My Life, Starring Dara FalconDara Falcon is brilliant. She is manipulative. She is seductive. She makes things happen. She is someone for whom the novel's narrator, Jean Warner, is a perfect complement. Jean, an appealing but unformed young woman, is an only child brought up by an aunt after her parents' death. She has married into a large New England family, in which she happily -- if somewhat passively -- immerses herself. Until Dara Falcon arrives in town. Almost immediately they are friends; almost immediately everything about Dara fascinates Jean -- Dara's secret and perfect room, her past, her clothes, her acting career, her unabashed assault on the town's men. And almost immediately the ordinary stresses and strains of the family Jean has idealized become apparent as Dara insinuates herself into their lives. Suddenly Dara is everywhere -- moving in with the man who may drive the family's business under; writing mysteriously to Jean's favorite and supposedly happily married brother-in-law; horning in on Jean's part-time typing job; setting herself up as the star of the local play. And soon Jean's life, her marriage, her very idea of herself, have been dramatically wrenched out of their seemingly innocent, if unexamined, balance, sending her off in uncharted directions. |
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asked aunt baby Barbara began Bernie Bette Davis Bob's Bonnie Boston Buddy Holly called coffee Dara Falcon Dara's decided Derek Doll's House door Dowell Drake drink Eastford Edward Quill everything eyes feel felt Frank Franny front Gail girl glasses going gone gotten Grace Aldridge Grandma greenhouse hair Hampshire hand happened heard husband Janey Janey's Jean Joanna John Wesley Harding Joyce kitchen kites knew Lawrence Welk letter Liam living looked Louise Marie marriage married mother moved never nice night Nora Patsy Cline person Pete Petunia Pig picked play pretty Provincetown pulled realized ring Sandra seemed sitting smiled Snell's someone stay stopped sure sweetie talk tell things thought told Tom Van Sant Tom's took Trenton trying turned voice walked wanted woman wonderful worried