Book Spotlight & SIGNED Copy Giveaway: We Are Not Ourselves




Born in 1941, Eileen Tumulty is raised by her Irish immigrant parents in Woodside, Queens, in an apartment where the mood swings between heartbreak and hilarity, depending on whether guests are over and how much alcohol has been consumed.

When Eileen meets Ed Leary, a scientist whose bearing is nothing like those of the men she grew up with, she thinks she’s found the perfect partner to deliver her to the cosmopolitan world she longs to inhabit. They marry, and Eileen quickly discovers Ed doesn’t aspire to the same, ever bigger, stakes in the American Dream.


Eileen encourages her husband to want more: a better job, better friends, a better house, but as years pass it becomes clear that his growing reluctance is part of a deeper psychological shift. An inescapable darkness enters their lives, and Eileen and Ed and their son Connell try desperately to hold together a semblance of the reality they have known, and to preserve, against long odds, an idea they have cherished of the future.

Through the Learys, novelist Matthew Thomas charts the story of the American Century, particularly the promise of domestic bliss and economic prosperity that captured hearts and minds after WWII. The result is a riveting and affecting work of art; one that reminds us that life is more than a tally of victories and defeats, that we live to love and be loved, and that we should tell each other so before the moment slips away. 

Epic in scope, heroic in character, masterful in prose, We Are Not Ourselves heralds the arrival of a major new talent in contemporary fiction.



About the Author


Matthew Thomas was born in the Bronx and grew up in Queens. A graduate of the University of Chicago, he has an MA from the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University and an MFA from the University of California, Irvine, where he received the Graduate Essay Award. He lives with his wife and twin children in New Jersey.



Simon & Schuster has graciously provided us with one SIGNED copy of We Are Not Ourselves to give to one of our lucky readers. This giveaway is open to US residents who are 18+ years of age.

The giveaway runs from September 10-17. Winner will be notified via email on September 18.

Comments

  1. I've heard many wonderful things about this book and it has 50 5-star reviews on Amazon. I'd really like to win a copy, thanks for the chance.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think an epic type story and this idea of following this family thru the American Century is one of many reasons it sounds great.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Cannot wait to read this. I've heard nothing but good things about this book
    .

    ReplyDelete
  4. I would love to read this after hearing all the good press! Thanks for the giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Okay -- completely inept reader wants to know how to follow Reading Lark. I love your rating scale! Ant Kathy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is a section called "Join the Nest" on the right sidebar. Hit Join this site and then follow the directions. I'm so glad you like the ratings. We love our birdies!

      Delete
    2. Thank you! Following as AntKathy!

      Delete

Post a Comment

We love your comments!