The Angry Woman Suite
Read The Angry Woman Suite Online
Authors: Lee Fullbright
Tags: #Coming of Age, #General, #Historical, #Fiction
The Angry Woman Suite
by
Lee Fullbright
This is a work of historical fiction. Other than the widely known actual events, people, and locales herein, all names, characters, incidents, and places are used fictitiously, or are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to living persons or current events is entirely coincidental.
The Angry Woman Suite
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you’re reading this eBook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.
Copyright © 2012 Eileen C. Fullbright
. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical without the express written permission of the author. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
Front cover designed by Laurie Fuller
Published by Telemachus Press, LLC
http://www.telemachuspress.com
Visit the author website:
http://leefullbright.com
ISBN# 978-1-937698-52-2 (eBook)
ISBN# 978-1-937698-53-9 (paperback)
Version 2012.11.29
MOONLIGHT SERENADE
Music by GLENN MILLER Lyrics by MITCHELL PARISH
Copyright © 1939
(Renewed) EMI ROBBINS CATALOG, INC.
Exclusive Print Rights Controlled and Administered by
ALFRED MUSIC PUBLISHING CO., INC.
All Rights Reserved.
Used by Permission.
For DDF, for everything.
Table of Contents
Praise for The Angry Woman Suite
“In a skillful move by Fullbright, secrets are revealed through the viewpoints of three different people, adding layers of eloquent complexity to a story as powerful as it is troubling. A superb debut that exposes the consequences of the choices we make and legacy’s sometimes excruciating embrace.”
—
Kirkus Reviews
“I read
The Angry Woman Suite
from cover to cover twice (yes, it
is
that good), and I’m still in awe of what I have found.”
—Sean Keefer, author of
The Trust
“There is something fascinating in labyrinthine plot twists, which is what we have here, and I must applaud Fullbright for her keen and magical ability to pull it off with such aplomb.”
—Norm Goldman,
Montreal Books Examiner
“Totally stellar work. Francis Grayson embodies brilliance and sorrow in a seamless mixture of the character you love to hate … impeccably researched and written.”
—Rebecca Boucher,
My Life With Boys and Books
“A very human story,
The Angry Woman Suite
is a fine read focusing on the long lasting dysfunction of family.”
—
Midwest Book Review
“With a touch of Margaret Atwood-y
Blind Assassin
-type mystery and history and alternating first person narration (with jumps in chronology),
The Angry Woman
Suite
is emotional when it needs to be and matter-of-fact at the proper times, too. There is violence, there is abuse … there’s also art, music, and beauty—all parts of real life. I guess the difference is that most of us are unable to share that ugliness and that beauty in the eloquent way that Fullbright does.”
—Denise du Vernay, adjunct professor of English at St. Xavier University in Chicago and co-author of
The Simpsons in the Classroom: Embiggening the Learning Experience with the Wisdom of Springfield
“A plot so intricate that only a master of the craft could pull it off. A book to get completely lost in.”
—Kathy Jambor,
Literary R&R
“
The Angry Woman Suite
features a wide array of diverse characters, which Fullbright depicts magnificently … a complex and emotional tale,
The Angry Woman Suite
is an engrossing read filled with dark twists and heartbreaking moments.”
—
IndieReader
“
The Angry Woman Suite
is quite a ride … very cleverly written … an outstanding novel.”
—Joana James,
Readers Favorite
“Fullbright has woven a tapestry of plot and subplot, creating a book that will keep you flipping pages long past midnight.”
—Cheri Roman,
The Brass Rag
“
The Angry Woman Suite
portrays women, from Bean to Elizabeth, with a poignancy tough to find anywhere but in literary genius. The twisted plot, and twining of families throughout the novel kept me reading, though I can’t tell you if it was because of the mystery, or Fullbright’s ability to plunge the reader deep into the psyche of her characters.”
—Naomi Leadbeater,
Naimeless
“Seductive and mesmerizing … will keep readers engrossed until its poignant conclusion.”
—
American Chronicles
“Elegantly written … immensely satisfying.”
—
Wryte Stuff
“
The Angry Woman Suite
is a brilliant, complex, complicated story about talented, complicated people … a story to remember.”
—
Readers Favorite
While writing stories is a solitary pursuit, a storyteller is not
always
solitary. I owe enormous debts of gratitude to the many, many people who held me up and seemingly never tired of stories about
the
story.
A special thanks to my brother, Brian Ellsworth, truly a man for all seasons, for the hand holding, and everything computer and everything trumpet. When Brian spoke of music, I listened and took notes, but I am not a musician; therefore, any trumpet or other music- related missteps are mine alone.
