Picture 1 of 2
Stock photo
Picture 1 of 2
Stock photo
Guests on Earth : A Novel by Lee Smith (2013, Hardcover)
Monroe Stahr Books (758)
98.9% positive feedback
Price:
$39.99
+ $5.22 shipping
Returns:
Condition:
FIRST EDITION in dust jacket. SIGNED by the author on the title page. AS NEW.
- Buy It NowGUESTS ON EARTH Lee Smith ~ FIRST ED in DJ ~ SIGNED ~ AS NEW
Oops! Looks like we're having trouble connecting to our server.
Refresh your browser window to try again.
About this product
Product Identifiers
PublisherAlgonquin Books of Chapel Hill
ISBN-10161620253X
ISBN-139781616202538
eBay Product ID (ePID)26038447160
Product Key Features
Book TitleGuests on Earth : a Novel
Number of Pages352 Pages
LanguageEnglish
Publication Year2013
TopicPsychological, General, Historical
GenreFiction
AuthorLee Smith
FormatHardcover
Dimensions
Item Height1.1 in
Item Weight16.8 Oz
Item Length9.3 in
Item Width6.3 in
Additional Product Features
Intended AudienceTrade
Reviews"Perennially best-selling Smith presents an impeccably researched historical novel that reveals the early twentieth century's antediluvian attitudes toward mental health and women's independence." --Booklist "Engaging . . . touching." --Publishers Weekly "The American South has produced some of the greatest writers in history. Seated at the head of that table is Lee Smith, who writes with ferocity and detail, tenderness and specificity, about life in the mountains of southwest Virginia and eastern Tennessee. In Guests on Earth, something altogether new and different, Smith . . . solves the mystery of the death of Zelda Fitzgerald through the prism of a beguiling narrator, Evalina, who bore witness to the tragedy and lived to tell her version of the events. This is Lee Smith at her powerful best." --Adriana Trigiani, author of Big Stone Gap and The Shoemaker's Daughter "In Guests on Earth Lee Smith gives evidence again of the grace and insight that distinguish her work. Her characters are realized with singular intensity, the most vivid interior life, and flawless dialogue. Reading Lee Smith ranks among the great pleasures of American fiction." --Robert Stone, author of Death of the Black-Haired Girl and Dog Soldiers, eoeTreading the fine line between sanity and insanity, this historical novel imagines the 12 years proceeding the 1948 fire that engulfed a North Carolina mental hospital and killed F. Scott Fitzgeralde(tm)s estranged wife, Zelda.e --Ms. Magazine eoeWith this book, Smith will broaden her readership to draw in those fascinated by the Fitzgerald ethos while entertaining her perennial fans with the local lore and down home accents behind the scenes.e --Foreword Reviews eoeEngaging . . . Touching.e --Publishers Weekly eoePerennially best-selling Smith presents an impeccably researched historical novel that reveals the early twentieth centurye(tm)s antediluvian attitudes toward mental health and womene(tm)s independence.e --Booklist eoeThis is Lee Smith at her powerful best, writing the South she knows through the eyes of a woman who lived it.e --Adriana Trigiani, author of Big Stone Gap and The Shoemaker's Daughter eoeIn Guests on Earth Lee Smith gives evidence again of the grace and insight that distinguish her work. Her characters are realized with singular intensity, the most vivid interior life, and flawless dialogue. Reading Lee Smith ranks among the great pleasures of American fiction.e --Robert Stone, author of Death of the Black-Haired Girl and Dog Soldiers, "Perennially best-selling Smith presents an impeccably researched historical novel that reveals the early twentieth century's antediluvian attitudes toward mental health and women's independence." --Booklist "Engaging . . . touching." --Publishers Weekly, "[An] engaging and engrossing novel . . . Smith's well-developed characters, rich historical detail and easy prose create a novel that some may call her best yet, and which it just may be." --Minneapolis Star Tribune "Those who enjoyed Smith's previous work (e.g., Fair and Tender Ladies; The Last Girls) will certainly appreciate this absorbing book, as will those interested in the history of treating mental illness in the United States and fans of Southern or Appalachian fiction." --Library Journal "With Guests on Earth, Lee Smith shines new light on a shadowy, complex subject . . . She offers a broader historical perspective--and with it, a captivating, inimitable voice." --The Raleigh News and Observer "Treading the fine line between sanity and insanity, this historical novel imagines the 12 years proceeding the 1948 fire that engulfed a North Carolina mental hospital and killed F. Scott Fitzgerald's estranged wife, Zelda." --Ms. Magazine "Engaging . . . Touching." --Publishers Weekly "This is Lee Smith