"Upon the border of a remote and out-of-the-way village in south-western Missouri lived an old farmer named John Gray..."In 1876, the same year The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was published, Mark Twain wrote a story for The Atlantic Monthly. He meant it as a "blind novelette"--a challenge to other writers to submit their own ending of the story in a national competition. Twain asked his editor at The Atlantic to request submissions from leading authors of the day, including Henry James.Perhaps because few writers could write as well as Twain, no one responded, and Twain's original complete manuscript languished in literary hibernation. It was rediscovered in 1995 and will appear in The Atlantic Monthly in summer 2001, having come full circle. Set in the fictional town of Deer Lick, Missouri, A Murder, a Mystery, and a Marriage chronicles the fortunes of a farmer determined to have his daughter marry the son of a wealthy man. It's a charming story in the Twain tradition and a delightful addition to his legacy.
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"I really enjoyed Mark Twain's (as he called it) "Blindfold Novelette". An interesting idea to share a skeletal outline for a story with other known authors of that time and then get together to exchange ideas and inspirations too bad that it never seemed to have went anywhere. Also a wonderful American history lesson by Roy Blount, Jr. included!"
— Melana (4 out of 5 stars)
" Meh. It was pretty good I guess. "
— Ashley, 2/20/2014" While the story was not all that exciting for me, I find that I am drawn to the gimicky stuff this was designed to elicit and never did. The essential premise was that several authors of Twain's time would write a novelette based on the same plot premise of a murder, a mystery and a marriage. Twain is the only one who ever wrote it. The resolution of the murder was predictable. The solution of the mystery was wholly unexpected by this reader - a bit far fetched, but wholly unexpected. The commentary at the end attempts to explain the solution of the mystery but it remains a bit unclear to me. "
— Linda, 1/30/2014" This is one of those post-humously published things that gets people all excited and then let down. Yeah, it's a fun read. Yeah, it sounds like good old Twain and that's nice. But it's the tiniest tease of a morsel! If it had been released while he was alive it would only be published now in compilations of his shorter works and not draw much attention to itself. After reading this I went and reread some of his old hat stuff and was thus satisfied. "
— Tara, 1/7/2014" ... a long-form shaggy dog story looking for a more lethal punch-line .... :) "
— Jim, 12/27/2013" Amusing short story and the book had some interesting background on Twain in the afterword. "
— Diane, 12/19/2013" I had never heard of this story by Mark Twain. It was interesting to read and also the extra background about the story and the interaction between various authors of that day. "
— Julie, 12/18/2013" The story behind the story was probably more impressive than the actual(short) piece, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. "
— Riley, 12/13/2013" this was a fun read. "
— Mike, 9/2/2013" I adore the illustrations! I would love to hang them on my wall. :) "
— Naomi, 8/25/2013" Fun premise: a call to fellow writers to create a short that must have a marriage and a murder. Too bad no one answered the challenge! "
— Nancy, 7/28/2013" Short and funny. Just the way I like them. The Forward and Afterward bring tons of insight, and in themselves are interesting. Along with the charming illustrations are pictures of pages from Twain's original manuscript. Just a fun book. "
— Sharon, 5/4/2013Mark Twain (1835–1910) was born Samuel L. Clemens in the town of Florida, Missouri. He is one of the most popular and influential authors our nation has ever produced, and his keen wit and incisive satire earned him praise from both critics and peers. He has been called not only the greatest humorist of his age but also the father of American literature.
Roy Blount Jr. is an American writer. Best known as a humorist, Blount is also a reporter, actor, and musician with the Rock Bottom Remainders, a rock band composed entirely of writers. He is also president of the Authors Guild.
Garrison Keillor is America’s favorite storyteller. For more than forty years, as the host of A Prairie Home Companion, he has captivated millions of listeners with his weekly News from Lake Wobegon monologues. A Prairie Home Companion is heard on hundreds of public radio stations, as well as America One, the Armed Forces Networks, Sirius Satellite Radio, and via a live audio webcast. Keillor is also the author of several books and a frequent contributor to national publications including Time, the New Yorker, and National Geographic, in addition to writing his own syndicated column. He has been awarded a National Humanities Medal from the National Endowment of the Humanities. He is the winner of nine AudioFile Earphones Awards, several of which were for his own books. When not touring, he resides in St. Paul, Minnesota.