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Indiespensable

Powell's subscription club delivers the best new books, with special attention to independent publishers. Signed first editions. Inventive, original sets. Exclusive printings.... Every six to eight weeks, another installment to read and admire.

Plus, every package is stocked with exciting surprises!

Volume 55 (ships September 30th)

Indiespensable, Volume 55: Did You Ever Have a Family

Please note: Due to the popularity of Indiespensable, no subscriptions are available at this time. Check back in the coming weeks for limited opportunities to join the program.

Did You Ever Have a Family

by Bill Clegg
(Scout Press)

Subscribers receive:
* A signed first-edition of Did You Ever Have a Family in a custom slipcase exclusive to Indiespensable
* A collectible booklet featuring the Powells.com interview and Indiespensable Q&A; with Bill Clegg
* Other surprises!

Bill Clegg is perhaps best known as a literary agent whose memoirs about addiction and recovery captivated readers, but his first novel, Did You Ever Have a Family, is a spectacular debut. The story of a community's tragedy on what was supposed to be a happy occasion — a wedding — is recounted through the voices of multiple characters. As readers piece together the details of what happened, we also witness their intricate web of connections. Did You Ever Have a Family demonstrates how a tragedy can ripple through many lives in unexpected ways, and how healing and redemption can be found within those connections. Elinor Lipman raves, "I marveled my way through Did You Ever Have a Family, at not just the masterful writing and storytelling, but at the emotional authenticities of every persuasion," and we are equally enthralled with this sensitive, emotionally charged work of finely rendered prose.

An attempt to map how the unbearable is borne, elegantly written and bravely imagined." —Kirkus, Starred Review
Readers may come to this debut novel because of agent/memoirist Clegg's reputation, but they'll stay for the stellar language and storytelling. Highly recommended." —Library Journal, Starred Review
Bill Clegg has woven a richly textured tale of loss and healing. This is a deeply optimistic book about the power of human sympathy to pull us from the wreckage of our fate." — Anne Enright, Man Booker Prize winner for The Gathering

 


Previous Indiespensable installments:

Indiespensable #52

Our Endless Numbered Days

Our Endless Numbered Days

by Claire Fuller

"Fuller's compelling coming-of-age story, narrated from the perspective of Peggy's return to civilization, is delivered in translucent prose….[A] memorable first work from a talent to watch." Kirkus

see details

Click here to view a list of previous volumes.


Recent Indiespensable posts on PowellsBooks.Blog.

  1. How We Assembled Indiespensable #52

    Disturbing, poignant, compelling, beautiful — these are just a few words that come to mind when describing Claire Fuller's debut novel, Our Endless Numbered Days. In 1970s London, eight-year-old Peggy Hillcoat lives with her concert pianist mother, Ute, and her father, James, an obsessive... Continue »

    How We Assembled Indiespensable #51

    How We Assembled Indiespensable #50

    How We Assembled Indiespensable #49

    How We Assembled Indiespensable #48

    1.  
      Christina Kelley on 'How We Assembled Indiespensable #50'
      July 10, 2015

      I just read this book while on vacation - started in the morning and finished it about 10 hours later. This book was riveting to read. Although I...

  1. Questions about your subscription? Simply email us at indiespensable@powells.com. You can count on a personal response within one business day.

Here are just some of the books we're talking about in 'Indiespensable.'

  1. $10.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    Our Endless Numbered Days

    Claire Fuller 9781941040010
  2. $15.95 New Trade Paper add to wish list

    The New and Improved Romie Futch

    Julia Elliott 9781941040157
  3. $17.95 Used Hardcover add to wish list

    Wolf Winter

    Cecilia Ekback 9781602862524
  4. $15.95 New Trade Paper add to wish list
  5. $65.00 Used Hardcover add to wish list

    All My Puny Sorrows

    Miriam Toews 1110000194068
  6. $10.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    Glaciers (Tin House New Voice)

    Alexis Smith 9781935639206
  7. $12.99 Used Hardcover add to wish list

    The Bone Clocks

    David Mitchell 9781400065677
  8. $6.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    Magic for Beginners

    Kelly Link 9780156031875
  9. $19.50 Used Hardcover add to wish list

    The Great Glass Sea

    Josh Weil 9780802122155
  10. $5.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    The New Valley

    Josh Weil 9780802144867
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