at her powerful best, writing the South she knows through the eyes of a woman who lived it." --Adriana Trigiani, author of Big Stone Gap and The Shoemaker's Wife "In Guests on Earth Lee Smith gives evidence again of the grace and insight that distinguish her work. Her characters are realized with singular intensity, the most vivid interior life, and flawless dialogue. Reading Lee Smith ranks among the great pleasures of American fiction." --Robert Stone, author of Death of the Black-Haired Girl and Dog Soldiers, "Those who enjoyed Smith's previous work (e.g., Fair and Tender Ladies; The Last Girls) will certainly appreciate this absorbing book, as will those interested in the history of treating mental illness in the United States and fans of Southern or Appalachian fiction." --Library Journal "Smith has created a compelling, disturbing but also uplifting narrative inspired by the 1948 fire that swept through Highland Hospital in Asheville, killing nine women, among them Zelda Fitzgerald." --The Herald Sun "Treading the fine line between sanity and insanity, this historical novel imagines the 12 years proceeding the 1948 fire that engulfed a North Carolina mental hospital and killed F. Scott Fitzgerald's estranged wife, Zelda." --Ms. Magazine "With this book, Smith will broaden her readership to draw in those fascinated by the Fitzgerald ethos while entertaining her perennial fans with the local lore and down home accents behind the scenes." --Foreword Reviews "Engaging . . . Touching." --Publishers Weekly "Perennially best-selling Smith presents an impeccably researched historical novel that reveals the early twentieth century's antediluvian attitudes toward mental health and women's independence." --Booklist "This is Lee Smith at her powerful best, writing the South she knows through the eyes of a woman who lived it." --Adriana Trigiani, author of Big Stone Gap and The Shoemaker's Wife "In Guests on Earth Lee Smith gives evidence again of the grace and insight that distinguish her work. Her characters are realized with singular intensity, the most vivid interior life, and flawless dialogue. Reading Lee Smith ranks among the great pleasures of American fiction." --Robert Stone, author of Death of the Black-Haired Girl and Dog Soldiers, "[An] elegant historical novel . . . Lee Smith is an assured and accomplished writer, and her use of Zelda as a subject in Guests on Earth is brilliant . . . This is a carefully researched, utterly charming novel. By the time you finish it, you fall in love with these fascinating lives, too." -- The Washington Post " Guests on Earth is a mesmerizing novel about a time and place where creativity and passion, theory and medicine, fact and fiction, are luminously intertwined." -- BookPage "Indeed, most of the high spirited, rebellious, outspoken women who populate Guests on Earth would not now be considered insane at all. Smith's imaginative, layered story illuminates the complexity of their collective plight--to be put in towers until they had no choice but to behave--and rescues them one by one." -- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution "[An] engaging and engrossing novel . . . Smith's well-developed characters, rich historical detail and easy prose create a novel that some may call her best yet, and which it just may be." -- Minneapolis Star Tribune "Those who enjoyed Smith's previous work (e.g., Fair and Tender Ladies ; The Last Girls ) will certainly appreciate this absorbing book, as will those interested in the history of treating mental illness in the United States and fans of Southern or Appalachian fiction." -- Library Journal "With Guests on Earth , Lee Smith shines new light on a shadowy, complex subject . . . She offers a broader historical perspective--and with it, a captivating, inimitable voice." -- The Raleigh News and Observer "Treading the fine line between sanity and insanity, this historical novel imagines the 12 years proceeding the 1948 fire that engulfed a North Carolina mental hospital and killed F. Scott Fitzgerald's estranged wife, Zelda." -- Ms. Magazine "Engaging . . . Touching." -- Publishers Weekly "This is Lee Smith at her powerful best, writing the South she knows through the eyes of a woman who lived it." -- Adriana Trigiani, author of Big Stone Gap and The Shoemaker's Wife "In Guests on Earth Lee Smith gives evidence again of the grace and insight that distinguish her work. Her characters are realized with singular intensity, the most vivid interior life, and flawless dialogue. Reading Lee Smith ranks among the great pleasures of American fiction." --Robert Stone, author of Death of the Black-Haired Girl and Dog Soldiers, eoeThose who enjoyed Smithe(tm)s previous work (e.g., Fair and Tender