Marjorie Lee
Marjorie Lederer Lee was born in 1921 in Manhattan. By age 13, she had published poetry and short stories in Mademoiselle, Harper's Bazaar, and McCall's. Lee’s first novel, The Lion House, published in 1959, drew on her life as a young mother of five in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. The London Observer called it, “A first novel by an American genius.” She also wrote the novels The Eye of Summer and Dr. Block and the Human Condition, as well as the poetry collection What Have You Done All Day.
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The Eye of Summer is the story of two cousins, a young girl and boy, attractive, talented, precocious, and frightened. They have been given good schooling, good books, good taste--everything except a sense of belonging. Behind their glib facade, they are vulnerable and insecure. As they continue to grow, each year closer and more dependent upon each other, their demands become more urgent and complex. Dream evolves to nightmare, and their relationship turns into a devouring attachment in which innocence can no longer survive. With a blend of compassion and bitter humor, Marjorie Lee brings brilliantly to life her protagonists' gallant efforts to gain an understanding of themselves and of each other.
"In The Lion House, Marjorie Lee has written a book that is both brilliant and brave. She delves beneath the surface of deeds and emotions to deftly expose the savage that lies in all of us, even those who live in supposed serenity in the suburbs. Every woman will recognize parts of herself in the two leading characters....This is an exciting, original book brimming over with dialogue that is devastating in its pungency and its perception." Lucy Freeman author of Fight Against Fears