Alice E Harrison

Mid-manhattan Alice E Harrison

Publisher Marketing: Mid-Manhattan is the story of Jerry and Amanda who meet there, at a concert on the lawn in Central Park through the accident of a spilt bottle of wine. Their futures are entwined forever after. He is an artist in scientist's clothes and she an English teacher and food critic on the side. The story unravels around the special, but largely unobserved, events that happen every day in Mid-Manhattan. It is paralleled by that of Jerry's sister Lisa and her French boyfriend. Moreover it is punctuated with paragraphs called philosophies that separate the chapters and reflect personal thoughts of the author on as many topics as there are different aspects to the story. The author has thus created a new genre in novel recounting. It is gentle and soothing, quite the opposite of current novels, with their need for the action and violence of computer games. It is reminiscent of the best of 19th century novels, where human relationships were the essence of the story telling. Mid-Manhattan is both the backdrop and the basis for the book. All manner of places in New York are examined, from the windows of Fifth Avenue shops to the Metropolitan Museum. As such the book is attractive to both residents and foreigners alike, who want a taste of what they thought unattainable, but now know where to look for it.