Ladies; The Last Girls) will certainly appreciate this absorbing book, as will those interested in the history of treating mental illness in the United States and fans of Southern or Appalachian fiction.e e"Library Journal eoeSmith has created a compelling, disturbing but also uplifting narrative inspired by the 1948 fire that swept through Highland Hospital in Asheville, killing nine women, among them Zelda Fitzgerald.e e"The Herald Sun eoeTreading the fine line between sanity and insanity, this historical novel imagines the 12 years proceeding the 1948 fire that engulfed a North Carolina mental hospital and killed F. Scott Fitzgeralde(tm)s estranged wife, Zelda.e e"Ms. Magazine eoeWith this book, Smith will broaden her readership to draw in those fascinated by the Fitzgerald ethos while entertaining her perennial fans with the local lore and down home accents behind the scenes.e e"Foreword Reviews eoeEngaging . . . Touching.e e"Publishers Weekly eoePerennially best-selling Smith presents an impeccably researched historical novel that reveals the early twentieth centurye(tm)s antediluvian attitudes toward mental health and womene(tm)s independence.e e"Booklist eoeThis is Lee Smith at her powerful best, writing the South she knows through the eyes of a woman who lived it.e e"Adriana Trigiani, author of Big Stone Gap and The Shoemaker's Wife eoeIn Guests on Earth Lee Smith gives evidence again of the grace and insight that distinguish her work. Her characters are realized with singular intensity, the most vivid interior life, and flawless dialogue. Reading Lee Smith ranks among the great pleasures of American fiction.e e"Robert Stone, author of Death of the Black-Haired Girl and Dog Soldiers, 'Smith has created a compelling, disturbing but also uplifting narrative inspired by the 1948 fire that swept through Highland Hospital in Asheville, killing nine women, among them Zelda Fitzgerald.''The Herald Sun 'Treading the fine line between sanity and insanity, this historical novel imagines the 12 years proceeding the 1948 fire that engulfed a North Carolina mental hospital and killed F. Scott Fitzgerald's estranged wife, Zelda.' 'Ms. Magazine 'With this book, Smith will broaden her readership to draw in those fascinated by the Fitzgerald ethos while entertaining her perennial fans with the local lore and down home accents behind the scenes.' 'Foreword Reviews 'Engaging . . . Touching.' 'Publishers Weekly 'Perennially best-selling Smith presents an impeccably researched historical novel that reveals the early twentieth century's antediluvian attitudes toward mental health and women's independence.' 'Booklist 'This is Lee Smith at her powerful best, writing the South she knows through the eyes of a woman who lived it.' 'Adriana Trigiani, author of Big Stone Gap and The Shoemaker's Wife 'In Guests on Earth Lee Smith gives evidence again of the grace and insight that distinguish her work. Her characters are realized with singular intensity, the most vivid interior life, and flawless dialogue. Reading Lee Smith ranks among the great pleasures of American fiction.' 'Robert Stone, author of Death of the Black-Haired Girl and Dog Soldiers, "[An] elegant historical novel . . . Lee Smith is an assured and accomplished writer, and her use of Zelda as a subject in Guests on Earth is brilliant . . . This is a carefully researched, utterly charming novel. By the time you finish it, you fall in love with these fascinating lives, too." --The Washington Post "Guests on Earth is a mesmerizing novel about a time and place where creativity and passion, theory and medicine, fact and fiction, are luminously intertwined." --BookPage "Indeed, most of the high spirited, rebellious, outspoken women who populate Guests on Earth would not now be considered insane at all. Smith's imaginative, layered story illuminates the complexity of their collective plight--to be put in towers until they had no choice but to behave--and rescues them one by one." --The Atlanta Journal-Constitution "[An] engaging and engrossing novel . . . Smith's well-developed characters, rich historical detail and easy prose create a novel that some may call her best yet, and which it just may be." --Minneapolis Star Tribune "Those who enjoyed Smith's previous work (e.g., Fair and Tender Ladies; The Last Girls) will certainly appreciate this absorbing book, as will those interested in the history of treating mental illness in the United States and fans of Southern or Appalachian fiction." --Library Journal "With Guests on Earth, Lee Smith shines new light on a shadowy, complex subject . . . She offers a broader historical perspective--and with it, a captivating, inimitable voice." --The Raleigh News and Observer "Treading the fine line