Blood Tie - Paperback

by Mary Lee Settle (Author)

1978 National Book Award for Fiction - Settle has done a remarkable job of capturing a culture that is, in a sense, the most important character in her book.--New York Times

In a novel that begins with accidental death and ends with deliberate murder, an ecclectic collection of American and European expatriates take refuge in an ancient Turkish city and wreak havoc on the Aegean paradise. At first the characters, who range from a former accountant to a petulant heiress, appear to have little in common, but as the novel progresses their motives and desires cross and blend in an eerie, sometimes comic geometry of misunderstanding. In this award-winning work of fiction, Mary Lee Settle reveals new life springing forth from death and change while establishing blood as the only tie that endures.

Back Jacket

In a novel that begins with accidental death and ends with deliberate murder, Mary Lee Settle tells the story of an eclectic collection of American and European expatriates who take refuge in an ancient Turkish city and, once there, wreak havoc on the Aegean paradise. At first the characters, who range from a former accountant to a petulant heiress, appear to have little in common, but as the novel progresses their motives and desires cross and blend in an eerie, sometimes comic geometry of misunderstanding. In this award-winning work of fiction, Settle reveals new life springing forth out of death and change, and blood as the only tie that endures. With her trademark versatility, Settle conveys the restlessness and ennui of the foreigners as successfully as the humanity of the native Turks. To both humorous and pitiable examples of culture clash she adds vivid scenes of archaeological digs, underwater diving, and a children's festival. Further, Settle's description of Timur, a fugitive who is lost in a cave, remains as terrifying as anything since Mark Twain placed Tom Sawyer in the same predicament.

Author Biography

Mary Lee Settle's major work is The Beulah Quintet, and her Blood Tie was the winner of the National Book Award. Settle has received an Award for Literature from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and awards from the Southern Regional Council, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the Merrill Foundation. She is the founder of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. The author, most recently, of Choices, Settle's backlist is published with new introductions by the author by the University of South Carolina Press. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.