Nora Pays

Artist Manora Fredrickson fled Baltimore hoping to leave the pain of the past behind her. Retreating to her ancestral home in rural eastern North Carolina, she’s hellbent on moving forward and concentrating on her painting career. Her curious neighbor, Matt Vogel, doesn’t leave her to her solitude for long. One glance at Nora dancing in her barn is all it takes to enrapture the friendly fisherman. The two have an undeniable rapport, and Matt’s ready to end his long spell of bachelorhood and see where their chemistry takes them. However, Nora’s throwing up one roadblock after another. Matt doesn’t buy her excuse that she’s not “suitable” for a relationship. She’s smart, creative, and caring—the perfect partner in his mind. But Nora’s last relationship left her believing that she’d never be enough for anyone, no matter what. If she can’t reclaim her spark and the confidence she once had, not only will her creativity suffer, but so will her opportunity to finally connect with someone in a way she’s long deserved. This is a revised, expanded, second edition of the book first published in 2012 by Crimson Romance.

Named one of the best books of historical fiction by the New York Times Acclaimed Irish novelist Nuala O’Connor’s bold reimagining of the life of James Joyce’s wife, muse, and the model for Molly Bloom in Ulysses is a “lively and loving paean to the indomitable Nora Barnacle” (Edna O’Brien). Dublin, 1904. Nora Joseph Barnacle is a twenty-year-old from Galway working as a maid at Finn’s Hotel. She enjoys the liveliness of her adopted city and on June 16—Bloomsday—her life is changed when she meets Dubliner James Joyce, a fateful encounter that turns into a lifelong love. Despite his hesitation to marry, Nora follows Joyce in pursuit of a life beyond Ireland, and they surround themselves with a buoyant group of friends that grows to include Samuel Beckett, Peggy Guggenheim, and Sylvia Beach. But as their life unfolds, Nora finds herself in conflict between their intense desire for each other and the constant anxiety of living in poverty throughout Europe. She desperately wants literary success for Jim, believing in his singular gift and knowing that he thrives on being the toast of the town, and it eventually provides her with a security long lacking in her life and his work. So even when Jim writes, drinks, and gambles his way to literary acclaim, Nora provides unflinching support and inspiration, but at a cost to her own happiness and that of their children. With gorgeous and emotionally resonant prose, Nora is a heartfelt portrayal of love, ambition, and the quiet power of an ordinary woman who was, in fact, extraordinary.

In 1904, having known each other for only three months, a young woman named Nora Barnacle and a not yet famous writer named James Joyce left Ireland together for Europe -- unwed. So began a deep and complex partnership, and eventually a marriage, which endured for thirty-seven years. This is the true story of Nora, the woman who, transformed by Joyce's imagination, became Molly Bloom, arguably the most famous female character in twentieth-century literature. It is also the story of Ireland, a social history encapsulated in the vivid recreation of Joyce and his small Irish entourage abroad. Ultimately it is the portrait of a relationship -- of Nora's complicated, committed, and at times shocking relationship with a hardworking, hard drinking genius and with his work. In NORA: THE REAL LIFE OF MOLLY BLOOM, the award-winning biographer Brenda Maddox has given us a powerful new lens through which to see both James Joyce and the woman who was in turn his inspiration and his salvation.

Wed one of her father’s lecherous old cronies or flee. Those are the only options for Nora Jones. Refusing to be a pawn, she escapes in the night, running for her life. Her freedom. Ben Taylor is no stranger to a fight. An honorable man, he’s still a rough, tough cowboy who gets into plenty of trouble. When caught in a compromising situation, albeit an innocent one, Ben does the first thing that comes to mind – marry the lady in distress. Sparks fly in 1855 Willamette Valley, Oregon as Nora and Ben fall unexpectedly in love, but no one can outrun their past forever. When danger comes calling, will Ben be able to protect Nora, or will they all go down in flames?

Nora Ephron famously claimed that she wrote about every thought that ever crossed her mind, from her divorce from Carl Bernstein (Heartburn) to the size of her breasts ("A Few Words About Breasts"). She also wrote screenplays for three of the most successful contemporary romantic comedies--When Harry Met Sally (1989), Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and You've Got Mail (1998). Often considered mere light-hearted romantic comedies, her screenwriting has not been the subject of serious study. This book offers a sustained critical analysis of her work and life and demonstrates that Ephron is no lightweight. The complexity of her work is explored through the context of her childhood in a deeply dysfunctional family of writers.