A Virtuous Woman | Suggested Reading

A Virtuous Woman Related Titles

Gibbons's first novel, Ellen Foster (1985), earned her critical acclaim. The San Francisco Chronicle called it "a perfect little gem."

Loosely based on her experiences as an orphan after her manic-depressive mother committed suicide and father drank himself to death, this book demonstrates the resilience of women, a theme found in all of Gibbons's work, when the protagonist survives traumatic ordeals to achieve autonomy from her abusers. Considered a feminist The Catcher in the Rye, Ellen Foster was a best seller, won the Academy of Arts and Letters' Sue Kaufman Award for First Fiction, and has been included in educational curricula at the high school and college levels.

A Virtuous Woman explored similar themes of love and belonging and was critically received as a superb second novel. Gibbons's depiction of southern people, especially women, was acclaimed as authentic and insightful. Her writing style was praised for...
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