The Green Pear is the second book in The Harrisburg Trilogy, following The Blue Orchard.
From the mid-century glamour of New York to a quiet village on the Italian Riviera, this beautifully written literary novel follows a man who searches for the truth of his own identity in a world of beautiful, broken things.
In the late 1950s, Peggy Drexler-Leighton is a well-known face in high fashion. But as the decade turns, she finds herself sidelined by an industry that has little room for maturing women. Following a sudden tragedy, she and her young son, Walker, retreat to their Pennsylvania roots-only to find that 'home' is a place of shifting expectations and difficult truths.
Decades later, we follow Walker to Italy, living as an ex-pat on the Riviera, where he finally seeks to define himself to himself, navigating a life of unusual pairings and hard- won independence. His quiet existence is disrupted by the arrival of his cousin, Lydia, whose presence brings more than just a conflicted memory of home.
As Walker witnesses the increasing strain on Lydia's marriage-dragged into the personal and professional drama of their lives and those around them-the tension reaches a fever pitch. Private resentments become public tragedies. When the local peace is shattered by a series of shocking media events, the ensuing news coverage turns an intimate family struggle into a spectacle that predicts the onset of global witness that the world-wide internet will soon deliver. Walker is forced into a life- altering reckoning, finally confronting the cost of acceptance and the reality of a planetary view that make it almost impossible to look away.
About the Author :
Jackson Taylor is the author of The Blue Orchard, the first book in The Harrisburg trilogy. In The Green Pear, the second book, his contemplative, literary style explores power, class, moral conflict and through deep observation, tells the stories of interesting characters. Also a poet and essayist, Taylor has spent much of his career in literary education and arts leadership. He currently lives in New York City, where he continues to teach and write.
Review :
STARRED REVIEW FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY -- "In what could be a modern classic, poet and fiction writer Taylor takes an unblinking look at abortion in America many decades before Roe v. Wade. Introducing Verna Krone as she's arrested in her home in 1954, Taylor then transports readers to her poor Pennsylvania beginnings...before long, Verna begins working for Dr. Crampton, a well-to-do African-American doctor who performs illegal abortions.... In this powerful, vivid debut novel, Taylor parses issues of race, power, and religion in unflinching terms while believably inhabiting the mind of a conflicted woman."
Praise for The Blue Orchard, first in the Harrisburg Trilogy.
