MY FELICIA

A first novel, and a modulated contrast in generations, old against young, in changing traditions and castes as the vested aristocracy of New England's old whaling families face the rising immigrant classes, Polish, Portuguese, Irish. This is the story primarily of three, -- of Mark Standler, quietly bypassing his mother's social ambitions for him; of Felicia, whom he loves, who refuses to marry him because she feels she offers him nothing; of Steve O'Mara, who also loves Felicia, is forced to drop out of Harvard, and -- facing the joblessness of the depression -- goes to work for the town run-runner. The bank panic breaks the power of the Standlers -- Mark's father commits suicide -- and Felicia agrees to marry Mark now that the barrier of money and position is down. An authentic portrayal of the era, of mixed people, of changing social and economic determinants, and a romance that has warmth and vitality.