ISBN: 0-88739-389-6
148 pp.
Size: 6 x 9
Pub Date: 11/2002
Paperback Original
Price: $13.95
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Queen of the Derby Pub
Kathryn Smick
Queen of the Derby Pub tells the story of Kathryn Smick's gutsy, charming and amoral sister, Helen. Fifty years old when the story opens, Helen is voiceless from cancer of the larynx. Distraught and lonely, she finds solace in the comaraderie of the Derby Pub. There she is transformed into the "Queen" who has bedazzled and inspired the bar's patrons for more than a decade.
She also finds strength in her revived relationship with Smick. The sisters pore over old photographs and reminisce in flashbacks to their early life in a patriarchal mid-western family, when Helen, always defiant and willful, was the only one who stood up to her father's fits of rage. Helen's colorful life, which included three failed marriages, two prison sentences, and a long-term affair with a married man, is recounted in detail, as the two sisters reflect upon their different approaches to living.
Review: "Sweetly sad and engrossing, this is more than merely a sister's farewell."
-Booklist
"A heartwarming journey through the lives of three sisters as they reconnect in the dying of one of them, the Queen of the Derby Pub. I was moved to tears by Kathryn's compassion and the familial bond of the Derby Pub characters. A lesson in courageous living and graceful dying."
-William B. Walker, M.D., Director and Health Officer, Contra Costa Health Services, Martinez, CA
"This captivating family story is told with great honesty, humility, and humor. It is a compassionate tale of challenging family relationships and peace that came in the process of dying. It touched my heart. Queen of the Derby Pub is inspiring and healing."
-Carol Wagner, author of Soul Survivors
Bio: KATHRYN SMICK has combined an active medical practice with family life and social activism. She has won awards for educational work on the dangers of nuclear weapons. Weekends often find her in the mountains backpacking or skiing. Before settling in Northern California, she spent her early years in Wisconsin.
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