Showing results by author "Edna Ferber" in All Categories

In this final book of Pulitzer Prize-winner Edna Ferber's series featuring the indomitable Emma McChesney, Emma's newly married son Jock has relocated to Chicago, leaving Emma an empty-nester. Her secret romance and pending nuptials stall when their company is thrown into an uproar at the height of the selling season. To defeat her long-time nemesis and take the T.A. Buck Featherloom Petticoat Company international, the always-competitive Emma sails off on a whirlwind tour of South America.

Pulitzer Prize-winner Edna Ferber created three wildly successful books featuring the business adventures of a dynamic, divorced single mother at the turn of the century. The first book in this classic series introduces listeners to the engaging, beautiful, and quick-talking Emma McChesney, traveling saleswoman for the T.A. Buck Featherloom Petticoat Company. Emma's 10 years on the road have taught her that living the Philosophy of Roast Beef, Medium allows her to avoid "moral pepsin" while meeting the challenges required to win in a man's world.

There is invariably something to laugh or cry about and a lot to think about in these short stories by Edna Ferber.

I started to read a story once. It was a good one. There was in it not a single allusion to brandy-and-soda, or divorce, or the stock market. The dialogue crackled. The hero talked like a live man. It was a shipboard story, and the heroine was charming so long as she wore her heavy ulster. But along toward evening she blossomed forth in a yellow gown, with a scarlet poinsettia at her throat. I quit her cold. Nobody ever wore a scarlet poinsettia; or if they did, they couldn't wear it on a yellow gown.

A man returns to his home town from prison. He hopes to sneak in, pay a quick visit and vanish before people recognize him. But this may not be possible. What happens to a man's soul after years in prison? Ferber explores this poignant and sad subject in this story. But the ending is full of hope.

Who ever heard of a plain and downright homely heroine? Isn't a heroine by definition beautiful? Well, Edna Ferber, in her well known style that later produced Show Boat and Giant, tells us about just such a heroine in this special short story. It is special to me because of her insight into the deep courage and faith of 'ordinary' people, people like most of us. And of course our failings and frailties and sometimes, the prince does not marry the right person. Yep.

Although the story is over 100 years old, it offers an important truth that is still relevant to the modern listener. Rather than rely on dialogue to advance the plot, noted American Edna Ferber is an exceptional storyteller who delights and entertains the listener with narrative. Her stories featuring strong heroines are as fresh and original today as when they were written.

Blanche Devine is a middle aged woman who has lived in the same small Midwestern town most of her life. She decides she wants to purchase a 'real' home in a pleasant neighborhood in the town. Because Blanche has a past as the town's 'scarlet' woman, many of the self-described good and respectable people do not want her as a neighbor. Edna Ferber wrote mostly about women and their place in society along with their plight when they did not follow society's norms.

War has always changed men physically and mentally. They go away as healthy physically fit young men; when they come back, if they do they are not the same young man who went away. They may have suffered disabling physical injury in addition to a mental injury that may or may not manifest itself physically, but typically it is there. In World War I they called it shell-shocked, today we call it PTSD. This is a short story by Edna Ferber of a healthy, husky, and slightly arrogant in a nice way young man, and the beautiful girl awaiting his return home.

A story of growth and responsibility through the person of an energetic grounded woman divided between work and art. First published in 1917.

An insightful story about a happily married woman who takes over her husband’s business upon his early death and creates a prospering business with seed capital from a childhood friend. She maintains her beliefs and avocations while doing the hard work of farming.

Join Emma McChesney, a clever and determined divorced mother, as she embarks on her journey across the Midwest as a sales representative for a prominent skirt and petticoat manufacturer. Her escapades—filled with humorous encounters with predatory salesmen and quirky hotel clerks—are both hilarious and heartfelt. Emma excels in her field, often outshining even the most polished male competitors, all while balancing her dedication to her work and her seventeen-year-old son, Jock. Through her experiences, she learns the importance of sticking to what she knows best roast beef, medium, rather...

Gigolo is a captivating collection of short stories by Edna Ferber, the celebrated author of classics like Show Boat and So Big, for which she won the Pulitzer Prize. Set against the vibrant backdrop of the Midwest—from Illinois to Oklahoma—these narratives explore the lives of diverse characters, from a spirited young auto mechanic to a woman embracing her newfound identity at sixty. Ferbers stories are imbued with the strength of women navigating and triumphing over challenging circumstances. In her poignant tale, The Sudden Sixties, she muses, “Having made the worst of it, you made ...

In the whimsical world of fairy tales, we often hear the phrase, they lived happily ever after. But what happens after the story ends? Once the enchantment fades and the glass slippers become worn, does the Prince ever find himself needing to remind Cinderella about her messy kitchen or her grammar? And after Puss in Boots has secured wealth and a bride for his master, does that gentleman not sometimes feel frustrated when neighbors refuse to acknowledge his lovely wife, born of humble beginnings? Buttered Side Down dares to explore these unanswered questions, offering a refreshing twist on ...

Presented here is Volume III of our Feminist Literary Classics series, featuring three of the most important feminist novels ever written: Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf, O Pioneers! by Willa Cather and So Big by Edna Ferber. The first book in this collection is Orlando: A Biography, a groundbreaking English novel by Virginia Woolf that explores English history, gender roles and sexual politics in a way few books have before or since.

Discover the secrets to personal charm and influence with "Personality Plus" by Edna Ferber. This podcast explores the traits and habits that make individuals magnetic and engaging, offering practical advice for developing a compelling personality.

The Girls is the story of three spinsters living in Chicago—an aunt, her niece, and her niece’s niece. The aunt has memories of the Civil War, and all three women have adjusted to the outbreak of the First World War. Generational changes, particularly in regard to romantic attachments, are a central feature of the book, which is also a fascinating portrait of the Chicago lifestyle of the time. The emerging political and social power of women is also a significant feature of the story.