[RG3]⋙ [PDF] So Big Edna Ferber 9781417906772 Books

So Big Edna Ferber 9781417906772 Books

Download As PDF : So Big Edna Ferber 9781417906772 Books

So Big Edna Ferber 9781417906772 Books

“So Big” is Edna Ferber’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, originally published in 1924, that exemplifies Ferber’s love of working people and of chronicling her heroines as assertive, bold, and prosperous. She never forgot the anti-Semitism she suffered as a young girl, was proud of her heritage, and was somewhat aloof in her adult life. She used vanity and self-reliance in her stories that she personally adopted as a shield against the hurt and anger she felt in her early life.

Selena Peake De Jong is a young woman who makes the decision to be a teacher in the farming country near Chicago. At first she resides on the Pool family farm where she encourages the son, Roelf, to follow his love of art. She marries a Dutch farmer, Pervus De Jong, moves to his farm, and endures his stolid, plodding demeanor as he struggles to make a living in his hardscrabble dirt, producing barely saleable crops. When Pervis dies, Selena becomes the force of the family farm, developing it into a successful and prosperous enterprise. Their son, Dirk, nicknamed “So Big,” from the oft-quoted question about “how big is baby?” becomes more interested in making money than pursuing his real interest of architecture as the years progress, and eventually becomes saddened that he abandons his artistic leanings.

As is characteristic of a Ferber novel, many interesting and well-developed characters are portrayed including Dallas O’Mara, a successful painter; Roelf, who becomes a famous sculptor; and Julie, the wealthy daughter who is married to an older man but adores Dirk. “So Big” has been characterized as a “lumpy pillow of a novel, misshapen but cozy.” It is not profound but has great sociological meaning with an honest ending. Ferber’s aim of describing the essentials of human behavior peculiar to particular locations is well established here.

I enjoyed the return to Ferber in this rereading. Her imagination and ability to portray emotional and sensory experiences make for a highly entertaining read.

Schuyler T Wallace
Author of TIN LIZARD TALES


Tags : So Big [Edna Ferber] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. 1924. Ferber, American novelist and short-story writer, won the Pulitzer Prize for So Big, a tale of the struggles of the widowed Selina De Jong to support herself and her son Dick. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.,Edna Ferber,So Big,Kessinger Pub,1417906774,Literary,Psychological,FICTION Westerns,Fiction,Fiction - Historical,Fiction Historical,Fiction Literary,Fiction Psychological,Historical - General,Historical fiction,Westerns,Westerns - General

So Big Edna Ferber 9781417906772 Books Reviews

I read this book completely ignorant to it's date of publication or of the author's other works. The characters were so authentic and amazingly vital and to think it was written in the 20's. Now I realize why I had to look up many words and wonder at their use. I particularly enjoyed reading about the author at the end.
Deserved the Pulitzer. Few people seem to remember that Ferber was part of the Algonquin Circle and in addition to "So Big" authored (among other things) "Show Boat" - made into a film multiple times. Similar themes across her novels - strong, independent woman, attractive but flawed man, woman finds success - but she retells the story in sufficiently varied ways to keep the reader engaged.
Lonesome Dove and GWTW are still my “gold standards” but So Big is a good book; a very good book.
So Big Is the childhood name of Chicago golden boy Dirk DeJong but the real gold is his mother Selina. This is an agrarian based story of a south-of-Chicago Dutch farming community and the wonderful success that widowed Selina makes of her small, not too good farm. Selina is smart and hardworking with an appreciation for beauty, education and any and all that the world at large has to offer.
My perspective is that Ferber brings forth her capitalistic and conservative values in this fine work as well as her appreciation of beauty and art.
Five big stars here!
This is one of my all time favorites. Over 20 years ago I found a hard copy of this wonderful book at a yard sale. I have reread it almost yearly ever since. Ms. Ferber was gifted with this story line. I tried Giant and a couple of her other books but they did not have the feel this one does. I don't even have copies of them. This book has traveled all over the country with me. It is one of the chosen few I will not part with.
I confess, this is the first book of Edna Ferber's that I have read, surprising since I am a native midwesterner, and lived in Chicago for over 15 years. I do seem to recall seeing, in my mother's book case as a child, a copy of one of her books, maybe Giant. I am not sure what prompted me to read this book, but I am glad I did. What surprised me really was the wonderful writing, and the timelessness of the story and it's theme. It holds up well, even today. The protagonist of the story, Serena, is independent and ahead of her time, but with a great appreciation of the every day beauty she finds everywhere in the world. While Serena tries to instill this sense of wonder in her son, he is caught up in the quest for money and prestige, and loses himself in the quest for the American dream. The theme that "Success" is more one of staying true to your dreams and values, is something that still rings thru today. The characters are well drawn and complex in many ways. I also quite enjoyed the historical era, and the references to parts of Chicago I have visited. It is well worth a read. Highly recommended.
I opened this novel not sure what to expect. Edna Ferber was an extremely popular writer in her day, and I've found that many of the bestsellers in the 1920s are overly sentimental and not very deep.
But while So Big had degree of these qualities, it was also a really great read. The characters are developed well and after a slightly slow beginning, the action flows at a fast pace.
In addition, the novel does a wonderful job at describing Chicago in the early part of the 20th century along with smart, witty depictions of the society people who lived there. But my favorite aspect of the book was its protagonist. Selina is so full of joyful optimism and her love of beauty is so deep that "life has no weapons against a woman like that." She perseveres in spite of horrible setbacks, and even though the book is a little corny, it's impossible not to be inspired by it anyway.
“So Big” is Edna Ferber’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, originally published in 1924, that exemplifies Ferber’s love of working people and of chronicling her heroines as assertive, bold, and prosperous. She never forgot the anti-Semitism she suffered as a young girl, was proud of her heritage, and was somewhat aloof in her adult life. She used vanity and self-reliance in her stories that she personally adopted as a shield against the hurt and anger she felt in her early life.

Selena Peake De Jong is a young woman who makes the decision to be a teacher in the farming country near Chicago. At first she resides on the Pool family farm where she encourages the son, Roelf, to follow his love of art. She marries a Dutch farmer, Pervus De Jong, moves to his farm, and endures his stolid, plodding demeanor as he struggles to make a living in his hardscrabble dirt, producing barely saleable crops. When Pervis dies, Selena becomes the force of the family farm, developing it into a successful and prosperous enterprise. Their son, Dirk, nicknamed “So Big,” from the oft-quoted question about “how big is baby?” becomes more interested in making money than pursuing his real interest of architecture as the years progress, and eventually becomes saddened that he abandons his artistic leanings.

As is characteristic of a Ferber novel, many interesting and well-developed characters are portrayed including Dallas O’Mara, a successful painter; Roelf, who becomes a famous sculptor; and Julie, the wealthy daughter who is married to an older man but adores Dirk. “So Big” has been characterized as a “lumpy pillow of a novel, misshapen but cozy.” It is not profound but has great sociological meaning with an honest ending. Ferber’s aim of describing the essentials of human behavior peculiar to particular locations is well established here.

I enjoyed the return to Ferber in this rereading. Her imagination and ability to portray emotional and sensory experiences make for a highly entertaining read.

Schuyler T Wallace
Author of TIN LIZARD TALES