Once Upon a Day: A Novel

· Sold by Simon and Schuster
3 reviews
Ebook
352
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

A lyrical literary novel about family, loss, and hope, Once Upon a Day follows a young woman’s journey from isolation into the wider world as she searches for her missing brother and the truth about her past.

Nineteen years ago, a famous man disappeared from Los Angeles, taking his two children, Dorothea and Jimmy, to a rocky, desolate corner of New Mexico where he raised them in complete isolation in a utopian “Sanctuary.” The children grew up with books and encyclopedias, records and a grand piano, but no television, computer, radio, or even a newspaper. Now Dorothea, at twenty-three, is leaving this place in search of her missing brother—and venturing into the wide world for the first time.

Dorothea’s search will turn into an odyssey of discovery, leading to the truth of her family’s past and the terrifying day that changed her father forever. But Dorothea’s journey will also introduce her to an unusual cast of characters, including a homeless girl from Missouri who becomes a jazz singer and a social worker whose mistake in judgment changes her best friend’s life. And she will meet Stephen, a doctor turned cabdriver who, after suffering his own losses, has lost his ability to believe in a meaningful world. Together, they have a chance to make a discovery of a different kind: that though a heart can be broken by the tragic events of a day, a day can also bring a new chance at love and a deeper understanding of life's infinite possibilities.

Beautifully written, with a spellbinding story, Once Upon a Day is “a lyrically poignant reminder of the necessity of hope” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
A lyrical literary novel about family, loss, and hope, Once Upon a Day follows a young woman’s journey from isolation into the wider world as she searches for her missing brother and the truth about her past. Nineteen years ago, a famous man disappeared from Los Angeles, taking his two children,...

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3 reviews

About the author

Lisa Tucker is the bestselling author of The Promised World, The Cure for Modern Life, Once Upon a Day, Shout Down the Moon, and The Song Reader. Her short work has appeared in Seventeen, Pages, and The Oxford American. She lives in Pennsylvania with her family.
Lisa Tucker is the bestselling author of The Promised World, The Cure for Modern Life, Once Upon a Day, Shout Down the Moon, and The Song Reader. Her short work has appeared in Seventeen, Pages, and The Oxford American. She lives in Pennsylvania with her family.

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