A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries by Kaylie Jones (
Wikipedia), an American who was born and raised in Paris, and the daughter of award-winning novelist James Jones (
Wikipedia; author of
From Here to Eternity which was the basis of the Oscar-winning film, incidentally republished in a restored edition by Open Road Media, if you're interested, and Akashic is also reprinting some of his work), is her standalone semi-autobiographical literary novel exploring themes of family and culture, based upon her upbringing in France and experiences there as her parents adopt another child, and then the transition back to the States, and the ensuing cultural shock, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Akashic Books, who are generously running a holiday advent calendar promotion (their books are couponable at Kobo, BTW, and they do the excellent Akashic Noir mystery anthology series), and are reprinting it from its 1990 edition out from Bantam.
The novel was the basis of the eponymous Merchant Ivory film (
Wikipedia). This edition has a new introduction about developing the screenplay, and also includes a previously unpublished chapter of the novel, according to the blurb.
Currently free until midnight December 22nd directly @
the publisher's promotional blogpost (DRM-free ePub & Mobi available worldwide), and you can read more about the book on its
regular catalogue page.
Description
The inspiration for the Merchant Ivory film starring Kris Kristofferson, Barbara Hershey, and Leelee Sobieski, A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries is a rich and poignant family story from the daughter of novelist James Jones. Back in print, this new edition includes an author’s introduction reflecting on the process of developing a screenplay from her novel, as well as a previously unpublished chapter, “Mother’s Day,” that was left out of the original Bantam edition.
Based on the author’s early years in Paris with her famous father, A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries chronicles the growth of an extraordinary family. Previously the adored only child, Channe finds her world disrupted by the adoption of a French brother, Benoit. This inspired novel explores the complex, volatile relationship between a brother, a sister, a mother, and a father as they confront their own experiences of orphanhood.