1
/
of
1
Plain View Press
Layla
Layla
Regular price
$2.99 USD
Regular price
Sale price
$2.99 USD
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Quantity
Couldn't load pickup availability
Layla is the story of a young woman whose journey forward is through the past.
In the 1960s, Layla's parents were protesting the Vietnam War. Students were burning draft cards. Thousands were marching on Washington. The Weather Underground was taking things further--making statements, making bombs. Now it's 2005, her mother has died, and her legacy to Layla is an envelope of enigmatic letters and instructions for a cross-country journey that will be as disorienting as a '60s acid trip.
Traveling from New York City to the Adirondack Mountains and Boston, across the country to Colorado, the Oregon forest, and a hippie outpost in the California desert, Layla falls deeper into danger as she gets closer to the bombshell at the heart of her parents' past.
Yearning to learn more about the father she's never known, Layla, apolitical and disaffected, doesn't take her mother's warnings seriously - until it is too late. Confronted with a painful, life-changing choice, Layla discovers her own values as she comes to grips with the consequences of her parents' activism.
The Huffington Post has named Layla to its list of "Best Books Just Out Or Coming Soon We Thought You Should Know About." Layla is included in Poets & Writers magazine's roundup of "Great Summer Fiction Debuts," July-August 2011. Read "Journey to Bridge a Generation Gap," in the Queens Tribune, June 2-8, 2011.
"Céline Keating's deftly plotted novel takes readers on a gripping journey along the underground railroad of post-'60s radicalism. . . . Every adult has to reinterpret the story of her childhood. Keating beautifully demonstrates the courage it takes for each of us to face that bittersweet truth."
--LARRY DARK, Director of The Story Prize
"A beautiful book--at once nostalgic and fresh--that will go straight to your heart and lodge there."
--ALETHEA BLACK, author of I Knew You'd Be Lovely
"[An] emotional page-turner. Layla's coming to terms with her parents' dangerous activism is heart wrenching due to Keating's delightfully drawn characters. This novel also serves as a compelling lesson in our values and how drastically they've changed. It serves as a better history than any essay or screed."
--SUSAN BRAUDY, author of Family Circle
"As Layla James drives cross-country, following the cryptic directions of her late mother, she meets a wide and sharply drawn group of veteran radicals who all play a part in the search for her mysterious father. . . . Keating keeps the pace fast and the suspense high . . . You'll want to ride with her every mile of the way!"
--ROBERT HERSHON, editor of Hanging Loose Press
"A fast-moving story of family secrets, political intrigue, and a young woman's coming of age. Layla is a rare combination of a novel that is both suspenseful and insightful, narrated by a character who is charming, intelligent, appealing, and most importantly, honest. . . . a gripping tale and a memorable read."
--CON LEHANE, author of Death at the Old Hotel
"A triumph of political literature . . . as informative as it is impossible to put down."
--MARNIE MUELLER, author of My Mother's Island
"Evoked in beautiful prose and telling details . . . [Layla] brings to life the complexity of family dynamics, with all its conflicts, dangers and rewards."
--NAHID RACHLIN, author of Persian Girls: A Memoir
"A wrenching look at the human costs of activism and the resiliency of love."
--HELEN SCHULMAN, author of A Day at the Beach
"Unfolds like a finely calibrated psychological mystery. . . . In Layla, Céline Keating has created an unforgettable character who is by turns exasperating, funny, courageous and fiercely loyal. Layla's journey toward understanding of her past and present evokes both the idealism and danger of the '60s, which resonate to this day."
--SUSAN SEGAL, author of Aria
In the 1960s, Layla's parents were protesting the Vietnam War. Students were burning draft cards. Thousands were marching on Washington. The Weather Underground was taking things further--making statements, making bombs. Now it's 2005, her mother has died, and her legacy to Layla is an envelope of enigmatic letters and instructions for a cross-country journey that will be as disorienting as a '60s acid trip.
Traveling from New York City to the Adirondack Mountains and Boston, across the country to Colorado, the Oregon forest, and a hippie outpost in the California desert, Layla falls deeper into danger as she gets closer to the bombshell at the heart of her parents' past.
Yearning to learn more about the father she's never known, Layla, apolitical and disaffected, doesn't take her mother's warnings seriously - until it is too late. Confronted with a painful, life-changing choice, Layla discovers her own values as she comes to grips with the consequences of her parents' activism.
The Huffington Post has named Layla to its list of "Best Books Just Out Or Coming Soon We Thought You Should Know About." Layla is included in Poets & Writers magazine's roundup of "Great Summer Fiction Debuts," July-August 2011. Read "Journey to Bridge a Generation Gap," in the Queens Tribune, June 2-8, 2011.
"Céline Keating's deftly plotted novel takes readers on a gripping journey along the underground railroad of post-'60s radicalism. . . . Every adult has to reinterpret the story of her childhood. Keating beautifully demonstrates the courage it takes for each of us to face that bittersweet truth."
--LARRY DARK, Director of The Story Prize
"A beautiful book--at once nostalgic and fresh--that will go straight to your heart and lodge there."
--ALETHEA BLACK, author of I Knew You'd Be Lovely
"[An] emotional page-turner. Layla's coming to terms with her parents' dangerous activism is heart wrenching due to Keating's delightfully drawn characters. This novel also serves as a compelling lesson in our values and how drastically they've changed. It serves as a better history than any essay or screed."
--SUSAN BRAUDY, author of Family Circle
"As Layla James drives cross-country, following the cryptic directions of her late mother, she meets a wide and sharply drawn group of veteran radicals who all play a part in the search for her mysterious father. . . . Keating keeps the pace fast and the suspense high . . . You'll want to ride with her every mile of the way!"
--ROBERT HERSHON, editor of Hanging Loose Press
"A fast-moving story of family secrets, political intrigue, and a young woman's coming of age. Layla is a rare combination of a novel that is both suspenseful and insightful, narrated by a character who is charming, intelligent, appealing, and most importantly, honest. . . . a gripping tale and a memorable read."
--CON LEHANE, author of Death at the Old Hotel
"A triumph of political literature . . . as informative as it is impossible to put down."
--MARNIE MUELLER, author of My Mother's Island
"Evoked in beautiful prose and telling details . . . [Layla] brings to life the complexity of family dynamics, with all its conflicts, dangers and rewards."
--NAHID RACHLIN, author of Persian Girls: A Memoir
"A wrenching look at the human costs of activism and the resiliency of love."
--HELEN SCHULMAN, author of A Day at the Beach
"Unfolds like a finely calibrated psychological mystery. . . . In Layla, Céline Keating has created an unforgettable character who is by turns exasperating, funny, courageous and fiercely loyal. Layla's journey toward understanding of her past and present evokes both the idealism and danger of the '60s, which resonate to this day."
--SUSAN SEGAL, author of Aria
Share