In 1994 I traveled from San Diego to a wedding in Pennsylvania, and made an impromptu stop at the Chadds Ford house where George Washington plotted his infamous Battle of the Brandywine. While sitting on the front steps of that stone house and wandering the lush grounds and old battlefield, something took hold within my imagination: the beginnings of a novel about 20
th
century characters also struggling for autonomy. I knew on that day that one of my characters would be a woman looking back on her life, and that her journey to autonomy would be interwoven with another character’s similar journey,
and
analogously with Washington’s fight for freedom at Chadds Ford.
I started researching and writing when I returned home to San Diego, and soon knew another town, in addition to Chadds Ford and West Chester, was required for the progression of this story—which is another way of saying that the town of East Chester is a figment of my imagination, as is Grayson House, and that I assume full responsibility for historical liberties taken to move this work of fiction forward.
A huge thank you to artist Laurie Fuller for the wonderful front cover design.
And to Geri Wilson, who listened to potential plot twists for
eons,
and never once complained.
Michaela Allen’s stories about New York’s music scene in the 1940’s were invaluable.
Thanks also to my wonderful critique group, the most talented, insightful writers in San Diego: my friends, Marion Kahn, Shelley Marquez, Julia Adame, and Chynne Strommen.
A brave Pam Swanson volunteered to read an all over the place first draft of
The Angry Woman Suite,
and I’m grateful.
Thank you to Joanne Brownstein, literary agent, for the chance and the title.
And to Kendyl Peterson, editor extraordinaire of all things English and German—as with music and history, any missteps with the German language are mine alone.
To Telemachus Press, and eagle-eyed editor Karen Lieberman.
To all my parents, and to Colleen, for making this story possible in the first place.
And, of course, to DDF, who hung the moon in my sky.
And to Baby Rae, star of my blog, and Taylor, who keeps that moon polished—and to Christe, my hope for the future, who brings it all together and always makes me proud.
The Angry Woman Suite
Resentment and Freedom:
Elyse Bowden Grayson, born 1950
Elyse’s circle
:
Wilheim Lange (Papa): grandfather
Bean Bowden Grayson: sister
Rose Bowden: paternal aunt
Diana Bowden Grayson: mother
Francis Grayson: stepfather; music prodigy
Aidan Madsen: mentor
Fame and Intemperance:
Francis Grayson, born 1928
Francis’ circle:
Lear Grayson: grandfather
Elizabeth Grayson: grandmother
Magdalene Grayson: mother
Stella Grayson: aunt
Lothian Grayson: aunt
Aidan Madsen: mentor; historian; musician
Diana Bowden Grayson: wife
Elena Fitzgerald: lover; singer
Buster Carlyle: friend; musician
Isolation and Reparation:
Aidan Madsen, born 1880
Aidan’s circle:
Lear Grayson: business associate; Francis’ maternal grandfather
Magdalene Grayson: Lear’s daughter; Aidan’s love interest; Francis’ mother
Lothian and Stella Grayson: Lear’s daughters
Francis Grayson: Lear’s grandson; Aidan’s second prodigy
Matthew Waterston: artist; friend; business associate
Sahar Witherspoon Waterston: Matthew’s wife
Jamie Witherspoon Waterston: Matthew and Sahar’s son; Aidan’s first prodigy
ELYSE
Sacramento 1955
It is said that love is comfort, and that comfort comes from recognition of the beloved. Papa was the first to tell me this, and if it’s even a little bit true, then I took my comfort for granted, not realizing that one can’t truly appreciate the beloved until one yearns for the comfort to be returned. Even now, when I can’t sleep at night, when I can’t slow the speeding of my heart, when I can’t stop the replaying of what-if’s in my head, I take myself back to that place where cabbage roses dance on walls and my beloved reigns supreme; where I am queen of his heart and he is my comfort, and then and only then do I feel safe.
You’d think it would be enough, being able to conjure up at least a measure of my old, first love. Yet for a long while it wasn’t. Because I was incapable of stanching the nagging questions about my second, almost greater love. Questioning why Francis hadn’t seen the truth of it like Papa had; that the streak I’d struggled with hadn’t been born of badness; that badness wasn’t an intrinsic part of me like my eyes being blue.
But Francis, unfortunately, hadn’t been able to see through things the way Papa had, and that was because Francis had rarely felt safe. You could see it in the way Francis’ eyes got doubtful taking in a room, and the way he was always biting down on his lower lip. The way it looked as if he was always trying to keep himself from crying.