Edelberg
Ruth Feigenson
Ady Hillman
Ruth Rubin
Renel Silver
Cape Cod, MA 2003—Monday Afternoon
Phyllis Bouchard Judy Leventhal
Lois Goldberg Denise Smily
Dede Hadelman Toni Steinberg
Linda Kipnes Sharon Swartz
Sylvia Whitman
Cape Cod, MA 2004—Wednesday Night
Linda Ahern Ellen DiMeco
Toby Chandler Myrna Fritz
Ann Cherenson Ellie Maude
Phyllis Stern
And to the many other terrific players I have clattered
tiles with over the past fifty years—above all my
two granddaughters Haley and Jillian Stein