The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters: A True Story of Family Fiction

The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters: A True Story of Family Fiction

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  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2021-08-11 17:21:23
  • Update Date:2025-09-06
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Julie Klam
  • ISBN:B08SPF84BY
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

New York Times-bestselling author Julie Klam's funny and moving story of the Morris sisters, distant relations with mysterious pasts。

Ever since she was young, Julie Klam has been fascinated by the Morris sisters, cousins of her grandmother。 According to family lore, early in the twentieth century the sisters' parents decided to move the family from Eastern Europe to Los Angeles so their father could become a movie director。 On the way, their pregnant mother went into labor in St。 Louis, where the baby was born and where their mother died。 The father left the children in an orphanage and promised to send for them when he settled in California--a promise he never kept。 One of the Morris sisters later became a successful Wall Street trader and advised Franklin Roosevelt。 The sisters lived together in New York City, none of them married or had children, and one even had an affair with J。 P。 Morgan。

The stories of these independent women intrigued Klam, but as she delved into them to learn more, she realized that the tales were almost completely untrue。

The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters is the revealing account of what Klam discovered about her family--and herself--as she dug into the past。 The deeper she went into the lives of the Morris sisters, the slipperier their stories became。 And the more questions she had about what actually happened to them, the more her opinion of them evolved。

Part memoir and part confessional, and told with the wit and honesty that are hallmarks of Klam's books, The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters is the fascinating and funny true story of one writer's journey into her family's past, the truths she brings to light, and what she learns about herself along the way。

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Reviews

Kathleen Gray

Klam's effort to discover the truths about her family- her cousins Selma, Malvina, Marcella, and Ruth Morris- is the larger part of this interesting memoir of sorts。 The sisters who were abandoned in a St Louis orphanage after coming from Romania managed to overcome their circumstances (although sone challenges dogged them) and become wealthy women who endowed a variety of charities。 This illustrates how families shape their histories to fit- not everything she'd heard over the years was true of Klam's effort to discover the truths about her family- her cousins Selma, Malvina, Marcella, and Ruth Morris- is the larger part of this interesting memoir of sorts。 The sisters who were abandoned in a St Louis orphanage after coming from Romania managed to overcome their circumstances (although sone challenges dogged them) and become wealthy women who endowed a variety of charities。 This illustrates how families shape their histories to fit- not everything she'd heard over the years was true of course。 I appreciated the details, often humorous, of how she did her research but felt these overshadowed the women。 Thanks to Edelweiss for the ASC。 An entertaining read。 。。。more

Marianne

I so loved this book。 Julie Klam's wonderful sense of humor winds throughout this book that is an always engaging hunt to uncover a family mystery。 Where better in these days of Ancestry and 23 and me than to look to your own family for wildly interesting stories? And Julie's never disappoints。 I so loved this book。 Julie Klam's wonderful sense of humor winds throughout this book that is an always engaging hunt to uncover a family mystery。 Where better in these days of Ancestry and 23 and me than to look to your own family for wildly interesting stories? And Julie's never disappoints。 。。。more

Laura Zigman

I'm a huge Julie Klam fan -- I've loved every one of her books -- and this is one of my absolute favorites (but I love them all)。 On one level a genealogy-detective story, on another level a meditation on the stories families tell about themselves (some of them true; some of them not true), THE ALMOST LEGENDARY MORRIS SISTERS is a joy to read。 Julie's trademark humor and warmth are evident on every page。 I loved this book。 I'm a huge Julie Klam fan -- I've loved every one of her books -- and this is one of my absolute favorites (but I love them all)。 On one level a genealogy-detective story, on another level a meditation on the stories families tell about themselves (some of them true; some of them not true), THE ALMOST LEGENDARY MORRIS SISTERS is a joy to read。 Julie's trademark humor and warmth are evident on every page。 I loved this book。 。。。more