between sanity and insanity, this historical novel imagines the 12 years proceeding the 1948 fire that engulfed a North Carolina mental hospital and killed F. Scott Fitzgerald's estranged wife, Zelda." --Ms. Magazine "Engaging . . . Touching." --Publishers Weekly "This is Lee Smith at her powerful best, writing the South she knows through the eyes of a woman who lived it." --Adriana Trigiani, author of Big Stone Gap and The Shoemaker's Wife "In Guests on Earth Lee Smith gives evidence again of the grace and insight that distinguish her work. Her characters are realized with singular intensity, the most vivid interior life, and flawless dialogue. Reading Lee Smith ranks among the great pleasures of American fiction." --Robert Stone, author of Death of the Black-Haired Girl and Dog Soldiers, eoeSmith has created a compelling, disturbing but also uplifting narrative inspired by the 1948 fire that swept through Highland Hospital in Asheville, killing nine women, among them Zelda Fitzgerald.ee"The Herald Sun eoeTreading the fine line between sanity and insanity, this historical novel imagines the 12 years proceeding the 1948 fire that engulfed a North Carolina mental hospital and killed F. Scott Fitzgeralde(tm)s estranged wife, Zelda.e e"Ms. Magazine eoeWith this book, Smith will broaden her readership to draw in those fascinated by the Fitzgerald ethos while entertaining her perennial fans with the local lore and down home accents behind the scenes.e e"Foreword Reviews eoeEngaging . . . Touching.e e"Publishers Weekly eoePerennially best-selling Smith presents an impeccably researched historical novel that reveals the early twentieth centurye(tm)s antediluvian attitudes toward mental health and womene(tm)s independence.e e"Booklist eoeThis is Lee Smith at her powerful best, writing the South she knows through the eyes of a woman who lived it.e e"Adriana Trigiani, author of Big Stone Gap and The Shoemaker's Wife eoeIn Guests on Earth Lee Smith gives evidence again of the grace and insight that distinguish her work. Her characters are realized with singular intensity, the most vivid interior life, and flawless dialogue. Reading Lee Smith ranks among the great pleasures of American fiction.e e"Robert Stone, author of Death of the Black-Haired Girl and Dog Soldiers, "Treading the fine line between sanity and insanity, this historical novel imagines the 12 years proceeding the 1948 fire that engulfed a North Carolina mental hospital and killed F. Scott Fitzgerald's estranged wife, Zelda." --Ms. Magazine "With this book, Smith will broaden her readership to draw in those fascinated by the Fitzgerald ethos while entertaining her perennial fans with the local lore and down home accents behind the scenes." --Foreword Reviews "Engaging . . . Touching." --Publishers Weekly "Perennially best-selling Smith presents an impeccably researched historical novel that reveals the early twentieth century's antediluvian attitudes toward mental health and women's independence." --Booklist "This is Lee Smith at her powerful best, writing the South she knows through the eyes of a woman who lived it." --Adriana Trigiani, author of Big Stone Gap and The Shoemaker's Daughter "In Guests on Earth Lee Smith gives evidence again of the grace and insight that distinguish her work. Her characters are realized with singular intensity, the most vivid interior life, and flawless dialogue. Reading Lee Smith ranks among the great pleasures of American fiction." --Robert Stone, author of Death of the Black-Haired Girl and Dog Soldiers
Synopsis"Reading Lee Smith ranks among the great pleasures of American fiction . . . Gives evidence again of the grace and insight that distinguish her work." --Robert Stone, author of Death of the Black-Haired Girl It's 1936 when orphaned thirteen-year-old Evalina Toussaint is admitted to Highland Hospital, a mental institution in Asheville, North Carolina, known for its innovative treatments for nervous disorders and addictions. Taken under the wing of the hospital's most notable patient, Zelda Fitzgerald, Evalina witnesses cascading events that lead up to the tragic fire of 1948 that killed nine women in a locked ward, Zelda among them. Author Lee Smith has created, through a seamless blending of fiction and fact, a mesmerizing novel about a world apart--in which art and madness are luminously intertwined.
All listings for this product
Ratings and Reviews
Most relevant reviews
- Mar 03, 2025
Great product, great price.
The book is one of my favorites. This copy was a first edition, signed by the author. Great product at a great price.Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
- Apr 08, 2021
recommend it
good bookVerified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
