THE FOUNDLING: Virtual Author Event with Ann Leary

205 West 6th Street,Georgetown TX 78626

04 April, 2023

Description

Join the conversation along with Jane, as she interviews Anne Leary about her historical fiction novel. Perfect chance for writers to talk to a best selling author about her craft and for history fans to find out about the research that goes into historical fiction.Written in the vein of Before We Were Yours and Orphan Train, Leary ventures into a genre that has an established and fervent readership. Inspired by a true story about the author's grandmother, The Foundling offers a rare look at a shocking chapter of American history and provides a great hook for media and publicity.ABOUT THE FOUNDLING: It’s 1927 and eighteen-year-old Mary Engle is hired to work as a secretary at a remote but scenic institution for mentally disabled women called the Nettleton State Village for Feebleminded Women of Childbearing Age. She’s immediately in awe of her employer—brilliant, genteel Dr. Agnes Vogel. Dr. Vogel had been the only woman in her class in medical school. As a young psychiatrist she was an outspoken crusader for women’s suffrage. Now, at age forty, Dr. Vogel runs one of the largest and most self-sufficient public asylums for women in the country. Mary deeply admires how dedicated the doctor is to the poor and vulnerable women under her care. Soon after she’s hired, Mary learns that a girl from her childhood orphanage is one of the inmates. Mary remembers Lillian as a beautiful free spirit with a sometimes-tempestuous side. Could she be mentally disabled? When Lillian begs Mary to help her escape, alleging the asylum is not what it seems, Mary is faced with a terrible choice. Should she trust her troubled friend with whom she shares a dark childhood secret? Mary’s decision triggers a hair-raising sequence of events with life-altering consequences for all. Inspired by a true story about the author’s grandmother, The Foundling is compelling, unsettling, and “a stunning reminder that not much time has passed since everyone claimed to know what was best for a woman—everyone except the woman herself” (Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author). PRAISE FOR THE FOUNDLING: "Leary's latest is a stunning tale of corruption, compassion, and hope, and includes one of the best endings I've read in ages. She's reached back in history and uncovered a shockingly true story, one that resonates strongly today. Full of jaw-dropping twists and intriguing characters--you won't be able to put it down." - Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Magnolia Palace. "The Foundling is Leary's first historical novel, and she has all the right instincts .... she asks you to root for a protagonist who comes equipped with the orthodoxies of her own day ... Leary is such a virtuoso that she doesn't indulge herself at the expense of Mary's characterization ... Leary is too clever and too honest not to know exactly what she's doing; The Foundling arrests us precisely because its antagonist comes cloaked in the good intentions of progressive social reform ... Book clubs, uncork your bottles." - Beatriz Williams, The New York Times (9/16/2022) This event will take place at Lark & Owl Booksellers, and Ann Leary will be joining virtually. The Foundling will be available for purchase that night!About the Author: Ann Leary is the co-host of Hash Hags, a weekly NPR radio show led by a trio of female authors on trending topics in our culture at large. She has written both nonfiction and fiction for a number of esteemed publications, including The New York Times, Ploughshares, and Real Simple. (1/18/2022) Leary is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels, THE CHILDREN, THE GOOD HOUSE, OUTTAKES FROM A MARRIAGE, and the memoir, AN INNOCENT, A BROAD. She has written for numerous publications including Ploughshares, NPR, Real Simple and the New York Times. Her novel, THE GOOD HOUSE was adapted as a motion picture starring Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline, released in theaters in September, 2022. Her new novel, THE FOUNDLING (Scribner/MarysueRucci) was released on May, 31, 2022. Ann and her husband Denis Leary live in New York.