Turgeon, Carolyn

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Turgeon, Carolyn

PERSONAL:

Born in MI. Education: Graduated from Pennsylvania State University; postgraduate study at University of California, Los Angeles. Hobbies and other interests: Music, books, film, photography, theater, circuses, road trips.

ADDRESSES:

Home—New York, NY. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer.

WRITINGS:

Rain Village (novel), Unbridled Books (Denver, CO), 2006.

Also author of blog Phrases That Stir the Grinding Water and the Gasping Wind!

SIDELIGHTS:

Carolyn Turgeon's novel Rain Village concerns a girl named Tessa, who grows up as one of four siblings on a Kansas farm. Unlike the rest of her family, Tessa is abnormally small and isn't able to help with the heavy manual labor around the farm. Her father abuses her, and her mother is unsupportive. Tessa finds an understanding soul in Mary Finn, the town's new librarian. Mary has a mysterious past that apparently includes a stint as a trapeze artist. She teaches Tessa the basics of aerial work. After Mary's apparent suicide, Tessa runs away to join the circus. There she finds a husband and lives a happy life, until she learns something that sets her off on a quest to find the real cause of Mary's death. "Tessa may be short, but she holds the coming of age tale together as she is a fully developed character," noted Harriet Klausner on her Web site. A reviewer for the Curled Up with a Good Book Web site stated: "In perfectly eloquent prose, author Carolyn Turgeon brings Tessa's beautifully crafted journey to life," one that weaves together "the inscrutable forces of memory, spirit, desire and regret." Rain Village was described by Booklist contributor Carolyn Kubisz as a "quirky" debut that "explores the power of secrets."