The Eighth Day (Novel - Thornton Wilder)
by Thornton Wilder

Name: The Eighth Day (Novel - Thornton Wilder)
Brand: Thornton Wilder
SKU: 9780060088910
Rating: 4 (1603 reviews)

The Eighth Day (Novel - Thornton Wilder) Cover

The Eighth Day (Novel - Thornton Wilder) Book Cover — The Eighth Day (Novel - Thornton Wilder) Cover

What readers are saying

Readers have mixed feelings about the novel, with many praising its beautiful writing and character development. Some find the plot complex and profound, while others criticize it for being overly long-winded and lacking in pace. Despite the criticisms, the overall sentiment remains positive, emphasizing the book's emotional depth and narrative style.

Beautifully writtenDeeply movingStrong character developmentEngaging and original plotPacing issues in the middleOverly ambitious narrative

Synopsis

This new edition of Thornton Wilder's renowned 1967 National Book Award–winning novel features a new foreword by John Updike and an afterword by Tappan Wilder, who draws on such unique sources as Wilder's unpublished letters, handwritten annotations in the margins of the book, and other illuminating documentary material.

In 1962 and 1963, Thornton Wilder spent twenty months in hibernation, away from family and friends, in the Rio Grande border town of Douglas, Arizona.

While there, he launched The Eighth Day , a tale set in a mining town in southern Illinois about two families blasted apart by the apparent murder of one father by the other.

The miraculous escape of the accused killer, John Ashley, on the eve of his execution and his flight to freedom triggers a powerful story tracing the fate of his and the victim's wife and children.

At once a murder mystery and a philosophical story, The Eighth Day is a "suspenseful and deeply moving" (The New York Times) work of classic stature that has been hailed as a great American epic.