So Big is the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by masterful Algonquin Round Table writer Edna Ferber, inspired by the incredible life of Dutch pioneer Antje Paarlberg.A thoughtful, gripping novel, So Big follows the story of a young schoolteacher, Selina Peake De Jong, as she influences those around her to appreciate the beauty of art and understand its importance. Her influence begins with her pupil, Roelf Pool, who demonstrates great artistic talent...

The novel that inspired the Broadway classic—a saga of romance, revenge, and a riverboat theater troupe: "First-rate storytelling . . . irresistible." — The New York Times Book ReviewSpanning four decades and three generations, and journeying from the post–Civil War South to Chicago to New York, Show Boat has been adapted for radio, stage, and screen, becoming a landmark of American culture.The bestseller by Pulitzer Prize winner Edna Ferb...

Edna Ferber's "So Big" is a poignant exploration of ambition, resilience, and the American spirit, set against the backdrop of early 20th-century Midwestern agriculture. Through the eyes of its indomitable protagonist, Selina Peaslee, Ferber employs a richly descriptive literary style that balances vivid imagery with sharp social commentary. The narrative unfolds in a pastoral setting, where the struggles of farmers reflect broader economic challenges, blending elements of realism with a k...

The story follows the life of a young woman, Selina Peake De Jong, who decides to be a school teacher in farming country. During her stay on the Pool family farm, she encourages the young Roelf Pool to follow his interests, which include art. Upon his mother's death, Roelf runs away to France. Meanwhile, Selina marries a Dutch farmer named Pervus. They have a child together, Dirk, whom she nicknames "So Big." Pervus dies and Selina is forced to take over working on the farm to give Dirk a ...

Stories about people the magazines did not print: a manicurist, a fat woman, an out-of-work actor, a girl who eats at the cheap end of the counter. Ferber was a reporter at seventeen and later won the Pulitzer for So Big; the title says it — this is the toast landing the other way, and she wrote it before anyone would have called it social realism.

A newspaperwoman, sick and broke, with a husband in an asylum she cannot divorce, goes to her sister in Milwaukee to recover and ends up back in a newsroom among the German-American brewers. Ferber was a reporter at seventeen and won the Pulitzer for So Big; this was her first novel, written while she was recovering from exactly the same collapse, and the newsroom is transcription.

The Pulitzer Prize–winning "masterpiece" by the acclaimed author of Giant follows the life of a farming woman on the Illinois prairie ( The Literary Review).In the small Dutch community of New Holland, Illinois, Selina DeJong dedicates herself to her passion for learning by becoming a schoolteacher. But as life progresses, she finds other loves: first, her husband, Pervus, a Dutch farmer; and then her son, Dirk, whom she nicknames "So Big" in refe...

Selina Peake De Jong decides to be a school teacher in farming country. During her stay on the Pool family farm, she encourages the young Roelf Pool to follow his interests, which include art.

Selina Peake moves from Chicago to a rural Dutch farming area just outside the city to teach in a one room school. As she attempts to fit into the community, she learns about her own strength in adapting to rural life. She marries an uneducated but sweet Dutch farmer named Pervus DeJong and has a son, Dirk, nicknamed "So Big." She wishes her son to have the same appreciation for the arts and education she has, and although he becomes an architect, his disillusionment with the architectural...

Selina Peake moves from Chicago to a rural Dutch farming area just outside the city to teach in a one room school. As she attempts to fit into the community, she learns about her own strength in adapting to rural life. She marries an uneducated but sweet Dutch farmer named Pervus DeJong and has a son, Dirk, nicknamed "So Big." She wishes her son to have the same appreciation for the arts and education she has, and although he becomes an architect, his disillusionment with the architectural...

9 Complete Works of Edna FerberButtered Side DownCheerful - By RequestDawn O'Hara, The Girl Who LaughedEmma McChesney& CoFanny HerselfHalf PortionsOne BasketPersonality PlusRoast Beef, Medium

The story follows the life of Selina Peake, a strong-willed and determined woman growing up on a farm in the American Midwest. After the death of her father, Selina takes over the family farm, determined to make a life for herself and her son, Dirk. As she navigates the challenges of rural life, Selina grapples with her dreams and aspirations, often feeling confined by her circumstances.The narrative explores Selina's relationships with her community and her struggle to balance her persona...