Mary Higgins Clark: A Critical Companion

(Hardback)

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Description

Best-selling author Mary Higgins Clark, the Queen of Suspense, uses a popular literary genre, the novel of mystery and suspense, to explore contemporary social issues and the reality of evil in the lives of ordinary people. This first critical study of her work reveals the serious intent of a popular writer of popular fiction. It examines common themesthe consequences of crime on innocent victims, how crime forces its victims to confront their deepest psychological fears and the terror of the pastand explores Clark's treatment of current social issues from capital punishment to child abuse. The study provides close textual analysis of each novel in turn, revealing the surprising depth of Clark's work and her extraordinary gift for working within a number of literary genres under the guise of popular fiction. This study analyzes all of Clark's fiction including her most recent Remember Me and The Lottery Winner. Pelzer places Clark's fiction in the context of its genre and provides close textual analysis of each novel. In addition she provides alternative critical perspectives that offer additional insight. For ease of use by the reader, each chapter is devoted to a single novel and is subdivided into sections on narrative strategies (plot, time, and setting), thematic development, character development, and alternative perspectives on the novel. Pelzer also analyzes Clark's use of generic conventions as well as her distinctive style. This study helps the reader to understand the deeper and richer aspects of Clark's fiction and to appreciate why her reputation is so well deserved. A key purchase for secondary school, public, and community college library collections.

Reviews

.,."Students in high schools and colleges, as well as the public at large, finally have access to scholarly but readable analyses of the best-selling works of popular authors. For school assignments, readers will value the literary analyses of their favorite books, and everyone is sure to appreciate the connections between each author's life and his or her writings. The alternative interpretation(s) of each novel provide an unusual bonus for serious readers."-Donald Gallo Professor of English Southern Connecticut State University
Pelzer does a commendable job exploring the serious themes and deeper issues underlying the surface appeal ot Clark's work...This is a book that has several potential uses. Fans of Clark's novels will enjoy the biographical information on their favorite author and the detailed examinations of the plots and characters in her stories. Students doing literary research on Clark will appreciate having all this data in onw handy source. Librarians involved in readers advisory work will welcome this title as a source of information on understanding the appeal of this perennially popular author...If Clark is popular among your patrons or if you experience lots of literature reports, this is a title to consider.-VOYA
"Pelzer does a commendable job exploring the serious themes and deeper issues underlying the surface appeal ot Clark's work...This is a book that has several potential uses. Fans of Clark's novels will enjoy the biographical information on their favorite author and the detailed examinations of the plots and characters in her stories. Students doing literary research on Clark will appreciate having all this data in onw handy source. Librarians involved in readers advisory work will welcome this title as a source of information on understanding the appeal of this perennially popular author...If Clark is popular among your patrons or if you experience lots of literature reports, this is a title to consider."-VOYA

Author Bio

LINDA C. PELZER is Associate Professor of English at Wesley College in Dover, Delaware. A specialist in American literature, she is a former Fulbright scholar. She is currently at work on a study of the work of Gail Godwin.