Pride's Crossing (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780573626562)

At ninety Mabel Tidings Bigelow insists on celebrating her daughter and granddaughter's annual visit with an archaic croquet party. As it unfolds she relives vignettes from the last eighty years that subtly interleave past and present to reveal the precise moments of opportunity lost and love rejected that define her life. A vibrant portrait of Mabel takes shape: her flashes of wit and humor resilience disappointments youthful spunk and geriatric willfulness. Her Boston blue-blood family expected daughters to applaud from the sidelines but Mabel had one shining moment of achievement: she was the first woman to swim the English Channel. However her willfulness did not extend to rejecting a socially ideal fiancé for love. Pride's Crossing is a rewarding challenge for a talented cast.