The author s thrilling story line will keep you turning the pages, while her ability to inject a sharp dose of hope, fear, and desire into the most innocent of scenes will take you captive. An army specialist, paul is stationed there to help oversee one of the countrys first nuclear reactors, an assignment that seems full of opportunity. An army specialist, paul is stationed there to help oversee one of the countrys first nuclear reactorsan assignment that seems full of opportunity. And williams is equally perceptive in her portrayals of the male principals here too. I was immediately drawn into the story by the opening scene of the novela man named paul, racing. The subtlety she employs makes the novels twists and turnsand especially its conclusionall the. This complicated wrestling with uncertainty is a large part of what makes this. The longest night by andria williams great pick for 2020. Set in idaho falls in the early 1960s, at the site of the nations only fatal nuclear reactor accident, the novel follows specialist paul collier and his wife, nat, as they try to make a life for themselves as. Check out mary doyles smart interview of susanne aspley on msbr. The longest night by andria williams overdrive rakuten. As the wife of an activeduty naval officer, andria williams recognizes the range of difficulties that can be encountered by military spouses. Andria williams debut novel, the longest night, opens with this suspenseful scene. Then, on his rounds, paul discovers that the reactor is.
With confident ease williams addresses these tensions of work and family, and brings the longest night to an uneasy conclusion. Then, on his rounds, paul discovers that the reactor is compromised. This debut novel effortlessly evokes the mores and signposts of an earlier era, and brings to life characters whose loneliness, longing, and dignity are rendered with an. Andria williams is the author of the longest night 3. If you did not know she also runs a blog, now you do. In the longest night, andria williams demonstrates her masterly understanding of the painfully gorgeous intimacies of the human condition. Molly antopol, author of the unamericans its hard to believe the longest night is andria williams s debut novel. If you havent read andria williams the longest night, you should. Her husband is an activeduty naval officer, and they have been stationed most recently in. In 1959, nat collier moves with her husband, paul, and their two young daughters to idaho falls, a remote military town. The longest night ebook by andria williams rakuten kobo. Andria williams keeps the narrative interest percolating with great period details and by allowing her characters thoughts and. December 28, 2016 andria816 1 comment the longest night by andria williams i cant put my finger on exactly why, but andria williamss debut novel is one i have thought about a lot this year. Molly antopol, author of the unamericans its hard to believe the longest night is andria williamss debut novel.
If you did not know shes the spouse of an active serviceman and runs msbr to elevate that, you know, other half of the military experience, you are now thriceblessed with advice and knowledge. Because the longest night, even with its slowly building plot line and shocking climactic scenes, is very much a characterdriven novel, i. The longest night, debut novel of andria williams, is immensely readable. Nat and paul collier move with their two young daughters to idaho falls, where paul is scheduled to supervise one of americas first nuclear reactors. Unlike andria williams book, tuckers and mckeowns books are nonfiction. Based on a true story of the only fatal nuclear accident to occur in america, the longest night is a deeply moving novel that explores the intricate makeup of a marriage, the shifting nature of trust, and the ways we try to protect the ones we love. The longest night is a closely observed study with its feet planted firmly in domestic realism. Advance praise for the longest night scintillating. Andria williams the longest night corte madera saturday, february 6, 2016 11. Real people, real emotions couldnt put the book down and so sorry to have it end. The authors thrilling story line will keep you turning the pages, while her ability to inject a sharp dose of hope, fear, and desire into the most innocent of scenes will take you captive. Andria williams is a terrific writercleareyed and empatheticand this is a fantastic debut. As a novel largely concerned with dislocation and discontent in the face of an immutable code of social conduct, andria williams the longest night.
The longest night by andria williams books on tape. Both paul and esrom come across as very believable, fully realized characters. Maybe its because its from a different era than many historical fictions. Her command of language, character and plotthe three essential ingredients for a riveting readis extraordinary. Andria williams debut novel the longest night is a book about many thingsthe cold war, the american west, gender roles in the 1960s, the birth of nuclear powerbut above all it is a portrait of a marriage and the forces that challenge it.
Longest night book hennepin county library bibliocommons. The novel portrays a military community and is inspired by a real event. Andrea walker, executive editor at random house, on the. Secondand this one is more on the values sidebut the longest night reminded me of a craft talk that jan deblieu gave at my last residency regarding the responsibilities of writers. The longest night ebook king county library system. Andria williams is the author of the new novel the longest night. We are immediately swept up in the story of nat and paul collier, a young military couple who in 1959 are assigned by the army to a problematic nuclear reactor in idaho. The longest night deftly speaks to uncertaintyscientific, emotional, and psychologicalas great and terrible power is manipulated, harnessed, lost, and exposed. Based on a true event, andria williams novel the longest night narrates the difficulties in the marriage of a young military wife and her husband, whose growing distance from each other competes with the threat of an unstable nuclear reactor. Paste the longest night is not only a revealing story of a community gripped by cold war paranoia, but also an unsettling portrait of commitment and desire.
Andria williamss quietly confident style is without swagger or gimmick. In andria williams beautiful novel, the longest night to be released in january, we see the terrible results of neglecting both. The longest night by andria williams penguin random. Buy this book williamss debut opens boldly with the storys climaxan apparent accident at a governmentrun. Reluctantly moving to a remote idaho outpost when her army specialist husband is reassigned, 1950s military wife nat is horrified when her husband discovers that the local nuclear reactor is crumbling and that his superiors are more interested in concealing the imminent disaster. The longest night by andria williams i cant put my finger on exactly why, but andria williams s debut novel is one i have thought about a lot this year.
The longest night by andria williams will be published january 12th. This is not to imply that williams shies away from harsh truths. Books go search your store deals store gift cards sell help. Buy a cheap copy of the longest night book by andria williams. In her first novel, the longest night, williams transfers that intimate knowledge to a more distant past, writing about an army husband deployed to idaho falls in 1959. This complicated wrestling with uncertainty is a large part of what makes this novel both historical and contemporary. Andria williams the longest night corte madera book. The longest night not only packs taut, enthralling and utterly absorbing drama, but unexpected triumph and grace. The authors thrilling storyline will keep you turning the pages, while her ability to inject a sharp dose of hope, fear, and desire into the most innocent of scenes will take you captive. The longest night is a smart and compassionate novel that offers as many fresh insights into marriage and intimacy as it does about american nuclear history. In the longest night, andria williams brilliantly balances highwire tension with heartcrushing empathy for her cast of seeking, flawed, beautifully complex characters. What emerges most powerfully from the longest night is a kind of quiet wonder at the exquisite intricacy, but astonishing durability, of familial love. The longest night book by andria williams thriftbooks. Williams protagonist, nat, is a complex woman worth study in terms of a what alice laplante might refer to as a round character.
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