by Mary Morris

Henry Holt / Macmillan
Memoir/Travel
Hardcover, $24.00
ISBN-13 978-0-8050-7827-5, ISBN-10 0-8050-7827-4

NEW IN PAPERBACK from Picador! June 2008
Trade Paperback, $15.00
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-42789-4
MBA Bookseller Information

Mary Morris is originally from Chicago. THE RIVER QUEEN is about her trip down the Mississippi River. She toured to several Midwest cities in April.

Backlist titles available: Nothing to Declare; Wall to Wall; Revenge; Angels and Aliens

Please note: MIDWEST CONNECTIONS rebates are not available for the paperback reprint of this 2007 MC Pick.

Downloads

• Midwest Connections marketing information & rebate form (PDF)
• Sell sheet for retail bookstores (PDF)
• Book photo (JPG)
• Author photo (JPG)
• Midwest Connections Generic Display Materials

About the Book

“The River Queen inspired me to love life without fear and reach for the stars. The honesty and humor of Morris’ writing completely won me over.”
- Laura Flaugher, Watermark Books & Café, Wichita, KS

“I have just finished Mary Morris’ THE RIVER QUEEN! I too am a big city dweller like Mary, and I felt as I read how daunting this must have been. She shared a wonderful journey with her readers — the good and the not so good, no privacy or amenities. She grew in so many ways and rediscovered herself as she discovered the Mississippi. Her stories about her days as they meandered down the river enveloped the reader and we actually got “on board.” I would hope if given the opportunity I might embark on such a journey, but for now I will gladly share Mary’s.”
- Blakeley Beatty, Thyme Worn Treasures, Rice Lake, WI

“The River Queen is a courageous celebration asserting that there are times when we must just work things out alone, no mater how long, hard and frightening the process may be! Mary Morris embarks on an adventure that takes her through Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa and Illinois, along with many places in the past and in her heart. Rejuvenated by the challenge, and nourished by countless people along the way, Morris recounts her stories with wry wit and compelling exuberance.”
- Bev Denor, LaDeDa books & beans, Manitowoc, WI

“The ‘Mighty Mississippi’ has lured writers and adventurers throughout our history, but Mary Morris earns her place in their top ranks with THE RIVER QUEEN. Her journey downstream, fueled by memories of her father’s river tales, is a trip in search of herself in time and place. And quite an expedition it turns out to be! Morris’s wry humor, emotional honesty, and skill at telling a great story make this an unforgettable memoir.”
- Chris Livingston, The Book Shelf, Winona, MN

In the fall of 2005, Mary Morris, acclaimed travel writer and recipient of The Rome Prize in Literature, set off down the Mississippi in a battered old houseboat called the River Queen in an attempt to come to terms with the anxiety caused by her father’s death, her daughter moving out, and her encroaching middle-age.

THE RIVER QUEEN is Morris’s account of this adventure, in which she
lives like a pirate, survives a tornado, learns to pilot her beloved boat and swims in rough currents. Along the way, she reconnects to her past and to her late father’s mysterious life, encounters a cast of colorful characters, and recounts snatches of the river’s history. In documenting this deeply personal and transformative odyssey, Morris has come away with her best book, a bittersweet travel tale told in the very real voice of a smart, sad, funny, gutsy, and absolutely appealing woman whom you will never forget.

Mary Morris is the author of three other travel memoirs: Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone, Wall to Wall, and Angels and Aliens. She is also the author of six novels and three collections of short stories. Morris is on the faculty of Sarah Lawrence College where she teaches creative writing. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.