Starfish - Paperback

by Patty Dann (Author)

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

Author Biography

Patty Dann has written four novels and three memoirs. Her book Mermaids was adapted into a film starring Cher, Winona Ryder, and Christina Ricci. Dann's work has been translated into many languages, and her articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Chicago Tribune, O Magazine, and ForbesWomen. She has an MFA in writing from Columbia University and a BA from the University of Oregon. Dann has taught at Sarah Lawrence College and at the West Side YMCA. She was cited by New York Magazine as one of the Great Teachers of NYC.