Alice Bliss

Description

Alice Bliss is fifteen. She's smart, funny, and clever. Not afraid to stand up for the things she believes in. She also idolises her father and, when he leaves home to fight a war she doesn't believe in, Alice is distraught. She and her mother negotiate his absence as best they can - waiting impatiently for his letters, throwing themselves into school and work respectively, bickering intermittently and, in Alice's case, falling for the boy next door - but then they're told that he's missing in action and have to face up to the fact that he may never return. Telling a story of love and loss, of grief and growing up, of family and friendship, Alice Bliss is a powerful, poignant portrayal of a young girl facing up to the unthinkable. Both intimate and universal, it is, ultimately, a story of a daughter's love for her father.

Reviews

"Compassionate and intelligent, Alice Bliss combines strong storytelling and a rich emotional core". (Jenny Downham, author of Before I Die)

"A powerful and richly delineated novel". (Sarah Blake, bestselling author of The Postmistress)

"Heartbreaking yet edged with promise, Alice Bliss explores the wounds of war, love, and family bonds while illuminating the strength of a young girl's spirit. A stunning debut". (Beth Hoffman, "New York Times" bestselling author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt)

Author description

Laura Harrington's award winning plays, musicals, operas, and radio plays have been widely produced in the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere. Alice Bliss is her first novel.