A Conversation with NY Times Bestselling Author Stephanie Clifford

228 Sound Beach Avenue,Greenwich CT 06870

03 May, 2023

Description

Athena Books is thrilled to welcome bestselling author Stephanie Clifford to discuss her new book, The Farewell Tour, a rich and riveting novel with exquisite historical detail that tells the story of one unforgettable woman's rise in country and western music. The Farewell Tour has received widespread acclaim, including this recent review from the NY Times. Stephanie's first novel, Everybody Rise, was a New York Times bestseller and New York Times Book Review editors’ choice. Your ticket to the event includes wine and light dessert. The Farewell Tour is the story of Lillian Waters, a fictional country music singer in the vein of Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn. It encapsulates two stories: an intimate portrait of the indomitable Lillian and a panoramic view of our culture—from the West’s near-mythical histories of explorers, loggers, trappers, and farmers, to the negative spaces where the stories of women are left out. Clifford, a reporter for almost a decade at The New York Times, conjures the rich and complex story of Lillian, aka Lena Thorsell, the second daughter of two defeated immigrants struggling in a country that promised so much. She deftly moves between the eras that defined her tart-tongued heroine’s life: the Depression and the Second World War; her budding career and the rise of Nashville’s male-dominated country music business scene in the ’50s and ’60s; and the humiliation of aging out in the late ’70s. There are hard choices for Lillian every step of the way: for her music, her heart, her soul. Clifford weaves a mesmerizing portrait of one woman’s creativity, ambition and sacrifices in a business made for men. When the tour brings Lillian finally home, she is forced to reckon with a tragedy she was not prepared to remember. As Clifford asks if we can ever be free of our true history, she makes us love her heroine for what she chooses to do with hers. About the Author: Stephanie Clifford is an award-winning investigative journalist and a bestselling novelist. As a New York Times reporter for almost a decade, she covered law and business. She now writes long-form investigations about criminal justice and business for the Times, the New Yorker, The Atlantic, Wired, Elle, the Economist, Bloomberg Businessweek and other publications. Her accolades include the Loeb Award in Investigative Reporting; the Deborah Howell Award for Writing Excellence from the News Leaders Association; the Society of American Business Editors and Writers in explanatory reporting; the Deadline Club Award in magazine profiles; among others. She grew up in Seattle and lives in Brooklyn with her family. Your ticket for the evening includes wine and light dessert.