Queenie

A cheeky portrait of an old-fashioned young woman’s assimilation into the modern world

Set in 1960s New York, this piquant coming-of-age story concerns a teenage girl, Queenie, raised to become a “kept woman” in an exceedingly comfortable and well-adjusted—yet insular and retrograde—household. After enrolling in college, Queenie confronts new understandings, both personal and political, and gradually becomes cognizant of the dated values imparted upon her.

Bringing her trademark stylishness and a remarkable exuberance to Queenie, Hortense Calisher simultaneously pays homage to and updates the Victorian storytelling approach in capturing the intellectual and sexual breakthroughs of a contemporary young woman.