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by Tillie Walden
An openly Lesbian couple survives and thrives in 19th century Vermont–a true story, as told by Tillie Walden.
The month is February in the year 1807. The place is Weybridge, Vermont: small, cold, lonely, and beautiful. Sylvia Drake is exhausted. As an unwed woman with few prospects, she is residing with and caring for her sister's rambunctious family. Today the house is abuzz awaiting a guest―Charity Bryant. A friend of the family, she is most known for her elegant letters, with their swoopy and evocative penmanship and carefully chosen prose. But Charity's visit is a guise, she is coming to Vermont to start over after heartbreak and rumours―so many rumours―that have grown too loud back in Massachusetts.
Being openly gay in 19th century New England is not an easy row to hoe. But Charity can only be herself, and she immediately catches―and holds―the eye of none other than Sylvia Drake. From this point on, for 44 years, the two would be inseparable, building a life together despite all odds and living as a lesbian couple in small town Vermont.
The true, exceptional story of these remarkable women is brought to life with humor and passion by the unparalleled and award-winning Tillie Walden (Spinning, On A Sunbeam). We see America grow alongside these women over a period that brings about the railroad, many novels, 14 Presidents, riots, rebellion, plagues, and poetry. Based on extensive archives of their writing, Charity and Sylvia is a groundbreaking biography that is also the story of 19th century America.
"A timeless story of marriage, well-grounded in queer history. An absolute triumph." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"In Charity and Sylvia, the preternaturally gifted Tillie Walden surpasses herself. She relates this true story of two women living as a couple in early 19th century Vermont with a pitch-perfect blend of modern sensibility and richly textured archival detail. Her irrepressible drawings are crowded with large families in small candlelit houses, the tackle and trim of daily chores, moody landscapes, and shifting weather. As the scenes of life in a New England village unspool, time seems to slow and lengthen to a pre-industrial pace, with plenty of room for contemplation. Charity and Sylvia ply their needles with a patience and dedication that seem almost inconceivable to us today, but Walden's unstinting pen gives them a run for their money." ―Alison Bechdel author of Fun Home
"A fascinating and moving story that's told perfectly with compassion, grace, and a beautiful drawing style." ―Chester Brown author of Paying For It
This information about Charity and Sylvia was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Tillie Walden is a cartoonist and illustrator from Austin, Texas. She is the creator of a number of award-winning graphic novels including On a Sunbeam, Spinning, and the Walking Dead's Clementine Trilogy. She is a graduate of the Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont where she now teaches and lives with her wife and son.
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