The History of Great Things - Paperback

by Elizabeth Crane (Author)

A witty and irresistible story of a mother and daughter regarding each other through the looking glass of time, grief, and forgiveness.

In two beautifully counterpoised narratives, two women--mother and daughter--try to make sense of their own lives by revisiting what they know about each other. The History of Great Things tells the entwined stories of Lois, a daughter of the Depression Midwest who came to New York to transform herself into an opera star, and her daughter, Elizabeth, an aspiring writer who came of age in the 1970s and '80s in the forbidding shadow of her often-absent, always larger-than-life mother. In a tour de force of storytelling and human empathy, Elizabeth chronicles the events of her mother's life, and in turn Lois recounts her daughter's story--pulling back the curtain on lifelong secrets, challenging and interrupting each other, defending their own behavior, brandishing or swallowing their pride, and, ultimately, coming to understand each other in a way that feels both extraordinary and universal.

The History of Great Things is a novel about a mother and daughter who are intimately connected and not connected enough; it will make readers laugh and cry and wonder how we become the adults we always knew we should--even if we're not always adults our parents understand.

Back Jacket

"I've long been an admirer of Elizabeth Crane's absolutely unique voice--no one else working in contemporary American letters sounds quite like her. This is an important work, fearless in both structure and vision, with Crane's razor-edge fusion of intelligence, humor, and emotion informing every chapter."--Jamie Quatro, author of I Want to Show You More

"I cannot remember the last time I simultaneously cried and laughed as hard as I did while reading Elizabeth Crane's glorious, tender knockout of a novel, The History of Great Things. Wait, yes, I can. It was the last time I spoke to my mom about life."--Amber Tamblyn, author of Dark Sparkler

The History of Great Things tells the entwined stories of Lois, an ambitious opera singer, and her daughter, Elizabeth, an aspiring writer who came of age in the forbidding shadow of her often-absent, always larger-than-life mother. In a tour de force of storytelling and human empathy, mother and daughter pull back the curtain on lifelong secrets, challenging and interrupting each other, defending their own behavior, brandishing or swallowing their pride, and, ultimately, coming to understand each other in a way that feels both extraordinary and universal.

"In her signature prose style, Elizabeth Crane unpacks the problematic relationship between mother and daughter that will resonate with anyone. By telling each other's stories, the mother and daughter reinvent themselves, their relationship, and the possibility of empathy. You will cry, weep, and be glad you went along for this beautiful and heartbreaking ride."--Emily Rapp Black, author of The Still Point of the Turning World

"Elizabeth Crane has written a novel that is both unprecedented and fantastic (in every sense). Her every page thrums with wisdom, buzzes with truth. I learned that love survives death. And that no one ever really goes away, even if they have. And that all sides have many stories. This is unlike any novel I've ever encountered and it's absolutely wonderful."--Jill Alexander Essbaum, author of Hausfrau