A teenager follows along as her mother moves from town to town--and man to man--in this coming-of-age novel: "Both hilarious and tragic . . . a radiant debut." --The New York Times Book Review The inspiration for the cult-classic film starring Winona Ryder, Christina Ricci, and Cher, this novel is narrated by Charlotte Flax, a fourteen-year-old helplessly dragged by her mother from place to place, brief affair to brief affair. When they settle into a quiet New England town in 1963, the teenager yearns to stay put for once. With a convent just steps away from their home, this could be Charlotte's chance to fulfill her dream of becoming a martyred Catholic saint--despite the fact that she's Jewish. At the same time, the young caretaker at the convent is inspiring some unsaintly thoughts . . . "Patty Dann gives us a magnificent voice in the young Charlotte . . . Compelling and tender, touching and alive in her search to find some order in the chaos of her life." --The New York Times Book Review "This is a really funny book about people trying to find something to hang onto in a world that keeps shifting under their feet. Patty Dann guides us through the guerilla war between mother and daughter, through the minefields that lie between being a child and being an adult, in a voice not like any we've heard before." --John Sayles, director and novelist "Moments of pure gold . . . An energetic talent." --Kirkus Reviews "Both of [the sisters'] characters are sharply etched and recognizable." --Publishers Weekly "Poignant . . . a quirky charm." --Booklist

An epistolary novel of historical fiction that imagines the life of Katharine Wright and her relationship with her famous brothers, Wilbur and Orville Wright. On December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright flew the world's first airplane at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, establishing the Wright Brothers as world-renowned pioneers of flight. Known to far fewer people was their whip-smart and well-educated sister Katharine, a suffragette and early feminist. After Wilbur passed away, Katharine lived with and took care of her increasingly reclusive brother Orville, who often turned to his more confident and supportive sister to help him through fame and fortune. But when Katharine became engaged to their mutual friend, Harry Haskell, Orville felt abandoned and betrayed. He smashed a pitcher of flowers against a wall and refused to attend the wedding or speak to Katharine or Harry. As the years went on, the siblings grew further and further apart. In The Wright Sister, Patty Dann wonderfully imagines the blossoming of Katharine, revealed in her "Marriage Diary"-in which she emerges as a frank, vibrant, intellectually and socially engaged, sexually active woman coming into her own-and her one-sided correspondence with her estranged brother as she hopes to repair their fractured relationship. Even though she pictures "Orv" throwing her letters away, Katharine cannot contain her joie de vivre, her love of married life, her strong advocacy of the suffragette cause, or her abiding affection for her stubborn sibling as she fondly recalls their shared life. An inspiring and poignant chronicle of feminism, family, and forgiveness, The Wright Sister is an unforgettable portrait of a woman, a sister of inventors, who found a way to reinvent herself.

The Flax women reunite in their old hometown in this long-awaited sequel to Mermaids, the novel that became the cult-classic movie starring Cher, Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci. Charlotte Flax is all grown up now, with a grown son of her own. But her heart still belongs to the man she fell in love with at age 14 when Charlotte, her sister and her mother lived in a house next to a convent in Grove, Massachusetts. They moved on after a year- Mrs. Flax never stayed anywhere long. But it was Charlotte's favorite house, so when she hears it's for rent, she moves back and decides to bring the family together for Mrs. Flax's birthday. There are complications and suprises, of course. This is the Flax family, after all. For all three women, the gathering is a reunion they'll never forget. Praise for Starfish "For all the fans of Mermaids and its fabulous film adaptation, Starfish is an enchanting sequel. Starring a cast of quirky originals, its plot twists will make you laugh-after you wipe away tears. Patty Dann's writing has matured with sparkle and radiance." -Sally Koslow, author of The Late, Lamented Molly Marx and The Widow Waltz About the Author Patty Dann is the author of the novels Mermaids and Sweet & Crazy and the memoirs Baby Boat and The Goldfish Went On Vacation. Her work has been translated into French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Chinese, Korean and Japanese.

The author of Mermaids reunites the unforgettable women of the Flax family decades later: "Its plot twists will make you laugh-after you wipe away tears." -Sally Koslow, author of The Real Mrs. Tobias Now in her early forties with a grown son and two grandchildren, Charlotte Flax has never forgotten the year she spent as a teenager in Grove, Massachusetts, with her mother and little sister. When she finds out that their old house there, one of the many the family occupied over the years, is available for rent, Charlotte moves in and plans a birthday party for her flighty-as-ever mother. Some things have changed-the nearby convent has given way to real estate interests. Some things have not-Charlotte still has feelings about Joe, her first love. This upcoming reunion will stir up a lot of memories-and some trouble-and test the ability of relationships to survive over time . . . "Patty Dann, through Charlotte's unique voice, propels us back into the careening lives of the Flax women. Funny, sad, chaotic, mysterious, moving, searching, they are above all a family." -Richard Benjamin, director of Mermaids Praise for Mermaids and the novels of Patty Dann "Dann gives us a magnificent voice in the young Charlotte . . . Both hilarious and tragic . . . a radiant debut." -The New York Times Book Review "A marvel . . . brilliant." -Elinor Lipman, author of Good Riddance "Poignant." -Sheila Kohler, author of Once We Were Sisters and Cracks "Both of [the sisters'] characters are sharply etched and recognizable." -Publishers Weekly

Sooner or later, all parents face the question of how to talk to their children about death. What do you say when the goldfish dies? Do you lie about it or tell the truth? For Patty Dann it was harder still: her husband, still in his forties, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. He had one year to live, two at the most. In this spirited and startlingly honest memoir, Dann takes us on her journey with her three-year-old son - a journey that cycles through grief and anger, but also through humour, joy, empowerment, and ultimately acceptance. With the guidance of a wonderful child psychologist and close friends, Dann resolves to tell her son the whole truth about what's happening.She will encourage him to face the decline and loss of his father directly and honestly, with support from her and others who care about him. Written in a series of moving and surprisingly uplifting vignettes, Dann shares the tender moments, buoyant spirit, and key insights that helped her and her child to make it through their ordeal.