Literary / Historical Fiction
Date Published: 09-25-2202
Publisher: Woodpecker Lane Press
In this vividly-rendered novel, Melanie Dugan reimagines the life of Alice
Neel, a groundbreaking American painter who revolutionized the art of the
portrait in the twentieth century. Born in 1900 into a straitlaced
middle-class family, Neel charted her own unconventional path. Her lifetime
spanned World War I, the 1918 flu pandemic, women winning the right to vote,
the Great Depression, World War II, the McCarthy Era, the Civil Rights Era,
and second-wave feminism. She worked for decades in obscurity, wrestling
with depression, poverty, and misogyny, loving the wrong men, fighting to
live life on her own terms, and above all to paint.
About the Author
Melanie Dugan is the author of Bee Summers (“a carefully wrought
portrayal of the way we carry trauma with us through life.” Brenda
Schmidt, Quill & Quire), Dead Beautiful (“the writing is
gorgeous,” A Soul Unsung), Revising Romance (“heartwarming,
amusing and…downright sexy,” Midwest Book Review), and Sometime
Daughter (“Stunning debut,” Kingston Whig-Standard). Her short
stories have been shortlisted for several awards, including the CBC Literary
award. She lives in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Contact Links
Purchase
Novel Idea bookstore, Kingston, Ontario
