The Red Coat, Dolley Carlson
The Red Coat, Dolley Carlson
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
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The Red Coat
A Novel of Boston

Author: Dolley Carlson

Narrator: Christina Delaine

Unabridged: 16 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 07/30/2019


Synopsis

Think Downton Abbey, set in the heart of Boston

Irish domestic worker Norah King's decision to ask her wealthy employer, Caroline Parker, for an elegant red coat that the Beacon Hill matriarch has marked for donation ignites a series of events that neither woman could have fathomed. The unlikely exchange will impact their respective daughters and families for generations to come, from the coat's original owner, marriage-minded collegian Cordelia Parker, to the determined and spirited King sisters of South Boston, Rosemary, Kay, and Rita. As all of these young women experience the realities of life—love and loss, conflict and joy, class prejudices, and unexpected prospects—the red coat reveals the distinction between cultures, generations, and landscapes in Boston during the 1940s and '50s, a time of change, challenge, and opportunity.

Meet the proud, working-class Irish and staid, upper-class Brahmins through the contrasting lives of these two families and their friends and neighbors. See how the Parkers and the Kings each overcome sudden tragedy with resolve and triumph. And witness the profound impact of a mother's heart on her children's souls. Carlson brings us front and center with her knowing weave of Celtic passion—both tragic and joyful—words of wisdom, romance, humor, and historical events.

About Dolley Carlson

Dolley Carlson is a third-generation Irish American with Southie roots and the daughter of one of Boston's finest-BPD-Boston Police Department. She is the author of several books, including The Red Coat: A Novel of Boston.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Cheri

The story of a coat that has been passed down from sister to sister in Pre/Post WWII Boston. I enjoyed the cultural references and related to many of them. However, the pictures and small articles on the side of many pages were a distraction and made me question if this was fiction or a memoire. I d......more

Goodreads review by Elaine

I loved this book! Keeping things honest, I have to admit I am from South Boston lived there for 32 years. I grew up in the area where the main characters lived. outside of that, I found this book to be well written, I loved all the characters, the changes they went through and the growth of the char......more

Goodreads review by May

What a Delightful Novel! This book reads like a Family diary! The specific details of Boston’s locations, pertinent to the moment of the story, as accompanied by the period photographs, convinced me that this was more biographical than fiction. Very nicely done!!......more